Epeirotypus bule, Labarque & Piacentini & Pons & Hormiga & Arnedo & Ramírez, 2025

Epeirotypus bule sp. nov.

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Figs 1 View Fig , 22 View Fig

Diagnosis

Females of Epeirotypus bule sp. nov. resemble those of E. drune sp. nov. by the body coloration overall dark gray ( Figs 21A–C View Fig , 22A–C View Fig ), but E. bule can be distinguished by the opisthosoma with whitish-gray patches forming a ‘happy face’ in dorsal view ( Fig. 22A View Fig ) and the vulval bifid sclerotized septum forming a narrow, rounded, posterior curve ( Fig. 22D View Fig ), whereas E. drune have the opisthosoma with three pairs of dorsal whitish-gray patches covered by sparsely thick dark gray flecks ( Fig. 21A View Fig ) and have the bifid septum wide ( Fig. 21D View Fig ).

Etymology

The specific name is derived from 'bule' which means 'head' in the Ngäbere language, currently spoken by the Ngäbe native people of Panama, and refers to the coloration pattern on the opisthosoma, which resembles a 'happy face' with the anterior procurved patches forming the smile and the rounded median patches suggesting eyes..

Type material

Holotype

PANAMA – Chiriquí Province • ♀; Parque Internacional La Amistad , Cerro Picacho , one-hectare PANCODING inventory; 8.890500° N, 82.618778° W; 2299 m a.s.l.; 12–17 Jun. 2008; M. Arnedo, L. Benavides, G. Hormiga, F. Labarque, L. Piacentini and M. Ramírez leg.; voucher code SAU2NCL028; preparation code FML-00944; DNA code epes7238; GenBank code PX096964 ; MIUP.

GoogleMaps

Paratypes

PANAMA – Chiriquí Province • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; voucher code SAU2NCL033; preparation code FML-00968; DNA GenBank code PX096963 ; MIUP GoogleMaps • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; voucher code SAU1NCR002; DNA barcode SPIPA387-10 ; MACN-Ar 29326 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; voucher code SAC1DHH007; DNA barcode SPIPA389-10 ; MACN-Ar 29327 GoogleMaps • 5 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; MCZ. GoogleMaps

Description

Female ( holotype MIUP SAU2NCL028, paratype MIUP SAU2NCL033)

Total length 2.99. Prosoma: length 1.38, width 0.99, height 0.90. Sternum: length 0.62, width 0.55. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.13, PME 0.16, AME–PME 0.13. Opisthosoma: length 2.09, width 1.97, height 1.84; with posterior lateral tubercles. Leg formula: 1243. Dorsal shield of prosoma dark, fovea yellowish-white ( Fig. 2A View Fig ). Dorsum of ocular area dark ( Fig. 22A View Fig ). Thoracic area of prosoma laterally higher ( Fig. 22B View Fig ). Sternum dark brownish-orange ( Fig. 22C View Fig ). Opisthosoma color overall dark gray with three pairs of dorsal whitish-gray patches laterally, anterior and middle ones fused forming ‘happy face’ ( Fig. 22A View Fig ). Opisthosoma with two lateral posterior tubercles connected ventrally by guanine silver stripe ( Fig. 22C View Fig ). Epigynal plate, booklung cover, tracheal spiracle, spinneret field and behind anal tubercle dark gray, surrounded by whitish-gray area ( Fig. 22C View Fig ). Legs I–II darker than III–IV, femora and patella greenish-brown, tibiae and metatarsi brownish-orange but distally dark, tarsi brownish-orange ( Fig. 22A–C View Fig ). Epigynal plate: domed, with transverse groove, central pit deep ( Fig. 22B–C View Fig ). Vulva: copulatory ducts massive, proximally with patch of gland ducts dorsally, heavily sclerotized distally inserting dorsolaterally posteriorly into spermathecae, spermathecae anteriorly sharp (i.e., angular), sclerotized, and connate (i.e., fused one above the other), fertilization ducts sclerotized, relative small, emerging dorsally posteriorly from spermathecae, curving anteriorly to meet uterus externus ( Fig. 22D View Fig ).

Male

Unknown.

Records and biology

Records are limited to collections made at 2299 m a.s.l. in lower montane rainforest from Parque Internacional La Amistad ( Fig. 1 View Fig ). Females have been collected mostly during the day by cryptic technique, though some specimens have been collected at night by looking up.

Variation

Some females examined have the opisthosomal whitish-gray patches separated.