The firstHapalotremusSimon, 1903 (Araneae: Theraphosidae) from Argentina: description and natural history ofHapalotremus martinorumsp. nov.

Abstract

A new species of Hapalotremus Simon, 1903 from northern Argentina is described and illustrated. Hapalotremus martinorum sp. nov. differs from all other congeners by the colour pattern of live specimens. Males differ in the male palpal bulb morphology, with thickened and less curved embolus having a blunt subapical keel and less-developed apical keel. Females differ in the shape of the spermathecae, with the lateral bases more pronounced than the superiors and the upper edge more rounded. Specimens were captured inhabiting short burrows or crevices under stones in high cloud forests.

The Neotropical genusHapalotremusSimon, 1903 (Araneae: Theraphosidae), with the description of seven new species and the highest altitude record for the family

“…Thus, the area distribution of the genus comprises the western slopes of the Andes, between 1300 and 4500 m of altitude, from southern Peru, Bolivia to northwestern Argentina. The lowest and southernmost known record of the genus was that reported for H. martinorum (Cavallo and Ferretti 2015). However, with the discovery of H. chasqui sp.…”

“…nov., Hapalotremus major (Chamberlin, 1916), Hapalotremus marcapata sp. nov., Hapalotremus martinorum Cavallo and Ferretti, 2015, Hapalotremus perezmilesi sp. nov., Hapalotremus vilcanota sp.…”

“…In the original description of the species (Cavallo and Ferretti 2015), the ventral crest of the prolateral inferior keel was described as a subapical keel due to its triangular shape and position. However, a more detailed examination of the male holotype and the comparison with the other species of Hapalotremus led us to identify a continuous PI very well-developed along the embolus having a ventral expansion or crest, as found in all known species.…”

“…Specimens were found in high-cloud forests of the Yungas region (Figure 3a). These spiders occupy short burrows or crevices under stones and usually the stones, where individuals can be found, are covered with mosses and small ferns (see more details of natural history in Cavallo and Ferretti 2015).…”

Conservation biogeography and diversity of tarantulas in Argentina

“…In the Yungas region, species such as H. martinorum, H. chasqui, Euathlus pampa, T. crassifemur, T. yupanqui, and T. mutquina are strictly associated with the Southern Andean Yungas, Dry Chaco, and to the Central Andean Puna in a more restricted range. The genus Hapalotremus, recently discovered in Argentina, comprises species restricted to high-altitude cloud forest environments (Cavallo and Ferretti 2015;Ferretti et al 2018), while Tmesiphantes exhibits a disjunct distribution in the Argentinean Yungas and the Brazilian Cerrado (Fabiano da Silva et al 2019). Similarly, Euathlus sagei, E. tenebrarum, Phrixotrichus pucara, and P. vulpinus (Karsch 1880) show strong support for the endemicity of the areas in the Valdivian Temperate Forest, Patagonian Steppe, and the Low Monte.…”