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Ecuador
IUCN Status

Type Locality : Province of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Canton Santo Domingo, Parish of San José de Alluriquín, Reserva Otongachi - Fundación Otonga

Etymology : The specific epithet is a noun in apposition honouring the nickname of the holotype male Satanas.

11584

Male Activity

Two novel species of Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1895 are described from the north-western and central-western slopes of the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes mountain range in Ecuador. The new species are easily differentiated from other congeners of Psalmopoeus by spermathecae and male palpal bulb morphology and a comparatively distant distribution to the type localities of the geographically nearest known congeners. The diagnosis of P. ecclesiasticus Pocock, 1093 is revised and updated, considering the novel species and observations on spermatheca of this species. Likewise, an evaluation is provided for the new species in terms of conservation due to the various threats impacting ecosystems and ecosystem services of their type localities. Finally, the importance of theraphosid spiders in Ecuador and South America and their possible conservation requirements are discussed and assessed.
ZooKeys 1186: 185-205

Habitat and Type Locality