Pamphobeteus Pocock, 1901: redescriptions, new species and records, description of a missing sex, with taxonomic notes and changes in Megaphobema Pocock, 1901 (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

Abstract

The type material of Pamphobeteus ultramarinus Schmidt, 1995 and P. vespertinus (Simon, 1889) are redescribed. The male of P. lapola Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas, 2022 is described for the first time. Six new species are described: P. amazonas Sherwood, Gabriel, Peñaherrera-R., Cisneros-Heredia., León-E., Brescovit & Lucas sp. nov. from Brazil, and P. gangotenai Cisneros-Heredia, Peñaherrera-R., León-E., Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas, sp. nov., P. jamacoaque Peñaherrera-R., Cisneros-Heredia., León-E., Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas sp. nov., P. lasjuntas Peñaherrera-R., Cisneros-Heredia., León-E., Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas sp. nov., P. matildeae Sherwood, Gabriel, Peñaherrera-R., Cisneros-Heredia., León-E., Brescovit & Lucas sp. nov., and P. skis León-E., Peñaherrera-R., Cisneros-Heredia, Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas sp. nov. from Ecuador. We report, for the first time, the presence of Type III urticating setae in Pamphobeteus Pocock, 1901. New interpretations of tibial apophysis morphology are presented, alongside a comparison of the palpal bulb morphology of all known male congeners. New distribution and/or museum records are made for P. antinous Pocock, 1903, P. crassifemur Bertani, Fukushima & Silva, 2008, P. lapola, and P. urvinae Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas, 2022. Pamphobeteus petersi Schmidt, 2002 is illustrated and transferred to the genus Megaphobema Ausserer, 1875, based on palpal bulb morphology, and proposed as a junior synonym of Megaphobema velvetosoma Schmidt, 1995 syn. nov. Two Costa Rican species currently housed in Megaphobema are found to be misplaced, based on genital, femoral, and stridulation organ morphology, and are transferred to Abdomegaphobema gen. nov., Thus creating the new combinations Abdomegaphobema mesomelas (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1892) comb. nov. and Abdomegaphobema peterklaasi (Schmidt, 1994) comb. nov.