Cristina A. Rheims

Diversity and endemism of pholcid spiders in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, with descriptions of four new species of the Atlantic Forest endemic genus Tupigea (Araneae: Pholcidae)

This study is based on an effort to collect all pholcid spider species at six localities in the Serra do Mar region of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. All but one locality produced 11–15 species. This is compared with published and unpublished species counts worldwide, showing that only six other localities are known to contain more than 10 species. From the 39 species collected at the Atlantic Forest sites, 22 are new, and 24 were found at only one site each. The two extreme (northern and southern) localities did not share any species, suggesting a high level of endemism and immense unknown species diversity. The dominant genera are Metagonia, Mesabolivar and Tupigea, with the last genus being endemic to the Atlantic Forest. The second part provides new general information on Tupigea, describes four new species (Tupigea angelim, T. penedo, T. ale, T. guapia), provides descriptions of the previously unknown females of T. teresopolis and T. maza, and presents the first scanning electron micrographs of T. cantareira.

Four new species of Drymusa Simon (Araneae, Drymusidae) from Brazilian Oriental Amazonia

Four new species of Drymusa Simon, 1891 are described from the Oriental Amazonia, namely: Drymusa tobyi sp. nov., D. philomatica sp. nov., D. colligata sp. nov., and D. spelunca sp. nov., all from the state of Para, Brazil.

On the native Nearctic species of the huntsman spider family Sparassidae Bertkau (Araneae)

Abstract The native Nearctic species of the family Sparassidae are revised. Eight synonymies are proposed, reducing the number of species to five: Olios schistus Chamberlin 1919, O. scepticus Chamberlin 1924 and O. positivus Chamberlin 1924 with O. peninsulanus Banks 1898; O. albinus Fox 1937 and O. foxi Roewer 1951 with O. naturalisticus Chamberlin 1924. Olios concolor Keyserling 1884 and O. pragmaticus Chamberlin 1924 are removed from the synonymy of O. fasciculatus Simon 1880 and synonymized with O. giganteus Keyserling 1884. All species currently included in the genus Olios Walckenaer 1837 are redescribed and illustrated, and new distribution records are presented. Comparisons between these species and the type species of the genus Olios, Olios argelasius (Walckenaer 1805), shows that none of them are congeneric and that true Olios does not occur in the Nearctic region. Nevertheless, the correct placement of these species in new genera will only be possible after a more thorough revision of the Nearctic and Neotropical fauna, especially that of Mexico and Central America.

Revision of the Neotropical huntsman spider genus Vindullus Simon (Araneae, Sparassidae)

Abstract The huntsman spider genus Vindullus Simon 1880 (Araneae, Sparassidae) is revised. Olios gracilipes Taczanowski 1872 is transferred to the genus and recognized as a senior synonym of the type species, Vindullus viridans Simon 1880, for which the former male syntype was designated as a lectotype. Vindullus kratochvili Caporiacco 1955 is placed as incertae sedis and four new species are described: Vindullus undulatus new species, Vindullus gibbosus new species, both from Peru and Vindullus angulatus new species, from Colombia and Venezuela and Vindullus concavus new species from Brazil.

Neostasina gen. nov., a new genus of huntsman spiders from the Neotropical region (Araneae, Sparassidae, Sparianthinae).

Neostasina gen. nov. is proposed to include the type species, Neostasina macleayi (Bryant, 1940) comb. nov., and four other described species: N. lucasi (Bryant, 1940) comb. nov. and N. saetosa (Bryant, 1948) comb. nov., transferred from Stasina Simon, 1877, N. bicolor (Banks, 1914) comb. nov., from Olios Walckenaer, 1837, and N. antiguensis (Bryant, 1923) comb. nov., from Pseudosparianthis Simon, 1887. Stasina portoricensis Petrunkevitch, 1930 and Olios darlingtoni Bryant, 1942 are considered junior synonyms of N. bicolor comb. nov. All species are redescribed and illustrated. Twenty-two new species are described, namely: N. baoruco sp. nov. (♀), N. bermudezi sp. nov. (♂, ♀) and N. cachote sp. nov. (♀) from the Dominican Republic, N. bryantae sp. nov. (♂, ♀), N. granpiedra sp. nov. (♂, ♀), N. iberia sp. nov. (♂, ♀), N. montegordo sp. nov. (♀), N. siempreverde sp. nov. (♂) and N. turquino sp. nov. (♀) from Cuba, N. croix sp. nov. (♂) from the Island of St. Croix and N. virginensis sp. nov. (♀) from the Island of St. John, both U.S. Virgin Islands, N. guanaboa sp. nov. (♂), N. gunboat sp. nov. (♂), N. jamaicana sp. nov. (♀), N. liguanea sp. nov. (♂, ♀), N. lucea sp. nov. (♀), N. mammee sp. nov. (♂, ♀), and N. maroon sp. nov. (♂, ♀) from Jamaica, N. ouali sp. nov. (♂, ♀) from Nevis Island, N. amalie sp. nov. (♂, ♀) from U.S. (St. John and St. Thomas Islands) and British Virgin Islands (Peter Island and Sandy Cay), and N. taino sp. nov. (♂, ♀) from Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. An identification key and distribution maps are provided for all known species.

