Zannicranaus monoclonius, Kury, Adriano B., 2012

Kury, Adriano B., 2012, A new genus of Cranaidae from Ecuador (Opiliones: Laniatores), Zootaxa 3314, pp. 31-44 : 32-38

Zannicranaus monoclonius sp. nov.

( Figures 1–20 )

Etymology. Species name is a Greek noun in apposition, meaning “one horn”.

Type data. 3 holotype, 1 Ƥ paratype ( QCAZ AK 232) Ecuador, Chimborazo, Sibambe, small patch of forest along valley, (02.22059° S, 078.89622° W), alt: 2423 m; 29.iii.2011 A Chagas, A Giupponi & A Kury leg.; 1 3 1 Ƥ paratypes ( MZSP 42004), same data; 2 3 14 Ƥ paratypes ( MNRJ 19322), same data. Specimens were collected at night, near a small patch of woods, wandering on gullies near a brook.

Diagnosis. Scutal area I with pair of acuminate tubercles ( Figs. 1–4 ). Scutal area II invading area I ( Fig. 3 ). Spines of area III strong and divergent, almost erect, only slightly bent backwards ( Figs. 2 , 4 ). Femur of pedipalpus with ventral row of 6 weak tubercles ( Figs. 9–11 ). Femora I–II of male with row of small spines. Femur IV of male with 4 sub-basal ventro-prolateral spines and 1 sub-distal ventro-retrolateral spine ( Fig. 1 ). Tibia IV of male unarmed. No color dimorphism, female ( Fig. 6 ) same color as male, which is motley and colorful in shades of red, yellow and green ( Fig. 1 ). Stylus with 2 stylar caps, dorsal horseshoe-shaped ( Fig. 19 ), ventral long foliaceous ( Fig. 18 ). Male tarsal counts 7(3)/14-16(3)/9/9. Female tarsal counts 6(3)/13(3)/8/9

Description: male holotype QCAZ AK 232 (some illustrations are of male paratype MNRJ 19322, as indicated). Measurements of body (female paratype QCAZ AK 232 in parentheses): CL = 2.9 (2.3), CW = 4.1 (3.3), AL = 3.1 (3.3), AW = 5.8 (5.5).

Dorsum ( Figs. 1–4 ). Dorsal scutum roughly guitar-shaped without long coda (parallel-side terminal area) ( Figs. 1, 3 ). Growing higher in lateral view at eye mound and area III ( Fig 2 ). Carapace wide, roughly rectangular with anterior sides obliquely truncated, carapacal area well-marked, U-shaped with pointed base ( Fig. 3 ). Abdominal scutum steadily growing wider, widest at 2/3 towards end, with sides strongly rounded in dorsal view ( Fig. 3 ). Mesotergum well delimited, following outline of abdominal scutum, divided into 3 areas sparsely covered with granules situated within lighter islands ( Fig. 3 ). Frontal hump well-defined, armed with very high single spine bent frontwards ( Fig. 2 ). Eye mound wide, without median depression, armed with a paramedian pair of acuminate tubercles ( Fig. 4 ). Area I divided into left and right halves, each with posterior border highly convex, armed with a pair of paramedian acuminate small spines and a few granules concentrated along the mid and posterior margins ( Fig. 3 ). Area II unarmed, penetrating deeply into area I and dividing it into 2 halves, posterior border sinuous ( Fig. 3 ). Area III with a pair of paramedian acute high spines ( Fig. 4 ), leaned backwards ( Fig. 2 ), and with outline clearly distorted posteriorly by the base of these spines ( Fig. 3 ). Lateral margins unarmed. Posterior border of scutum smooth and unarmed, strongly convex in the middle ( Fig. 3 ). Free tergites I–III armed each with pair of paramedian tubercles, those of tergite III largest.

Venter ( Fig. 5 ). Coxae I–III transverse parallel, subequal in size. Coxa IV much more robust than any of the others, clearly slanted; ventro-distally with pair of acuminate tubercles. Stigmatic area Y-shaped, with large unobstructed elliptical stigmata.

Chelicerae ( Figs. 2–4 ). Basichelicerite strongly developed, wide, smooth, slightly surpassing in situ pedipalpal trochanter ( Fig. 3 ). Bulla well-defined, armed with dorso-median posterior erect spine ( Figs. 2 , 4 ). Hand only a little swollen, and without remarkable armature.

