Simlops Bonaldo, Ott, and Ruiz, 2014

Bonaldo, Alexandre B., Ruiz, Gustavo R. S., Brescovit, Antonio D., Santos, Adalberto J. & Ott, Ricardo, 2014, Simlops, A New Genus Of Goblin Spiders (Araneae: Oonopidae) From Northern South America, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2014 (388), pp. 1-60 : 5-8

Simlops Bonaldo, Ott, and Ruiz , new genus

TYPE SPECIES: Simlops pennai Bonaldo , new species.

ETYMOLOGY: The generic name, masculine in gender, is an unpublished name by

A.M. Chickering, and is probably the contraction of Simla, a locality in Trinidad, and Oonops . The name appeared in Chickering’s labels of specimens actually described as Triaeris bodanus Chickering, 1968 , a species now transferred to Simlops .

DIAGNOSIS: Members of Simlops resemble those of Niarchos , Scaphios , Scaphiella , and Escaphiella by the sexually dimorphic abdomen, in which males present a fully developed dorsal scutum that is small or absent in females. They differ from those of Niarchos and Scaphios by the absence of the sexually dimorphic sternum-pedicel insertion (fused in males and unfused in females; see Platnick and Dupérre´, 2010c: figs. 1–4), and from those of Scaphiella and Escaphiella by the absence of lateral extensions of the female abdominal ventral scuta (see Platnick and Dupérre´, 2009: front cover illustration). The monophyly of the genus is putatively supported by the male endites with an apical excavation that originates three apical portions, a prolateral, curved process, with laminar apices, a retrolateral process and a median, more dorsal, unsclerotized portion (figs. 185, 208, 275–289).