Curicaberis , a new genus of Sparassidae from North and Central America (Araneae, Sparassidae, Sparassinae)

The genus Curicaberis gen. nov. is described to include the type species, Curicaberis ferrugineus (C.L. Koch, 1836) comb. nov., and eight other species transferred from Olios Walckenaer, 1837: C. abnormis (Keyserling, 1884) comb. nov., C. annulatus (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900) comb. nov., C. bibranchiatus (Fox, 1937) comb. nov., C. ensiger (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900) comb. nov., C. ferrugineus (C.L. Koch, 1836) comb. nov., C. luctuosus (Banks, 1898) comb. nov., C. minax (O. Pickard-Cambridge,1896) comb. nov., C. manifestus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890) comb. nov., and C. peninsulanus (Banks, 1898) comb. nov.. All species are redescribed and illustrated. The males of C. ferrugineus comb. nov. and C. luctuosus comb. nov., and the female of C. annulatus comb. nov. are described and illustrated for the first time. Twenty-three new species are described: C. azul sp. nov. (♂) from Veracruz, C. catarinas sp. nov. (♀) from Chihuahua, C. chamela sp. nov. (♂ and ♀), C. eberhardi sp. nov. (♂ and ♀), C. jalisco sp. nov. (♂ and ♀), and C. urquizai sp. nov. (♂ and ♀) from Jalisco, C. culiacan sp. nov. (♂) from Sinaloa, C. cuyutlan sp. nov. (♂) from Colima, C. durango sp. nov. (♂) from Durango, C. elpunto sp. nov. (♂ and ♀), C. sanpedrito sp. nov. (♂ and ♀), C. tortugero sp. nov. (♀), C. yerba sp. nov. (♀) and C. zapotec sp. nov. (♂) from Oaxaca, C. huitiupan sp. nov. (♂), from Chiapas, C. pedregal sp. nov. (♂) from Distrito Federal, C. potosi sp. nov. (♀) from San Luis Potosí, C. puebla sp. nov. (♀) from Puebla, C. tepic sp. nov. (♀) from Nayarit, and C. mitla sp. nov. (♂ and ♀) from Veracruz and Oaxaca, C. chiapas sp. nov. (♂ and ♀) from Chiapas and Tabasco, all in Mexico, C. granada sp. nov. (♂ and ♀) from Granada and Manágua in Nicaragua and Guanacaste in Costa Rica, and C. bagaces sp. nov. (♀), from Guanacaste, Costa Rica. An identification key and distribution maps are provided for all known species.

The huntsman genus Decaphora Franganillo, 1931 (Araneae: Sparassidae: Sparianthinae)

The genus Decaphora Franganillo, 1931 is revised. Pseudosparianthis variabilis F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900, Pseudosparianthis cubana Banks, 1909 and Thelcticopis pestai (Reimoser, 1939) are transferred to the genus; and P. cubana is considered a senior synonym of the type species, Decaphora trabiformis Franganillo, 1931. In addition, the female of T. pestai and the male of P. variabilis are described for the first time; and a new species, Decaphora kohunlich spec. nov., is described from Mexico and Guatemala.

A new genus of huntsman spiders (Araneae, Sparassidae, Sparianthinae) from the Neotropical region

Uaiuara gen. nov. is described to include Sparianthis amazonica Simon from Brazil, Sparianthis barroana Chamberlin from Panama, and five new species, namely: Uaiuara quyguaba sp. nov. from the states of Amazonas, Pará and Amapá; Uaiuara ope sp. nov. from Acre and Uaiuara jirau sp. nov. from Rondônia, all in northern Brazil, Uaiuara palenque sp. nov. from Ecuador and Uaiuara dianae sp. nov. from Peru. The genus is easily distinguished from the remaining Neotropical Sparianthinae by the very recurved anterior eye row, the large number of ventral spines on tibiae of legs I-II, the retrolateral grove on the male palpal cymbium and the convoluted duct system of the female vulva. In addition, the female of S. barroana and the male of S. amazonica are described for the first time. The latter species is newly recorded from Colombia, Suriname, Ecuador and Bolivia.

Notes on the Amazonian species of the genus Drymusa Simon (Araneae, Drymusidae)

Abstract Males of Drymusa spelunca Bonaldo, Rheims & Brescovit 2006 and D. colligata Bonaldo, Rheims & Brescovit 2006 are described based on additional material collected in their type localities: the FLONA Carajás, Carajás and Juruti, both in the state of Pará, Brazil.

Description of the male of Yabisi guaba (Araneae: Eresoidea: Hersiliidae)

Hersiliidae is a relatively small spider family that is easily distinguished by the very long posterior lateral spinnerets. It is distributed worldwide and, although quite diverse in other zoogeographical regions, is represented by only 11 species in the Neotropics. Hersiliidae was recently revised and of the 11 species, three are known solely from one sex. Yabisi Rheims & Brescovit, 2004 includes only two species, one of which is known solely from the female. The genus is extremely rare and both species are known from only a few specimens. In this paper, the male of Yabisi guaba Rheims & Brescovit, 2004 is described and illustrated and an extended diagnosis is given for the genus. The male of this species is distinguished from its congener by the palps, with laminar embolus having the same width throughout its length and median apophysis narrow and distally rounded.