Santinezia curvipes ( Roewer, 1916 ) Images

Villarreal, Manzanilla Osvaldo & Rodríguez, Carlos J., 2011, Revalidation of Santinezia albilineata Roewer, 1932 (Arachnida: Opiliones: Cranaidae), Journal of Threatened Taxa 3 (11), pp. 2202-2206 : 2203-2204

Santinezia curvipes ( Roewer, 1916) Images 1–5; Figs. 1–6

Inezia curvipes Roewer, 1916: 8 .

Santinezia curvipes Roewer, 1932: 553 ; Roewer, 1932: 290; Soares & Soares, 1948: 617; Moritz, 1971: 195; Avram, 1987: 84; González-Sponga, 2003: 42; Pinto-da-Rocha & Kury, 2003: 26.

Cranaostygnus marcuzzi Caporiacco, 1951: 26 . (Synonymy established by Pinto-da-Rocha & Kury, 2003).

Santinezia marcuzzii (misspelling): González- Sponga, 2003: 3 and 45.

Goniosoma pavani Muñoz-Cuevas, 1972: 28. (Synonymy established by González-Sponga, 2003).

Santinezia benedictoi Soares & Avram, 1981: 95 . (Synonymy established by González-Sponga, 2003).

Santinezia francourbanii Avram, 1987: 83 ; Rambla & Juberthie, 1994: 221. (Synonymy established by González-Sponga, 2003).

Santinezia orghidani Avram, 1987: 85 . (Synonymy established by González-Sponga, 2003).

Santinezia orhidani (misspelling): González- Sponga, 2003: 45.

Material examined: 21.viii.1998, 1 male, 1 female, 1675m, Parque Nacional El Ávila, Los Mecedores , Distrito Capital, Venezuela ( MHNLS IV-252 ) (H. Escalona) ; 30.vi.2009, 5 males, 7 females 1500m, Parque Nacional El Ávila, Los Venados ( MIZA 2181 ) (O. Villarreal M.; L. Ovalles) ; 05.iv.2009, 5 males, 1 female, 1200–1300 m, Parque Nacional Henri Pittier, camino Rancho Grande-Cumbre , Aragua ( MIZA 1717 ) (O. Villarreal M.; H. Escalona) ; 09.x.2008, 1 male, Parque Nacional Henri Pittier camino Pico Periquito- Portachuelo , Aragua ( MIZA 1353 ) (H. Sánchez; O.Villarreal M.; J. Valera; I. Salvi) .

Emended diagnosis: Carapace reticulated dark brown on yellowish-brown background; abdominal scute reddish-brown with mesotergal areas slightly darker ( Image 1 ). Ventral tubercles of the coxa IV short (two times larger than wide), projected posteriorly, forming an acute angle with the rear margin of the coxa ( Image 2 ); retrolateral distal tubercle of the trochanter IV sharp and posteriorly projected ( Image 3 ); presence of a retrolateral proximal tubercle in the femur IV ( Images 3–4 ). Penis: Ventral plate with five non-aligned lateral setae, basal largest and located at the height of lateral expansion, the four remaining grouped medially. Absence of mesodorsal setae; distal setae of the ventral plate curved. Distal cleft of the ventral plate shallow. Ratio length/width of the plate albilineata has two elongate spots) ( Image 10 ).

Complete descriptions of this species were done by Roewer (1916) and González-Sponga (2003). Here we present only diagnostic characters.

Remarks: After studying specimens from two localities in the central track of Cordillera de la Costa, we do not find characters to separate the populations in as many species as it has been proposed in the literature ( González-Sponga 2003). An analysis of the penis and morphometry suggests that the decision taken by Pinto-da-Rocha & Kury (2003) was correct, proposing S. marcuzzi as a junior synonym of S. curvipes . The specimens of Parque Nacional El Ávila, were smaller than those of Parque Nacional Henri Pittier, and subtle differences have been observed in the position of the more distal mesal seta and the shape of the distal portion of the ventral plate ( Figs. 4–6 ) however, they do not have other differences that allow us to separate them as two species.

An attempt to define the taxonomic status of Goniosoma marcuzzi was made, but the holotype of this species is lost (Rubén Candia pers. com., Dec 2009). We followed the decision of Pinto-da-Rocha & Kury (2003).

Figures

Images 1–5. Santinezia curvipes (male from Rancho Grande, Aragua): 1 - Habitus in dorsal view; 2 - Coxa IV, stigmatic area and free sternites in ventral view; 3 - Right trochanter IV in dorsal view; the arrow pointing the retrolateral tubercle on the trochanter; 4 - Right femur IV, in dorsal view; the arrow pointing the proximal and retrolateral tubercle on the femur; 5 - Female from El Ávila, Miranda. Left posterolateral zone of dorsal scute, in dorsal view.

Figures 1–9. Santinezia spp., distal portion of the penis: ventral, lateral and dorsal views. 1–3 - Santinezia curvipes (P.N. Henri Pittier, Aragua state); 4–6 - Santinezia curvipes (P.N. Avila, Distrito Capital); 7–9 - Santinezia albilineata (Tiara, Aragua state).

Images 6–10. Santinezia albilineata (male from Tiara, Aragua): 6 - Habitus in dorsal view; 7 - Coxa IV, stigmatic area and free sternites in ventral view; the arrow pointing the yellow strip on the sternite; 8 - Right trochanter IV in dorsal view; the arrow pointing the retrolateral tubercle on the trochanter; 9 - Right femur IV, in dorsal view; 10 - Female from Tiara, Aragua. Left posterolateral zone of dorsal scute, in dorsal view.