Mayazomus tzotzil, new species

Figs. 38–48, 112, Table 1.

Type material. MEXICO: Chiapas: Heteromorphic male holotype (CNAN-T0853) [17 June 2011, O. Francke, A. Valdez, C. Santibáñez, J. Cruz, G. Contreras, K. Zarate, R. Monjaraz] from outside La Cueva de Teopisca (16.54556 ºN, 92.4953 ºW, 1825 masl), Municipio Teopisca.. Paratypes: 1 female (CNAN-T0854), same data as holotype.

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition dedicated to the ethnic group Tzotziles who inhabit central and northern Chiapas, an area that includes the type locality.

Diagnosis. Males can be distinguished by trochanter with a very long apical process, triangular in shape, less than 45 º with a pointed projection (Fig. 47); pedipalp femur with spiniform setiferous tubercle Fv 1 located ventrally, mesal surface of the femur with a well developed blunt apophysis (FAP); pedipalp tibia with three mesal apophyses, opposable to tarsus (TMA); apophyses increasing in size distally, the most apical claw-shaped (Fig. 48). Females can by distinguished by the spermathecae (Fig. 43) with curved median lobes, which are smaller than lateral lobes. Mayazomus tzotzil resembles Mayazomus kaamuul n. sp. in the general shape of the flagellum, but males differ in dorsal ornamentation of the flagellum, which lacks dorsal swellings in the former. The tibial apophysis M. kaamuul is only one and small, whereas M. tzotzil presents three tibial apophyses. M. tzotzil presents a long and pronounced apical process on the trochanter whereas M. kaamuul presents only a triangular and small apical process. The femoral apophysis ends in a pointed projection, whereas in M. kaamuul it ends bluntly. The patella curvature is very marked in M. kaamuul (U- shaped), whereas in M. tzotzil it is gentle (open arc-shaped). The spermathecae of M. tzotzil presents median lobes curved along their entire length whereas M. kaamuul presents inverse J-shaped median lobes; the posterior branch of the chitinized arch is widened in the area of gonopod in M. kaamuul whereas in M. tzotzil it is slender.

Description. Heteromorphic male (holotype): Light brownish; chelicerae, flagellum and legs orange. Prosoma: Propeltidium with two setae on anterior process and two pairs of dorsal setae; ocular spots asymmetrical, irregular and small. Mesopeltidial plates 0.30 wide, 0.10 long; gap between plates 0.29. Metapeltidium 0.42 long, 0.94 wide. Anterior sternum with 11 setae, plus two sternophysial setae; posterior sternum with six setae.

Chelicerae (Figs. 40–42): Movable finger: Serrula with 19 teeth. Fixed finger with 3 small teeth between 2 primary teeth. Setation: Setal group formula: 1:3, 2:5, 3:4, 4:2, 5:10, 6: 1. G 1 (setae group 1) with three spatulate setae, covered with many small spiniform spicules starting at middle of shaft; G 2 composed of five feathered setae, subequal in length, and shorter than movable finger length; G 3 with four setae, feathered apically and smooth basally, two of them with feathery area very short (long basally, ending in a bulb) (arrow Fig. 42); G 4 consisting of two setae, smooth and thick, spine shaped and narrower at the tip; G 5 with 10 similar sized setae, feathered apically and longer than fixed finger; G 6 with one smooth seta, about 1 / 2 of movable finger length.

