Huasteca, Cruz-López & Francke, 2015

Cruz-López, Jesús A. & Francke, Oscar F., 2015, Cladistic analysis and taxonomic revision of the genus Karos Goodnight & Goodnight, 1944 (Opiliones, Laniatores, Stygnopsidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 175 (4), pp. 827-891 : 870-871

HUASTECA GEN. NOV.

Karos: Goodnight & Goodnight 1971: 34 , 36, figs 6, 7, 10–13 (in part); Šilhavý, 1974: 185, figs 22–26, 30–33 (in part).

Distribution: Caves in the Sierra Madre Oriental, eastern Mexico, from central Tamaulipas through to San Luís Potosí, Veracruz, and Hidalgo, and extending south to northern Oaxaca.

Type species: Huasteca gratiosa ( Goodnight & Goodnight, 1971) comb. nov.

Included species: Huasteca gratiosa ( Goodnight & Goodnight, 1971) comb. nov., Huasteca rugosa ( Goodnight & Goodnight, 1971) comb. nov., and Huasteca silhavyi sp. nov.

Etymology: Noun in apposition in reference to a cultural area of central Mexico and an ancient Mayan ethnic group who inhabited the states of Hidalgo, Queretaro, San Luís Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz. The term comes from the nahuatl word huaxi, which means guaje in Spanish ( Crescentia spp. ), and the combination ‘huax-tecos(as)’ refers to the people that inhabit that region, which is where the genus is distributed. Feminine in gender.

Diagnosis: Troglobitic and troglomorphic stygnopsids. Scutum quadrangular, with lateral clear areas remarkably protruding, rounded ( Figs 46B , 49B , 52B , 61D ). Lateral channel area of scutum very high, almost opisthosoma height ( Figs 45B , 48B , 51B , 63B ). Ocularium inconspicuous, almost absent ( Figs 46D , 49D , 52D ), in the middle of prosoma ( Fig. 45B ). Dorsal ornamentation ranges from almost absent to completely covered with small, rounded tubercles. Apical portion of femur II in males slightly swollen ( Figs 46C , 49C , 52C , 60C ). Stigmatic area short, but slightly longer in males than females ( Figs 45C , 48C , 51C ). Male genitalia: pars distalis slightly swollen in the middle, sometimes irregular and asymmetrical. Ventral plate slender and short, apical margin convex. Four pairs of lateral setae, length almost equal to width of pars distalis. Three pairs of ventral microsetae, basal pair separat- ed from the rest. Two pairs of parastylar setae, laterobasal to follis, length of follis similar to width ( Figs 47 , 50 , 53 ).

Comparisons: The unusual scutum shape, plus the projections of lateral clear areas, confer to this genus a peculiar appearance. In addition, the sexually dimorphic characters on the legs in males, plus the male genitalia, make this genus easy to recognize within the Karos genus-group and the entire family.

HUASTECA GRATIOSA ( GOODNIGHT & GOODNIGHT, 1971) COMB. NOV.

( FIGS 45–47 , 59 , 60C )

Karos gratiosus Goodnight & Goodnight 1971: 34 (description of male and female); Karos graciosus [sic] Rambla & Juberthie 1994: 218; Kury & Cokendolpher 2000: 155; Kury, 2003: 238.

Type locality: MEXICO: San Luís Potosí: Municipio Xilitla, Cueva de Poca Ventana (21°23′14.38″N, 98°59′1.32″W) .

Figures

Figure 45. Huasteca gratiosa comb. nov. A, habitus, dorsal view. B, habitus, lateral view. C, habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: A = 2 mm, B = 0.5 mm, C = 1 mm. The dark lines on (C) indicate the stigmatic area.

Figure 46. Huasteca gratiosa comb. nov. A, legs IV, mesal view. B, scutum, dorsal view. C, legs II, mesal view. D, ocularium, frontal view. Scale bars: A = 1.3 mm, B = 1 mm, C = 0.8 mm, D = 0.2 mm. Arrows in (C) indicate the swollen portion on femur and tibia II.

Figure 47. Huasteca gratiosa comb. nov. male genitalia. A, dorsal view. B, ventral view. C, lateral view. White arrows indicate ventral microsetae in (B) and parastylar setae in (C).

Figure 48. Huasteca rugosa comb. nov. A, habitus, dorsal view. B, habitus, lateral view. C, habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: A = 2 mm, B = 0.5 mm, C = 1 mm. The dark lines on (C) indicate the stigmatic area.

Figure 49. Huasteca rugosa comb. nov. A, legs IV, mesal view. B, scutum, dorsal view. C, legs II, mesal view. D, ocularium, frontal view. Scale bars: A = 1.3 mm, B = 1 mm, C = 0.8 mm, D = 0.2 mm. Arrow in (C) indicates the swollen distal femur.

