Bioacoustics of Lasiodora parahybana

Redescription. Male (MNRJ 7761). Carapace 24.85 long, 23.97 wide, chelicera 13.14. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I: 23.77, 12.54, 20.65, 19.77, 11.43, 88.16. II: 22.30, 11.24, 18.42, 18.84, 10.79, 81.59. III: 19.98, 10.91, 15.96, 19.69, 10.11, 76.65. IV: 23.56, 10.84, 19.88, 27.20, 11.01, 92.49. Palp: 15.0, 8.74, 12.21, –, 5.39, 41.34. Midwidths: femora I–IV = 4.64, 4.91, 5.71, 5.01, palp = 3.51; patellae I–IV = 4.83, 4.72, 4.87, 4.73, palp = 3.56; tibiae I–IV = 3.95, 3.51, 3.76, 3.78, palp = 4.10; metatarsi I–IV = 2.43, 2.39, 2.52, 2.43; tarsi I–IV = 2.59, 2.41, 2.61, 2.46, palp = 3.55. Abdomen 23.77 long, 16.78 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 3.08 long, 1.11 wide, 0.82 apart; PLS, 4.89 basal, 3.42 middle, 4.58 distal; midwidths 2.07, 1.73, 1.20, respectively. Carapace: 1.04 longer than wide; cephalic area moderately raised, thoracic striae conspicuous. Fovea: 4.66 wide. Eyes and eye tubercle: Tubercle 0.98 high, 2.65 long, 3.62 wide. Clypeus 0.22 wide. Anterior eye row procurved, posterior recurved. Eye sizes and inter-distances: AME 0.54, ALE 0.77, PME 0.52, PLE 0.67, AME–AME 0.76, AME–ALE 0.49, AME–PME 0.33, ALE–ALE 2.43, ALE–PME 0.54, PME–PME 1.81, PME–PLE 0.18, PLE–PLE 2.67, ALE–PLE 0.47, AME–PLE 0.87. Eye group 3.47 wide, 1.68 long. Maxillae: Length 8.0, width 4.43. Cuspules: 314 spread over ventral inner heel. Labium: 3.84 long, 4.14 wide, with 178 cuspules spaced by ca. one diameter from each other on the anterior third center. Chelicera: basal segment with 11 teeth in row on promargin and denticles in basal area. Sternum: 12.01 long, 9.62 wide. Legs: leg formula: I=IV II III. Length leg IV to I: 1.05. Stridulatory apparatus: Retrolateral maxilla: small to large spiniform setae on upper basal area, interspersed with very plumose setae, middle and lower areas lacking spiniform setae ( Figs 131 ─132). Leg I prolateral coxa: confluence of sutures region with ca . 20 brownish, short, spatulated stridulatory setae and several smaller ones (Figs 133─134). Region above sutures with plumose setae and some curved spiniform setae. Region below sutures covered with plumose setae having slightly incrassate base (Fig. 135). Coxae I and III retrolateral faces covered with plumose setae and a group of small spiniform setae on upper region. Retrolateral face of coxa II lacking small spiniform setae. Coxa II prolateral face with same apparatus as in leg I, but ca. 8 large setae; in coxae III and IV the stridulatory setae are very slender. Scopula: Tarsi I–IV and metatarsi I–II fully scopulated; III 1/2, IV 1/5 distal. Metatarsus IV divided by row of 3–4 setae. Spination: palp: femur p0-0-1, patella 0, tibia v1-2-0, p2-3-2; leg I: femur p0-0-1, patella 0, tibia v1-1-1ap, p0-1-0, metatarsus v1-0-1ap; leg II: femur p0-0-1, patella 0, tibia v0-1-4(3ap), p0-1-1; metatarsus v1-0-3ap; leg III: femur r0-0-1, patella 0, tibia v1-0-3ap, p1-1-0, r0-1-1, metatarsus v3-2-6(5ap), p1-1-2(1ap), r1-1-1; leg IV: femur 0, patella 0, tibia v0-1-6(2ap), p1-1-1, r1-1-0, metatarsus v26(8ap), p0-1-2(1ap), r0-2-2(1ap). Urticating setae. Position, type and length range: MA, I, 0.31–0.37; LA, I, 0.29–0.31; MM, III, 0.66–0.72; LM, I, 0.37–0.45; MP, III, 0.69–0.76; LP, I, 0.41–0.43. Palp ( Figs 125 –127). Palpal bulb pyriform, embolus slightly shorter than tegulum, slightly flattened laterally at distal region, apex short and thick. Prolateral keels present. PS forming embolus edge distally. A short. R sharp, divided posteriorly, with series of conspicuous denticles on its edge. SA well developed. Bifid tibial spur (Figs 128─129) with