Phalangodus cottus, Villarreal & García, 2016

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 : 15-21

Phalangodus cottus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A335733E-2181-437A-8B1F-CA78015F2B9C

Figs 8 a–b, 9–10, 18; Tables 3–4

Diagnosis

Phalangodus cottus sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other species of the genus (except P. briareos sp. nov.) by the presence of a distal pair of opposed spines on femur IV of the males, one prolateral and one retrolateral ( Fig. 9f, h ). P. cottus sp. nov. differs from P. briareos sp. nov. by the ventro-proximal two short rows of large tubercles on femur II in males ( Fig. 9 d–e); tibia IV with a retrolateral row of spines ( Fig. 9g ); MS A/ composed by two pairs of macrosetae ( Fig. 10 a–b).

Etymology

Cottus (from the Greek Κóττος), the striker, one of the three Hecatonchires.

Type material

Holotype

COLOMBIA: ♂ ( MNRJ 8654 ), Meta, Villavicencio, farm La Loma, Pt. 1, Aug. 2006, Alessandro Giupponi leg.

Paratypes

COLOMBIA: 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀ ( MNRJ 17942), same data as holotype.

Description

Male (MNRJ 8654)

Measurements of body and appendage in Table 3. DORSUM . Dorsal scutum type alpha ( Figs 8a , 9a ). Abdominal scutum widest at scutal groove III level; lateral borders of dorsal scutum smooth. Carapace mostly smooth, with a group of small tubercles on the anterolateral region. Ocularium high, without median depression, with a paramedian pair of large, acuminate tubercles ( Figs 8 a–b, 9a). Integumentary dome of ozopore raised and conspicuous. Abdominal scutum well delimited, divided into four well-marked scutal areas: scutal area I divided into left and right halves by invasion of the scutal area II, with a pair of small granules on each side; scutal area III with a pair of paramedian acuminate high subparallel tubercles ( Figs 8a , 9a ). Posterior border of scutum straight, with only a pair of paramedian tubercles ( Figs 8a , 9a ), unarmed. Free tergites I–III with granules sparsely distributed, tergite II with a paramedian pair of large granules.

VENTER. Stigmatic area smooth. Stigmata large, oval and oblique. Coxa I with a row of large tubercles of different size; coxa II longer than coxae I and III, with a median row of large tubercles; coxa III with a median row of small tubercles and with the posterior border sigmoid; IV strongly backward, with some dark tubercles sparsely distributed and a group close to the stigmatic area. Free sternites with a row of small dark tubercles.

CHELICERA ( Figs 8a , 9a ). Chelicera swollen, bulla with curved tubercles on its proximal border and ectal face, and a group of mesodorsal tubercles. Hand with a longitudinal row of downward curved acuminate tubercles (distal largest). Fixed finger with a proximal conical tooth and a subdistal laminar tooth. Movable finger with a proximal rounded tooth, a median conical tooth and four low subdistal teeth. With many setiferous tubercles on the base of fixed finger.

PEDIPALPUS. Trochanter with two–three tubercles on a dorsal protuberance, ventrally with two tubercles, the median largest and curved. Femur ( Fig. 9b ) slightly compressed, dorsally curved and ventrally straight in lateral view, with a dorsal row of four–five forward curved tubercles, ventrally with a pair of geminated large tubercles. Patella short (ratio FePp/PaPp = 1.75), cylindrical and curved with small dorsal granules. Tibia dorsally with scarce and small granules, ventrally smooth with two longitudinal medial row of small granules; tibial setation: ectal (IiIi) (3> 1> 4> 2) and accessory distal tubercle (the last ones St share a common base), mesal (IiIi) (3> 1> 4> 2). Tarsus ectally (IiIi) (3> 1> 2 = 4) and mesally (IIi) (1 = 2> 3), the mesal and ectal faces with a row of proximal tubercles at the base of the St forming a crenulate lamella. Claw not swollen.

