Mexiterpetinae

Shear, William A., 2010, 2385, Zootaxa 2385, pp. 1-62 : 9

Subfamily Mexiterpetinae , new

Type and only genus: Mexiterpes Causey 1963 .

Diagnosis: The eighth sternum completely surrounds the bases of the gonopods, which lack a fimbriate branch and incorporate median structures probably derived from the fused bases of the colpocoxites; the ninth legs have two to five articles distal to the coxa instead of having all distal articles fused into one. The pregonopodal legs are only slightly encrassate; legpair 6 not especially so.

Distribution: Seven species are found as troglobionts in caves in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Queretaro and Guerrero.

Discussion: Mexiterpes is not treated in detail in this paper because each of the included species (listed in Shear 2003) was well-described and illustrated originally. No new material or information on the genus has come to light since the publication of the most recent of these descriptions.

Mexiterpes is included as a trichopetalid largely on the basis of the much-elongated metatergal setae, but the gonopods bear many resemblances to those found in the cleidogonid genus Pseudotremia Cope, 1869 (see illustrations in Shear, 1972, of both genera). The ninth legs are more reduced, however, than those in Pseudotremia species , and the pattern of reduction suggests a trichopetalid assignment. A study of Mexiterpes solidifies the position of the trichopetalids as close to the cleidogonids, and indeed a more conservative taxonomist than this author might consider Trichopetalidae a subfamily under Cleidogonidae , while others, less conservative, might consider the mexiterpetines worthy of full family status.