Sicarius yurensis

SICARIUS YURENSIS STRAND, 1908 View in CoL STAT. NOV.

Figures 24E View Figure 24 , 26B, 30B View Figure 30 , 37B View Figure 37 , 43 View Figure 43 , 44 View Figure 44

Sicarius terrosus yurensis Strand, 1908: 226 – 227 View in CoL . Female from Yura, Peru, most probably deposited in Wiesbaden Museum, not found (F. Geller-Grimm, pers. comm.).

Sicarius peruvianus : Lehtinen, 1986: 152, fig. 3 (misidentified, invalid emendation).

Note: Strand (1908) was not explicit about his intentions to describe this as a species or a subspecies; he was merely recording the presence of S. terrosus View in CoL in Peru, and noted some differences between his specimen and the description by Keyserling (1880). Facing doubts about whether these differences were true or caused by the poor conservation of his specimen, he stated that, if those differences proved to be meaningful, his ‘variety could be named yurensis View in CoL ’ (Strand, 1908, p. 227). Nonetheless, subsequent catalogues treated yurensis View in CoL as a valid subspecies (Roewer, 1942; Bonnet, 1958; Brignoli, 1983; World Spider Catalog, 2015). We could not find Strand’s specimen, but we have examined a male from Yura and it agrees with his description, notably in a diagnostic character: the width of the cephalic region (4 mm in S. terrosus yurensis View in CoL , 2.8 in Keyserling’s description, both with 8 mm in carapace length). Based upon this morphological remark and the type locality, we could recognize this wideheaded Sicarius View in CoL , which we elevate to species status.

Diagnosis: Males, females and juveniles are easily distinguished from all Sicarius by the wide cephalic region (~50% of the carapace length) ( Fig. 37B View Figure 37 ). Males are further distinguished by the long and slender palpal bulb, with very thin embolus ( Fig. 43 View Figure 43 ). Females are further distinguished (except from S. thomisoides ) by the spermathecae with 10 – 18 branches usually bent at the apex and without a rounded reservatory ( Fig. 44 View Figure 44 ). We have been unable to find a genital feature in females to distinguish this from S. thomisoides .

Description: Male (Yura, Arequipa, Peru, AMNH). Coloration: carapace and chelicerae reddish brown, labium, endites, sternum and legs light brown, abdomen brownish yellow. Total length 14.7. Carapace length 8, anterior width 3.82, thoracic region width 7.42. Eye diameters and interdistances: PME 0.25, ALE 0.28, PLE 0.23, PME – PLE 1.37, ALE – PLE 0.28. Clypeus height 1.45. Eye tubercles absent. Macrosetae in lateral border of the carapace in a single row. Femora without prolateral black setae. Sternum length 3.59, width 3.18, oval. Femoral thorns: 6. Leg I: femur 9.4 long, patella 3.3, tibia 9.9, metatarsus 7.8, tarsus 4.9. II: fe 10.5, ti 10.38. III: fe 9.3, ti 9.1. IV: fe missing. Abdomen: length 6.2, width 4.98. Palp as in Figure 43A – C View Figure 43 .

Female (Las Yaras, Tacna, Peru, AMNH). As in male, except for the following. Total length 18.45. Carapace length 7.67, anterior width 4.33, thoracic region width 6.92. Eye diameters and interdistances: PME 0.28, ALE 0.25, PLE 0.31, PME – PLE 1.45, ALE – PLE 0.31. Clypeus height 1.47. Sternum length 3.65, width 3.3, oval. Femoral thorns: 4. Leg I: femur 6.83 long, patella 2.74, tibia 6.5, metatarsus 4.58, tarsus 3.75. II: fe 7.92, ti 6.83. III: fe 7.5, ti 6.42. IV: fe 7.08, pa 2.58, ti 6, mt 4.5, ta 3.92. Abdomen: length 9.9, width 8.2. Spermathecae branches: 17. Ventral branches present, one pair, straight. Spermathecae as in Figure 44A and B View Figure 44 .

Variation: Males (N = 3): carapace length 6.34 – 8 (7.45), femoral thorns 5 – 6, femur II length 9.1 – 10.5 (9.99). Females (N = 5): carapace length 7.17 – 8.8 (7.68), femoral thorns 4 – 5, femur II length 7.92 – 9.8 (8.45), spermathecae branches 10 – 17. Genital morphology is slightly variable in both sexes ( Figs 43 View Figure 43 , 44 View Figure 44 ). Subadult females have pre-spermathecae with four to several short, digitiform branches ( Fig. 44G, H View Figure 44 ).

