Baalzebub nele, Labarque & Piacentini & Pons & Hormiga & Arnedo & Ramírez, 2025

Baalzebub nele sp. nov.

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Figs 1 View Fig , 57 View Fig

Diagnosis

Females of Baalzebub nele sp. nov. resemble those of Baalzebub baubo Coddington, 1986 by the suboval spermathecae (i.e., rounded laterally), distally connated, forming a curved line anteriorly, and by the backward-pointed triangular epigynal plate anteriorly narrow (i.e., as wide as the sclerotized vulva) ( Fig. 57D View Fig ; Coddington 1986: fig. 184). Females of B. nele can be distinguished from those of B. baubo by the opisthosoma dark laterally and the spinneret field with one pair of round guanine silver patches laterally ( Fig. 57B–C View Fig ), whereas B. baubo have light patches laterally on the opisthosoma and no silver patches next to the spinnerets ( Coddington 1986: fig. 180).

Etymology

The specific name is derived from ‘nele’ which indicates the person that has visions, dreams and revelations to diagnose diseases in the Kuna language, currently spoken by the Kuna native people of Panama.

Type material

Holotype

PANAMA – Chiriquí Province • ♀; Reserva Forestal Fortuna , Quebrada Honda , one-hectare PANCODING inventory; 8.750083° N, 82.239083° W; 1135 m a.s.l.; 7–12 Jun. 2007; M. Arnedo, D. Dimitrov, G. Hormiga, F. Labarque and M. Ramírez leg.; voucher code SFD1D8R013; preparation codes FML-00735, LNP-00261; DNA code baaba060; GenBank code PX096875 ; MIUP.

GoogleMaps

Paratypes

PANAMA – Panama Province • 1 ♀; Parque Nacional Altos de Campana , one-hectare PANCODING inventory; 8.683444° N, 79.929833° W; 895 m a.s.l.; 14–19 Jun. 2007; M. Arnedo, D. Dimitrov, G. Hormiga, F. Labarque and M. Ramírez leg.; voucher code SCD1DEL017; DNA code baaba255; GenBank code PX096877 ; MACN-Ar 29062 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; voucher code SCD1DFR013; DNA code baaba252; GenBank code PX096876 ; MACN-Ar 29063 .

Description

Female ( holotype MIUP SFD1D8R013)

Total length 2.16. Prosoma: length 0.89, width 0.87, height 0.61. Sternum: length 0.47, width 0.50. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.12, PME 0.09, AME–PME 0.08. Opisthosoma: length 1.32, width 1.39, height 1.04. Leg formula: 1243. Dorsal shield of prosoma dark ( Fig. 57A–B View Fig ). Dorsum of ocular area dark ( Fig. 57A–B View Fig ). Sternum dark olive-green with dark borders ( Fig. 57C View Fig ). Opisthosoma color overall dark gray, with four dorsal pairs of round guanine silver patches laterally, first and second pairs above first pair of opisthosomal apodemes, fourth pair touching anteriorly ( Fig. 57A–B View Fig ). Epigynal plate and booklung cover whitish-orange, tracheal spiracle, and behind anal tubercle dark gray; anterior lateral spinnerets field olive-green, other spinnerets orange ( Fig. 57C View Fig ). Femora and patella greenish-yellow with olive-green speckles distally, tibiae orange but distally olive-green, metatarsi and tarsi orange ( Fig. 57A–C View Fig ). Epigynal plate: triangular, narrow proximally, backward-pointed, central pit deep ( Fig. 57C–D View Fig ). Vulva: copulatory ducts irregular and membranous, inserting ventromedially posteriorly into spermathecae, suboval spermathecae, sclerotized, and connated distally, forming curved line anteriorly, fertilization ducts sclerotized, emerging laterally posteriorly from spermathecae, curving dorsally anteriorly to meet uterus externus ( Fig. 57D View Fig ).

Male

Unknown.

Records and biology

Records are limited to collections made at 760 m a.s.l. and 1135 m a.s.l. in premontane rainforest at Parque Nacional Altos de Campana and Reserva Forestal Fortuna, respectively ( Fig. 1 View Fig ). Males and females have been collected during the day by looking down and cryptic techniques.

Variation

Some females have darker coloration than the described specimen.