1115
Accepted by R. Raven: 16 Nov. 2005; published: 27 Jan. 2006
61
ZOOTAXA
ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)
ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition)
Copyright © 2006 Magnolia Press
Zootaxa 1115: 61–68 (2006)
www.mapress.com/zootaxa/
Megaphobema teceae n. sp. (Araneae, Theraphosidae), a new
theraphosine spider from Brazilian Amazonia
FERNANDO PÉREZ-MILES
1
, LAURA T. MIGLIO
2
& ALEXANDRE B. BONALDO
2
1
Seccíon Entomología, Facultad de Ciencias, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay.
E-mail: myga@fcien.edu.uy
2
Coordenação de Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Av. Magalhães Barata, 376, Caixa Postal 399,
66040-170, Belém, PA, Brazil. E-mails: lauramiglio@gmail.com; bonaldo@museu-goeldi.br
Abstract
A new species from Juruti River Plateau, Juruti, Pará, Brazil that fits the generic characters of
Megaphobema is described. Megaphobema teceae n. sp. differs from the other four species known
in this genus mainly by the presence of a conspicuous post-ocular process. This is the first record of
the genus to both oriental Amazon and Brazil.
Keywords: Araneae, Theraphosidae, Megaphobema, Brazilian Amazon, Neotropical, Taxonomy
Introduction
The genus Megaphobema Pocock 1901 comprises very large spiders from Central
América (Costa Rica) and North-western South America (Colombia and Ecuador). Males
are characterized by a palpal organ with a very wide concave-convex embolus with
prolateral superior and inferior keels, and apical and prolateral accessory keels. The
prolateral accessory keels are also present in males Sericopelma Ausserer 1875 but they
can be distinguished from Megaphobema by the absence of a tibial apophysis. Females
have one spermathecal receptacle transversely striated the synapomorphy of
Megaphobema + Sericopelma + Theraphosa Thorell 1870. The genus has both Type I and
III urticating hairs. Using these characters among others, this genus was placed in the
apical portion of the cladogram of the Theraphosinae (Pérez-Miles et al. 1996; Pérez-
Miles 2000) and seems to be more related to Sericopelma and Theraphosa than to
Brachypelma Simon 1891, although Brachypelma appears to be the sister-group of the
clade formed by Megaphobema + its sister-group. Our study of 14 individuals collected in