DESCRIPTION: Total length of males 1.63– 2.10, of females 1.84–2.63. Cephalothorax: Carapace without any color pattern, elongate oval in dorsal view (figs. 33, 148), more ovoid in females (figs. 2, 70, 124); pars cephalica slightly elevated in lateral view (figs. 1, 8, 36, 270), narrowed anteriorly nearly 0.5 times its maximum width (figs. 54, 116; narrowing less abrupt in S. bandeirante and S. cristinae , figs. 148, 156), with rounded posterolateral corners; posterolateral edge without pits, posterior margin not bulging below posterior rim, anterolateral corners without extension or projections, posterolateral surface without spikes, surface of elevated portion of pars cephalica generally granulate (figs. 1, 2, 54), sometimes finely reticulate ( S. bodanus , S. cachorro , S. cristinae , S. machadoi , and S. similis ; figs. 62, 177, 243), rarely smooth ( S. bandeirante and S. platnicki ; figs. 4, 5, 148, 199); sides generally granulate (figs. 1, 3), rarely scaly ( S. cachorro and S. platnicki ; figs. 4, 180); lateral margin straight, rebordered; pars thoracica without depressions, fovea absent, without radiating rows of pits; lateral margin without denticles; plumose setae near posterior margin of pars thoracica absent; nonmarginal pars cephalica setae light, needlelike, present in U-shaped row (in S. platnicki , U-shaped row broad, composed by scattered setae); nonmarginal pars thoracica setae light, needlelike. Clypeus high, vertical in lateral view, margin slightly rebordered, sinuous in front view, median projection absent. Eyes: ALE separated by more than their radius but less than their diameter (by less than their radius in S. jamesbondi ); ALE-PLE touching or separat- ed by less than ALE radius; PME touching or separated by less than their radius; PLE- PME separated by less than PME radius (touching in S. platnicki ). ALE separated from edge of carapace by their radius or more; setae present, needlelike. Chilum absent. Six eyes, well developed (reduced in S. bandeirante , fig. 149), generally all subequal, but sometimes ( S. campinarana , S. jamesbondi , S. guyanensis ) ALE largest; generally all eyes circular; in S. cachorro , S. campinarana , S. jamesbondi , and S. similis, PME oval; in S. platnicki , all eyes oval. Posterior eye row procurved from front, straight in S. guyanensis . Sternum longer than wide (in S. platnicki nearly as long as wide), coloration uniform, not fused to carapace, median concavity absent, with radial furrows between coxae I–II, II–III, III–IV, furrows wrinkled; radial furrow opposite coxae III absent, surface without pits, generally finely punctuate (figs. 9, 35, 142), smooth in S. guyanensis and S. platnicki (figs. 10, 201, 253); lateral margin without infracoxal grooves, extensions of precoxal triangles absent, sickle-shaped structures absent, anterior margin unmodified, posterior margin not extending posteriorly of coxae IV, anterior corner unmodified, distance between coxae approximately equal, lateral margins unmodified, without posterior hump; setae sparse, light, needlelike, evenly scattered, originating from surface, without hair tufts. Chelicerae straight ( S. bodanus , S. cachorro , S. cristinae , S. jamesbondi , S. machadoi , S. nadinae , S. pennai , S. platnicki , and S. similis ) or slightly divergent ( S. bandeirante , S. campinarana , S. guatopo , S. guyanensis , S. juruti , and S. miudo ); anterior face unmodified; fangs without toothlike projections, directed medially, shape normal, without prominent basal process, tip unmodified; setae light, needlelike, evenly scattered; paturon inner margin with short interdigitating setae, scattered in S. jamesbondi and S. platnicki . Paturon distal region unmodified, posterior surface unmodified, promargin unmodified, inner margin unmodified, laminate groove absent. Labium generally triangular (rectangular in S. jamesbondi and S. platnicki ), not fused to sternum, anterior margin indented at middle (deeply incised in S. bandeirante , fig. 150), same as sternum in sclerotization; subdistal portion with unmodified setae, with 3–5 setae on anterior margin, except in S. jamesbondi , with 6 or more. Endites not modified in females, distally excavated in males, with prolateral, median, and retrolateral processes; same as sternum in sclerotization, except prolateral and retrolateral processes, generally much more heavily sclerotized than sternum; median process unsclerotized (figs. 275–289); serrula present in single row, posteromedian part unmodified. Female palp without claw; spines absent; patella without prolateral row of ridges. Abdomen: Ovoid, without long posterior extension, rounded posteriorly; interscutal membrane rows of small sclerotized platelets absent; dorsum soft portions without color pattern. Book lung covers large, generally ovoid (round only in S. jamesbondi and S. platnicki ), without setae, anterolateral edge unmodified. Posterior spiracles connected by groove. Pedicel with scutopedicel region unmodified, plumose hairs absent, matted setae on anterior ventral abdomen in pedicel area absent, cuticular outgrowths near pedicel absent. Pedicel tube of males medium, ribbed (in S. platnicki , short, unmodified, fig. 203); Ventral pedicel sclerite fused to sternum in both males and females (figs. 75, 145, 174, 197, 222, 265); Dorsal scutum present in males, absent in majority of females (except in females