Acumontia cowani Pocock, 1902

Mendes, Amanda C. & Kury, Adriano B., 2012, Notes on the systematics of the Triaenonychinae from Madagascar with description of a new species of Acumontia Loman (Opiliones: Laniatores), Zootaxa 3593, pp. 40-58 : 43

Acumontia cowani Pocock, 1902

( Figs. 1 A–B, 13)

Acumontia rostrata cowani Pocock 1902: 407 .

Acumontia cowani: Pocock 1903: 442 ; Staręga 1992: 280.

Triacumontia cowani: Roewer 1915: 125 ; Roewer 1923: 613; Lawrence 1959: 36.

Type data. 1 3 2 Ƥsyntypes ( BMNH, examined), from MADAGASCAR, [FIANARANTSOA], Betsileo.

Records. MADAGASCAR, [TOAMASINA], Moramanga, km 57 road to Anosibe ( Lawrence 1959).

Notes. Pocock (1902) mentioned the type series of this (sub)species as consisting in “an adult and two subadult females”. Later, Pocock (1903: 441) stated that “the specimens described as A. rostrata subsp. Cowani [sic.] are males and females of a form which must be regarded as a valid species.” Roewer (1915; 1923) limited himself to repeat this information without seeing the types. He also included it in the newly created genus Triacumontia , later sunken by Staręga (1992) into Acumontia . Lawrence (1959) reported additional material from Toamasina. This species has never been illustrated.

Diagnosis. Differs from A. hispida , A. horrida , A. nigra , A. roeweri , A. soerenseni , A. spinifrons and A. venator by having the apophysis of ocularium unbranched. Differs from A. alluaudi , A. echinata , A. longipes , A. milloti , A. nigra , A. rostrata and A. spinifrons by having the two pairs of spines of areas II–III much smaller than the armature of ocularium. Differs from A. pococki by having the spines of areas II–III equally sized. Differs from A. armata , A. capitata , A. flavispina , A. hystrix , A. majori , A. remyi , A. succinea sp. nov., A. venator by the presence of two tubercles on dorsum of the trochanter of pedipalps. Differs from A. armata , A. echinata , A. majori , A. nigra , A. roberti , A. roeweri , A. rostrata , A. soerenseni , A. spinifrons and A. venator by the two ventro-basal apophyses of femur of pedipalps spiniform, not blunt. Differs from A. alluaudi , A. flavispina , A. hispida , A. horrida and A. succinea sp. nov. by having five tarsomeres in tarsus I of male.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Acumontia cowani Pocock, 1903, habitus of male syntype (BMNH): A, dorsal view; B, lateral view. Scale bars = 2 mm.