A new species of goeldia (araneae: Titanoecidae) with notes on its natural history

Abstract

A new species of Goeldia Keyserling, 1891 is described. Goeldia is the only genus of Titanoecidae with species in the Neotropical region and includes eight species diagnosed by the presence of a patellar process in the male palp. The new species, Goeldia zyngierae sp. nov., was found living inside the Casa de Pedra cave, Ribeira, Itabaiana, Sergipe, Brazil. Goeldia zyngierae sp. nov. is diagnosed by the tegular process with a small constriction near the base of the dorsal part and by a distal narrowing, more visible in the dorsal side of the patellar process of the male palp. The female epigynum shows a pair of sinuous depressions and a large mid field that does not close the copulatory openings as in Goeldia luteipes Keyserling, 1878. The vulva presents a narrow and straight copulatory duct in comparison with those of Goeldia mexicana Pickard-Cambridge, 1896 and a narrow spermathecae. The description includes illustrations of the genital organs, measurements of the body and legs and leg spination. Notes on the natural history show that inside the cave the spiders live farther than the first 40 m, in the aphotic zone, under stones or on the wall. They were never observed alone or walking on the ground, and the webs contained two to thirty spiders of different life stages, living together, suggesting a possible cooperative behavior. Further field work is needed to confirm and understand the degree of sociability of this new species, if this species is restricted to caves, and if this behavior occurs only inside the caves. © 2009 Sociedade Brasileira de Zoologia.