of S. bodanus , fig. 248); male dorsal scutum generally strongly sclerotized (weakly sclerotized in S. bandeirantes and S. platnicki , figs. 151, 202), covering 1/2 to 3/4 of abdominal length (covering full length of abdomen in S. campinarana ), not fused to epigastric scutum, smooth, anterior half without projecting denticles. Epigastric scutum generally strongly sclerotized (weakly sclerotized in S. bandeirante and S. platnicki ), surrounding ped- icel, not protruding, small lateral sclerites absent, without lateral joints in females; in males extending far dorsal of pedicel, in females not extending far dorsal of pedicel in S. machadoi , S. similis , and S. platnicki (figs. 76, 91, 220); postepigastric scutum of males generally strongly sclerotized (weakly sclerotized in S. bandeirante and S. platnicki , figs. 152, 203), fused to epigastric scutum, anterior margin unmodified, without posteriorly directed lateral apodemes; in females short, only around epigastric furrow, not fused to epigastric scutum, generally only reaching groove connecting posterior spiracles (extending beyond groove in S. bodanus and S. campinarana figs. 147, 250), generally without discrete lateral sclerotizations (present only in S. machadoi and S. similis , figs. 77, 93). Spinneret scutum absent, without fringe of setae, supraanal scutum absent. Dorsum setae present, light, needlelike. Epigastric area setae uniform, light, needlelike. Postepigastric area setae present, light, needlelike. Dense patch of setae anterior to spinnerets absent. Interscutal membrane with setae. Colulus generally represented only by setae (in S. platnicki , a small plate with two setae). Spinnerets examined by SEM only in female of S. pennai (figs. 29–32); anterior lateral spinnerets with single major ampullate gland spigot and three piriform gland spigot (fig. 30); posterior median spinnerets with at least six spigots (fig. 31); posterior lateral spinnerets with 13 aciniform spigots (fig. 32). Male epigastric region with sperm pore small, situated at level of anterior spiracles, generally oval (triangular, with rounded angles in S. bodanus , S. cachorro , S. guyanensis , S. nadinae , and S. platnicki ; fig. 212); epigastric furrow without Ω- shaped insertions, without setae. Legs: femur IV not thickened, same size as femora I–III, patella plus tibia I shorter than carapace, except in S. jamesbondi , near as long as carapace; tibia I unmodified, tibia IV ventral scopula absent; metatarsi I and II mesoapical comb absent, metatarsi III and IV weak ventral scopula absent. Leg spines generally absent, present only at tibia I of S. cachorro , at tibia IV of males of S. platnicki and at all tibiae and at metatarsus I of females of S. platnicki . Tarsal proclaws and retroclaws inner face smooth; tarsus I superior claws with six teeth on lateral surface of proclaw; tarsus III superior claws with five teeth on lateral surface of retroclaw; tarsus IV superior claws with five teeth on lateral surface of retroclaw (figs. 21– 28). Inferior claw absent. Claws of legs III and IV accompanied by modified setae with small clawlike tips (false claws) at least in S. pennai and S. juruti (figs. 25, 26); false claws extremely developed in S. bodanus (figs. 23, 24), absent at least in S. platnicki (figs. 27, 28). Trichobothria tibia IV three; metatarsus I one, IV one; base longitudinally narrowed, aperture internal texture not gratelike, hood covered by numerous low, closely spaced ridges (figs. 11, 12). Tarsal organs of palp and legs I and II with three sensillae (figs. 13, 14, 17, 18), of legs III and IV with two sensillae (figs. 15, 16, 19, 20) (only S. juruti surveyed). Genitalia: Male palp normally sized, not strongly sclerotized, right and left palps symmetrical; proximal segments pale orange, cymbium and bulbus pale orange to yellow, embolus dark; trochanter normally sized, unmodified; femur normally sized, two or more times as long as trochanter, attaching to patella basally, without posteriorly rounded lateral dilation; patella shorter than femur, not enlarged, without prolateral row of ridges, setae unmodified; cymbium completely fused with bulb, no seam visible, not extending beyond distal tip of bulb, plumose setae absent, without distal patch of setae; stout setae absent, except in S. cristinae , with two stout setae in prolateral margin; bulb 1 to 1.5 times as long as cymbium. Embolus without prolateral excavation, long, typically bent prolaterally; generally with wide apices (filiform in S. bodanus , S. guyanensis , and S. guatopo , figs. 314–319); generally inserted retroapically (inserted proapically in S. bandeirante and S. cristinae , figs. 304, 306); apices sclerotized (wide, partially hyaline in S. jamesbondi and S. platnicki , figs. 309, 313). Conductor always present, hyaline (figs. 299, 303), partially sclerotized (figs. 314, 317) or completely sclerotized (figs. 291, 309, 313); inserted prolaterally in apices of bulbus (figs. 291, 296), in embolar base (figs. 305, 310) or in embolar body (fig. 312). Female genitalia without anterior receptaculum, anteromedian rod present, generally with Tshaped tip; transverse bar straight (fig. 320), recurved (fig. 325) or M-shaped (fig. 323), bearing short posterior apodemes; posterior receptaculum conspicuous only in S. bodanus and S. guyanensis (figs. 329, 330).

DISTRIBUTION: South Caribbean to Amazon basin.