Type Locality : Brazil, Minas Gerais: Serro (Parque Estadual Pico do Itambé, Serra do Arrependido Condado
Etymology : The specific name is a tribute to the herpetologist Felipe S. F. Leite (Universidade Federal de Viçosa-Campus Florestal) for his extensive contribution to the knowledge of the biodiversity of the Espinhaço Mountain Range.
We describe a new species of tarantula from the highlands of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Males of the new species can be distinguished from congeners by having palpal bulb keels weakly developed, and metatarsus I strongly curved, touching apex of retrolateral spur when folded. Females can be distinguished by the color pattern, carapace and legs black with conspicuous white rings on distal femora, patellae, tibiae, and metatarsi. The male of Pterinopelma felipeleitei sp. nov. was previously misidentified and described under the name Pterinopelma sazimai Bertani, Nagahama & Fukushima, 2011. The true male of P. sazimai is herein described from a specimen collected near the type locality. Similar to the conspecific female, this male has characteristic blue iridescent setae covering the carapace, chelicerae, legs, and palps. The new species is sympatric with P. sazimai . Both species inhabit a habitat locally known as 'campos rupestres'.
Zoologia (Curitiba) vol.33 no.2 Curitiba 2016 Epub May 06, 2016