Flirtea C.L. Koch, 1839

Kury, Adriano B. & García, Andrés F., 2016, On the identity of Flirtea (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cosmetidae), Zootaxa 4093 (2), pp. 231-247 : 234

Flirtea C.L. Koch, 1839

Flirtea C.L. Koch 1839a: 97 , 99 (combined description, 2 species incl.); C.L. Koch 1839b: 20 (incl. only F. picta , F. andreae ); C.L. Koch 1840: 117 (incl. F. phalerata ); Kury 2003: 61.

Type species. Cosmetus pictus Perty, 1833 , by subsequent designation of Roewer (1912b).

Etymology. C.L. Koch (1839b: 20) stated that Flirtea was a person’s name. Gender feminine.

Originally included species. Flirtea andreae , Flirtea picta , Flirtea phalerata .

Included species. Flirtea officially includes 30 species (Kury 2003), mostly from Colombia and Venezuela, none of which is especially closely related with Flirtea picta , and which should therefore be transferred elsewhere. Without studying each species in detail under a phylogenetic framework it is not possible to determine their generic affinities now. According to the present diagnosis of Flirtea , another two Brazilian species should be included: Cynorta valida Roewer, 1928 , which does not match the current diagnosis of Cynorta (as given in Kury et al., 2007) and Paecilaema batman Pinto-da-Rocha & Yamaguti, 2013. Therefore, at the present state of knowledge, only those three Brazilian species belong confidently to Flirtea .

Diagnosis. Dorsal scutum beta-shaped in dorsal view, most convex at area III on lateral view. Dorsal scutum and free tergites entirely unarmed but for a pair of small tubercles on area I and a pair of paramedian high acuminate spines on area III. Pedipalpal Ti asymmetrical, without notable ectal projections; Ta moderately elongate. Chelicerae weak, monomorphic with reduced armature on posterior and ectal margins of bulla ( Figs 6 a– b). All legs elongate but not filiform, with femora straight and podomeres cylindrical and unarmed. Metatarsus IV not prismatic. Coxae I–II with diagonal depression, connected to subdued sternal region, together forming socket for accommodation of resting pedipalpi. Depression of coxa II occupies only the proximal extreme of the podomere. Depression of coxa I occupies about the anterior half of the podomere and is delimited by rows of setiferous tubercles ( Figs 5 d–f). In the posterior margin of the depression roughly five groups can be distinguished from proximal to distal: many small tubercles forming 1 to 3 rows (element 1); few larger tubercles (element 2); a very large acuminate conical process pointing laterally (element 3); a huge bifid or hooked process which extends to dorsal and is visible in dorsal view (element 4); the anterior margin is delimited by a short multi-pointed protuberance (element 5) ( Figs 5 d–f). Coxa IX sexually dimorphic—in males, entire length of lateral margin surpassing the dorsal scutum in dorsal view ( Figs 3 b, 9a), while in females the anterior half is concealed (9e). White blot pattern on dorsal scutum highly variable, scaramuccia (in F. picta , Figs 2 , 8 ), botuliform (in F. bat man , Pinto-da-Rocha & Yamaguti, 2013, figs 8–19), and leuconoid (in F. valida , Figs 9 a, e). Ventral plate of penis rectangular elongate. MS C1–C2 large, flat, curved; D1 and A1 straight, pointed basally; small B, D2, E1–E2. Ventral side of VP glabrous. See “discussion” for comparison with other genera.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dorsal mask blot of Flirtea: a. Schematic reconstruction of the hypothetical most complete state. b. Scaramuccia mask of the Commedia dell’Arte, the shape of which is a mnemonic used here to refer to this kind of blot pattern; c. Living specimen from Una, Bahia. Figure 2 c courtesy of Pedro Martins. Abbreviations: ae = arborescent ears; bb = backbone; cp = cheek projection; mo = minor ocelli; oc = main ocellar fenestra; r 1 - 3 = ribs 1 to 3; s 1 - s 2 = satellite blots 1 to 2.

FIGURE 3. Flirtea picta (Perty, 1833), male neotype of Cosmetus pictus (MNRJ 2465): a. Habitus, dorsal view; b. Same, detail of dorsal scutum; c. Same, lateral view; d. Same, ventral view; e. Same, frontal view; f. Same, posterior view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURE 5. Flirtea picta (Perty, 1833), male (MNRJ 8566): a. Ocularium and frontal hump, antero-dorsal view; b. Carapace, right lateral border and coxal apophyses I – II, dorso-latero-anterior view; c. Same, antero-lateral view; d. Right coxae I – III, oblique ventral view; e. Coxosternal and stigmatic region, antero-ventral view; f. Right coxa I, detail, ventral view. Abbreviations: e 1 to e 5 = elements of ventral coxa I. Scale bars = 0.5 mm (b, d, e); 0.2 mm (a, c, f).

FIGURE 6. Flirtea picta (Perty, 1833), male (MNRJ 8566 Ch and MNRJ 8175 Pp): a. Left Ch, basichelicerite, dorsal view; b. Same, whole chelicera, mesal view; c. Right Pp, Tr and Fe, mesal view; d. Same, Ti and Ta, mesal view; e. Same, Ti partial and Ta, antero-ventral view; f. Same, Ta, ventro-mesal view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm (b, c, d); 0.2 mm (a, e); 0.1 mm (f).

FIGURE 8. Scutal white mask of Flirtea picta. Variations in the pattern (MNRJ 5704, MNRJ 7133, MNRJ 7660, MNRJ 8167, MNRJ 8225).

FIGURE 9. Flirtea valida (MNRJ 19110) from Pará, male (a – d) and female (e – f): a. Dorsal view; b. Lateral view; c. Frontal view; d. Posterior view; e. Dorsal view; f. Lateral view. Scale bars = 1 mm.