Taulisa Roewer, 1956 new family assignment

Taulisa Roewer, 1956: 433; Kury 2003: 145; (type species: Taulisa koepckei Roewer, 1956, by original designation).

Diagnosis.

Taulisa (Fig. 2) differs from the other 10 genera of Leiosteninae by the following combination of characters: ocularium unarmed, saddle-shaped; areas of dorsal scutum with two large tubercles each, posterior margin of dorsal scutum and free tergites, each one with a central large tubercle; area I undivided; lateral margin of dorsal scutum coriaceus; pedipalp with slender articles, its femur with dorsoapical spine, with row of four ventral large setae; pedipalpal patella with prolateral large setae; pedipalpal tibia–tarsus with ectal-mesal large setae; leg I filiform, three-segmented. Male unknown.

Taxonomical note.

Taulisa was originally placed in Phalangodidae, Tricommatinae . Kury (1992a) elevated Tricommatinae to family level. In 2003, Kury transferred Taulisa from Tricommatinae to Gonyleptidae, Metasarcinae without further remarks. We propose to transfer Taulisa to Agoristenidae, Leiosteninae based on characteristics of the body, viz., filiform leg I, saddle-shaped ocularium, pedipalpus with well developed and long setae in ventral row of femur and on prolateral/retrolateral of tibiae/tarsi (Kury 1993; Pinto-da-Rocha 1996; Kury 1997; Pinto-da-Rocha and Hara 2009). Information regarding male genitalia was unavailable, since this species is only known from the female holotype.

Composition.

Monotypic.