NOMOCLASTINAE, Roewer, 1943

Kury, Adriano B. & M., Osvaldo Villarreal, 2015, The prickly blade mapped: establishing homologies and a chaetotaxy for macrosetae of penis ventral plate in Gonyleptoidea (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 174 (1), pp. 1-46 : 37-38

SUBFAMILY NOMOCLASTINAE

Gonyleptidae Nomoclastinae Roewer 1943: 14, 36.

Stygnidae Nomoclastinae: Mello-Leitão 1949: 31; Pinto-da-Rocha 1997: 170; Kury 2003a: 228.

Diagnosis: Gonyleptoidea without marked dimorphism in chelicerae and pedipalps. Ocularium either low, elliptical, with median depression ( Quindina , Zygopachylus ) or lacking, eye sessile on carapace ( Nomoclastes ). Anterior margin of carapace without frontal hump. Dorsal scutum either entirely smooth and unarmed ( Nomoclastes ) or with a pair of robust paramedian spiniform processes on area III ( Quindina , Zygopachylus ). Legs I–IV unarmed, slender, but not extremely elongate. Coxa IV of male with immense ventral spur ( Nomoclastes only). Basitarsus I not spindlelike swollen as in Manaosbiidae . Tarsal claws III and IV with well-developed median tarsal process. Ventral plate subrectangular to trapezoid, arising from inside a rounded cavity on dorsal side of apical truncus penis. Patches of laminar scale-setae on the ventro-laterodistal borders of VP absent ( Fig. 20H ). Macrosetae C1– C3 laterally inserted, well developed, only slightly curved, MS A1–A2 or only A1 following the same lateral row as MS C1–C3. MS D1 small, inserted dorsally or dorso-laterally on the basal third of VP. MS E1–E2 as small stumps located ventrally on VP forming a quadrangle. Stylus short and sturdy, with rounded head, mounted atop a long columnar glans.

Included genera: Nomoclastes Sørensen, 1932 (type genus), Quindina Roewer, 1915 , Zygopachylus Chamberlin, 1925 . There are other genera of Gonyleptoidea currently in Cranaidae and Manaosbiidae that probably belong here, but this placement awaits further studies on them. For example, Napostygnus Roewer, 1929 , recently allocated to Cranaidae by Pinto-da-Rocha et al. (2012), could be a member of the Nomoclastinae based on the short stylus associated with a columnar glans, lack of MS B, and MS C not clustered forming a spaced lateral row. However, there are some important diagnostic characters regarding microsetae and MS E unknown. Moreover, the presence of a dorsal process of stylus, otherwise unknown in Nomoclastidae , is puzzling.

Earlier placement of genera: Nomoclastes was originally in Stygnidae , not placed in any subfamily. Transferred to Gonyleptidae , which then included the presentday Stygnidae by Roewer (1943) into the new monotypic subfamily Nomoclastinae . With the recognition of Stygnidae by Mello-Leitão (1949), Nomoclastinae was again carried into the latter family, where it was confirmed by Pinto-da-Rocha (1997). Quindina was originally in Gonyleptidae Cranainae. Zygopachylus was originally in Gonyleptidae , assigned to Pachylinae by Roewer (1929), to Cranainae by Goodnight & Goodnight (1947) and to Prostygninae by Juberthie (1970). Transferred to Manaosbiidae by Kury (1997a).

Combined distribution: Colombia and Panama.

Figures

Figure 20. Lateral borders of ventral surface of ventral plate of assorted Gonyleptoidea, showing presence/absence of mat of scale-bristles: A, Ricstygnus quineti (MNRJ 2112); B, Stenostygnellus macrochelis (MNRJ-HS 691); C, Syncranaus cribrum (MNRJ-HS 692); D, Zannicranaus monoclonius (MNRJ 19322); E, Yraguara fleuryi (MNRJ 4415); F, Gryne marginalis (MNRJ 17579); G, Gnidia holmbergi (MNRJ 5520); H, Zygopachylus albimarginis (CAS AK 049). Scale bars = 0.05 mm (A, D), 0.1 mm (B, C, E–H).