Pedipalpus ( Figs. 7–13 ). Trochanter with 2 short ventral and 1 large dorsal spines. Femur with 1 ectal row of 8 spines, growing distally, distal one much larger than the others; 1 mesal row of 3 spines, distal one much larger than the others; 1 dorsal row of 6 spines, the 3 most basal ones much larger and 1 ventral row of 6 short tubercles. Patella and tibia dorsally with scattered short tubercles. Tibia ventro-ectal with 2, ventro-mesal with 5 spines. Tarsus ventro-ectal with 3, ventro-mesal with 2 spines. Article measurements: Tr = 1.0, Fe = 3.8, Pa = 1.4, Ti = 2.3, Ta = 2.1, claw = 1.8.

Legs. All leg articles unarmed except femora I, II, IV. Femur I with strong prodorsal sub-basal spine and ventral row of 4 spines, the 2 distalmost much larger. Femur II with strong prodorsal sub-basal spine and ventral row of 3 small spines. Femur IV with 2 sub-basal dorsal spines, 5 small prolateral spines on basal half, 3 small ventral spines on basal half, 1 strong retrolateral subdistal spine. Tibia IV entirely unarmed. Calcaneus I twice as long as astragalus and thickened. All metatarsi with very faint rings. Tarsal counts 7(3)-7(3)/14(3)-16(3)/9-9/9-9. Measurements of legs in Table 1 .

Color (in alcohol). Legs I–IV and anal opercles uniformly Dark Red (16). Tr, Pp and Ch Strong Orange (50), richly mottled in lighter shades. Carapace anteriorly, anterior laterals of abdominal scutum and coxae of pedipalp and I–III ventrally all with numerous Strong Orange Yellow (68) rounded islands over Deep Red (13) background. Abdominal scutum, coxa IV, stigmatic area and free sternites all with Strong Orange Yellow (68) rounded islands over Moderate Olive (107) background. The olive shade of abdomen penetrates a little medially in the posterior part of carapace, behind the eye mound. Paired spines of frontal hump, eye mound, areas I and III and free tergite III bicolor, basal half Vivid Orange (48) and distal half Brilliant Orange (49), both colors sharply contrasting with olive background.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 14–20 ). Truncus changing direction abruptly at distal part ( Fig. 14 ). Ventral plate of penis strongly leaned against truncus ( Figs. 14 ), with wide and shallow V-cleft ( Figs. 15–16 ), guitar-shaped ( Figs. 15–16 ), and with two lateral patches of scale-setae on ventral surface ( Fig. 15 ). Glans sac very long, fanfold, with small conical dorsal process ( Figs. 14, 16 ). Stylus thick, straight, growing thinner distally ( Fig. 20 ). Stylus head complex, with 2 stylar caps (flat pieces, with distal villosities, and applied to each other), dorsal stylar cap horseshoe-shaped ( Figs. 19–20 ) and ventral stylar cap elongate tapering foliaceous ( Figs. 17–18, 20 ).

Female allotype ( Fig. 6 ). Very similar to male in most respects, including color pattern. Differences are: paired tubercles of free tergites I–III stronger, metatarsus I not thickened, femora III and coxa IV ventrally unarmed, basichelicerite small, cheliceral hand not swollen, femur IV with weaker armature. Tarsal counts 6(3)- 6(3)/13(3)-13(3)/8-8/9-9. Measurements of body: CL = 2.3, CW = 3.3, AL = 3.3, AW = 5.5. Measurements of legs in Table 1 .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Zannicranaus monoclonius sp. nov. 3 holotype, QCAZ AK 232, from Sibambe. 1. Habitus, dorsal view; 2. Body, lateral view; 3. Body, dorsal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 4 – 6. Zannicranaus monoclonius sp. nov. 3 holotype, QCAZ AK 232, from Sibambe. 4. Body, frontal view; 5. Body, ventral view. 6. Ƥ allotype, QCAZ AK 232, from Sibambe, body, dorsal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 7 – 10. Zannicranaus monoclonius sp. nov. 3 paratype, MNRJ 19322, from Sibambe. Left pedipalpus: 7. Dorsomesal view; 8. Mesal view; 9. Ectal view; 10. Dorso-ectal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 11 – 13. Zannicranaus monoclonius sp. nov. 3 paratype, MNRJ 19322, from Sibambe. Left pedipalpus: 11. Trochanter-femur, ventral view; 12. Patella-tarsus, ventral view; 13. Trochanter-femur, dorsal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 14 – 20. Zannicranaus monoclonius sp. nov. 3 paratype, MNRJ 19322, from Sibambe. Male genitalia: 14. Distal part of penis, lateral view; 15. Same, ventral view; 16. Same, dorsal view. 17. Tip of stylus, lateral view; 18. Stylar cap, ventral view; 19. Stylar cap, dorsal view; 20. Stylus, dorso-apical view. Scale bars = 100 µm (Figs. 14 – 16), 10 µm (Figs. 17, 19) and 20 µm (Figs. 18, 20). Abbreviation: sc = stylar cap.