A new species of Alpaida ( Araneae , Araneidae ) from Southeastern Brazil

Alpaida venger sp. nov. is described based on males and females from Pedra Branca State Park, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This species seems to be related to Alpaida scriba (Mello-Leitão, 1940) and Alpaida alticeps (Keyserling, 1879) due to similar body shape and color, but is easily distinguished by the very elongated median apophysis, the massive lobe of tegulum and the hooked paracymbium of male palp. Females have elongated epigyne as A. scriba, but can be distinguished by the wider lips and shorter scape.

The spider genus Alpaida O. P.-Cambridge, 1889 includes 86 Brazilian species from a total of 147 species and three subspecies in Neotropical Region (World Spider Catalog, 2015).According to Levi (1988), they are diurnal Neotropical orb-weavers, easily recognizable by the bright and glabrous body with orange carapace.Also, males have a narrow cephalic portion of carapace; palp with embolus, radix and terminal apophysis fused and a mushroom-shaped paramedian apophysis, a character shared with Edricus O. P.-Cambridge, 1890.Females may be recognized, on the other hand, by a wide cephalic portion with black-ringed eyes and by the typical epigyne.This structure is transverse and sclerotized, with posterior lips and a middle portion coming out into a triangular lobe or scape.In posterior view, there is a median plate framed by a lip and with one copulatory opening at each side.
Pedra Branca State Park is a 12,500 hectares urban forest.It is the largest green area in the city of Rio de Janeiro and constitutes one of the last preserved areas of the Atlantic Forest biome in the city (Oliveira et al., 1995).The park is located in Jacarepaguá, western region of the city, 22°58'12.0"S,43°26'16.4"W.The spider fauna of the area has recently been explored in a standardized taxonomic survey, during the master studies of the first author, revealing a total of 371 species or morphospecies, where Araneidae was the second richest family with 47 species, seven of which belonging to the genus Alpaida.Data obtained from a spider inventory in Pedra Branca State Park revealed a new species: Alpaida venger sp.nov., described and illustrated here based on both sexes.Levi (1988) focusing on the relevant features of the species, without repeating common characters for the genera.The material examined was collected in 2013 and 2014 and is deposited at the Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, arachnology collection (MNRJ; A. Kury) and Instituto de Biologia, Universidade do Brasil/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ; R. Baptista).All automontage photographs of the preserved specimens were taken with a camera mounted on a stereoscope microscope and edited with Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Coreldraw X7.Samples for scanning electron were air dried and coated with goldpalladium and observed under a high vacuum microscope, from Instituto de Biologia, UFRJ.All the measurements are in millimeters and color patterns are described from specimens preserved in 75% ethanol.Etymology.The specific name refers to the antagonist character "Venger", from the animated television series named and inspired on the game "Dungeons & Dragons".The character has a single horn on the side of the head, resembling the long paramedian apophysis of the male palp.

Alpaida venger
Diagnosis.This species seems to be related to Alpaida scriba (Mello-Leitão, 1940) and Alpaida alticeps (Keyserling, 1879) judging by the abdomen shape and color, the strong, crescent-shaped median apophysis and the massive and strongly sclerotized terminal apophysis (see Levi, 1988, fig. 187 andBuckup &Meyer, 1993, fig.3).The male of A. venger is distinguished from both species by its very elongated median apophysis, projected well beyond the apical margin of the cymbium, the lobe at the edge of tegulum placed distally and elongated hooked paracymbium (Figs 2, 5).In contrast to the short epigyne of A. alticeps, the elongated epigyne of A. venger is more similar to A. scriba, but differs by the stronger and wider lips and shorter scape (Figs 8,9).
Description.Male (Holotype): Carapace, endites and chelicerae orange.Carapace with a brown V-shaped mark around fovea (Fig. 1).Legs yellow with brown patches on femur, patella, metatarsus and tarsus (Fig. 1).Eyes ringed in black (Fig. 1).Abdomen longer than wide, cylindrical, with a large rounded, terminal bulge, with three slightly marked lateral lobes (Fig. 1).Dorsum of abdomen yellow with some scattered small white patches, its first third with three pairs of black patches, median third with two pairs of black patches and posterior third with a big black area formed by six almost fused black patches (Fig. 1).Lateral part of abdomen with a median interrupted black stripe.Sternum pale yellow.Venter yellow with three slender, transversal black stripes, almost fused, on the distal third, forming a large black area covering the entire tip of the abdomen.Palp with long, crescent-shaped, median apophysis projected beyond the cymbium, with a lobe at its median region and the tip bent inwards in retrolateral and dorsal views (Figs 3, 4); embolus elongated and blade-shaped (Figs 2, 5), terminal apophysis subquadrate, massive, very sclerotized, with distal lobe subdivided, bearing a rounded inner projection, and elongated, hooked paracymbium (Figs 2-5).Total length: 5.12.Carapace: 2.38 long, 2.21 wide, 0.98 high.First leg: femur 2.54, patella 0.82, tibia 1.98, metatarsus 2.00 and tarsus 0.89.Second patella and tibia 2.52; third 1.61; fourth 2.69.
Variation.Males (n = 5): total length, 4.18 -4.74; females (n = 10): total length, 5.38 -8.32.The number of white patches and the shape and extension of the black patches vary among specimens.Living specimens usually have red patches around the median line and the posterior end of the dorsum of abdomen.
Other Natural History.Alpaida venger sp.nov. is a fairly common species at Pedra Branca State Park.The four collecting trips in one year span yielded 6 males and 11 females.They were found mostly in second growth patches of Atlantic Forest, varying from ca. 130-350 meters high.All mature specimens were caught on the Camorim core of the park, located at the Atlantic side of the Pedra Branca range.Most specimens were collected from orb webs at night.Their webs were usually situated at 50-150 cm above ground level, among the branches of vegetation.Some species were collected by sweeping or beating vegetation during the day.
Distribution.Known from Pedra Branca range and Pão de Açúcar Mountain, both in the city of Rio de Janeiro, state of Rio de Janeiro, and also known from Santa Teresa, state of Espírito Santo, both in Southeastern Brazil.