Figure 50. Huasteca rugosa comb. nov. male genitalia. A, dorsal view. B, ventral view. C, lateral view. White arrows indicate ventral microsetae in (B) and parastylar setae in (C).

Figure 51. Huasteca silhavyi sp. nov. A, habitus, dorsal view. B, habitus, lateral view. C, habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: A = 2 mm, B = 0.5 mm, C = 1 mm. The dark lines on (C) indicate the stigmatic area.

Figure 52. Huasteca silhavyi sp. nov. A, legs IV, mesal view. B, scutum, dorsal view. C, legs II, mesal view. D, ocularium, frontal view. Scale bars: A = 1.3 mm, B = 1 mm, C = 0.8 mm, D = 0.2 mm. Arrows on (C) indicates the swollen portions of femur, patela and tibia II.

Figure 53. Huasteca silhavyi sp. nov. male genitalia. A, dorsal view. B, ventral view. C, lateral right view. D, lateral left view. White arrows indicate ventral microsetae in (B) and (C) and parastylar setae in (A).

Figure 59. Distribution map of the species of the Karos genus-group, continued. White circles with black outline, Karos tersum sp. nov.; white circles with blue outline, Karos projectus; white circles with red outline, Karos singularis sp. nov.; black squares, Huasteca gratiosa comb. nov.; white square with black outline, Huasteca silhavyi sp. nov.; white square with red outline, Huasteca rugosa comb. nov.; black circles, Karos barbarikos.

Figure 60. A, ventral view of metatarsus I in male of Potosa dybasi; arrow indicates glandular opening. B, ventral view of metatarsus I in male of Potosa reddelli sp. nov.; arrow indicates glandular opening. C, swollen apical portion on femur II in male of Huasteca gratiosa. D, ventral view of pars distalis of Karos barbarikos; arrows indicate ventral microsetae. E, detail of ventral microsetae of pars distalis of Karos projectus. F, ventral view of pars distalis of Karos singularis sp. nov.; arrows indicate ventral microsetae. G, detail of apical portion of follis of Montabunus foliorum; arrow indicates the lateral projection of follis. H, detail of apical portion of follis of Chapulobunus poblano sp. nov.; arrow indicates the lateral projection of follis. I, apical portion of follis of Chapulobunus unispinosus; arrow indicates the lateral projection of follis.

Figure 61. A, detail of one of the lateral clear areas forming tubercles on scutum of Crettaros santibanezi sp. nov. B, detail of one of the lateral clear areas projected in tubercles on scutum of Karos singularis sp. nov. C, detail of one of the lateral clear areas projected in tubercles on scutum of Karos tersum sp. nov. D, detail of one of the lateral clear areas projected in tubercles on scutum of Huasteca silhavyi sp. nov. E, detail of one of the lateral clear areas projected in tubercles on scutum of Montabunus foliorum. F, detail of one of the lateral clear areas projected in tubercles on scutum of Monterella tuberculata. G, extra row of pegs in Chapulobunus poblano sp. nov., indicated by arrows. H, dorsal apophyses on trochanter II in male of Karos singularis sp. nov. I, detail of mesotergal areas III and IV in Montabunus foliorum; dotted lines indicate the sulcus between these areas. J, detail of mesotergal areas III and IV on Chapulobunus unispinosus; dotted lines indicate the sulcus between these areas. These images are not at the same scale.

Figure 63. A, dorsal view of the anal bulge on Chapulobunus poblano sp. nov.; arrow indicates the bulge. B, lateral view of Huasteca silhavyi sp. nov., line indicates the very high lateral channel area. C, laterodorsal view of scutum of Crettaros valdezi sp. nov., showing the median humps on areas II and III indicated by dotted circles. D, posterodorsal view of scutum of Crettaros santibanezi sp. nov., showing the median humps on areas II and III indicated by dotted circles. E, dorsal view of trochanter IV of Karos barbarikos; arrow indicates the tridentate apophysis. F, anterodorsal view of scutum of Karos barbarikos, the black points mark the tubercles forming a ‘V’. G, dorsal ornamentation of Karos tersum sp. nov. showing the transversal row of tubercles on mesotergal areas; transversal row II indicated by black dots. H, detail of the ventral ornamentation on femur IV of Karos barbarikos. I, detail of the ectal ornamentation on tibia IV of Karos barbarikos; arrows indicate the spiniform tubercles. J, detail of the ventral ornamentation on leg IV in Chapulobunus poblano sp. nov. K, detail of the two apical spines on femur IV in Chapulobunus poblano sp. nov. These images are not at the same scale.