Paratobias invictus Machado, 2025

Paratobias invictus Machado sp. nov.

Figs 1A View FIGURE 1 , 2 View FIGURE 2 , 3 View FIGURE 3

Type material: Holotype: female, Estación de Biología Tropical Los Tuxtlas , Veracruz, Mexico [ 18°35′05″N, 95°04′26″W], 29 June – 01 July 1983, W. Maddison & R. S. Anderson ( MCZ 134014 About MCZ ) GoogleMaps . Paratypes: 2 males and 5 females, Francisco Escárcega , Campeche, Mexico [ 18°37′00″N, 90°48′00″W], 11–12 July 1983, W. Maddison ( MCZ 134008 About MCZ ) GoogleMaps ; 1 female, San Luis Potosí, Mexico [ 22°07′40″N, 101°00′14″W], 08 June 1983, W. Maddison ( MCZ 134009 About MCZ ) GoogleMaps .

Other material examined. MEXICO: Veracruz: 1♀, San Andrés Tuxtla, Estación de Biología Tropical Los Tuxtlas , 18°35′11.2″N, 95°04′30.5″W, 18–31 July 2014, A.M. Girotti ( IBSP 226315 View Materials ) GoogleMaps . Chiapas: 1♂, Palenque Ruins , 17°29′00″N, 92°01′00″W, 02–11 July 1983, W. Maddison & R GoogleMaps . S. Anderson ( MCZ 134011 About MCZ ) . Quintana Roo: 1♀, Kohunlich ruins, 18°26’N, 88°48’W, 14–17 July 1983, W. Maddison & R GoogleMaps . S. Anderson ( MCZ 134013 About MCZ ) . Oaxaca: 1♀, 13 km south of Tuxtepec on Highway 175, 17°59’N, 96°10’W, 26 June 1983, W. Maddison & R GoogleMaps . S. Anderson ( MCZ 134012 About MCZ ) .

Etymology. The epithet is a Latin masculine adjective meaning “undefeated” or someone who refuses to loose in the face of adversity. The name plays with the polysemy of the epithet “ championi ” from its congeneric species, described by Pickard-Cambridge (1900) to honor Mr. Champion, who collected several specimens in Panama. Thus, while the type species is “the champion”, the new species described here is the “the undefeated”.

Diagnosis. Females of P. invictus sp. nov. can be distinguished from those of P. championi by their yellowish body coloration and by their more discrete femoral macrosetae ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ). Compared to P. championi , P. invictus sp. nov. not only presents less macrosetae on their femora, as the ventral ones are close together, the setiferous tubercles are smaller and the femora per se are thinner ( Fig 1A View FIGURE 1 ). The epigynal plate of P. invictus sp. nov. is wider than long rather than as long as wide, and its copulatory ducts are shorter than those of P. championi , coiling twice before they get to a pair of screw-shaped spermathecae ( Figs 2D, F View FIGURE 2 ). Males of P. invictus sp. nov. can be distinguished by their few and smaller femoral macrosetae, like in its conspecific female, when compared to males of P. championi . Palpi are very similar to those of P. championi for being little informative and lack apophyses, but can be diagnosed by their slightly longer and piriform cymbium and shorter embolus, giving just one round around the tegulum ( Figs 3C–F View FIGURE 3 ) instead of two, like in P. championi . The shorter embolus in P. invictus sp. nov. coincides with the shorter copulatory ducts of its conspecific female. The same is valid for the match in length of these structures when we observe the male and female of P. championi .

Description. Female ( Holotype MCZ 134014): Anterior and posterior eye rows slightly recurved, ALE almost three times bigger than the AME ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ). Flattened prosoma, covered by colorless bristles, orange on the sides and gradually darker on the thoracic and cephalic median areas; dark-orange to brown clypeus with five marginal macrosetae ( Figs 2A, B View FIGURE 2 ). Yellowish sternum with darker borders, brown labium and endites with yellow borders and an entirely brown chelicerae. Light-yellow trapezoid opisthosoma with brown stains and black clavate setae sparsely distributed ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ). Anterior legs orange and posterior ones slightly lighter, but all of them with dark stains and some marks randomly distributed (mostly on femora).

Measurements. eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.08, ALE 0.20, PME 0.10, PLE 0.18, AME-AME 0.10, AME-ALE 0.10, PME-PME 0.14, PME-PLE 0.24. Prosoma 3.25 long, 3.04 wide; opisthosoma length 4.00; total body length 7.25. Clypeus 0.24 high; sternum 1.44 long, 1.36 wide; endites 0.72 long, 0.40 wide; labium 0.44 long, 0.58 wide. Leg formula: 1-2-4-3: leg I – femur 3.15/ patella 1.70/ tibia 2.75/ metatarsus 2/ tarsus 1/ total 10.60; II – 3.05/ 1.50/ 2.50/ 1.75/ 0.90/ 9.70; III – 1.75/ 1/ 1.50/ 1/ 0.75/ 6; IV – 2.50/ 1/ 1.45/ 1/ 0.75/ 6.70.

Male (MCZ 134008): Eyes disposition and size proportion as in female ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ), prosoma predominantly dark-orange with cephalic region brownish. Legs I and II predominantly dark-orange like the prosoma, while the posterior femora are light-yellow at their proximal section, darker around the setiferous tubercles ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ). Opisthosoma yellow on the venter and sides but brown on the dorsum ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ). Palp presents a discoid tegulum and filiform embolus; apophysis all absent ( Figs 3C–F View FIGURE 3 ). Measurements. eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.03, ALE 0.09, PME 0.08, PLE 0.09, AME-AME 0.05, AME-ALE 0.07, PME-PME 0.08, PME-PLE 0.12. Prosoma 1.51 long, 1.40 wide; opisthosoma length 1.38; total body length 2.89. Clypeus 0.08 high; sternum 0.67 long, 0.67 wide; endites 0.25 long, 0.16 wide; labium 0.19 long, 0.23 wide. Leg formula: 1-2-4-3: leg I – femur 1.72/ patella 0.78/ tibia 1.53/ metatarsus 1.12/ tarsus 0.54/ total 5.69; II – 1.62/ 0.69/ 1.43/ 1.05/ 0.48/ 5.27; III – 0.94/ 0.46/ 0.81/ 0.57/ 0.40/ 3.18; IV – 1.02/ 0.46/ 0.76/ 0.60/ 0.39/ 3.23.

Distribution. MEXICO: Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí and Veracruz ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ).