Pirassunungoleptes H.E.M.Soares, 1966

Pérez-González, Abel, 2011, New familial assignment for two harvestmen species of the infraorder Grassatores (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores), Zootaxa 2757, pp. 24-28 : 24-26

Pirassunungoleptes H.E.M.Soares, 1966

Pirassunungoleptes analis ( Roewer, 1949) new combination, new familial assignment ( Figs 1 a–e)

Phalangodinus analis Roewer, 1949: 14 , pl. 2, figs 9 a–f [ Phalangodidae : Phalangodinae]; Kury 2003: 27. [Grassatores incertae sedis] Types: SMF 9907447 (ex RII 7447/193), male holotype and two female paratypes (examined).

Type locality: Brazil: Pernambuco State, Goiana (“Goyanna” in Roewer 1949).

Remarks: Originally described as Phalangodidae : Phalangodinae by Roewer (1949) and later considered as Grassatores incertae sedis by Kury (2003).

Justification of the new familial assignment: The male genitalia ( Figs 1 c–e) show clearly the ventral plate of the pars distalis divided into pergula and rutrum, which is a characteristic of Zalmoxidae and Fissiphalliidae ( Tourinho & Pérez-González 2006; Pinto-da-Rocha 2007) and the stragulum is quite different from the enlarged fingerlike stragulum of Fissiphalliidae ( Martens 1986, 1988; Pinto-da-Rocha 2004, 2007; Tourinho & Pérez-González 2006). The short rutrum and the wide and short stragulum with a deep median cleft (dividing the stragulum in two branches) diagnose the species as a member of Zamoxidae. Some features of the external morphology of this species are also typical of Zalmoxidae ( Kury & Pérez-González 2007) : the pyriform body, the well marked bulla, the sulcus II being slightly “V” shaped and the enlarged tibia IV armored with spines ( Figs 1 a–b and also see figs 9 a–f in Roewer 1949).

Justification of the new combination: Phalangodinus surinamensis Roewer, 1912 (the type species of Phalangodinus Roewer, 1912) exhibits remarkabe morphological differences with Phalangodinus analis Roewer, 1949 . These include a very wide and larger ocularium, enlarged chelicerae, parallel mesotergal sulci, and the anal operculum unarmed ( Roewer 1949, personal observation). These differences point to both species belonging to different genera. I was not able to decide if Phalangodinus also belongs to Zalmoxidae because the male genitalia of P. surinamensis is still unknown. I therefore retained this taxon as Grassatores incertae sedis. A reliable allocation of P. analis into one of the present zalmoxid genera is not possible ahead of a taxonomical revision of this family whose taxonomy is affected by an enormous number of genera erected under a highly typological approach. Phalangodinus analis is therefore tentatively placed in the genus Pirassunungoleptes H.E.M. Soares, 1966 (type species: Pirassunungoleptes calcaratus H.E.M. Soares, 1966 , from São Paulo State, Brazil), to which it shows the closest affiliation in terms of the following characters: minute size (less than 2 mm); pyriform habitus, ocularium small, near the frontal margin of the carapace ( Fig. 1 a); anal operculum with a row of pointed aphophyses, and femur and tibia IV armed with a remarkable ventral acute apophyses ( Fig. 1 b). This placement has to be verified within a more comprehensive revision of this and related genera.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phalangodinus analis Roewer, 1949, male holotype; (a) dorsal habitus; (b) leg IV, prolateral view; (c – e) distal part of penis: (c) dorsal view, (d) lateral view, (e) ventral view. Abbreviations: A 1 – 4, Mesotergal areas 1 to 4; Fe, femur; Mt, metatarsus; Pa, patella; Pe, pergula; Ru, rutrum; S 1 – 4, sulci 1 to 4; Ti, tibia. Stragulum in dark grey; capsula interna in medium lighter grey. Scale bars: a, 1 mm; b, 0.5 mm; c – e, 0.1 mm.