Phalangodus Gervais, 1843

Villarreal, Osvaldo & García, Andrés F., 2016, Unveiling the diversity of Phalangodus Gervais, 1842 (Opiliones: Cranaidae): descriptions of four new species from Colombia, European Journal of Taxonomy 242, pp. 1-41 : 4

Genus Phalangodus Gervais, 1843

Phalangodus Gervais, 1842: 2 (see the complete citations in Kury 2003: 96).

Chauveaua Canals, 1939 [part] revalidated by Ringuelet 1957: 17.

Allocranaus Mello-Leitão, 1940: 307 [part].

Allocranaus – Kury 1996: 178. — Kury 2003: 96. — Hara et al. 2014: 568.

Phalangodes [misspelling] – Erichson 1845: 267. — Agassiz 1846: 10.

Phalangodus – Hara et al. 2014: 568 .

Type species

Phalangodus anacosmetus Gervais, 1842 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis

Large (DSL 9.0–13.4) cranaine. Outline of dorsal scutum type alpha, with lateral borders smooth or with few granules (densely granulate in P. palpiconus ). Ocularium high ( P. briareos sp. nov., P. cottus sp. nov., P. gyes sp. nov. and P. palpiconus ) or low ( P. anacosmetus and P. kuryi sp. nov.). Scutal area I divided into two halves; II invading scutal area I; III with a pair of enlarged tubercles or moderately high spines (absent in P. kuryi sp. nov.); IV entire (except in P. palpiconus ) in left and right halves. Stigmatic area with a ventral pair of groups of granules (except in P. kuryi sp. nov.). Pedipalp: Femur convex dorsally, with a dorsal row of enlarged tubercles; ventrally with a few tubercles restricted to medial region, bearing an enlarged basal apophysis; claw of the males conspicuously thickened ( P. anacosmetus , P. briareos sp. nov. and P. palpiconus ). Metatarsus I of males not distally swollen. Femur IV of the males straight ( P. briareos sp. nov., P. gyes sp. nov., P. palpiconus and P. kuryi sp. nov.) to slightly curved ( P. anacosmetus and P. cottus sp. nov.), with a retrolateral distal/subdistal conical, enlarged tubercle (absent in P. gyes sp. nov. and P. kuryi sp. nov.). Penis: Ventral plate slightly longer than wide, with convex lateral borders, wide and shallow cleft on distal border. Setae on ventral plate organized in distal (9–12 pairs of MS C/D) and basal sets (4–5 pairs of MS A/B) or placed continuously (as a single set). Microsetae of the ventral plate present. Glans inflated medially. Stylus straight, surpassing distally the ventral plate (sligtlhy curved in P. kuryi sp. nov.), distal tip widened and rounded, with erythrocytric-like stylar caps stylar caps.