Cladolasma Suzuki, 1963

Shear, William A., 2010, New species and records of ortholasmatine harvestmen from Mexico, Honduras, and the western United States (Opiliones, Nemastomatidae, Ortholasmatinae), ZooKeys 52, pp. 9-46 : 16

Cladolasma Suzuki, 1963

Cladolasma Suzuki 1963, p. 40.

Dendrolasma Shear & Gruber, 1983, p. 51 (in part, only Dendrolasma parvulum Suzuki, 1963; complete pre-1983 references).

Type species.

Cladolasma parvula Suzuki, 1963, by monotypy. Shear and Gruber (1983) changed the name of the type species to parvulum to agree in gender with the generic name.

Diagnosis.

Ortholasmatines with single lateral hood processes on each side of eye tubercle (two or more such processes in Ortholasma and Trilasma ), two-thirds or more length of median hood process; metapeltidium free from abdominal scutum (fused to scutum in Dendrolasma ); scute ornamentation of small keel cells only (large or small cells in Dendrolasma ); leg femoral microsculpture of broad denticles. Penis with short stylus, two lateral rows of macrosetae.

Included species:

In addition to the type, Cladolasma angka (Schwendinger & Gruber 1992).

Distribution.

Southern Japan; northern Thailand.

Notes.

While the male of Cladolasma angka is unknown, Schwendinger and Gruber (1992) noted that the penis of Cladolasma parvulum is quite different from that of the North American Dendrolasma , with a shorter shaft, compressed glans and short, slender, pointed stylus-opposed to the long, thin shaft, flattened glans and spiral stylus of Dendrolasma (see illustrations of Cladolasma parvulum in Shear and Gruber 1983; penis unknown in Cladolasma angka ). Schwendinger and Gruber (1992) pointed out several additional consistent differences between the North American and Asian species placed in Dendrolasma , and suggested the revalidation of Cladolasma for the two known Asian species. However, they described angka under Dendrolasma , and did not formalize the revalidation. The wide geographical separation of the two known species of Cladolasma and the dearth of collecting of soil and litter animals in southeast Asia and southern China almost guarantees the addition of numerous species to this genus in the future.

With regard to Dendrolasma , the two species now included there are quite different from one another. Dendrolasma mirabile Banks 1894 has a scute ornamentation of large cells ranged in rows, while in Dendrolasma dentipalpe Shear and Gruber, 1983, there are only small cells even smaller than in Cladolasma species. In addition, Dendrolasma dentipalpe has unique secondary sexual modifications in males, including exaggerated cheliceral apophyses and a distomedial tooth on the palpal patella. Discovery of further species could lead to additional splitting of Dendrolasma .