Pelicinus Simon

Platnick, Norman I., Dupérré, Nadine, Ubick, Darrell & Fannes, Wouter, 2012, The Goblin Spider Genus Pelicinus (Araneae, Oonopidae), Part 1, American Museum Novitates 2012 (3741), pp. 1-44 : 15-18

Pelicinus Simon

Pelicinus Simon, 1891: 559

(type species by monotypy Pelicinus marmoratus Simon ).

Philesius Simon, 1893: 303 (superfluous replacement name for Pelicinus Simon , not preoccupied by Pelecinus Latreille ).

Myrmopopaea Reimoser, 1933: 396

(type species by monotypy Myrmopopaea jacobsoni Reimoser ).

NEW SYNONYMY.

Harryoonops Makhan and Ezzatpanah, 2011: 1

(type species by original designation Harryoonops amrishi Makhan and Ezzatpanah ). NEW SYNONYMY.

DIAGNOSIS: Males of Pelicinus can be recognized by the characteristic form of the embolus, which bears a sail-shaped expansion bordered proximally by a channel-shaped excavation (fig. 30); females have a rounded posterior receptaculum followed anteriorly by a poreplate, then a widened and squiggled anterior receptaculum, and finally a narrower (usually T-shaped) anterior process (figs. 143, 144). The greatly widened, rectangular protrusion on the labrum (figs. 8, 38, 68, 98) may also be synapomorphic for the genus, but labral morphology has not yet been documented in other members of the Pelicinus group; most other examined oonopids have much narrower protrusions (although there are exceptions, such as Escaphiella ; see Platnick and Dupérré, 2009b: fig. 578).

