Schismatothele Karsch 1879

Guadanucci, José Paulo Leite & Weinmann, Dirk, 2014, The spider genera Euthycaelus Simon and Schismatothele Karsch (Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae), Zootaxa 3795 (3), pp. 275-288 : 282

Schismatothele Karsch 1879

Schismatothele Karsch 1879: 544 ; Roewer 1942: 207; Bonnet 1958: 3944; Raven 1985: 158; Rudloff 1997:12 (removed from the synonymy with Holothele, contra Raven, 1985:158)

Hemiercus Simon 1903: 929 ; Roewer 1942: 231; Petrunkevitch 1928: 78; Bonnet 1957: 2155; Raven 1985: 153 (synonymy with Holothele , rejected by Rudloff, 1997:12). Remarks: Raven (1985) first considered Schismatothele and Hemiercus as junior synonyms of Holothele and therefore, congeners.

Type-species. Schismatothele lineata Karsch 1879 , by monotypy.

Species included. Schismatothele lineata Karsch 1879 ; Schismatothele inflata ( Simon 1889) comb.nov.; Schismatothele modesta ( Simon 1889) comb.nov.; Schismatothele benedettii Panzera, Perdomo & Pérez-Miles 2011 .

Diagnosis. Males and females are distinguished from those of other theraphosid genera by the following features: male palpal tibia swollen bearing several short and thick spines; bulky, heavy sclerotized spermathecae. Schismatothele can also be recognized by the following features: palpal tibia with one row of spines; male palpal bulb short bearing a flat paraembolic apophysis, tegulum rounded at the base; male tibial apophysis with two branches, prolateral branch short, retrolateral long and curved; spermathecae receptacles heavily sclerotized with dorsal and ventral portions.

Description. Carapace oval, longer than wide; moderately pilose. Cephalic region slightly raised. Eye tubercle weakly raised, small. Eye group rectangular, anterior eye row procurved, posterior slightly recurved. Fovea deep, straight or procurved. Labium subquadrate, with 100–200 cuspules densely concentrated on the anterior half. Labiosternal junction moderately deep; labiosternal sigilla oval, distinct and located near junction. Sternum rounded, with conspicuous bulge near labiosternal junction, posterior sternal sigilla oval and away from margin. Male palpal tibia swollen, with thick spines (named ‘megaspine’ by Panzera et al. 2011) on retrolateral surface, disposed either in line or in groups. Male tibial apophysis comprising two branches. Male metatarsus I bends externally to retrolateral branch of tibial apophysis. Scopulae on tarsi III–IV divided by band of thick setae. Superior tarsal claws of males and females bare or with small teeth; inferior tarsal claws absent. Tarsi cracked on male and females. Cymbium longer than wide, bilobed. Palpal bulb with short embolus, large subtegulum and bearing keels. Spermathecae strongly sclerotized, comprising two receptacula (dorsal and ventral). Abdomen uniformly brown; abdominal markings present or absent.