LEGS. Coxa I with one dorsal tubercle; II with a dorsal tubercle; III unarmed; IV with few prolateral tubercles and one dorsodistal, prolateral, curved, acuminated tubercle. Trochanters I–IV unarmed; ventrally, I with three tubercles (one medial and two distal), and one proximal retrolateral tubercle; II with retrolateral group of tubercles and one retrolateral ventral, large, acuminate tubercle; III enlarged in the middle, dorsally unarmed and ventrally with a median large tubercle and four retrolateral tubercles; IV proximally enlarged ( Fig. 8a ), dorsally smooth, with few ventral, small, dark granules and two retrolateral, distal, large tubercles. Femora I–III straight, with longitudinal rows of granules; femur II with two short rows of large ventral tubercles ( Fig. 9d, e ); femur III with a retrolateral, ventral proximal row of large tubercles; femur IV slightly curved, densely granulate, with a ventral subdistal pair of large spiniform tubercles pointing opposite directions, the retrolateral one oblique ( Fig. 9h ) and the prolateral one hook-like shaped ( Fig. 9f ). With one retrolateral proximal tubercle ( Fig. 9f ). Patella IV ventrally with prolateral row of tubercles ( Fig. 9f ). Tibiae III–IV straight and densely granulate; tibia III with a retroventral row of tubercles; tibia IV with a retrolateral row of large, spiniform tubercles, and two distal ventral rows of large tubercles. ( Fig. 9f, g ). Metatarsus IV with pale ring markings. Claws III–IV smooth. Ratio Fe IV/scutum = 1.18. Tarsal counts in Table 4.

GENITALIA (MNRJ 17942). Ventral plate (VP) subrectangular, with mid-constriction, the proximal lobes curved and laterodistal border sligthly projected, anterior border with smooth concavity ( Fig. 10 b–c). Ventral surface of VP with two inverted? lung-shaped fields of minute and needle-like microsetae ( Fig. 10c ). MS A/Bforming a proximal group of two pairs of large, acuminate and cylindrical setae, pointing towards to the base of the penis trunk; MS C/D composed by 11 pairs of setae with similar shape to MS A/B. ( Fig. 10 a–b, e). Two pairs of very small MS E located on latero-distal flange ( Fig. 10a ). Glans sac columnar elongate, with proximal folds. Stylus straight, without processes ( Fig. 10 a–b, e). Stylar caps ring-shaped, without lateral or ventral projections ( Fig. 10 d–e).

COLORATION (in alcohol). Carapace tangerine 50 with terra cotta 55 in lateral areas and ocularium. Abdominal scutum sunflower 68, with tubercles and spines red mahogany 41. Free tergites pastel orange 53. Legs, pedipalps and basiquelicerites tangerine 50. Claw of pedipalps, and ventral tubercles of the coxae dark brown 59. Lateral and posterior border of dorsal scutum, free tergites and spines of scutal area III red mahogany 41. Pedipalps, coxae I–IV, stigmatic area and trochanters dark lacquer red reticulated. Chelicerae tomato red 36 reticulated. Tip of cheliceral teeth red plum 260.

Female (MNRJ 17942)

Similar to male, differing by: ocularium slightly narrower; carapace slightly larger; coda wider; chelicerae with movable finger thinner; pedipalpal femur, patella and tibia thinner, with ventroproximal tubercles smaller; spines of ocularium and tubercles of area III higher; stigmatic area shorter, without the groups of granules anteriorly to stigmata; genital operculum wider; trochanters III–IV narrower, trochanter IV without retrolateral tubercles; femur IV thinner, without proximal tubercle; tibia IV without retrolateral row of granules and the ventral rows with smaller tubercles; tergite II with a pair of large paramedian tubercles.

OVIPOSITOR. dl and vl rounded with five and two pairs of large, acuminated, single-tipped setae respectively. Dl with five pairs of ds, one of them basally located and the lateral region of the ovipositor with two pairs of dorso-lateral group of short setae.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 18 ).

Figures

Fig. 8. — a–b. Phalangodus cottus sp. nov., holotpye, ♂ (MNRJ 8654). a. Habitus, dorsal view. b. Habitus, lateral view. —c–d. Phalangodus gyes sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (MNRJ 8655). c. Habitus, dorsal view. d. Habitus, lateral view. Scale bars = 5 mm.

Fig. 9. Phalangodus cottus sp. nov. a–b, d–h. Holotype, ♂ (MNRJ 8654). c. Paratype, ♀ (MNRJ 17942). a. Habitus, dorsal view. b. Left pedipalp trochanter and femur, ectal view. c. left pedipalpal femur, mesal view. d–e. Right femur II, proximal portion. d. Retrolateral view. e. Ventral view. f–h. Right leg IV. f. Femur, patella and tibia, prolateral view. g. Patella and tibia, dorsal view. h. Femur, dorsal view. Scale bars: a = 5 mm; b–h = 1 mm.

Fig. 10. Phalangodus cottus sp. nov., paratype, ♂ (MNRJ 17942), penis distal portion. a. Lateral view. b. Dorsal view. c. Ventral view. d. Stylar caps, ventrodistal view. e. Distal portion of the ventral plate and stylus, dorsolateral view.

Fig. 18. Map of geographical records of Phalangodus spp. in Colombia (diamond with interrupted line corresponds to Boca del Monte record).