DESCRIPTION: Total length of males 1.4–2.2, of females 1.6–2.4. Carapace, sternum, mouthparts, abdominal scuta yellow to red-brown, without pattern, abdomen soft portions white to yellow, sometimes with dark markings visible through dorsal scutum, legs yellow to orangebrown. Cephalothorax: Carapace broadly oval in dorsal view, anteriorly narrowed to 0.49 times its maximum width or less, pars cephalica slightly elevated in lateral view (figs. 3, 33, 63, 93), anterolateral corners with slightly sclerotized triangular projections, pars thoracica with rounded posterolateral corners, without depressions or radiating rows of pits, posterolateral edge without pits, posterior margin not bulging below posterior rim, posterolateral surface without spikes; surface of elevated portion of pars cephalica smooth or reticulate, sides finely reticulate (figs. 1, 31) or granulate (figs. 61, 91); fovea absent, lateral margin straight, rebordered, without denticles; plumose setae near posterior margin of pars thoracica absent; marginal, nonmarginal pars cephalica, pars thoracica setae light, needlelike, scattered. Clypeus margin slightly rebordered, straight in front view (figs. 2, 32, 62, 92), vertical in lateral view, high, ALE separated from edge of carapace by their radius or more, median projection absent; setae light, needlelike. Chilum absent. Eyes six, well developed, PME largest, ALE oval, PME squared, PLE oval; posterior eye row recurved from above, straight from front; ALE separated by more than their diameter, ALE-PLE separated by less than ALE radius, PME touching throughout most of their length, PLE-PME separated by less than PME radius. Sternum wider than long, not fused to carapace, surface smooth (figs. 64, 94) or reticulate (if reticulate, sculpturing present everywhere except front, figs. 4, 34), median concavity and hair tufts absent, radial furrow opposite coxae III absent, radial furrows between coxae present only in P. sengleti , where furrows contain rows of small pits, surface without pits, sickle-shaped structures absent, anterior margin with continuous transverse groove, posterior margin not extending posteriorly of coxae IV, anterior corner unmodified, lateral margin with infracoxal grooves containing anterior and posterior openings, distance between coxae approximately equal, extensions of precoxal triangles absent, lateral margins unmodified, without posterior hump; setae sparse, dark, needlelike, densest laterally, originating from surface. Chelicerae straight, anterior face unmodified (figs. 5, 35, 65, 95); without teeth on promargin or retromargin; fangs without toothlike projections, directed medially, shape normal, without prominent basal process, tip unmodified (figs. 6, 36, 66, 96); setae dark, needlelike, densest medially; paturon inner margin with short interdigitating setae, distal region, posterior surface, promargin, inner margin all unmodified, laminate groove absent. Labium triangular, not fused to sternum, anterior margin indented at middle (figs. 7, 37, 97), same as sternum in sclerotization; with six or more setae on anterior margin, subdistal portion with unmodified setae. Labrum with wide dorsal projection (figs. 8, 38, 68, 98). Endites distally not excavated, serrula present in single row (figs. 39, 69, 99), sometimes reduced to few teeth (fig. 9), anteromedian tip of males sometimes distinctly narrowed (fig. 67), posteromedian part unmodified, same as sternum in sclerotization. Female palp without claw or spines (figs. 40, 41, 100, 101), patella without prolateral row of ridges, tibia with at least two trichobothria (figs. 42, 102), tarsus unmodified. Abdomen: Cylindrical, without long posterior extension, rounded posteriorly, interscutal membrane without rows of small sclerotized platelets. Booklung covers large, ovoid, without setae, anterolateral edge unmodified, sometime darkened; posterior spiracles connected by groove (figs. 11, 44, 71, 104). Pedicel tube short, ribbed, scutum extending far dorsal of pedicel, plumose hairs, matted setae on anterior ventral abdomen in pedicel area, cuticular outgrowths near pedicel all absent. Dorsal scutum without color pattern, not fused to epigastric scutum, anterior half without projecting denticles. Epigastric scutum surrounding pedicel (figs. 10, 43), portion of scutum dorsal of pedicel often with transverse ridges (figs. 70, 103), small lateral sclerites absent, protruding only in males of P. raveni , that of females without lateral joints. Postepigastric scutum of males long, almost rectangular, fused to epigastric scutum, anterior margin unmodified, without posteriorly directed lateral apodemes, that of females shorter, not fused to epigastric scutum (fig. 44). Spinneret scutum present as incomplete ring. Supraanal scutum absent. All scuta strongly sclerotized (except in P. marmoratus ). Dorsal, epigastric, postepigastric setae dark, needlelike, those of epigastric area not thickened. Spinneret scutum with fringe of stout setae. Dense patch of setae anterior to spinnerets absent. Interscutal membrane with setae. Colulus present. Spinnerets (scanned only in P. marmoratus and P. koghis ): anterior laterals with one major ampullate gland spigot on wide base plus one or two piriform gland spigots (figs. 12, 46, 72, 106, 107), posterior medians of both sexes with single spigot (figs. 12, 48, 72, 108), posterior laterals of both sexes with two spigots (figs. 12, 49, 72, 109). Legs: Femur IV not thickened, same size as femora I–III, patella plus tibia I shorter than carapace, tibia I unmodified, tibia IV specialized hairs on ventral apex, ventral scopula, metatarsi I, II mesoapical comb, metatarsi III, IV weak ventral scopula all absent. Leg spines absent. Tarsi without inferior claw. Outer margins of superior claws with three or four large, irregularly shaped teeth (figs. 13–15, 50–53, 73–75, 110, 111), inner margins with four to eight smaller teeth situated near tip of claw (figs. 14–19, 54, 55, 76–79, 112–115). Trichobothrial bases with low ridges (figs. 25, 85). Tarsal organs with three receptors on legs I, II, two receptors on legs III, IV, palps, distal receptor greatly widened (figs. 20–24, 56–60, 80–84, 116–120). Genitalia: Male epigastric region with small to large, circular to oval sperm pore situated in front of anterior spiracles (figs. 11, 71), weakly rebordered; furrow without Ω-shaped insertions, without setae. Male palp of normal size, not strongly sclerotized, right and left palps symmetrical, proximal segments, cymbium, bulb all yellow; trochanter of normal size, unmodified; femur of normal size, two or more times as long as trochanter, without posteriorly rounded lateral dilation, attaching to patella basally; patella shorter than femur, not enlarged, without prolateral row of ridges, setae unmodified; tibia with three trichobothria (figs. 28, 88); cymbium yellow, narrow in dorsal view, not fused with bulb, extending beyond distal tip of bulb, plumose setae, stout setae, distal patch of setae all absent, bulb 1–1.5 times as long as cymbium, stout, tapering apically (figs. 26, 27, 86, 87); embolus without prolateral excavation, with conspicuous sail bordered by long excavation (figs. 30, 90), often with small, basal projections (fig. 89); conductor present, narrow (fig. 29). Female genitalia with strong, usually transverse posterior receptaculum bordered anteriorly by poreplate; anterior receptaculum reduced to squiggled tube followed anteriorly by T-shaped process (figs. 45, 105).

