Simalurius suzukii, Zhang, Chao & Zhang, Feng, 2015

Zhang, Chao & Zhang, Feng, 2015, The assamiids harvestmen (Opiliones: Laniatores: Assamiidae) from Champasak Province, Laos, Zootaxa 3964 (3), pp. 335-351 : 346-350

Simalurius suzukii sp. nov.

( Figs. 47–64 )

Types. Holotype male, Laos: Champasak, Tad Etu [N 15°11´, E 106°06´], alt. 900m, November 19, 2011, C. Zhang leg. (MHBU-Opi-11ZC1212). Paratypes: one female and one male (MHBU-Opi-11ZC 1213–1214), same collecting data as holotype.

Diagnosis. Apical portion (pars distalis) of penis somewhat square, ventral plate depressed dorsally and ventrally, stylus nearly pagoda-shaped and the end of the stylus blunt (all from ventral and dorsal view).

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honor of the late Prof. Seisho Suzuki (1914–2011), a scholar of Opiliones in Japan, and throughout Asia.

Description. Male (holotype) habitus as in Figs. 47–48 . Coloration: entire body rusty yellow, with black patches on the dorsum; median area of carapace with black reticulations; opisthosomal region of scutum with a rusty yellow median longitudinal stripe, both lateral ridges of the carapace and scutum yellow; free tergites I–III each with a black band; coxae with pale brown reticulations; free sternites with transverse band of black; chelicerae and pedipalps reticulated above; trochanters of all legs pale yellow, femora, patellae, tibiae and metatarsi with black reticulations, tarsi lighter.

Dorsum ( Fig. 48 ). Dorsal scutum trapezoid in shape, abdomen widely rounded behind. Anterior margin of carapace with two spines at the lateral portion and a single median spine, all similar spines directed horizontally. Ocularium oval, remote from anterior border of scutum, without spines and tubercles. Opisthosomal region of scutum with five areas, the scutal sulcus almost parallel to each other. Area I without a median groove. Areas I–V each with two paramedian hair-tipped granules, only those areas IV–V conspicuous. Free tergites with a transverse row of hair-tipped granules spread over its entire width. Anal operculum unarmed.

Venter ( Fig. 55 ). Surface of coxa I tuberculated, with some enlarged tubercles prolaterally and a row of small tubercles retrolaterally. Surface of coxae II–IV smooth. Coxa II with a row of marginal tubercles on the prolateral surface. Coxa III with prolateral and retrolateral rows of tubercles. Coxa IV larger than others, constricted in distal third, disto-retrolaterally with a stout tubercle. Genital operculum with a few hair-tipped granules. Free sternites smooth. Spiracles concealed.

Chelicera ( Figs. 49–51 ). Basichelicerite with distinct bulla, and few small hair-tipped tubercles. Cheliceral hand unarmed, with sparse hairs only. Fingers relatively short, inner edges toothed as illustrated ( Fig. 51 ): moveable finger with 10 teeth, the proximal one enlarged, the distal two diminished; fixed finger with seven teeth, the proximal one inconspicuous.

Pedipalpus ( Figs. 52–54 ). Coxa unarmed. Trochanter ventrally with one short and one long distal setiferous tubercle. Femur compressed laterally, widest at the middle of its length, ventrally with a row of 12 homogeneous setiferous tubercles; dorsally with a row of seven low conical tubercles along the entire length; on the medial distal side with two setiferous tubercles. Patella with three ventromesal setiferous tubercles, and five ventroectal setiferous tubercles, the proximal one much reduced. Tibia ventromesally with two enlarged and three small setiferous tubercles; and ventroectally with one fairly enlarged and seven setiferous tubercles. Tarsus ventromesally with two slightly enlarged and one small setiferous tubercle, and ventroectally with two slightly enlarged and four small setiferous tubercles. Tarsal claw slightly curved, shorter than tarsus.

Legs ( Figs. 56–57 ). Slender and elongated. Trochanters I–IV unarmed above except for one or two hair-tipped granules on the ventral surface of the first. Remaining leg segments with scattered minute hair-tipped granules and hairs. Femora III and IV slightly curved. Tarsi III–IV without pseudonychium. Tarsal formula (I–IV): 6/ 11/6/7. Distitarsus I three-jointed and II four-jointed.

