Starengovia ivanloebli, Jochen Martens, 2017

Jochen Martens, 2017, On Starengovia Snegovaya, a genus of Asian nemastomatines (Arachnida: Opiliones: Nemastomatidae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 124 (2), pp. 187-201 : 194-196

Starengovia ivanloebli sp. n.

Figs 6A , 18-19 , 27-43

Holotype: MHNG; male; Pakistan, Swat District , above Utrot, 35°30’N 72°28’E, 2500 m; C. Besuchet and I. Löbl leg. 13.5.1983.

Paratypes: MHNG; 1 male, 2 females; same locality as for holotype. – MHNG; 4 males, 17 females ; Swat, Malam Jabba, 34°48’N 72°35’E, 2300 m; 9.5.1983. – MHNG; 1 male, 1 female; Swat, above Miandam, 35°03’N 72°34’E, 2300 m; 10.5.1983. – MHNG; 1 male; Swat, above Utrot, 35°30’N 72°28’E, 2500- 2600 m; 14.5.1983. – MHNG; 3 males, 11 females, 1 juvenile; Swat, valley of Ushu, ascent to Kalam, 35°27’N 72°34’E, 2300 m; 15.5.1983. – MHNG; 1 male, 5 females; SMF; 2 males, 2 females; Swat, above Miandam, 2400-2500 m; 17.5.1983. – MHNG; 1 male; Swat, Malam Jabba, 2500-2600 m; 18.5.1983. – MHNG; 1 male; Chitral, Lawarai Pass, 35°19’N 71°49’E, 2600 m; 23.5.1983. – MHNG; 3 males; CJM 7659; 3 males, 1 female; Hazara, above Naran, 34°54’N 73°39’E, 2600 m; 1.6.1983. All specimens leg C. Besuchet and I. Löbl.

Diagnosis: Characterized by genital morphology (form of alae and of inflated basal part of truncus), size (species smaller than S. kirgizica ) and armament of dorsal scutum (para-median tubercles peg-like, low and slender, not present on first free opisthosomal tergite).

Name: The name is given in honour of Ivan Löbl who during numerous expeditions collected large numbers of soil arthropods, especially in the Himalayas and other parts of Asia. His contributions to entomology are striking.

Description (male)

Body, dorsal side ( Figs 6A , 27-30 ): Scutum uniformly light brown to dark brown (depending on time since final moult), without any golden or silver markings. Anterior and lateral margins of prosomal area I of dorsal scutum with a continuous line of closely spaced anvil-shaped tubercles of different sizes, largest on front of prosoma. Additional lines of anvil-shaped tubercles across the scutum: First (anteriormost) in male more or less straight (in female straight), second line bent forwards, third line mostly straight but slightly bent backwards laterally, fourth straight, fifth and sixth line slightly bent backwards. Tubercles of fourth, fifth and sixth line smaller and more or less interrupted (only few low tubercles present) in median part only, nearly lacking laterally.

Median part of opisthosomal areas I-V with two slender and low, peg-like para-median tubercles slightly inflated distally and rounded at tip; distance between paramedian tubercles slightly increasing posteriorly, all opisthosomal areas with several irregularly arranged low tubercles, very few on opisthosomal area I and on first free opithosomal tergite, absent on prosomal scutal area I around Tu oc. First free opisthosomal tergite without enlarged para-median tubercles.

Tu oc relatively small, low, touching front margin of scutum, densely covered with 10-12 anvil-shaped tubercles.

Body,ventral side ( Figs 28, 30 ): Cx I-IV pro- and retrolaterally with a line of strong anvil-shaped tubercles, rear and front line of consecutive Cx touching each other. Op gen covered with rather large low, rounded, irregularly arranged tubercles; free sternites with few tubercles at margins; all light brown.

Legs: Rather short and slender (in terms of nemastomatid morphology); Cx with several large tubercles; Fe, Pt and Ti of legs I, III and IV slightly inflated (less so in female), Fe, Pt and Ti of leg I unarmed except for few minute light hairs, less so on Mt and Ta, there few scattered long hairs. Surface rough, no denticulation and no “combteeth” (Kammzähnchen) as figured by Gruber (1976) for Mediostoma . Various numbers of pseudo-articulations on femora of legs II-IV.

Pedipalp ( Figs 18-19 ): Robust and short (in comparison with other nemastomatids), shorter than in S. kirgizica , male Ti slightly inflated proximally; all articles except Tr bearing clavate setae, most conspicuous on Pt, Ti and Ta (not indicated in Figs 18-19 ). In male and female no article with special armament.

Chelicera ( Figs 31-37 ): Rather stout; basal article with a bulky frontad-directed Apo distinctly surpassing front margin of article; Apo with a broad basis, approximately as long as high (in lateral view), upper side smoothly rounded and dorso-distally projecting into pointed hook. In dorsal view Apo markedly inclined towards midline. Apo medially excavated for nearly its total length, forming a bowl-like excavation or hole. 2nd cheliceral article moderately inflated, with few long scattered bristles, situated mainly frontally.

