Three new species of Neodrassex ( Araneae , Gnaphosidae ) from Brazil

Three new species of Neodrassex Ott, 2012 are described from Brazil: N. cachimbo sp. nov. from state of Pará, N. nordeste sp. nov. from state of Piauí and N. ibirapuita sp. nov. from state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Three new species of Neodrassex (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) from Brazil Ricardo Ott Museu de Ciências Naturais, Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul.Rua Dr. Salvador França, 1427, 90690-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. (rott@fzb.rs.gov.br)ABSTRACT.Three new species of Neodrassex Ott, 2012  Neodrassex was proposed by Ott (2012) to include two species from South America belonging to the Leptodrassex group, which at that time was known exclusively from the Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Asia (Murphy, 2007).Until now Leptodrassex Murphy, 2007 andNeodrassex Ott, 2012 are the only genera included at this group, which was proposed by Murphy (2007).According to the same author, Leptodrassex species are similar to Leptodrassus Simon, 1878 but differ from these ones primarily because of their unusual dentition, with 2-4 "discrete small" teeth on the promargin of the chelicerae and 2-3 teeth on the retromargin.A similar but not identical pattern was found by Ott (2012) for the species of the South American Neodrassex, in which the known pattern is 2-3 teeth at the promargin and 2-4 teeth at the retromargin of the chelicerae.
In the general aspect species of the Leptodrassex group are pale and small spiders usually with the anterior median eyes surrounded with black pigmented area; males lacks the abdominal dorsal scutum and the palp presents a single retrolateral tibial apophysis and large, rounded and ventrally projected bulb.Females of Leptodrassex group can be identified by the shape of the internal female genitalia with rounded spermathecae head and long and straight, posteriorly directed, fertilization ducts (Murphy, 2007;Ott, 2012).Although the males of the Leptodrassex group share very similar appearance and palp shape, the Leptodrassex females differs from Neodrassex ones by the external shape of the female genitalia, the latter characterized by the presence of lateral epigynal processes combined with a large atrium divided by a narrow median septum (see Ott, 2012).
In this study, three new species of Neodrassex are described based on specimens from Brazilian states of Pará, Piauí and Rio Grande do Sul, discovered in a recent review of the Gnaphosidae of Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi spider collection and the recently collected material of the Pampa Biome (Museu de Ciências Naturais PELD project -"APA do Ibirapuitã").

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The specimens examined are deposited in the arachnological collection of the Museu de Ciências Naturais, Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (MCN; R. Ott) and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brazil (MPEG; A. B. Bonaldo).The description format follows Ott (2012).Only leg articles with spines are indicated.All femoral dorsal spines are considered erect and bristle-like; all remaining article spines are considered surface bearing.The female epigyna and male palp were dissected and immersed in clove oil for clearing in order to facilitate the study and imaging of its structures.
Incident light images were taken through a stereomicroscope with attached camera and processed with Helicon Focus multi-range program.Transmitted light images of cleared female epigyna and male palp were taken with a compound microscope using a digital camera and also processed with Helicon Focus.Drawings were made using printed images as models and compound microscope and stereomicroscope as three dimensional shape confirmation tools.Electron scanning microscope (SEM) images were taken using a Jeol-JSM-5200 with attached SLR digital camera.All measurements are in millimeters.
Three new species of Neodrassex...
Etymology.The noun in apposition refers to the type locality, Serra do Cachimbo, state of Pará.
Diagnosis.Males of N. cachimbo sp.nov.are close to N. aureus Ott, 2012 but can be distinguished by presence of three teeth on the PM and two on the RM.The species can be also recognized by shape of the male palp, with cymbium one and a half times the length of bulb, with conspicuous membranous conductor close to MA and by the broader RTA .
Female.Unknown.Distribution.Known only from the type locality.Note: A male embolic conductor was not clearly identified in the type-species N. aureus by Ott (2012).Considering the position and shape of the conductor of N. cachimbo sp.nov., the conductor of N. aureus is possibly a small triangular membranous structure positioned posteriorly and basal to the embolus (Fig. 15; see also Ott, 2012: 345, figs 12, 13, 15).
Natural history.Unknown.
Etymology.The noun in apposition refers to the type locality, "Área de Proteção Ambiental do Rio Ibirapuitã".
Diagnosis.N. ibirapuita sp.nov. is close to N. aureus and N. iguatemi Ott, 2012 by the shape of the epigynal plate; differs from both species by the short septum dividing only the anterior portion of atrium , by presence of three teeth on the PM and two at PM and by the absence of femoral spines.
Male.Unknown.Distribution.Known only from the type locality.Natural history.Specimen was collected in Pampa Biome grassland area.Etymology.The noun in apposition refers to the Brazilian Northeast Region -"Região Nordeste"where state of Piauí is located.
Diagnosis.Neodrassex nordeste sp.nov. is close to N. iguatemi Ott, 2012 by the general shape of the female genitalia and to N. ibirapuita sp.nov.by the presence of three teeth on the PM and two teeth   16, dorsal; 17, ventral; epigynum: 18, 20, ventral; 19, 21, dorsal.Scales = 0.20 mm (at, atrium; cd, copulatory ducts; cop, copulatory opening; ep, epigynal process; fd, fertilization ducts; spe, spermathecae).on the RM; the species differs from the former by the different teeth number on PM and by the shape of the posterior portion of the epigynal plate, with differently shaped copulatory openings, and from the latter by the larger copulatory openings and by the lateral epigynal processes proportionally smaller than the spermathecae .
Distribution.Known only from the type locality.Natural history.Specimens collected in semiarid transition area between Cerrado and Caatinga Biomes using nocturnal manual sampling.

DISCUSSION
Ott (2012) raises considerable doubt on the biogeographic origin of Neodrassex species due to their suspected association to anthropic environments.The discovery of the herein described three new species in less disturbed habitats suggest that Neodrassex is a  (Ott, 2012), the remaining species of Neodrassex are, until now, of very small distribution range and represented only by one or two specimens, considering it a very rare genus in collections.It is not impossible that any of available singlefemale species of the genus (N.iguatemi; N. ibirapuita sp.nov.; N. nordestina sp.nov.) could be conspecific with the single male of N. cachimbo sp.nov.However, this was considered unlikely based on the different type-locality environments and mainly the different cheliceral teeth pattern or femur IV dorsal spination (which, based on N. aureus, should be identical for males and females of a same species) of those species.