Scytodes ritae, Iost & Alayón & Rheims, 2025

Scytodes ritae sp. nov.

Figs 118–121 View FIGURES 118–125 , 134 View FIGURES 126–134 , 137 View FIGURES 135–138

Type material. Holotype: ♀, MARTINIQUE: Arrondissement do Saint Pierre : Precheur, Grand River trail, 14.8390ºN, 61.2170ºW, 52 mts., 22 March 2013, Team CarBio leg., CarBio 00000459A, CarBio 042 ( NMNH). GoogleMaps

Etymology. The specific name is a matronym honoring the late Brazilian singer, songwriter, and multiinstrumentalist Rita Lee ( 31 December 1947 – 8 May 2023), known as the “Queen of Brazilian Rock.” She was a founding member of the band Os Mutantes and a key figure in the Tropicália movement, with a long solo career marked by innovation and cultural impact.

Diagnosis. Females of S. ritae sp. nov. resemble those of S. alayoi Alayón, 1977 (Rheims, Brescovit & Durán Barrón 2007: figs 46–47), S. blanda ( Figs 8, 9 View FIGURES 1–9 , 34, 35 View FIGURES 31–41 ), S. farri ( Alayón 1985: fig. 4) and S. lorenzoi Alayón ( Alayón 1977: fig. 5B) by the genitalia with straight or curved positioning ridges and vulva with IS hyaline, sac-like with small distal pore plate and IS with short stalk, rounded with scattered pores. They are distinguished from S. alayoi and S. farri by the roughly straight positioning ridges ( Fig. 120 View FIGURES 118–125 ) (vs. C-shaped in S. alayoi and S. farri ) and from S. lorenzoi by the fovea being postero mediad ( Figs 120 View FIGURES 118–125 , 134 View FIGURES 126–134 ) (vs. antero-mediad in S. lorenzoi ).

Description. Female (CarBio00000459A, holotype): prosoma golden yellow with dark brown markings behind the eyes, along the edges and in the center; chelicerae golden yellow with brown outlines; legs golden yellow with dark brown spots; labium golden yellow; endites golden yellow with dark brown spots; sternum golden yellow with dark brown spots in the center and close to where the legs attach; opisthosoma pale brown with plentiful dark brown markings ( Figs 118, 119 View FIGURES 118–125 ). Measurements: total length: 3.1; prosoma: 1.5 long, 1.3 wide; sternum 0.83 long, 0.74 wide; labium: 0.18 long, 0.20 wide; opisthosoma: 1.6 long, 1.4 wide; eye diameters: PME 0.10, ALE 0.11, PLE 0.10; legs: I: - (1.4, rest of leg absent); II: 4.1 (1.1, 0.4, 1.0, 1.2, 0.4); III: 3.1 (0.9, 0.3,0.7, 0.8, 0.4); IV: 3.8 (1.0, 0.4, 1.0, 1.0, 0.4). Female genitalia: fovea separated from each other by twice their width ( Fig. 120 View FIGURES 118–125 ); Vulva: IS antero-mediad, rounded, with slender stalk, approximately twice the length of OS; OS roughly subrectangular, antero-mediad with slender distal plate covered with large pores ( Figs 121 View FIGURES 118–125 , 134 View FIGURES 126–134 ).

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality in Martinique ( Fig. 137 View FIGURES 135–138 ).