''Paratropis tuxtlensis'' is a species of spider in the family

Paratropididae Paratropididae, also known as baldlegged spiders, is a small family of mygalomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1889. They are more closely related to tarantulas and allies, than to most other 'true' spiders ( araneomorphs). Gener ...

. Discovered in 2014 by a group of researchers from the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...

, the species is only known to occur in the Volcán San Martin Biosphere Reserve in

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Description

The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

male measured 8.20 millimeters in length, and the

paratype In zoology and botany, a paratype is a specimen of an organism that helps define what the scientific name of a species and other taxon actually represents, but it is not the holotype (and in botany is also neither an isotype nor a syntype). Of ...

female measured 12.90 millimeters. When cleansed of soil (see ''Behavior'', below) the body is reddish, with orange coloration on its

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as "jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated fangs, or similarly ...

sternum The sternum or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury. Sh ...

, endites, and labium. Legs are olive colored, and

spinnerets A spinneret is a silk-spinning organ of a spider or the larva of an insect. Some adult insects also have spinnerets, such as those borne on the forelegs of Embioptera. Spinnerets are usually on the underside of a spider's opisthosoma, and are ...

are yellow. ''Paratropis tuxtlensis'' is distinguished from ''

Paratropis papilligera ''Paratropis'' is a genus of spiders in the family Paratropididae. Species , it contains 10 species * ''Paratropis elicioi'' Dupérré, 2015 — Ecuador * ''Paratropis florezi'' Perafán, Galvis & Pérez-Miles, 2019 — Colombia * ''Paratropis m ...

'', the only other species of ''

Paratropis ''Paratropis'' is a genus of spiders in the family Paratropididae Paratropididae, also known as baldlegged spiders, is a small family of mygalomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1889. They are more closely related to tarantulas ...

'' where the male is known, by its conical as opposed to cylindrical

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

and by the number of teeth in the cheliceral furrows: ''P. tuxtlensis'' has a total of 20 while ''P. papilligera'' has 24. The species has an orbiculate

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

and legs covered in barbed and clubbed

seta In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...

Range and habitat

''Paratropis tuxtlensis'' is the first member of the family

to be found in North America. It is native to

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

. The first recorded specimens were discovered under rocks at an elevation of ; two more individuals were collected nearby at a lower elevation.

Etymology

The species name ''P. tuxtlensis'' is

derived Derive may refer to: * Derive (computer algebra system), a commercial system made by Texas Instruments * ''Dérive'' (magazine), an Austrian science magazine on urbanism *Dérive, a psychogeographical concept See also * *Derivation (disambiguatio ...

from

Los Tuxtlas Los Tuxtlas is a region in the south of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Politically it refers to four municipalities: Catemaco, San Andrés Tuxtla, Santiago Tuxtla and Hueyapan de Ocampo. It also refers to a high complex natural ecosystem, an isola ...

, the only place to date where it has been found.

Behavior

''Paratropis tuxtlensis'' excretes a sticky substance from glandular pores in its

exoskeleton An exoskeleton (from Greek ''éxō'' "outer" and ''skeletós'' "skeleton") is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to an internal skeleton (endoskeleton) in for example, a human. In usage, some of the ...

, which helps particles of soil adhere to its body. This most likely serves as a form of

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

to conceal it from both predators and prey. When exposed, the spider remains completely motionless in order to avoid detection.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q17280163 Paratropididae Spiders described in 2014 Endemic spiders of Mexico