The mysterious Quemedice enigmaticus is a sparassid: description of the male and three new species from South America (Araneae: Sparassidae)

FACUNDO M. LABARQUE; CRISTINA A. RHEIMS; MARTÍN J. RAMÍREZ

São Pedro, SP Brasil

Congreso; XVII International Congress of Arachnology; 2007

International Society of Arachnology

The genus Quemedice, from “qué me dice?”, a colloquial expression meaning “what’s up?”, was erected by Mello Leitão and placed in Thomisidae (currently Philodromidae), based only on the female holotype of Quemedice enigmaticus from Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina. The genus Quemedice is revised. Quemedice enigmaticus is redescribed and the male described and illustrated for the first time. In addition two new species are described, based on male and female specimens, one from Colombia (Dept. Meta), northern and central-western Brazil (states of Piauí, Bahia and Minas Gerais) and another from central-western and southeastern Brazil (states of Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo). All specimens share the undisputed synapomprphy for sparassid spiders, a soft dorsal trilobate membrane at the distal end of leg metatarsi; hence the genus is transferred to the family Sparassidae.