“Flying” or digging? The trapdoor spider genus Neocteniza Pocock, 1895: Redescription of three species, new records from Brazil, notes on natural history and first record of ballooning for Idiopidae (Araneae, Mygalomorphae)

Abstract

The Neotropical trapdoor spider genus Neocteniza Pocock, 1895 is distributed throughout Central and South America. The genus currently comprises 18 species and little is known about the biology of these spiders. We provide an amended diagnosis for the genus Neocteniza and the species: N. minima Goloboff, 1987, N. australis Goloboff, 1987 and N. toba Goloboff, 1987, and also redescribe them. We include new records of these species from Brazil and notes on natural history of N. toba, providing data on burrow structure, diet, development and the first record of ballooning behavior for Idiopidae. We propose a terminology for the genitalia and consider homology among genital structures and among possibly stridulatory structures. We also discuss relationships of Neocteniza with other Idiopidae, stressing the uniqueness of the genus and its differences from all other Idiopidae including other Genysinae.

Idiopidae Simon, 1889 in the Brazilian Amazon: two new species and a new geographic record

“…All measurements are expressed in millimeters (MM). The terminologies used are based on Rossi et al (2021), andFonseca-Ferreira et al (2021). Photographs and measurements were taken using a Leica M205C stereomicroscope and the Leica Application Suite version 4.10.0.…”

“…In addition to being known for their trapdoor burrows, it was recently discovered that some species of the Neocteniza genus employ ballooning-a dispersal tactic involving the creation of a silk "balloon" that, with the help of the wind, transports the spider from one point to another. The first record of such behavior was observed in a laboratory setting with specimens of the genus (Rossi et al 2021).…”

“…Despite being highly diverse and found in virtually every part of the globe, the Idiopidae family still requires further studies focused on taxonomy, biogeography, and ecology. This need is particularly pronounced in the Amazon region, especially in Brazil, where only seven species of Idiops and two of Neocteniza have been recorded, still being the least sampled region compared to other Brazilian states (Fonseca-Ferreira et al 2021;Rossi et al 2021). Many areas in Brazil remain undersampled, and as a result, the actual distribution of the family in the country is not well understood (Fonseca-Ferreira et al 2021;Rossi et al 2021).…”

Four new species of mygalomorph spiders (Araneae, Halonoproctidae and Theraphosidae) from the Colombian Pacific region (Bahía Solano, Chocó)

“…While a few groups of trapdoor spiders can perform short-range ballooning ( Bristowe 1939 ; Coyle 1983 , 1985 ; Coyle et al 1985 ; Ferretti et al 2013 ; Rossi et al 2021 ), mygalomorph spiders are primarily terrestrial and relatively sedentary ( Raven 1980 , 1985 , 2010 ; Pérez-Miles and Perafán 2017 ). Consequently, many groups have restricted geographic distributions and high levels of endemism, which makes them a highly informative group for conservation studies, environmental monitoring, and biogeography research ( Raven 2010 ; Foelix 2011 ; Ferretti et al 2012 , 2014 ; Perafán et al 2020 ).…”