Siro ozimeci, Karaman & Lienhard & Niklos & Raspotnig, 2022

Karaman, Ivo, Lienhard, Andrea, Niklos, Kathrin & Raspotnig, Guenther, 2022, Two new species of the genus Siro Latreille, 1796 (Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi, Sironidae) in the European fauna, European Journal of Taxonomy 834 (1), pp. 1-21 : 13-16

Siro ozimeci Karaman sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D68ADC39-9D31-446D-BBFD-7E57095550C4

Figs 8–10

Diagnosis

Long-legged robust species of Siro with wide body. Female with pronounced anal protrusion of cubic form. Metatarsi of legs I–IV ornamented.

Etymology

The species is dedicated to its finder, our colleage and friend from Zagreb, Roman Ozimec.

Material examined

Holotype CROATIA • ♀; Mt. Medvednica , Horvatove stube; 700 m a.s.l.; 13 Apr. 2008; R. Ozimec leg.; GMV 100066 .

Paratype CROATIA • 1 ♂; Mt. Žumberak , Sekulići , entrance of a small cave – Špilja kod Juraševe livade; 780 m a.s.l.; 6 Jan. 1998; T. Rubinić leg.; GMV 100067 .

Description

Female (holotype)

BODY. Length 2.43 mm (L/W 1.56); body uniformly light brown in color. Dorsum wide, stocky ( Fig. 8B ); anterior margin widely convex; anterolateral margins short, sinuate; opisthosoma with deep transverse sulci; posterior margin of opisthosoma with pronounced anal protrusion of cubic form, three times as wide as long ( Fig. 8D ). Anal plate without longitudinal medial ridge. Ozophores as long as wide at their bases, dorso-laterally oriented (type 2).

CHELICERAE ( Fig. 9A ). Slightly elongated and robust. Basal article, 1.2 mm, with strongly pronounced ventral bulge; granulated on dorsal lateral and ventral side; medially sparsely granulated; second article 1.3 mm long, smooth, medially with a longitudial row of sparse denticles.

PEDIPALPS ( Fig. 9B ). Elongated, 2.14 mm long (without coxa and apotele); trochanter sparsely granulated, significantly shorter than patella, half length of femur.

LEGS. Elongated, all basitarsi ornamented. Telotarsus I ( Fig. 9C ) elongated (L/W ratio: 4.5), with distinct soleae. Claws I smooth and slightly curved. Telotarsus IV elongate (L/W ratio: 4.44) ( Fig. 9D ). Claws IV strong. Measurements of legs (without coxae and claws): I 3 mm; II 2.83 mm; III 2.56 mm; IV 3.12 mm.

VENTRAL PROSOMAL COMPLEX ( Fig. 8C ). Coxal lobes II anterior width more than twice as wide as posterior width, 3.7 times as wide as long; coxal lobes III short, medially slightly protruded between coxal lobes II. Spiracles ( Fig. 8E ) circular in shape.

OVIPOSITOR APICAL LOBES ( Fig. 10 ). More than three times as long as terminal article. Receptacles of saccate form, narrowed in basal third. Openings of receptacles situated in base of terminal half of apical lobe length. Each apical lobe bearing one terminal, one ramified and 23 simple setae.

Male (paratype)

The paratype male 2.32 mm long (L/W 1.56) ( Fig. 9B ). It was inadequately preserved, dried and mounted on glue board and for this reason some morphological details could not be researched. No further material became available to study the spermatopositor and details of the anal plate. Coxal lobes II same as in holotype female. Gonostome semicircular, twice as wide as long. Conical processes of coxal lobes IV situated antero-laterally on anterior margin of gonostome. Spiracles circular in shape as in females.

Remarks

Siro ozimeci sp. nov. is considered to be closely related to S. crassus , from which it is distinguished by a more robust and wider body as well as a more pronounced anal protrusion in females. Minor differences are also expressed in the profile of the coxal lobes II and III. Coxal lobes III and the posterior part of coxal lobes II of S. ozimeci are narrower than in S. crassus . Both species are exceptional in the genus by the robustness of their bodies, elongated legs and fully ornamented basitarsi, and the extended coxal lobes II. The similar profile of coxal lobes II, spiracles, chelicerae structure, proportions of pedipalp articles and ovipositor setation also point to their close kinship, probably representing the two closest species in the genus. They are also spatially close. The southernmost known locality for S. crassus is only 40 km air distance from the northernmost known locality (type locality) of S. ozimeci .

In Novak & Giribet (2006: fig. 27), the leg I of a S. crassus female is erronously indicated as IV. That is the reason for the striking difference between the illustrations of leg IV in these two closely related species.

Deep transverse opisthosomal sulci and, because of that, a wrinkled appearance of the S. ozimeci sp. nov. holotype female is most likely not a characteristic feature females in this species rather than an aberration.

The species is distributed in a Peripannonian region in the border zone between the Pannonian Basin, Prealps and Dinarides of the Balkan. It is the only representative of the genus Siro present on the Balkan Peninsula (albeit only partially, in its extreme northwestern rim).

Figures

Fig. 8. Siro ozimeci Karaman sp. nov.A. Paratype, ♂ (GMV 100067).B–E. Holotype, ♀ (GMV 100066). F. Siro franzi Karaman & Raspotnig sp. nov. (IKC1538). A–B. Dorsum. C. Ventral prosomal complex. D. Anal region, ventral view. E–F. Spiracle.

Fig. 9.Siro ozimeci Karaman sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (GMV 100066). A. Chelicerae, medial view.B. Pedipalp, medial view. C. Basitarsus and telotarsus, leg I. D. Basitarsus and telotarsus, leg IV. Scale bars = 100 µm.

Fig. 10. Siro ozimeci Karaman sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (GMV 100066). Distal portion of ovipositor, ventral view. Scale bar = 100 µm.