Fernandezina fernandoi Carvalho & Braga-Pereira & Santos 2024, sp. nov.

Fernandezina fernandoi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 8E7524F2-D024-48B5-9D20-DD0E5A0DAEEB

Figs 1–3, 4a–b, 5a–c

Type material. Holotype: BRAZIL, Minas Gerais: Januária, Parque Nacional Cavernas do Peruaçu, Gruta do Janelão, cave wall, aphotic zone, 700 m [15°6’57.96’’S, 44°14’29.76’’W], A.J. Santos et al. coll., 1/III/2020, 1 J (UFMG 27739). Paratypes: same locality, collectors, and date as holotype, in the ground, aphotic zone, 1 J 2 ♀♀ 1 imm. (CHNUFPI 4175, CHNUFPI 4176), same data as holotype, 1 J (CHNUFPI 4180), 1 ♀♀ (UFMG 27740).

Etymology. Patronym after Prof. Dr. Fernando Amaral da Silveira (1960–2022), a friend and colleague who has made significant contributions to our understanding of Neotropical bee systematics and biology.

Diagnosis. The male pedipalp resembles the general conformation of F. angeloi sp. nov., F.pulchra (Cala-Riquelme et al. 2018, figs 31–33), F. pelta (Platnick 1975, figs 85–86) and F. maldonado (Platnick et al. 1999, figs 19–21) by the retrolateral insertion and the prolateral curvature of the embolus. F. fernandoi sp. nov. is distinguished by the longer and slender embolus, without flaps or lateral expansions (Figs 4a–b, 5a–b). The female internal genitalia resembles that of F. pelta (Platnick 1975, figs 88–89) and F. nica (Ott & Ott 2014, figs 11–14) by the wide median receptacula and small pore plates, being distinguished by the horseshoe shaped and distally positioned pore plates (Fig. 5c).

Description. Male holotype (UFMG 27739). Total length 3.09. Carapace: reddish brown, with rough rugosity; 1.52 long, 1.07 wide (at leg II), 0.71 high (at leg II). Sternum: reddish brown, with rough rugosity; 0.79 long, 0.71 wide (at leg II). Eyes: posterior median eyes separated by slightly more than their diameter (Fig. 2a, f). Chelicerae: paturon with inconspicuous lateral ridge. Legs: reddish-brown, first legs slightly darker; femur I 1.58 long, 0.31 high. Leg I with sparse prolateral scopula on tibia, metatarsus, and tarsus. Tarsi without claw tufts. Opisthosoma: 1.53 long, 1.27 wide; opisthosomal scutum reddish-orange covering ca. 50% of dorsum, with smooth surface; unsclerotized portion of opisthosoma with scattered chevron pattern dorsally, yellowish background (Fig. 2e). Pedipalps: brownish-yellow; femur slightly thickened; tibia not thickened, about half the size of the bulb; bulb relatively large, more than half the length of the cymbium; embolus retrolaterally inserted in the bulb, base rounded, without any ledge, long, thin and translucent, prolaterally curved distally (Figs 4a–b, 5a–b).

Female paratype (CHNUFPI 4175). Total length 3.70. Carapace: 1.80 long, 1.20 wide (at leg II), 1.2 high (at leg II). Eyes and chelicerae as in male. Femur I: 1.9 long, 0.4 high. Leg I with sparse prolateral scopula on tibia, metatarsus and tarsus. Opisthosoma: sclerotized portions orangish-brown (Fig. 3b, f); opisthosomal scutum orangish-brown with lateroventral notches where two oblique, elongated ventral plates (postepigastric scuta) fit, directed medially posteriorly, but not touching themselves (Fig. 3b, f); unsclerotized portion of opisthosoma as in male (Fig. 3a, d). Internal genitalia: with two large, median receptacles and a pair of small, horseshoe-shaped pore plates, distally positioned (Fig. 5c).

Distribution. Known only from caves in the Parque Nacional Cavernas do Peruaçu (Fig. 7a–d), in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil (Fig. 1).

Variation. Total length in two males: 3.0 mm; opisthosomal scutum covering 51.3–62.5% of the dorsal surface.

Natural history. All known specimens were collected in the aphotic zone of a karstic cave, within the Brazilian semiarid domain (i.e., Caatinga), after a 20 hours*person sampling effort, carried out by four collectors, including searches in the cave surroundings and entrance (8 hours*person) and in the aphotic zone of the cave (12 hours*person). The Gruta do Janelão cave (Fig. 7b–d) is about 4,800 m long, about 700 m of which were explored. During the sampling, the humidity was 90.5% and the temperature 23.7 ºC. The specimens were collected in cave walls and in the ground. When disturbed, the specimens performed thanatosis. Samplings carried out in other 11 caves in March 2020 did not reveal any other specimens of this species. A second sampling event in November 2022, in the Janelão cave (6 hours*person in the surroundings and entrance and 9 hours*person in the aphotic zone) also did not reveal any other specimens, thus suggesting a very low abundance for this species.