Pachyloidellus butleri (Thorell, 1877)

Pachylus Butleri Thorell 1877: 207 . urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DC19978E-40C9-43E7-8EDF-9273602BBD1F

Sphaleropachylus butleri: Ringuelet 1959: 387, figs. 29d, 57, Pl. XVI, figs. 3, 4.

Pachyloidellus butleri: Acosta 1993 [synonymy]: 4; Kury 2003: 181 [synonymy].

Pucrolia grandis Mello-Leitão 1930: 213; Ringuelet 1959: 374, fig. 53. Female holotype (MACN 4746), from Buenos Aires, examined. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 925AD709-18F6-4A44-B08F-2BDFD2EE2996. Syn. nov.

Pucrolia grandis is the largest member of Pucrolia (“mais do dobro das outras duas especies”, Mello-Leitão 1930: 213), and was diagnosed by a very infrequent feature: the single apophysis on the ocular mound is curved backwards (Ringuelet 1959: fig. 53a). This species is only known by its holotype, a female from (allegedly) Buenos Aires (Ringuelet 1959). Mello-Leitão (1930) placed this species in Pucrolia just by using characters based upon the Roewerian system, including: ocularium armed with a single apophysis; dorsal scutum, free tergites and anal operculum unarmed; palpal femur with a sub-apical mesal spine; and tarsal formula 5-6-6-6. Nonetheless, this combination is not exclusive to Pucrolia, as these traits can be observed in females of other taxa, e.g., Pachyloidellus Müller, 1918 and Acanthopachylus Roewer, 1913 . A side-by-side comparison demonstrated that the type of P. grandis is a female Pachyloidellus butleri (Thorell, 1877), considering the subtle armature of leg IV, especially the retroapical apophysis (Ringuelet 1959: fig. 53b-c), and shape and granulation of the dorsal scutum (Acosta 1993). The only difference is the armature of the ocularium, with P. butleri having a straight apophysis, slightly inclined frontwards, instead of bent backwards as in P. grandis . The curved apophysis seems a striking feature not found in other species of Pucrolia or Eusarcus, but the condition on the holotype is most likely an individual abnormality. Based upon all of the evidence, we propose the new synonymy.

Brazilian species: Pucrolia dubitata and P. pulcherrima show no special resemblance with Eusarcus . Despite being little studied (the former is only known by a single female, and the genital morphology is unknown for both), for the moment they should be referred to as incertae sedis.