Gerdesius mapinguari, Bragagnolo & Hara & Pinto-Da-Rocha, 2015

Bragagnolo, Cibele, Hara, Marcos R. & Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo, 2015, A new family of Gonyleptoidea from South America (Opiliones, Laniatores), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 173 (2), pp. 296-319 : 309-310

GERDESIUS MAPINGUARI SP. NOV.

( FIGS 2 , 8D–F )

Etymology

Mapinguari is an Amazonian mythological creature. This being is a tall mammal of approximately 2.0– 2.5 m, body entirely covered with long hair, bullet- proof skin, claws, and a huge mouth (from the head to the belly). It has a strong and bad odoriferous scent, like harvestmen.

Type material

BRAZIL. Amazonas : Manaus (Reserva do Km 54), IX.2009, G. Machado leg., ♂ holotype ( MZSP 59906 ) .

Diagnosis

Gerdesius mapinguari sp. nov. differs from other members of the genus by: scutal area IV with a row of slightly enlarged tubercles; free tergite I with a lateral spine on each side and anal operculum with a median short (as long as free tergite III) apophysis.

Description

Male (holotype): Dorsum ( Fig. 2A, B ): Measurements: DSL 6.1; DSW 5.7; LI 14.5; LII 22.15; LIII 17.15; LIV 23.35. Anterior margin of carapace with frontal hump, tuberculate, five clustered tubercles on each side. Ocularium far from anterior margin of carapace, tuberculate, with a median spine pointed dorsally. Scutal area I entire, area IV with a row of slightly enlarged tubercles. Scutal groove II sides curved anteriorly, inconspicuous near lateral grooves of dorsal scutum. Dorsal scutum outline type gamma, entirely tuberculate, lateral margins with an external row of tubercles, increasing in size to the middle, and an internal irregular row of tubercles. One ozopore (anterior opening), covered by integumentary dome with inverted V-shape opening, obstructed by prolateral apophysis of coxa II. Posteri- or margin of dorsal scutum with two rows of tubercles (posterior enlarged). Free tergites I and II with two rows of tubercles; free tergite III irregularly tuberculate. Anal operculum tuberculate, with a median short (as long as free tergite III) apophysis.

Venter. Coxa I–IV, genital area and free sternites densely tuberculate.

Chelicera. Normal sized. Segment I with four enlarged, pointed tubercles on posterior margin of bulla (retrolateral largest), one subapical tubercle on prolateral face; segments II and III each with four teeth.

Pedipalp ( Fig. 2F, G ). Trochanter inflated, dorsally with between two and four tubercles, ventrally with one retrolateral tubercle and one enlarged prolateral tubercle. Femur dorsally with two or three tubercles, ventrally with one basal, one retrolateral subapical, and one median enlarged tubercles. Patella with few small tubercles scattered. Tibia dorsolaterally with scattered tubercles; tibial setation, mesal iIiiIi/iiIiiIi, ectal iiiiIi/iiiiiIi. Tarsus dorsolaterally smooth; tarsal setation, mesal iIiIi/iiIiIii, ectal iiIiIiiii. All small setae in tibia and tarsus thin and delicate. Claw short (approximately less than half of tarsus length).

Legs ( Fig. 2C–E ). Coxa I with one prolateral and one retrolateral bifid apophyses; coxa II with one prolateral enlarged apophysis in front of ozopore, two retrolateral apophyses (basal wide and rounded, apical apophysis three times longer than wide); coxa III with one prolateral (short, almost totally hidden by dorsal scutum) and one retrolateral apophyses directed anteriorly and posteriorly, respectively; coxa IV tuberculate, with one short, spiniform prolateral apical apophysis and one spiniform retrolateral apical apophysis (longer than prolateral one). Trochanters–metatarsi I–IV tuberculate. Trochanters I–III with enlarged tubercles on prolateral, retrolateral, and ventral faces; trochanter IV with prolateral apical cluster of three enlarged tubercles, one retrolateral apical long (approximately a half of podomere length) apophysis, retrolateral enlarged tubercles. Femora I and II straight, femora III and IV slightly sinuous; femur I with two ventral rows of slightly enlarged tubercles; femur III dorsally with a prodorsal, a median, and a retrodorsal (largest) apical enlarged tubercles, ventrally unarmed; femur IV the same, with three dorsoapical enlarged tubercles of similar size. Tibia IV cylindrical. Metatarsi IV with two ventral rows of enlarged tubercles intercalated with smaller ones. Basitarsus I slightly inflated. Tarsal counts: 6(3), 8(3), 6, and 6.

Penis ( Fig. 8D–F ). Ventral plate reduced, apex thumblike, placed between glans and apically inflated truncus, with three apical pairs of long, straight setae direct- ed upwards from their base. Truncus apex inflated, with subapical constriction, four pairs of straight, long (slightly shorter than the distal pairs of setae on ventral plate) spatulate setae organized in two groups of two pairs (in lateral view). Glans sac with basal constriction (pentagonal shaped in dorsal view), apex dorsoventrally flattened, laterally widened. Stylus short, slightly curved dorsally, and slightly widened (in lateral view). Ventral process without stem, with a triangular-shaped, laterally flattened projection.

Coloration. Background colour orange–brown, slightly clear brown on legs I–III. Tubercles of dorsal scutum, coxa IV, free tergites and sternites blackish. Pedipalps yellowish brown.

Female unknown.

Figures

Figure 2. Gerdesius mapinguari sp. nov. Male holotype. A, habitus, dorsal view; B, habitus, right lateral view; C, right trochanter–femur IV, ventral view; D, right trochanter–femur IV, dorsal view; E, right tarsus I, dorsal view; F, right pedipalpal patella–tarsus, retrolateral view; G, right pedipalpal patella–tarsus, prolateral view. C and D at same scale, F and G at same scale. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 8. Distal part of penis. A–C, Gerdesius peruvianus (holotype): A, dorsal view; B, left lateral view; C, ventral view. D–F, Gerdesius mapinguari sp. nov. (holotype): D, dorsal view; E, left lateral view; F, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.