Icaleptes armasi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 406D1887-CA57-4DC8-9B23-2F8C5C165E71

(Figs 10–16, 18)

Type material. Holotype: 1 male (ICN-Ar, MPP00516) from Hostal Moncho, Minca to Cerro Kennedy, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (11.10513889 N, - 74.06037 W), Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, 23.X.2022, C. Casas & A. Jimenez colls.. Paratypes: 1 female (MACN-Ar 46563, MPP00718), same data as Holotype. 1 male (MACNAr 46800, MPP00514) from close to Hostal El Ramo, Minca to Cerro Kennedy, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, 2 388 masl (11.105000 N, - 74.06278 W), Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, 13–15.XII.2022, L. Martínez coll.. 1 male (MACN-Ar 46802, MPP00515) from close to Hostal Luisito, Minca to Cerro Kennedy, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, 2 388 masl (11.10875833 N, - 74.06048 W), Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, 13–15.XII.2022, L. Martínez, C. Casas & M. Machado colls.. 1 male and 2 females (MACN-Ar 46832, MPP00521) from Bosque quebrada, Minca to Cerro Kennedy, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, 2 388 masl (11.105000 N, - 74.06278 W), Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, 13–15.XII.2022, K. Marimon & E. Villarreal colls.

Etymology. Patronym in honor of the renowned Cuban arachnologist, professor, friend and first arachnology advisor of the last author (APG), Dr. Luis F. de Armas, on occasion of his 80th birthday and in recognition of his remarkable contributions to arachnology. Additionally, the species epithet, armasi, formed by the Spanish word “armas” [weapon] makes an oblique reference to the male ventral coxa IV “armed” with two strong pointed prominences.

Diagnosis. Icaleptes armasi sp. nov. differs from Icaleptes malkini by the absence of an immense flat ocularium in males; by the presence of sexually dimorphic coxa IV in males with a protuberance on the retrolateral margin (Fig. 11); by the male genitalia with a well-defined, narrower, and short rutrum and a wide and massive pergula; and by the positioning of the spatulate macrosetae in a single horizontal row; and the apex of the lobes of the stragulum not being recurved (Figs. 14–15). Icaleptes armasi sp. nov. is morphologically similar to Icaleptes dimorphicus sp. nov., but can be differentiated by the long and conical protuberance, slightly curved anteriorly, on the retrolateral margin of coxae IV in males (Fig. 11C), with the entire medial surface tightly joined (Fig. 11E), versus a stout and triangular protuberance in I. dimorphicus sp. nov. (compare to Fig. 3C), with a big portion of the medial basal surface tightly joined, and adorned with a small rounded mound (Fig. 3E). In addition, metatarsus III of male I. armasi sp. nov. exhibits a swollen calcaneus occupying the distal half of the total metatarsus length (Fig. 13E) versus a calcaneus III that occupies the distal 1/4 of the total metatarsus length in I. dimorphicus sp. nov. (compare to Fig. 6E). Male chelicerae I. armasi sp. nov. are not hypertelic and bear a median projection/denticle on the fixed finger (Fig. 12B) versus hypertelic male chelicerae and the lack of a median projection/denticle on the fixed finger in I. dimorphicus sp. nov. (compare to Fig. 5). The ocularium of I. armasi sp. nov. is more dorsally projected (angle between ocularium and the postocularium region approximately 150°; Fig. 11B), whereas in I. dimorphicus sp. nov. the ocularium is less dorsally projected (angle between ocularium and post-ocularium region approximately 165°; Fig. 3B). Finally, the male genitalia of Icaleptes armasi sp. nov. have only one pairs of small spiniform setae located inside the calyx of the pergula, with the other pair is positioned outside the margin of the calyx (Fig. 14B,D) and a rutrum with a blunt-shape apex (Fig. 15A–B) whereas I. dimorphicus sp. nov. has two pairs of small spiniform setae located within the calyx of the pergula (Fig. 7B,D) and a rutrum with a rounded apex (Fig. 8B–C).