DISTRIBUTION: Aside from the pantropical type species, the genus occurs in southern Asia and Australasia.

SYNONYMY: The type species of Myrmopopaea is here placed as one of several junior synonyms of the type species of Pelicinus . The type species of the recently “described” genus Harryoonops was based on a single male from Iran; the two-line generic “description” provided by its authors is completely useless (it could fit almost any gamasomorphine genus), and the five photographs they provided are of extremely low quality. So far as we can tell from those inferior images, their male belongs to Pelicinus ; it was taken in a province of Iran to the northeast of the Iranian specimens described below as P. sengleti . There seem to be sufficient differences in the shape of the embolus tip to separate their species from ours, but we are unable to include their species in our key, as none of the features required for a species-level identification can actually be determined from their thoroughly inadequate “contribution.”

IDENTIFICATION: Accurate identification requires scanning electron microscopy of the male palp (especially a dorsal view of the male embolus) and compound microscopy of digested female genitalia. For convenience, we have provided a key to species that relies on more easily observable features, but the results should be confirmed by comparison of genitalic characters.

Key to Species (except P. amrishi )

1. Dorsal scutum of abdomen punctate (figs. 298, 341)...............................................................2

– Dorsal scutum of abdomen reticulate or smooth (figs. 182, 199)...........................................6

2. Scuta weakly sclerotized (figs. 121, 135).................................................................. marmoratus

– Scuta strongly sclerotized (figs. 297, 314)...................................................................................3

3. Posterior portion of pars thoracica without granulations; sternum coarsely reticulate; Fiji................................................................................................................................................... raveni

– Posterior portion of pars thoracica with granulations; sternum smooth; New Caledonia.....4

4. Anterior surface of epigastric scutum with few ridges (figs. 315, 325)....................... damieu

– Anterior surface of epigastric scutum with several ridges (figs. 298, 341)............................5

5. Anterior surface of epigastric scutum with narrow ridges at midline (figs. 298, 308)................ ............................................................................................................................................. monteithi

– Anterior surface of epigastric scutum without narrow ridges at midline (figs. 331, 341)..... ................................................................................................................................................... koghis

6. Sternum with radial furrows between coxae (fig. 148); Iran......................................... sengleti

– Sternum without radial furrows...................................................................................................7

7. Posterior portion of pars thoracica with granulations; Solomon Islands.............. churchillae

– Posterior portion of pars thoracica without granulations........................................................8

8. Booklung covers same color as rest of epigastric scutum (figs. 175, 217, 235).....................9

– Booklung covers darker than rest of epigastric scutum (figs. 164, 182)..............................11

9. Anterior surface of epigastric scutum with three weak ridges at sides only (fig. 175); India..................................................................................................................................... lachivala

– Anterior surface of epigastric scutum with more than three ridges; Thailand...................10

10. Anterior surface of epigastric scutum with about five ridges (figs. 235, 245)................. khao

– Anterior surface of epigastric scutum with about eight ridges (fig. 217)...................... sayam

11. Ridges on anterior surface of epigastric scutum thickened, strong (fig. 199); Thailand...................................................................................................................... schwendingeri

– Ridges on anterior surface of epigastric scutum not thickened (figs. 164, 182).................12

12. Elevated portion of pars cephalica smooth...............................................................................13

– Elevated portion of pars cephalica reticulate...........................................................................15

13. Abdomen with dark markings visible through dorsal scutum (figs. 261, 268); Malaysia...........................................................................................................................................14

– Abdomen without dark markings (fig. 208); Laos.............................................................. tham

14. Ridges absent on dorsal half of anterior surface of epigastric scutum (fig. 263)....... penang

– Ridges present on dorsal half of anterior surface of epigastric scutum (fig. 270)......... johor

15. Males (those of P. duong unknown)............................................................................................16

– Females (those of P. madurai unknown)...................................................................................17

16. Posterior margin of anterior sternal groove with elevated, procurved median portion (fig. 165); India................................................................................................................... madurai

– Posterior margin of anterior sternal groove with recurved median portion (fig. 183); Thailand.......................................................................................................................... deelemanae

17. Postepigastric scutum relatively short (fig. 227); Vietnam............................................... duong

– Postepigastric scutum relatively long (fig. 191); Thailand...................................... deelemanae