A new species of Argiope ( Araneae : Araneidae ) from Brazil

A new species of Argiope Audouin, 1826 is described. This is a large Argiope from South America and is found mainly in "cerrado" vegetation in central Brazil. Argiope legionis sp. nov. is most similar to A. ericae LEVI, 2004 but differs from this species by the coloration and epigynum in the female and the median apophysis and embolus of the palpus in the male palp.

Argiope Audouin is one of the most studied orb-weavers.There are 76 species in the world and only seven species in the America, including the cosmopolitan A. trifasciata (Forskål, 1775) (LEVI 2004, PLATNICK 2009).The American Argiope are large (total length of 6-21 mm) with colored body and contrasting leg rings.The web is conspicuous, usually showing stabilimentum web decorations (FOELIX 1996).
Although American Argiope has only recently been revised (LEVI 2004), we describe here a new species.Argiope sp.nov. is similar to Argiope ericae Levi, 2004.Argiope ericae occurs in North of Argentina to Southern Brazil and the city of São Roque (23°31'S, 47°08'W, State of São Paulo) which corresponds to the northern limit for this taxon.Argiope legionis sp.nov. is found in cerrado vegetation in the central Brazil.
The methods used are the same as those used in LEVI (1993)
Diagnosis.The female differs from A. ericae by the coloration.The abdomen of A. ericae has dorsal, transverse bands (LEVI 2004, fig. 68) whereas that of A. legionis is dorsally light yellow with black on the anterior of lateral tubercles (Fig. 1).The epigynum ff A. legionis has two folds on the anterior margin of the depressions (Figs 3-4) and in posterior view has dimples more ventral (Figs 5-6), whereas A. ericae has only one fold (LEVI 2004: fig. 64) and in posterior view has dimples dorsal (LEVI 2004: fig. 65).The male (Figs 7-10) differs by having the distal end of the median apophysis of the palpus at right angle to the main axis (Fig. 9), and the tip of the conductor has a wider sclerotized area (in ventral view, Fig. 10) and the embolus tip not visible (Fig. 10).

A new species of
Distribution.Known from two localities in Brazil: Brasília, central Brazil, and Moeda, State of Minas Gerais.
Natural history.The cerrado is characterized by extensive savanna formations including various types of vegetation, a mix of of woody and herbaceous plants.Adult females are very conspicuous and are found from March to June (late rainy season to early dry season) mainly in open habitats.The webs are conspicuous due to their size and the yellow appearance of the upper line of the frame thread.The vertical web is large, approximately 70 to 110 cm in and placed about 60-120 cm above ground.The stabilimentum is similar to that of other species of Brazilian Argiope, and most common is the presence of one to three lines.Sometimes kleptoparasites (Argyrodes spp.) are found in the webs.Some females examined has the male embolus stuck in the copulatory openings , suggesting it breaks during copulation.Such breakage has not been observed in other South American species of Argiope.Etymology.The specific name honors Legião Urbana (Urban Legion), a rock band from Brasília and one of the most important musical groups from Brazil at the end of the 20 th century.