Revision of the camel spider genus Eremocosta Roewer and a description of the female Eremocosta gigas Roewer (Arachnida, Solifugae)
Author
Cushing, Paula E.
Author
Channiago, Felix
Author
Brookhart, Jack O.
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-03-29
4402
3
443
466
journal article
30380
10.11646/zootaxa.4402.3.2
57f8ff28-59ea-403a-8d53-2f16eef6d0d8
1175-5326
1209676
50282593-0195-4899-980F-493E062B71B0
Eremocosta gigasella
(
Muma 1970
)
Figs. 1E
,
2O–R
,
3E
,
4D
,
5F
Eremorhax gigas
(
Roewer 1934
)
:
Muma 1951
(misidentification): 48, figs. 32–33.
Eremorhax gigasella
Muma 1970
: 8
.
Eremopus gigasella
(
Muma 1989
)
: 5.
Eremocosta gigasella
(
Muma 1970
)
:
Harvey 2002
: 451
.
Type
material
.
Male
holotype
from
Boquillas
,
Texas
,
USA
,
7 June 1948
, coll.
C. and P. Vaurie
(
AMNH
).
We
were able to examine the
type
.
Other specimens examined.
Males (8).
MÉXICO:
Coahuila
,
Sierra San Marcos
II
,
Cuatro Ciénegas
,
N 26.91326°
,
W 102.13757°
,
761 m
elev., no date, coll. E. González-S.,
B. Hendrixson
,
K. McWest
, S.
Grant
, collected with UV. light (
IBUNAM
+CNAN-Sol100007)
;
MÉXICO
:
Coahuila
,
Saltillo
,
27 May 1967
, coll.
M. Oyervides
, no other data (
IBUNAM
+CNAN-Sol00204)
;
USA:
New
Mexico
,
Eddy County
,
Carlsbad
,
N 32.45°
,
W 104.30°
,
1012 m
elev.,
10 June 1940
, coll.
E.S. Deevey
, on tent (
DMNS
ZA.17982)
;
USA
:
Texas
,
Brewster County
,
Big Bend National Park
, south of
Camp De Leon
turn-off, east side of
Old Ore Rd.
,
N 29.245°
,
W 103.01167°
,
696 m
elev.,
11 June–8 July 2011
, coll.
David Footle
,
pitfall trap
(
3 males
:
DMNS
ZA.35465)
;
USA
:
Texas
,
Brewster County
,
Big Bend National Park
, east of
Terlingua Abajo Village
sign,
N 29.1975°
,
W 103.60194°
,
673 m
elev.,
11 June –8 July 2011
, coll.
David Footle
,
pitfall trap
in sandy flood plain behind
Acacia
thicket (
2 males
:
DMNS
ZA.35475).
Females
(7).
MÉXICO
:
Coahuila
,
Sierra San Marcos
II
, Cuatro Ciénegas
,
N 26.91326°
,
W 102.13757°
, no date, coll. E. González-S.,
B. Hendrixson
,
K. McWest
,
S. Grant
, collected with UV light; (
2 females
:
IBUNAM
+CNAN-Sol100007;
USA
:
Texas
,
Brewster County
,
Big Bend National Park
, south of
Camp De Leon
turn-off, east side of
Old Ore Rd.
,
N 29.245°
,
W 103.01167°
,
696 m
elev.,
11 June–8 July 2011
, coll.
David Footle
,
pitfall trap
(
3 females
:
DMNS
ZA.35465)
;
USA
:
Texas
,
Brewster County
,
Big Bend National Park
, east of
Terlingua Abajo Village
sign,
N 29.1975°
,
W 103.60194°
,
673 m
elev.,
11 June–8 July 2011
, coll.
David Footle
,
pitfall trap
in sandy flood plain behind
Acacia
thicket (
2 females
:
DMNS
ZA.35475).
Diagnosis.
Eremocosta gigasella
is distinguished by the lack of a fondal notch on the male fixed finger (
Figs. 2O & P
). All other species in the genus have a moderate fondal notch to distinct fondal notch. On the male fixed finger, the relatively flattened MM is also distinctive as well as the presence of an apparent MD or a tooth-like structure at the distal location of the movable finger (Fig. 20, arrow). The female genital operculum is similar to that of
E. titania
; however, the two species can be easily distinguished with the posterior part of arms of
E. gigasella
more rounded and the inner edge slightly hooked (compare
Figs. 4D & F
).
Measurements
.
Males (n = 8)
. TL 28.0–42.0; CL 9.5–14.0;
CH
4.0–6.0; FNL NA; FNH 0.5; FFH 1.0–1.3; PL 29.5–40.5; PT 1.7–4.0; PMT 5.4–9.0; PT 3.0–4.5; LI 20.0–28.0; LIV 33.0–43.0; PPL 35.0–43.0; A/CP 4.7–5.5; FNL/FNH NA; FFH/FNH NA; FFH/
CH
0.2–0.3.
Females (n = 7).
TL 39.0–50.0; CL 10.7–16.0;
CH
4.3–6.0; PL 29.0–35.0; PT 1.7–3.5; PMT 7.0–7.9; LI 20.5– 30.0; LIV 31.0–45.0; A/CP 4.6–5.0.
Description.
Coloration. Male.
Palpal tarsus, metatarsus faintly dusky violet-brown; LI, LII pale; LIII, LIV dusky violet-brown at the tibia-femur joint. Propeltidium mottled brownish violet anteriorly with a large pale yellow oval behind ocular tubercle, two smaller pale yellow ovals on either side of ocular tubercle (
Fig. 5F
). Abdomen dark dorsally, greyish ventrally.
Chelicera. Male
. VDC occupies approximately half the length of fixed finger; deep, with a thin carina on the interior extending half the length of the cavity (
Fig. 1E
, arrow). Fixed finger broad proximally, sinuate dorsally with no median dentition. Movable finger: large MP-2 MSM the proximal larger-MM a long ridge with notch in the middle; MD also a ridge; MPL distinct (
Figs. 2O & P
). Fondal notch indistinct. Two distinct RFA in the notch and two tiny RFA on ventral edge of fixed finger; fondal teeth graded retrolaterally I & II (equal), III, tiny IV; prolaterally I, III, IV, tiny IV (
Fig. 3E
).
Setation. Male.
Apical setal complex flat and plumose. No ventral series. Inner medial setal complex plumose setae to the top of fondal notch;
mpd
extend to the front of MM. This is the only
Eremocosta
that has a linear
mpd
as opposed to patchy configuration. Pedipalps with scattered long thin setae. No ctenidia. No palpal papillae. Scattered bacilli on anterior part of coxa of Leg 3.
Coloration. Female.
Basically cream-yellow, legs similar but a bit darker. Palp dusky on tarsus and metatarsus, LIV light violet-brown at tibia-femur joint; propeltidium blotchy violet-brown, darker on anterior edge, creamy oval behind ocular tubercle and smaller ovals on either side. Abdomen with typical dark, violet brown rectangles on each segment that give the appearance of a stripe; ventral grey-cream.
Chelicera. Female.
Fixed finger: FP-2 FSM-FM-FSD-FD. Movable finger: MP-2 MSM–MM; large MPL (
Figs. 2Q & R
). One large RFA; fondal teeth I, III, II, IV (III almost the same size as I) retrolaterally and prolaterally.
Setation
.
Female.
Inner row of plumose bristle typical, extend from FD on fixed finger to MD on movable finger. A row of thick bacilli on anterior edge of LIII coxa and a row of smaller bacilli on edge LIV coxa.
Genital Operculum
. Genital operculum club shaped with slender anterior arms, posterior rounded with inner edge slightly hooked posteriorly. No visible pits laterally. Genital operculum not as in fig.
31 in
Muma (1951)
. More like
E. titania
fig.
38 in
Muma (1951)
but with wider, shorter anterior arms and larger more rounded club shape posteriorly (
Fig. 4D
).
Distribution
.
USA
:
New
Mexico
,
Texas
and
México
. Biome: Chihuahuan Desert.
Discussion
. This species was described by
Muma (1951)
as
E. gigas
. This species is a Chihuahuan Desert inhabitant extending from
New
Mexico
(
Brookhart & Brantley 2000
) into the Big Bend region of
Texas
and south into the Mexican states of
Chihuahua
, and
Coahuila
. The collection of this species by David Footle (personal comm.) from 20 pitfall arrays in Big Bend National Park resulted in
24 males
,
24 females
from April to August. They were collected in 5 of the 20 arrays set up by the collector in the park.
Brookhart & Brantley (2000)
identified this species as far north and west as Socorro,
New
Mexico
,
USA
.