Meriola avalosi González & Grismado & Ramírez 2021, sp. nov

Meriola avalosi sp. nov. Figs 10–12, 91 Type material. Female holotype from Argentina, Santa Fe, 9 de Julio, Ruta Provincial 13, 2.45 km S intersection with Ruta Nacional 98, 81.3 air km W from Vera (MJR-loc-162), S 29.28352°, W 61.0270°, elev. 70 m, 21.III.2014, flooded grasslands, hand collection, M. Ramírez, C. Grismado, L. Piacentini & M. González Márquez, deposited in MACN-Ar 32999. Paratypes: Same data: 1 female, 1 male (CARTROUNNE), and 2 females and 3 males (together with an imm., not paratype, MACN-Ar 41759). Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honor of Gilberto Ávalos, arachnologist from the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Corrientes and collector of many interesting spiders in northeast Argentina. Diagnosis. Males (Figs 11, 12 c–f) resemble those of M. balcarce and M. fasciata by the elongate body, and by the opisthosoma with a chevron pattern and a dorsal posterior sclerotized area. It differs from the former by the longer RTA, with a bent tip, and from the latter by the short and wider embolus. Meriola avalosi sp. nov. males also differ from both by the presence of a median spine on the prolateral side of femur II. Females (Figs 10, 12 a–b) resemble those of M. balcarce by the chevron pattern on the abdomen, the wide anterior hood and the internal genitalia, but can be easily recognized by the wider epigynal hood and by the longer, twisted copulatory ducts. Additionally, they differ by the presence of a basal spine on the dorsal side of femur IV. Description: Female (holotype): Carapace length 1.50, width 1.23, narrowed in eye region, surface coated with tiny setae-bearing tubercles. Palpal tarsus length 0.45. Sternum length 0.90, width 0.72. Length of tibia/metatarsus: I, 1.15/0.82; II, 0.82/0.63; III, 0.55/0.67; IV, 0.95/1.12. Spines: Leg I, femur p 1ap. IV, femur d 1bas. Leg cuspules absent. Opisthosoma length 2.13. Color in ethanol: Prosoma reddish-brown. Chelicerae reddish-brown. Legs yellowish-brown, leg I darker. Legs II, III and IV darker distally. Sternum orange. Opisthosoma grayish-brown, with lighter chevrons. Venter grayish with pair of longitudinal dark stripes. Epigyne (Figs 12 a–b): with a wide anterior hood. Copulatory openings in posterior position, secondary spermathecae large and elongated, receptacle of copulatory ducts posterior to the primary spermathecae, both rounded and similar in size, connected through coiled copulatory ducts. Male (paratype): Carapace length 1.60, width 1.23, narrowed in eye region, surface coated with tiny setae-bearing tubercles. Palpal tarsus length 0.52. Sternum length 0.95, width 0.73. Length of tibia/metatarsus: I, 1.42/1.13; II, 0.93/0.77; III, 0.63/0.72; IV, 1.15/1.20. Spines: Leg I, femur p 1ap. II, femur p 0-1-1. Leg cuspules (left or right): Leg I, tibia 5 or 7, metatarsus 15, tarsus 6. II, tibia 5 or 4, metatarsus 8 or 6. Opisthosoma length 1.90. With a dorsal oval, slightly sclerotized area, limited to posterior half of abdomen. Coloration as in female. Palp (Figs 12 c–f): Tibia short. RTA long, with sharpened bent tip. Cymbial conductor wide. Tegulum basal. Embolus short and wide, tip recurved. Natural history and habitat. The specimens were found in grass tussocks in wetlands and flooded grasslands. Distribution. Only known from Corrientes, Santa Fe and Formosa provinces in northeast Argentina (Fig. 91). Other material examined. ARGENTINA: Formosa: Est. Santa Rosa (Colonia Santa Rosa), S 23.793463°, W 61.481244°, 17.XII.2005, G. Ávalos, 1 female (CARTROUNNE 8275). Corrientes: Bella Vista, S 28.507731°, W 59.044857°, 22.XII.2009, G. Ávalos, 1 female, 2 males, 1 imm. (CARTROUNNE 8273), 1 male, 2 imms. (CARTROUNNE 8272). Same data, 19.III.2005, 1 female, 5 imms. (CARTROUNNE 8271). Santa Fe: 9 de Julio, Ruta Nacional Nº 98, camino a Tostado, 97 km por aire W de Vera (MJR-loc-163), S 29.23545°, W 61.17110°, elev. 65 m, 21.III.2014, flooded grasslands, hand collection, M. Ramírez, C. Grismado, L. Piacentini & M. González Márquez, 1 female, sample MGM-00313, temporary preparation MLB-00777 (MACN-Ar 32289). Ruta Provincial Nº 13, 2,45 km S de cruce con Ruta Nacional Nº 98, 81,3 km por aire W de Vera (MJR-loc-162), S 29.28352°, W 61.0270°, elev. 70 m, 21.III.2014, flooded grasslands, hand collection, M. Ramírez, C. Grismado, L. Piacentini & M. González Márquez, 1 female, sample MGM-00308, temporary preparation MLB-00774 (MACN-Ar 32286). Same data, 1 male, sample MGM-00307, temporary preparation MLB-00775 (MACN-Ar 32287), 1 male, sample MGM-00306, temporary preparation MLB-00776 (MACN-Ar 32288), 1 female, sample MGM-00274 (MACN-Ar 32997), 1 male, sample MGM-00279 (MACN-Ar 32998), 1 female, sample MGM-00278 (MACN-Ar 33001), 1 male (MACN-Ar 33005), 3 females, 4 males, 3 imms. (MACN-Ar 33007), 2 females, 4 males, 7 imms. (MACN-Ar 33008). Vera: Estancia Las Gamas, bañado sobre Ruta Nacional Nº 98, 16,5 km por aire W de Vera (MJR-loc-160), S 29.41382°, W 60.37438°, elev. 23 m, 21–24.III.2014, wetland, hand collection, M. Ramírez, C. Grismado, L. Piacentini & M. González Márquez, 1 male, sample MAI-04174 (MACN-Ar 33000), 1 male, sample MAI-04177 (MACN-Ar 33002), 1 female, sample MAI-04175 (MACN-Ar 33003), 2 males (MACN-Ar 33006). San Justo: Ruta Nacional Nº 11, 9 km por aire S de Videla (MJR-loc-158), S 31.025681°, W 60.701673°, elev. 44 m, 21- 24.III.2014, grassland, hand collection, M. Ramírez, C. Grismado, L. Piacentini & M. González Márquez, 3 males, 1 imm. (MACN-Ar 33004).
Published as part of González, María E., Grismado, Cristian J. & Ramírez, Martín J., 2021, A Taxonomic Revision Of The Spider Genus Meriola Banks (Araneae: Trachelidae), pp. 1-113 in Zootaxa 4936 (1) on pages 17-18, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4936.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4559165