Male genital morphology ( Figs 38-43 ): Truncus penis ( Figs 38-39 ) moderately slender; basis forming a large inflated part (occupying about one third of whole penis length) well differentiated from rest of truncus; inflated part compact, deeply incised in the middle and completely filled by penial muscles, their tendons spanning hole truncus length up to glans. Truncus narrowest above inflated part (in do/ve view), slightly widening toward lateral wings, beyond wings successively tapering to glans. One thin, fine and hyaline wing ( Figs 38-41 ) on each lateral side of distal part of truncus, totally flattened, rectangular, abruptly and widely truncate, not pointed. Glans ( Figs 42-43 ) only inconspicuously outlined, short, starting where tendons are attached to inner truncus wall; stylus short, a continuation of glans, tapering to distal asymmetrical opening of seminal duct, slightly curved (in lateral view). Short, stiff and unspecialized spicules forming armament of glans; their arrangement symmetrical in ventral view ( Fig. 42 ).

Female ( Figs 29-30 , 36-37 ): Largely as male but lacking dorso-distal Apo of first article of chelicera. This article armed with pointed tubercles laterally. Form of anvil-shaped lines of tubercles of dorsal side slightly different ( Fig. 29 cf. Fig. 27 , see also “Body, dorsal side”).

Measurements: Body length, male 1.3-1.5 (n=10), female 1.3-1.65 (n=10). Leg II length: male, female in parentheses: Fe 1.25 (1.25), Pt 0.35 (0.4), Ti 0.9 (0.9), Mt 1.5 (1.45), Ta 1.25 (1.2). Pedipalp length: male, female in parentheses: Fe 0.5 (0.5), Pt 0.45 (0.4), Ti 0.4 (0.35), Ta 0.2 (0.2). Penis length: 1.0.

Variation: One of the peg-like para-median tubercles on opisthosomal area V of the dorsal scutum may lack ( Fig. 27 ); on the first free opisthosomal tergite (corresponding to opisthosomal tergite VI) such tubercles are absent ( Fig. 6 ).

Distribution: Known from eight localities in northwestern Pakistan, close to the northwestern fringes of the Himalayan chain. The species was found in three major administrative units of the country, Swat and Chitral Districts and Hazara Division, all mountainous areas in the northwest of the country, just west of the upper reaches of the Indus river.

Detailed habitat descriptions by the collectors refer to soil litter in open pine ( Pinus ), fir ( Abies ), spruce ( Picea ) and cedar ( Cedrus ) forests, in moist grassy glades, under stones and rotten wood and at moist riverine localities. Near Naran animals were found on June 1, under stones close to the actual snow line at 2600 m. Altitudinal records stretch from 2100 m (Murree) to 2600 m (Utrot, Malam Jabba, Naran, Lawarai Pass) and indicate occurrence of this species in a narrow altitudinal belt of just 500 m.

Most remarkably, S. ivanloebli sp. n. was collected together with two undescribed species of Biantes Simon, 1885 ( Biantidae , a truly tropical family) at Malam Jabba, Naran to Kaghan, above Naran. One Kaghan series contained only five Biantes specimens, no Starengovia . The genus Biantes has undergone a tremendous radiation in the Himalayas; from Nepal alone 18 species were described ( Martens, 1978b). Nearly all altitudinal zones there are inhabited by species in mostly narrow altitudinal belts stretching from the Terai lowlands to above 4000 m near the timberline. Many additional Biantidae species from Nepal and the Indian Himalayas await formal description. The Pakistani records of Biantes are the northwestern-most known within Asia. There they meet nemastomatines near their southeastern border.

Figures

Figs 5 - 6 B. Body of male in lateral view (5 - 6 A) and in dorsal view (6 B). (5) Starengovia kirgizica. (6 A) S. ivanloebli sp. n. (6 B) Mediostoma pamiricum Staręga, 1986; reproduced from Staręga (1986). Scale: 1 mm.

Figs 16 - 19. Pedipalps in prolateral view. (16 - 17) Starengovia kirgizica. (18 - 19) S. ivanloebli sp. n. (16, 18) Male. (17 - 19) Female. Scale: 0.3 mm.

Figs 27 - 30. Starengovia ivanloebli sp. n. (27) Body of male in dorsal view. (28) Same in ventral view. (29) Body of female in dorsal view. (30) Same in ventral view. Scale: 0.5 mm.

Figs 31 - 37. Starengovia ivanloebli sp. n. (31) Right chelicera of male in prolateral view. (32) Same in retrolateral view. (33) Cheliceral apophysis in prolateral view. (34) Same in retrolateral view. (35) Same in dorsal view. (36) Entire female chelicera in prolateral view. (37) Basal article of female chelicera in retrolateral view. Scale: 0.2 mm (Figs 31 - 32, 36 - 37; Figs 33 - 35).

Figs 38 - 43. Starengovia ivanloebli sp. n., male genital morphology. (38) Truncus penis in ventral view. (39) Same in lateral view. (40) Distal part of truncus penis in ventral view. (41) Same in lateral view. (42) Glans penis in ventral view. (43) Same in lateral view. Scales: 0.3 mm (Figs 38 - 39); 0.2 mm (Figs 40 - 41); 0.1 mm (Figs 42 - 43).