Umbopilio martensi, Klimeš, Leoš, 2006

Klimeš, Leoš, 2006, A new Umbopilio species from Assam, NE India (Opiliones: Sclerosomatidae: Gagrellinae), Zootaxa 1325, pp. 147-156 : 148-152

Umbopilio martensi n. sp.

Figs 1–8

Type material: Male holotype, BMNH 115, India, Tschima, Naga Hills, Assam. [In] moss from stones and logs. 5000 [feet]. Evergreen forest. 29 January 1952, coll. T. Clay.

Material examined for comparison: Umbopilio paradoxus Roewer, 1956 : Male syntype, Burma, ( SMF, RII /5792/211 and slides SMF, RII /16112–16114).

Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the renowned opilionologist Prof. Jochen Martens, the author of the first successful attempt to divide the Gagrellinae of a larger region into naturally delimited genera.

Diagnosis: Ground colour of body pale yellow­cream, with two pairs of brown fuzzy stains between eye mound and posterior margin of prosoma, and with pairs of similar stains on posterior margin of tergites VI and VII. Eye mound with a blunt anterior tubercle. Tergites IX–X with a blunt medial tubercle and tergites VIII–X with an laterad tubercle near posterior corners on each side ( Figs 1–2 ). Coxae II proximally with pro­ and retrolateral tubercles reaching about 1/5 of length of trochanter. Tarsus of pedipalpus clubshaped, tarsal claw with three denticles. Femora and patellae of legs I–IV dorso­apically armed with a long dorsad apophysis. Femur I and III incrassate. Pseudoarticular nodules missing on femur, but 3 pseudoarticular nodules present on tibia II. Shaft of penis in proximal half dorso­ventrally flattened. Winglets absent.

Description of male holotype: Measurements. Body 2.4 long, prodorsum 1.8 wide, opisthosomal part of dorsal scute 1.6 long and 1.7 wide. Chelicerae: Basal article 0.8 long, in lateral view 0.2 deep in central part; medium article 0.9 long. Pedipalpi: Femur 0.6, patella 0.3, tibia 0.4, tarsus 0.8 long. Penis: 1.0 long.

Colour. Pedipalpi yellow­cream, only central half of trochanter and of femur yellowbrown, patella and tibia dorsally and tarsus towards subapical part yellow­brown ( Fig. 3 ). Legs cream­white, except for light brown coxae and femora I, II, and IV ( Fig. 7 ). Ground colour of body pale yellow­cream, with two brown fuzzy stains in central half of posterior margin of tergite V, similar but more widely spaced stains situated on posterior margin of tergite VI. Pairs of dark brown stains on posterior margin of opisthosomal tergites best developed on tergite VII, extending by slightly convergent strips to anterior margin of tergite VII ( Figs 1–2 ). Shaft of penis becoming dark in basal 3/5 ( Fig. 5 ). Cuticle densely glandular. A secretion covering body and trochanter to tibia of pedipalpus and legs. Soil particles and grains of sand firmly attached to secretion. In alcohol­preserved animals secretion forming a semi­lucid layer of scales, these not easily removable without damaging indumentum of body and limbs.

Dorsal side. Surface regularly granular ( Fig. 2 ). