Kankuamo Perafan , Galvis & Perez-Miles

Perafan, Carlos, Galvis, William, Gutierrez, Miguel & Perez-Miles, Fernando, 2016, Kankuamo, a new theraphosid genus from Colombia (Araneae, Mygalomorphae), with a new type of urticating setae and divergent male genitalia, ZooKeys 601, pp. 89-109 : 94-96

Taxon classification Animalia Araneae Theraphosidae

Kankuamo Perafan, Galvis & Perez-Miles gen. n.

Type species.

Kankuamo marquezi Perafán, Galvis & Gutiérrez, sp. n.

Diagnosis.

Differs from all previously known genera of Theraphosidae by having a distinct type of urticating setae (Fig. 2, see description below), mainly characterized by having a small distal patch of lanceolated barbs arranged in reversed direction, regarding the main barbs, oriented with their tips towards the penetration tip (Fig. 2B). Male differs additionally from other genera by having a curved sub-conical palpal bulb with many conspicuous keels distributed throughout the majority of the subtegulum and embolus, especially developed on the dorsal and prolateral faces, most of them with serrated edges (Fig. 3 E– 3I). PSK, AcK, PIK, AK and SAK present (sensu Bertani 2000), additionally dorsal keels (DKs) and supra-accessory keels (SpAcK). Tibial apophysis on leg I absent (Fig. 3D). Females differ by having spermathecae with a single notched receptacle, with two granulated lobes, and several irregular sclerotized longitudinal striations (Fig. 3D).

Etymology.

Kankuamo is a noun in apposition and refers to the indigenous people of the Chibcha family from the Caribbean region of Colombia, which inhabits the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, whose language and culture are at endangered. Kankuamo gender is neuter.

Description.

See description of the type species.

Distribution.

Only known from its type locality, Vereda San Lorenzo, Corregimiento Minca, Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, 11.1 N, - 74.05 W (Fig. 7).

Discussion.

Morphology. Kankuamo gen. n. clearly presents the diagnostic characters of the subfamily Theraphosinae ( Theraphosidae ): male palpal bulb with large and extended subtegulum, and numerous developed keels; legs spinose, with normal scopulae on tarsi and presence of abdominal urticating setae (Figs 2-6). However, this new genus differs dramatically from all previously known genera by their novel urticating setae type and the detailed morphology of male palpal bulb, making it difficult to establish their phylogenetic affinities. The general shape of the palpal bulb resembles approximately those of the genus Ami Pérez-Miles, 2008 (mainly Ami bladesi Pérez-Miles, Gabriel and Gallon, 2008 and Ami weinmanni Pérez-Miles, 2008), but with the subtegulum more elongated in Kankuamo gen n. (Fig. 3G). However, the transverse arrangement of bulb keels is also superficially similar to those of some Acanthoscurria Ausserer, 1871, or to the ring shaped keel of Hapalopus Ausserer, 1875. Numerous distal keels are also known in other genera such as Lasiodora C.L. Koch, 1850, Nhandu Lucas, 1983 and Vitalius Lucas, Silva and Bertani, 1993, but the higher number of keels in Kankuamo gen. n. easily distinguish it from all those and other remaining genera in Theraphosinae. Furthermore, the high number of keels make difficult to establish homology with those of the family as Bertani (2000) suggested. Considering the extension and positional similarity we tentatively propose the presence of PSK, AcK, PIK, AK, and SAK, and we also propose the name supra-accessory keels (SpAcK) for those placed on proximal subtegulum (Fig. 3H, 3I) and dorsal keels (DKs) for those placed principally on dorsal face (Fig. 3 E– 3G). The absence of tibial apophysis is shared with Agnostopelma Pérez-Miles and Weinmann, 2010; Aguapanela Perafán, Cifuentes and Estrada, 2015; Metriopelma Becker, 1878; Nhandu ; Sericopelma Ausserer, 1875 and Theraphosa Thorell, 1870.

The spermathecae of Kankuamo gen. n. are similar to those of Theraphosinae genera with only one entire receptacle (e.g. Brachypelma Simon, 1891, Megaphobema Pocock, 1901, Mygalarachne Ausserer 1871, Sericopelma Ausserer, 1875, Theraphosa Thorell, 1870), but notched and longitudinally striated (Fig. 5D).

Accordingly, Kankuamo gen. n. clearly differs from all genera of Theraphosidae known by the urticating setae type and male palpal bulb characters.

Cladistic relationship.

A search using equal weights found 171 most parsimonious tress and the strict consensus of these did not provide any resolution. Search with implied weighting and different concavity indices (k = 3 to 12) found between 3 and 10 shortest trees. The strict consensus of each of these tress recovered different topologies, but between k = 8 and k = 12 the topology of strict consensus did not vary, for this reason we have selected this topology to test Kankuamo gen. n. affinities (Fig. 1). It is noted that this new phylogeny analysis of Theraphosinae is an incomplete analysis including only half of the Theraphosinae genera and relatively few characters.

Kankuamo gen. n. was resolved as the sister group of Metriopelma , supported by the character "femur IV without retrolateral scopula". Both genera also share the lack of the apophysis on males and a spermathecae with seminal receptacles completely fused. Kankuamo gen.n. presents a reversion to state (0) on character 16 "absence the urticating setae type I", a parallelism of the state (1) on character 31 "presence the accessory keels under prolateral inferior keel" and an autapomorphic character "presence of urticating setae type VII".

Kankuamo gen. n. and Metriopelma were resolved as sister genera within the largest clade of our selected topology. The relationship of Kankuamo gen. n. + Metriopelma as the sister group of the clade ( Theraphosa ( Sericopelma ( Brachypelma ( Megaphobema ( Xenesthis Pamphobeteus ) ( Sphaerobothria ( Phormictopus ( Cyrtopholis Acanthoscurria ))))))) is supported by "absence of retrolateral keel" and "absence of sub-apical keel", with some homoplasies. The Theraphosa clade is supported by two synapomorphies "apical region of palpal bulb with cancave-convex aspect" and "apical keel very long".