Pedipalps (Figs. 47, 48): Robust; 3.11 times longer than propeltidium length. Trochanter very long, 3.04 times longer than high; apical process very large, conical shaped, less than 45 º; with a row of long setae on ventral margin plus two rows of microsetae on ectal face (superior row with seven setae, inferior row with five setae); three spiniform setae on ventral margin near distal end; mesal surface with a row of three setae near ventral margin, plus two setae near dorsal margin; with a small, median mesal spur. Femur wide, 1.56 times longer than high, elongated distally; distal margin straight, ventral margin flattened; distal margin on ectal surface with spiniform setiferous tubercles Fv 1 and Fv 2 small and separated (Fig. 47); mesal surface with two ventral plus two dorsal spiniform setae (2 + 2); distal margin of mesal surface with a well-developed blunt apophysis (FAP) (Fig. 48). Patella slightly curved, open arc- shaped; with scattered setae and with two ventral rows of three setae each. Tibia expanded distally, with scattered setae; with three apophyses on ventral surface opposable to tarsus (TMA). Tarsus elongated, 3.44 times longer than high. Claw about 0.4 times as long as dorsal length of tarsus; spurs asymmetrical, 0.08 long.

Legs: Leg I, basitarsal-telotarsal proportions: 30: 4: 5: 5: 6: 6: 13. Femur IV 2.7 times longer than wide.

Opisthosoma: Tergite I with two pairs of microsetae anteriorly plus one pair macrosetae 2 + 1; tergite II with three pair microsetae anteriorly plus one pair macrosetae 3 + 1; tergites III–VII with one pair dorsal setae each; tergites VIII–IX with one pair dorsal and one pair lateral setae each; segments X–XI telescoped with one pair lateral setae and five ventral setae; segment XII with one dorsal, two lateral and four ventral pairs of setae, without posterodorsal process. Sternites with scattered setae; genital aperture with many microsetae.

Flagellum (Figs. 44–46): dorsoventrally flattened, cordate in shape; 1.74 times longer than wide, 2.33 times longer than pedicel length; with a pair of dorso-submedian depressions, fused distally. Setation: Dm 1 situated over bulb base; Dm 4 situated distally; Dl 1 not reduced, 2 / 3 of Vl 1 seta; Dl 1 positioned at the same level as Vl 1; Dl 3 at same level as Vl 2; pair Vm 2 present; seta Vm 1 posterior to Vm 2; Vm 5 posterior to Vl 1. With one pair of anterodorsal microsetae between Dm 1 and Dl 1 nearest to Dl 1; one pair of antero-lateral microsetae on flagellar pedicel near to Dm 1, and one pair of irregular clumps between Vl 1 and Vl 2, each composed of 6 microsetae.

Female (paratype): Similar to the male, except in pedipalp development, 2.16 times longer than propeltidium length, female pedipalps are robust but do not have armature or any modification on the segments. The apical process of the trochanter is triangular and shorter. Other differences: Propeltidium longer than male (Table 1), general setation as on male. Anterior sternum with 12 setae. Flagellum partially lost; only two basal portions present; probably and in accordance with other species of Mayazomus, female flagellum presents three annuli; setae Vm 2 present and reduced; seta Vm 1 at same level as Vm 2. Spermathecae (Fig. 43) with 4 lobes; median pair evenly curved and longer than lateral pair; lateral pair also curved; both pairs with duct openings. Gonopod short and wide; chitinized arch U-shaped, posterior branch wide at base, with irregular margins (Fig. 43), lateral tip projected, triangular-shaped. Chelicera: serrula with 23 teeth. Fixed finger with 4 smaller teeth between 2 primary teeth. Setae 1:3, 2:6, 3:4, 4:2, 5:10, 6: 1.

Variation. Homeomorphic male unknown. Female cheliceral movable finger with more small teeth on serrula than on male (23 versus 19). Fixed finger of chelicerae in female with four small teeth between two primary teeth, whereas male presents three. In setal group G 2, female has six setae and male has five.

Distribution. This species is known only from the type locality (Fig 112).

Natural history. The specimens were collected under large rocks outside Cueva de Teopisca, which is near the town of the same name. The dominant vegetation was mixed oak-pine forest, with a high degree of perturbation. An attempt to collect additional material during July 2013 was unsuccessful.

Mayazomus tzotzil Mayazomus kaamuul Mayazomus hoffmannae Mayazomus yaax