Phalangium taylani, Kurt & Erdek & Kurt, 2023

Kurt, Kemal, Erdek, Melek & Kurt, Pinar, 2023, Two new species of Phalangium (Opiliones: Phalangiidae) from Turkey, Zootaxa 5360 (3), pp. 429-436 : 433-435

Phalangium taylani sp. n.

( Figs 3 , 4 )

Type material. TURKEY: Holotype male ( GUSAL), Turkey, Hakkâri Province, Y ̧ksekova District, G ̧rdere Village Road (37°29’20.50”N 44°12’40.60”E, 1940m), 03.06.2020, leg. M. Erdek . Paratypes. Two males ( GUSAL), with same data as holotype .

Diagnosis: Long legs, legs I thickened ( Fig. 4c ). Body dorsally with sparce denticles ( Fig. 3a, b ). Distal segment of chelicera long horn-shaped apophysis ( Fig. 4d, e ). Pedipalps long, femur dorsally with sparce denticles and setae, ventrally with only setae; patella dorsally with setae ( Fig. 4a, b ). Truncus of penis wide at base, slightly narrowing at the mid-length and parallel-sided, then slightly widened, tip spoon-shaped; glans ventrally oval-shaped ( Fig. 3c–e ) Description: Male. Body ( Fig. 3a, b ) length 4.4, width 3.0. BLI (Body Leg Index): 1.9. Medium-sized and oval-shaped. Body dorsally with distinctive brown saddle. Ozophore with 2–3 black-tipped denticles; carapace anterior to eye mound with 15–20 black-tipped denticles. The posterior side of the eye mound with transverse rows of black-tipped denticles. Eye mound with 8–9 black-tipped microdenticles in two rows. Supracheliceral lamellae smooth, bearing two black-tipped denticles. Abdominal tergites with irregularly spaced microdenticles and brown spots in transverse rows. Genital operculum, leg coxae and opisthosoma ventrally covered with setae.

Chelicerae ( Fig. 4d, e ): Basal segment 1.6 mm long, dorsally with 3–4 tubercles and setae; ventrally with several black setae. Distal segment 10.4 mm long, with long horn-shaped apophysis, dorsally only with setae; ventrally and laterally with microtubercles and setae.

Pedipalp ( Fig. 4a, b ): femur 8.1, patella 1.7, tibia 3.9, tarsus 8.4, total length: 22.1 mm. Femur with small distomesal apophysis; ventrally with sparce setae, dorsally with sparce setae and sparce denticles. Patella with small distomesal apophysis; ventrally and dorsally with setae. Tibia covered with setae; tarsus with setae and ventrally sparce microdenticles in rows; tarsal claw smooth.

Legs ( Fig. 4c ): Long, leg I thickened. Femur I dorsally and ventrally with denticles, patella ventrally with denticles; tibia and tarsus dorsally with sparse denticles and setae, ventrally with densely denticles; metatarsus with setae. Length of legs: I: 5.7(Fe) + 1.3(Pa) + 4.8(Ti)+ 6.0(Mta) + 6.5(Ta) = 24.3 mm; II: 7.6+1.6+7.2+8.2+9 = 33.6 mm; III: 4.8+1.3+4.2+5.8+6.2 = 22.3 mm; IV: 6.8+1.4+6.5+7.5+8.5 = 30.7 mm.

Penis ( Fig. 3c–e ): Truncus 3.6 mm, glans 0.36 mm. Truncus wide at base, slightly narrowing subapically and spoon-shaped; glans oval-shaped, ventrally enlarged.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology: The specific epithet is in honor of Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sait TAYLAN (Hakkari University, Hakkari, Turkey), who has made important contributions to Turkish Orthoptera (Insecta) Fauna.

Comparative morphological remarks: The new species is similar to Phalangium martensi Snegovaya, Cokendolpher & Zamani, 2021 , and can be distinguished by the following characteristics: pedipalpal femur covered with sparse denticles and setae (pedipalpal femur with only setae in P. martensi ), leg I thickened (leg I not thickened in P. martensi ); glans penis with oval shape (glans penis with triangular shape in P. martensi ).

Phalangium taylani sp. n. is also similar to P. savignyi Audouin, 1826 , but different in the following morphological features: pedipalpal femur covered with sparse denticles and setae (pedipalpal femur with only setae in P. savignyi ); leg I thickened (leg I and III slightly thickened in P. savignyi ); glans penis with oval shape (glans penis with triangular shape in P. savignyi ). The comparison of the new species with other morphologically similar species belonging to the genus Phalangium is given in Table 1 .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Phalangium taylani sp. n., male, holotype: a. body, dorsal view; b. body, lateral view; c. glans penis, lateral view. d. penis, dorsal view; e. penis, lateral view.

FIGURE 4. Phalangium taylani sp. n., male, holotype: a–b. pedipalp, lateral view; c. femur of leg I, lateral view; d–e. chelicerae, lateral view.