Natural history: This species has been collected from desert areas in coastal Peru and Chile; it seems more common in the higher altitudes of northern Chile than its sister species, S. thomisoides .

Distribution: Desertic coast in Central to Southern Peru and Northern Chile ( Fig. 26B). The northernmost records from Peru are based on immatures only; examining adults from those regions would be desirable to confirm co-specificity.

Additional material examined: PERU. Lima: Ca nete ~, Lunahuan a �, [76.11667, 12.96667, 1214 m], 1 imm. (MUSM 504943). Ica: Chincha, Grocio Prado , San Juan , (75.98883, 13.40575, 768 m), A.D. Brescovit et al., 19/VI/2012, 3 imm. (IBSP 165447), 1 imm. (UFMG 15341). Ayacucho: Lamar, Ninabamba, R � ıo Pampas, [73.86667,

12.95, 1800 m], W. Weyrauch, 2/X/1947, 1 imm. ( AMNH). Arequipa: Arequipa, Yura , [71.66667,

16.25, 2829 m], K.P. Schmidt, 10/VIII/1939, 1 # 1 imm. ( AMNH). Tacna: Tacna, Las Yaras , [70.55,

17.86667, 400 m], 3 – 5/XI/1983, 1 $ ( AMNH); 28/X/ 2009, 1 # ( UAP). CHILE. Regi on � XV de Arica y Parinacota: Arica , Arica , 2.5 km W, 3.2 km S Poconchile, Ruta A-143, [70.09382, 18.48273, 932 m], R. Sage, 31/VII/2013, 2 $ 2 imm. (MACN-Ar 30188), 1 $ (MACN-Ar 30210); Azapa Valley , [70.18333, 18.51667, 800 m], X/1941, 1 imm. ( AMNH); L.E. Pe na ~, 29 – 31/I/1992, 1 imm. ( AMNH); Valle R � ıo Lluta, [70.3, 18.4, 48 m], 2/II/1992, 1 imm. ( AMNH); [70.31667, 18.48333, 44 m], J. Aros, VII/1961, 2 $ ( AMNH). Regi on � I de Tarapac a �: Iquique, Pozo Almonte, Pampa del Tamarugal , (69.54533, 20.43567, 997 m), A.D. Brescovit et al., 10/VII/2012, 1 # ( IBSP 165501 View Materials ); Quebrada Chipana, (69.12861, 20.81556, 2540 m), A. Taucare-R � ıos, 23/VIII/2009, 1 $ ( IBSP 161783 View Materials ); Quebrada Duplijsa, Mami na ~, [69.4, 20.01667, 1923 m], L.E. Pe na ~, VI/1985, 1 imm. ( AMNH); Poconchile [70.06648, 18.44994, 749 m], 23/VI/ 2010, 1 $ 1 imm. ( UAP). Regi on � II de Antofagasta: Antofagasta, Antofagasta, 61 km S Antofagasta, [70.41667, 24.21667, 1637 m], 21/VIII/1982, 2 imm. ( AMNH); El Loa, San Pedro de Atacama, Guatin, [68.08333, 22.78333, 3300 m], 23 – 30/VIII/ 1982, 1 $ 8 imm. ( AMNH); Peine, [68.05, GoogleMaps

23.66667, 2453 m], XI/1975, 1 $ ( AMNH) ; Talabre , [67.91667, 23.25, 3200 m], 14/II/1992, 1 $ 5 imm. ( AMNH) ; Tilomonte , [68.1, 23.78333, 2374 m], 23/ I/1996, 1 $ 4 imm. ( AMNH) ; [68.08333, 22.78333, 3271 m], Guat � ın, 8/II/1997, 1 $ 1 imm. ( UCCC) GoogleMaps ; same locality, [68.1, 23.78333, 2374 m], L.E. Pe na ~, 23 – 30/VIII/1982, 2 $ 4 imm. ( AMNH) GoogleMaps ; same locality, (68.06667, 23.68333, 2453 m), 10/IV/ 1990, 1 $ 5 imm. ( AMNH) GoogleMaps . Regi on � III de Atacama: Toconao , [68, 23.18333, 2684 m], E. Casanueva, 12/XI/1982, 1 $ ( UCCC) .