Penis ( Figs. 61–64 ). Basal third of the shaft slender, then distended until apical portion (pars distalis). Distal margin of ventral plate with a pair of small setae. Ventral plate depressed dorsally and ventrally. Glans somewhat cylindrical, and not protruding beyond distal margin of the ventral plate. Spiny funnel entirely sunken into the glans. Stylus protruding beyond the distal margin of the spiny funnel near its ventral margin; the head of the stylus slender, the remaining enlarged, the distal margin of the stylus blunt (seen from dorsal and ventral). Ventral plate with 14 large setae ( Fig. 64 ): four dorsal, four lateral and six ventral.

Female. ( Figs. 58–60 ). Similar to the male, only with a slight difference in inner edges of finger of chelicera ( Fig. 58 ): moveable finger with 11 teeth, the proximal one inconspicuous; fixed finger with eight teeth.

Ovipositor as illustrated ( Figs. 59–60 ). Ventral surface with four setae and dorsal surface with six setae. Tip of each seta bifurcated.

Measurements. Male holotype (female paratype): body 2.90 (2.58) long, 1.80 (1.84) wide at the widest portion, scutum 2.02 (2.03) long. Ocularium 0.30 (0.25) long, 0.40 (0.42) wide. Pedipalpus claw 0.28 (0.29) long. Penis 0.87 long. Measurements of pedipalpus and legs as in Table 3 .

Habitat. The specimens were collected by leaf litter sieving in dark moist places of the forest, under dense canopy.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality.

Remarks. The genus Simalurius includes three species: S. jacobsoni (type from Simalur Island, now Pulau Island, Indonesia), S. palawanensis Suzuki, 1977 (from the Philippines) and S. suzukii sp. nov.. S. suzukii sp. nov. differs from S. palawanensis by having five spines instead of three on anterior margin of carapace; areas IV–V and free tergites all have conspicuous hair-tipped granules, whereas in S. palawanensis the granules are inconspicuous ( Figs. 47, 48 ; Suzuki 1977: 47, fig. 20A); the femur of pedipalpus has 12 homogeneous setiferous tubercles ventrally, rather than 15 ( Figs. 53, 54 ; Suzuki 1977: 47, fig. D). S. suzukii sp. nov. may be separated from S. jacobsoni by a coxa IV constricted in its distal part, laterally resembling a false trochanter ( Fig. 47 ), tarsus II with 11 segments and smaller body (2.9mm vs. 4mm).

Figures

FIGURES 47 – 52. Simalurius suzukii sp. nov., Holotype. 47. Male body, lateral view. 48. Same, dorsal view. 49. Right chelicera of male, ectal view. 50. Same, medial view. 51. Cheliceral fingers of male, frontal view. 52. Patella, tibia and tarsus of male right pedipalpus, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm (47 – 48); 0.5 mm (49 – 50, 52); 0.25 mm (51).

FIGURES 53 – 60. Simalurius suzukii sp. nov., Holotype. 53. Right chelicera of male, ectal view. 54. Same, medial view. 55. Male body, ventral view. 56. Right tarsus III of male, dorsal view. 57. Right tarsus IV of male, prolateral view. 58. Cheliceral fingers of female, frontal view. 59. Ovipositor, ventral view. 60. Same, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm (55); 0.5 mm (53 – 54, 56 – 57); 0.25 mm (58 – 60).

FIGURES 61 – 64. Simalurius suzukii sp. nov., Holotype. 61. Penis, dorsal view. 62 – 63. Same, lateral view. 64. Same, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.25 mm.

Tables

TABLE 3. Pedipalpus and leg measurements of the male (female) of Simalurius suzukii sp. nov.

	Trochanter	Femur	Patella	Tibia	Metatarsus	Tarsus	Total
Pedipalpus	0.34(0.33)	0.78(0.77)	0.55(0.58)	0.41(0.41)		0.35(0.34)	2.43(2.43)
Leg I	0.23(0.28)	1.44(1.35)	0.53(0.47)	0.98(0.94)	1.62(1.59)	0.87(0.91)	5.67(5.54)
Leg II	0.28(0.31)	2.37(2.32)	0.59(0.60)	2.01(1.94)	2.39(2.36)	1.80(1.74)	9.44(9.27)
Leg III	0.32(0.36)	1.71(1.67)	0.52(0.56)	1.19(1.17)	1.96(1.92)	1.00(0.95)	6.70(6.63)
Leg IV	0.32(0.39)	2.59(2.48)	0.72(0.67)	1.66(1.61)	2.88(2.82)	1.13(1.13)	9.30(9.10)