Description. Male holotype (ICN-Ar, MPP00516). Dorsum (Figs. 10A, 11A): Scutum magnum bell-shaped, with the dorsal scutum markedly wider than carapace, smooth, entirely unarmed, without any sulci. Anterior margin straight and with two small granules on each anterolateral margin. Ocularium with broad base, ill-defined, subconical, with rounded apex. Ocularium projecting slightly dorsally with the angle between ocularium and the postocularium region approximately 150° (Fig. 11B). Mesotergal scutum with no visible sulci and therefore no clearly defined areas (i.e. mesotergal areas fused). Lateral margins with a row of very small, low granules each (Fig. 11A). Free tergites smooth and unarmed. Coxa IV is barely visible in the dorsal view. Venter: Anal operculum unarmed. Coxa IV with prolateral surface somewhat rounded almost as wide as it is long (Fig. 10B). Coxa IV with a huge sexually dimorphic protuberance involving the part of the retrolateral proximal margin of coxa and a big part of spiracular sternite surface (Fig. 11D). This protuberance is stout, long and conical, slightly curved anteriorly (Fig. 11C), with the entire medial surface tightly joined (Fig. 11E). Spiracles not concealed. Chelicerae (Fig. 12A–C): Stout and unarmed with a bulla not well marked, wide and low. Sexual dimorphism present only in the cheliceral fingers. Movable fingers strongly arched medially, forming a proximal opening (like a “hole”) in the fitting region between the cheliceral fingers. Fixed finger with a median projection/denticle (Fig. 12B). Pedipalps (Fig. 12D–E): Raptorial morphotype (sensu Wolff et al. 2016) with the dorsal surface of the podomeres smooth and with armature very reduced. Coxa short, unarmed. Trochanter globular, with two small setiferous granules. Femur with two robust ventrobasal spines with wide, low and rounded pedestal. Patella short, armed with a small distal mesal setae. Tibia ventrally flattened slightly convex and armed with two mesal and two ectal setae (seems like to be reduced spines without pedestals). Tarsus armed ventrally with two ectal and two mesal setae, without or very reduced pedestals. The setae from tibia and tarsus possess very small microtrichia covering the distal ventral half (Fig. 12D). Legs (Fig. 13): Leg measurements in Table 1. Femur I with a row of robust ventral low conical setiferous tubercles. Leg III as robust as leg IV. Metatarsus III thickened distally with calcaneus occupying a half of the total length and presenting a central row of modified striate sensilla with pores at the base (with possible glandular function) (Fig. 13E–G). Basitarsus III with the two proximal tarsomeres fused and slightly enlarged (Fig. 13E). Tarsal formula: 3(2):6(3):5:6. Genitalia (Figs. 14–15): Penis tubular with the pars distalis slightly wider than the pars basalis, without any other clearly distinction between them. The ventral region of the pars distalis more apically expanded than the dorsal one, forming a stout ventral plate (Figs. 14C, 15C). The apical portion of the ventral plate is differentiated into two tagmata presumably homologous with the basal pergula and an apical rutrum (Fig. 15C). The pergula is moderately projected and very wide, with the ventral apical portion depressed (slightly concave) in the form of a shallow calyx (Figs. 14D, 15D). The ventral lateral wide region of the pergula contain a horizontal row of six strong spatulate macrosetae, one pair of small spiniform setae located outside the margin of the calyx and another pair of small spiniform setae inside of the calyx (Figs. 14B,D, 15B,D). Pars distalis with a dorsoapically short and stout rutrum with a blunt-shape apex and ventrally bearing a pair of small spiniform setae (Figs. 14B, 15A–B). Capsula externa articulated to truncus as a jackknife (Fig. 15D), formed by a robust stragulum, with well-developed lateral branches widely separated from each other from the middle to the apex, leaving the capsula interna visible in a resting position (i.e. not everted) (Fig. 15A). Capsula interna formed by a wide and cylindrical stylus apically ended in a huge parastylar collar with two pointed lobes (like horns). Color in alcohol: Dark yellow background with darker reticular spots.

Female paratype (MACN-Ar 46563, MPP00718) (Fig. 10C–D). Female similar to the male, but with visible and well-marked sulcus I. Ocularium is slightly higher and more pointed than in males (Fig. 10D). Legs III without the enlarged metatarsus and basitarsus. Chelicerae mobile finger without marked curvature medially. Coxa IV without the huge triangular sexually dimorphic protuberance. Tarsal formula: 3(2):6(3):5:6.

Variability. Males of Icaleptes armasi sp. nov. also exhibit a highly variable external morphology (Fig. 16). In this species we also observed two different degrees of development in the modification of the coxa IV of males that may be a sign of a major and minor intrasexual dimorphic condition as defined in Buzatto & Machado (2014). In addition, we observed males with intermediate morphologies between the two described, but due to the low number of specimens, further characterization of this polymorphism awaits intensive sampling of this species.

Distribution. COLOMBIA, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Magdalena, Municipality of Santa Marta, Minca (Fig. 18).