Type Material

 

            Holotype: “Male holotype, female allotype, 2 ♂ and 1♀paratype collected from wet pitfall traps at Mack Burn Area, Rincon Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona, USA by Peggy Gerba, 14 August–8 October, 1995 (deposited at DMNH)” (Brookhart & Cushing, 2002, p. 85). 

 

            Measurements: “Male holotype: total length 22, chelicera length 5.1, chelicera width 2.3, propeltidium length 2.4, propeltidium width 3.4, palpus length 16, first leg length 11.5, fourth leg length 22. Ratios: A/CP 6.8, CL/ CW 2.3, FL/FW 0.6, WFF/FW 0.5, CW/WFF, 8.1. Male paratypes (2): total length 22.5–25, chelicera length 4.1–5.2, chelicera width 1.7– 2.4, propeltidium length 2.1–2.4, propeltidium width 2.7–3.4, palpus length 16–19, first leg 11.4–12, fourth leg 19–23. Ratios: A/CP 7.1– 7.5, CL/CW 2.0–2.4, FL/FW 0.5–0.7, WFF/FW 0.6–0.7, CW/WFF 6.1–8.6” (Brookhart & Cushing, 2002, p. 85).

“Female allotype: total length 18, chelicera length 5.1, chelicera width 2.1, propeltidium length 3.0, propeltidium width 3.8, palpus length 17, first leg length 12, fourth leg length 18. Ratios:A/CP 5.8, GOL/GOW 0.6. Female paratype: total length 20, chelicera length 5.2, chelicera width 2.2, propeltidium length 2.9, propeltidum width 3.6, palpus 19, first leg

length 12, fourth leg length 16. Ratios: A/CP 5.8, GOL/GOW 0.9” (Brookhart & Cushing, 2002, p. 85). 

 

            Palpal Description: “Palpal tarsi, metatarsi, and anterior edges of propeltidium tinged a faint brownish violet (Figs. 1 & 2), malleoli white” (Brookhart & Cushing, 2002, p. 85). “Palpus with 35–48 small, white, rounded papillae on palpal metatarsus (Fig. 2)” (Brookhart & Cushing, 2002, p. 85).

 

            Ctenidia Description: “No ctenidia on first post-spiracular sternite” (Brookhart & Cushing, 2002, p. 85).

            

            Operculum Description: “Genital operculum distinctive with two separated, raised scleritized plates, posterior edges straight, interior margin U-shaped for three fourths of its length, anterior arms undulate at the margins (Fig. 7)” (Brookhart & Cushing, 2002, p. 87).

            

            Chelicerae Description: “Chelicerae without markings. Fixed finger straight, smooth ventrally, typical of pallipes group with a well defined, narrow mesoventral groove extending from tip of chelicera ending in a cup basally beneath the flagellum complex. Movable chelicera finger with larger PT and smaller AT, two distinct IT between PT and AT, the posterior larger and located at the notch of PT and dorsal edge of FF. MST intermediate in size. Fondal notch wider than long with 2–3 small denticles visible mesally. Relative size of fondal teeth graded I, III, II, IV ectally and mesally (Figs. 3 & 4). Flagellum complex typical of Eremobates group with apical plumose bristle large, distinct, occupying approximately 75% of mesoventral groove” (Brookhart & Cushing, 2002, p. 85).

 

Diagnosis: “Eremobates gerbae is placed in the E. pallipes group (Muma 1951) based on the shape of the mesal groove of the male fixed finger, the shape of the dorsal aspect of the male fixed finger, and the shape of the female genital operculum. It appears to be closely related to both E. durangonus Roewer 1934 and E. suspectus Muma 1951. Males of E. gerbae are distinguished from both by the presence of palpal papillae which are absent in E. durangonus and E. suspectus. Male coloration is much lighter than E. durangonus. The male fondal notch of E. gerbae is wider than its length while E. suspectus is longer than wide. The medial notch of the genital operculum inE. gerbae is wide, almost equal to its width, and extends approximately two thirds of the medial opercular length as opposed to one fifth in E. durangonus and one third in E. suspectus” (Brookhart & Cushing, 2002, p. 85).

 

Other Information: “Males of Eremobates gerbae go to key couplet seven in Brookhart and Muma (1981) which separates E. durangonus and E. suspectus. The type locality lies somewhat between that of E. durangonus which apparently reaches its northern limits in SW New Mexico and E. suspectus which is endemic to the White River Basin of Arizona (Brookhart & Muma 1981). E. gerbae is known only from type locality” (Brookhart & Cushing, 2002, p. 87).