The orb-weaving spider genus Eustala Simon, 1895 (Araneae, Araneidae): <br />eight new species, redescriptions, and new records

Abstract

Eight new species of Eustala Simon, 1895 are described from southern Brazil. Eustala guarani n. sp., from Paraná and E. catarina n. sp., from Santa Catarina, are based on males and females. Six species are described from Rio Grande do Sul: E. ericae n. sp., E. cidae n. sp., E. lisei n. sp., E. cuia n. sp., E. farroupilha n. sp., based on males and females, and E. eldorado n. sp., based only on males. Eustala mourei Mello-Leitão, 1947, from Paraná and E. ulecebrosa (Keyserling, 1892), described from Rio Grande do Sul are redescribed and illustrated. New records are given for Eustala albiventer (Keyserling, 1884), E. taquara (Keyserling, 1892), E. minuscula (Keyserling, 1892), E. itapocuensis Strand, 1916, E. photographica Mello-Leitão, 1944, E. levii Poeta, Marques & Buckup, 2010, and E. palmares, Poeta, Marques & Buckup, 2010. Eustala perfida Mello-Leitão, 1947, described from Paraná, and E. belissima Poeta, Marques & Buckup, 2010, from Rio Grande do Sul, are newly recorded from Uruguay. Distribution maps are provided.

Host Plant Specificity in Web-Building Spiders

“…Although none of the genera in this large family are characterised as being closely associated with particular plant groups or plant species, recent work indicates that several species in the genus Eustala exhibit varying degrees of host plant specificity. The genus Eustala is large with around 90 species distributed throughout North and South America, the majority of which are found at tropical latitudes [ 82 , 83 , 84 ]. Early studies of the natural histories of the Eustala species noted that they do not typically build a retreat but rather rest on branches or are tucked into dead vegetation that they resemble in colour and pattern near their webs (e.g., [ 85 , 86 ]).…”