Genus Pseudocleobis Pocock, 1900

Pseudocleobis Pocock, 1900: 304; Kraepelin, 1901: 108; Roewer, 1934: 602; Mello-Leitão, 1938a: 23; Muma, 1971a: 14–16; Muma, 1976: 28.

Tetracleobis Roewer, 1934: 605; Muma, 1976: 28 (synonymized by Maury, 1976: 93).

Type species: Cleobis andinus Pocock, 1899, by original designation.

Distribution: South American transition zone (except Paramo biogeographic province), the Central Chilean and Patagonian sub-regions (Andean region) and the Western Chaco district (Neotropical region) (sensu Morrone, 2014, 2015).

Revised diagnosis: Pseudocleobis can be distinguished from all other ammotrechid genera, except Dasycleobis and Chinchippus (see note below), by the following combination of characters: Chelicerae fixed finger with FD, FSD, FM, FSM and FP teeth on median series (Fig. 6A); with RFM, RFSM, RFP, RFSP teeth on retrofondal series (Fig. 7B) and with PFM, PFSM, PFP, PFSP teeth on profondal series (Fig. 6A). Movable finger with MM, MSM, MP teeth, without MPL tooth (Figs. 6A; 7B). Females and juveniles without dorsal hump on fixed finger (Fig. 6A). Fixed finger of males highly modified and usually with a conspicuous flagellar groove. Pedipalps coated with bifurcated tip setae and with long lateroventral spiniform setae (as long or longer than the width of pedipalp article) on femur, tibia and basitarsus (Fig. 6C; usually four pairs on basitarsus and five pairs on tibia); telotarsus slightly pearshaped, fixed, and without spiniform setae (Fig. 6C). Tibia II and III without dorsoapical spiniform seta. Basitarsus II and III with two retrolateral (i.e., RL-b, RL-sd) and one retrodorsal distal (i.e., RD-d) spiniform setae; the distal retrolateral spiniform setae is oriented ventrally (Fig. 6D). Telotarsus II and III divided in two tarsomeres with the following spiniform setal formula 1.2.2/2.2 (Fig. 6E). Telotarsus IV divided in four tarsomeres with the following spiniform setal formula 2.2-2-2/2.2 (Fig. 6F). Males of some species have long filiform ctenidia on sternites III and IV (see discussion).

Note: A recent contribution (Iuri et al 2021) suggest a close relationship between Pseudocleobis, Dasycleobis Mello-Leito, 1940 and Chinchippus Chamberlin, 1920 . The three genera share most of the diagnostic morphologic characters mentioned here. The genus Dasycleobis, known from the high Andean central west Argentina, have more plumose setae on the cheliceral fixed finger (two or more complete rows) and a lateral folding on the flagellum absent on the known Pseudocleobis species. Chinchippus is currently known from the coastal Peruvian desert and could be distinguished from Pseudocleobis by its tracheal system (see Iuri et al 2021). Further analysis is necessary to establish clear limits between these genera.