Cenotextricella Penney

Penney, David, Dierick, Manuel, Cnudde, Veerle, Masschaele, Bert, Vlassenbroeck, Jelle, Hoorebeke, Luc Van & Jacobs, Patric, 2007, First fossil Micropholcommatidae (Araneae), imaged in Eocene Paris amber using X-Ray Computed Tomography, Zootaxa 1623, pp. 47-53 : 49

Cenotextricella Penney gen. nov.

Type species. Cenotextricella simoni sp. nov.

Etymology. ‘ Ceno ’ from Cenozoic, the geological era from which the type species originates, plus ‘ textricella ’ from Textricella , a closely allied extant genus.

Diagnosis. Male Cenotextricella can be distinguished from other (extant) Micropholcommatidae by the presence of a proximal, retrolateral knob-like pedipalpal patellar apophysis ( Fig. 9 ), by the short, curved embolus wrapped around a conductor in retrolateral view ( Figs 7, 9 ), and by the shape of the highly modified tibia ( Figs 7–10 ). Some extant Australian and New Zealand Textricella possess a similar patellar apophysis, and sometimes also a modified tibia (e.g. T. complexa Forster ), but these palpal segments are otherwise nothing like those observed in the type specimen. Females of Cenotextricella are unknown.

Description. See the description (below) for the type species.

Distribution: Early Tertiary (lowermost Eocene) Paris Basin amber forest.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. VHR-CT scans of Cenotextricella simoni sp. nov. (male holotype, MNHN PA 327). (1) dorsal view; (2) ventral view; (3) anterior view; (4) posterior view; (5) lateral view; (6) lateral sectioned view; (7) right pedipalp dorsal view; (8) right pedipalp posterior view; (9) left pedipalp retrolateral view; (10) right pedipalp prolateral view. Abbreviations: ALE, anterior lateral eye; AME, anterior median eye; c, conductor; cy, cymbium; ds, dorsal abdominal scutum; e, embolus; fe, femur; mt / t, metatarsus / tarsus joint; pa, patella; PLE, posterior lateral eye; PME, posterior median eye; st, sternum; th, tibial hook; ti, tibia; vs, ventral abdominal scutum.