A New Genus of Prodidominae Cave Spider from a Paleoburrow and Ferruginous Caves in Brazil (Araneae: Prodidomidae)

Abstract

A new monotypic genus of Prodidominae, Paleotoca gen. n., is proposed to include one cave species collected in a paleoburrow and ferruginous caves from Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais, Brazil: Paleotoca diminassp. n. (♂♀). The new genus is closely related to other Neotropical Prodidominae by sharing the classic claw tuft clasper. Paleotoca gen. n. is diagnosed by the absence of a dorsal abdominal scutum, a ventral parallel rows of strong spines on the tibia and metatarsus I–II, a lack of a conductor, a discrete median apophysis on the bulb and a bifid retrolateral tibial apophysis in the male palp, a posterior extension that is beak-shaped, and folds of a copulatory duct ventrally visible in the female epigyne. Like other Prodidominae species from caves, P. diminassp. n. is a troglobitic spider with morphological characteristics that indicate specialization to live in subterranean environments, including reduction in cuticular pigments, eye loss, heavy spination and trichobothria.