THE NEOTROPICAL AND MEXICAN ORB WEAVERS OF THE GENERA CYCLOSA AND ALLOCYCLOSA (ARANEAE: ARANEIDAE) HERBERT W. LEVP Abstract. Fifty-one neotropical and Mexican species of Ci/closo were identified, of which 38 are new. Twelve names have been newly s\aion\anized. The neotropical Cijclosa species all have genitalia similar to those of North American C. caroli, C. turhinata and C walckcnacri. In all females, the epig\iium is lightly sclerotized, with openings and sculpturing dif-ficult to see. In most males, the diagnostic palpal fea-tures are hidden: the conductor tooth is behind a flap, and the median apophysis is partly hidden below the large conductor of the palpus. A new genus, Allocy-closa, has been established for C bifurca. Svniapo-moiphies place Cijclosa close to Metazygia, but Al-locijclosa is similar to Cip-fophora in body shape. It differs from Cyftophora in structure of genitalia and in making a C(/c7<«fl-like web. INTRODUCTION This is one of a series of monographs on American orb weavers of the family Ara-neidae. Previous papers are hsted in Levi (1993, 1996, 1997). The Cijclosa species north of Mexico have been described and illustrated in Levi (1977). O. Pickard-Cambridge (1889-1902) and F. R-Cambridge (1904) named and illustrated the Mexican and Central American Cijclosa, although the similarity of their genitalia make them difficult to separate. Of the 23 names for South American Cijclosa listed in the five cata-logs for spiders (Roewer, 1942; Brignoli, 1983; Platnick, 1989, 1993, 1997), only three are easily recognized: the wide-spread North American species C. caroli; C. bifurcata (Walckenaer), separated from C. walckenaeri and redescribed and illus-trated by Keyserling (1892-93); and C. tri-' Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard Uni-versity, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138. quetra, described by Simon (1895). Nu-merous new names added in this century did not recognize earlier descriptions. One of the remaining 20 South American naines, C. sericaria Siinon, is a noinen nu-duin, without description. Seven of the 20 species have been found to belong to other genera. The type of C. tricolorata Mello-Leitao is lost, and thus could not be rec-ognized. The 11 species remaining have been identified and are illustrated here for the first time or their names are synony-mized. Eight of these 11 were described from Guyana, froin which few collections were available. There may be specimens from Guyana in the Natural Histoiy Mu-seum, London, but the undeterinined col-lection was not available for loan. METHODS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The methods used are described in Levi (1993). To overcome the difficulties in studying the thin transparent epigyna of Cijclosa species, the specimens were ex-amined in alcohol, resting on a back-ground inade of short strips of black Vel-cro® glued into a glass dish or in a dish with black silicon carbide crystals as back-ground. The ventral surfaces of the epigyna face slightly anteriorly and are illustrated from a slightly anterior position. The posterior surfaces face ventrally and are illustrated from a slightly ventral position. To increase visibility of the sculpturing of the epigyn-um, some speciiriens were temporarily dried. Ventral surfaces of other females were stained with drops of household dyes, such as tincture of iodine and textile Bull. Mus. Comp. ZooL, 155(7): 299-379, May, 1999 299
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