Revisiting the tarantula genus Neischnocolus Petrunkevitch, 1925 (Araneae, Theraphosidae): new insights on male palpal bulb morphology and description of three new species

  • Pedro Peñaherrera-R. Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Instituto de Biodiversidad Tropical IBIOTROP, Laboratorio de Zoología Terrestre, Museo de Zoología, Quito 170901, Ecuador https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9285-3403
  • Ariel Guerrero-Campoverde Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Instituto de Biodiversidad Tropical IBIOTROP, Laboratorio de Zoología Terrestre, Museo de Zoología, Quito 170901, Ecuador https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3096-7143
  • Roberto J. León-E. Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Instituto de Biodiversidad Tropical IBIOTROP, Laboratorio de Zoología Terrestre, Museo de Zoología, Quito 170901, Ecuador https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9710-234X
  • Ray Gabriel Arachnology Research Association, London, UK https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9781-1165
  • Danniella Sherwood Arachnology Research Association, London, UK https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8170-9529
  • Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Instituto de Biodiversidad Tropical IBIOTROP, Laboratorio de Zoología Terrestre, Museo de Zoología, Quito 170901, Ecuador https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6132-2738
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2025.1022.3079
Keywords: Theraphosinae, Ecuador, Andes, Mygalomorphae, morphology

Abstract

We reassess the palpal bulb morphology and taxonomy of Neischnocolus Petrunkevitch, 1925 based on the examination of several types of previously described species and the description of three new species (N. moraspungo Cisneros-Heredia, Peñaherrera-R., Guerrero-Campoverde, León-E., Gabriel & Sherwood sp. nov., N. samonellaacademy Peñaherrera-R., León-E., Guerrero-Campoverde, Gabriel, Sherwood & Cisneros-Heredia sp. nov., and N. tiputini Guerrero-Campoverde, Peñaherrera-R., León-E., Gabriel, Sherwood & Cisneros-Heredia sp. nov.) from Ecuador. A new keel structure is named and herein considered as a valid diagnostic feature for the genus, previously identified as a prolateral inferior keel. The rest of the keel identification of Neischnocolus is also relabelled in concordance with Bertani’s (2000) keel homology hypothesis. Amended diagnoses of almost all the species are provided, leaving only Neischnocolus obscurus (Ausserer, 1875) since the type material has not been located.

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Published
2025-09-30
How to Cite
Peñaherrera-R., P., Guerrero-Campoverde, A., León-E., R. J., Gabriel, R., Sherwood, D., & Cisneros-Heredia, D. F. (2025). Revisiting the tarantula genus Neischnocolus Petrunkevitch, 1925 (Araneae, Theraphosidae): new insights on male palpal bulb morphology and description of three new species. European Journal of Taxonomy, 1022(1), 19–50. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2025.1022.3079
Issue
Vol. 1022 (2025)
Section
Research article

Copyright (c) 2025 Pedro Peñaherrera-R., Ariel Guerrero-Campoverde, Roberto J. León-E., Ray Gabriel, Danniella Sherwood, Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia

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