processes originating from common base, both straight, retrolateral longest, with a curvature at its distal portion. A single, flattened, rhomboidal spine contiguous to internal upper face of retrolateral process, and three such spines at the internal face of prolateral process. Metatarsus I curved on its basal third, when folded touches apex of retrolateral process. Color pattern (in alcohol): Carapace and chelicerae black. Carapace bordered with light brown short setae, chelicerae with some long light brown setae. Legs black with sparse light brown long setae. Coxae of legs ventrally and sternum reddish brown, covered with short velvety black setae. Labium and maxillae reddish brown. Abdomen dorsally and ventrally black with abundant long light brown or slightly reddish setae. Femora, patellae, tibiae and metatarsi of legs and palp with very discrete light stripes. Apex of leg segments with discrete (femora) or very discrete (patellae, tibiae and metatarsi) whitish rings on apex. Redescription. Female (MZUSP 78869). Carapace 29.12 long, 26.47 wide, chelicera 17.38. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I: 21.37, 12.63, 16.94, 15.57, 9.53, 76.04. II: 19.37, 11.42, 14.91, 14.31, 8.57, 68.58. III: 17.53, 10.66, 13.0, 14.80, 8.41, 64.40. IV: 20.80, 11.26, 16.83, 21.47, 9.20, 79.56. Palp: 15.30, 9.19, 12.26, –, 10.04, 46.79. Midwidths: femora I–IV = 4.28, 4.65, 5.30, 4.45, palp = 3.65; patellae I–IV = 5.33, 5.49, 5.39, 5.10, palp = 4.27; tibiae I–IV = 4.17, 4.17, 4.16, 3.91, palp = 3.65; metatarsi I–IV = 3.27, 3.05, 3.03, 2.81; tarsi I–IV = 3.17, 3.15, 3.25, 3.21, palp = 3.27. Abdomen 32.31 long, 25.84 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 3.40 long, 1.70 wide, 1.87 apart; PLS, 5.10 basal, 4.12 middle, 5.02 distal; midwidths 2.65, 2.12, 1.56, respectively. Carapace: 1.10 longer than wide; cephalic area noticeably raised, thoracic striae conspicuous. Fovea: 6.62 wide. Eyes and eye tubercle: Tubercle 1.13 high, 2.54 long, 3.65 wide. Clypeus 0.6 wide. Anterior eye row procurved, posterior recurved. Eye sizes and inter-distances: AME 0.59, ALE 0.67, PME 0.54, PLE 0.77, AME–AME 0.70, AME–ALE 0.51, AME–PME 0.35, ALE–ALE 2.66, ALE–PME 0.46, PME–PME 1.93, PME–PLE 0.21, PLE–PLE 2.81, ALE–PLE 0.40, AME–PLE 0.93. Eye group 3.63 wide, 1.60 long. Maxillae: Length 9.93, width 6.36. Cuspules: 327 spread over ventral inner heel. Labium 3.64 long, 5.22 wide, with 182 cuspules spaced by ca. one diameter from each other on the anterior third center. Chelicera. basal segment with 12 teeth in row on promargin and denticles in basal area. Sternum: 11.67 long, 10.27 wide. Legs: formula: I=IV II III. Length leg IV to I: 1.05. Stridulatory apparatus: Retrolateral maxilla: small to large spiniform setae on upper area, interspersed with very plumose setae, middle and lower areas lacking spiniform setae ( Figs 136 ─137). Leg I prolateral coxa: confluence of sutures region with ca. 5 short, brownish, spatulated stridulatory setae and several smaller ones (Figs 138─139). Region above sutures with plumose setae and some curved spiniform setae. Region below sutures covered with plumose setae having slightly incrassate base (Fig. 140). Coxae I–III retrolateral faces covered with plumose setae and a group of small spiniform setae on upper region. Prolateral coxa II with same apparatus as in coxa I; on coxae III and IV, stridulatory setae on prolateral face are very slender. Scopula: Tarsi I–IV fully scopulate. Metatarsi I–II fully scopulated; III 1/2, IV 1/4 distal. Metatarsus IV divided by row of 2–3 setae. Spination: palp: femur p0-0-1ap, patella 0, tibia v1-2-5(4ap), p0-2-0, r0-1-0; leg I: femur p0-0-1, patella 0, tibia v0-0-3ap, metatarsus v0-0-1ap; leg II: femur p0-0-1, patella 0, tibia v0-1-3ap; metatarsus v1-0-3ap; leg III: femur 0, patella 0, tibia v0-2-4(3ap), p1-1-1, r0-1-1, metatarsus v5-2-3ap, p1-1-1, r0-1-1; leg IV: femur 0, patella 0, tibia v0-0-5(2ap), p0-0-2(1ap), r1-0-2, metatarsus v24(4ap), p0-2-1, r0-1-1. Urticating setae: Position, type and length range: MA, I, 0.31–0.34; LA, I, 0.36–0.37; MM, III, 0.68–0.72, some I, 0.49–0.51; LM, I, 0.35–0.39; MP, III, 0.73–0.79; LP, I, 0.44–0.47. Spermathecae (Fig. 130): Two short spermathecae separated by heavily sclerotized short area, spermathecal stalk narrower than spermathecal bulb. Color pattern (in alcohol): As in male, except in the conspicuous white rings on apex of leg and palp segments. Morphological variation. I found two color patterns in Lasiodora parahybana . Specimens collected on the very humid areas of Brazilian Atlantic Forest on the coast of the states of Alagoas , Pernambuco and Paraíba have the carapace and legs greyish to dark greyish and the whitish rings on distal articles of legs and palp are faded. The abdomen dorsum is covered with long yellowish or pink setae (Figs 154─155, 159─162). Specimens from localities on the coast of the states of Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte , or in semi-arid areas far from the coast, living in enclaves of Brazilian Atlantic Forest, have the carapace, legs, and palp black with conspicuous wide white rings on distal articles of legs and palp. The long setae on abdomen dorsum are vivid red (Figs 153, 157─158). Despite the differences in color pattern, I failed to correlate the specimen patterns with genitalic or somatic characters; thus, they are herein considered to belong to the same species.

Remarks. The holotype female of Lasiodora parahybana Mello-Leitão, 1917 , collected in Campina Grande in the state of Paraiba, Brazil , should be deposited at MNRJ, but is presumed lost ( Silva-Moreira et al. 2010 ). Despite the unavailability of the type, a single Lasiodora species was found to occur north of São Francisco River, and some specimens collected close to the type locality were examined. Moreover, Mello-Leitão (1917) described the stridulatory apparatus of the type as formed by nine bacilliform setae arranged in two rows (4+5), which agrees with the spatulate stridulatory setae of the examined specimens. Thus, I keep the name Lasiodora parahybana Mello-Leitão, 1917 as valid based on the study of specimens from vicinities of the type locality. Moreover, this name has been traditionally used to name this large species occurring on the states of Paraiba , Pernambuco , Alagoas , Rio Grande do Norte , Ceará and Piauí ; and cited in diverse publications, such as studies of venom components. The holotype of L. acanthognatha is an immature male from São Paulo , Brazil . Mello-Leitão (1921) diagnosed this species by the presence of a “rose-thorn-like spur in the external surface” of the chelicera. Actually, the holotype has a spur as cited in the description, but only on the left chelicera (Figs 149─150). Thus, this structure is not symmetrical and it is likely to be a morphological anomaly. Even though the description and label state the specimen is from the state of São Paulo , it has spatulate stridulatory setae on the coxae I, similar to those of L. parahybana , which does not occur in São Paulo ( Fig 147 ). I believe it is a label mistake and, as the stridulatory apparatus morphology agrees with that of L. parahybana , I consider Lasiodora acanthognatha Mello-Leitão, 1921 a junior synonym of Lasiodora parahybana Mello-Leitão 1917 .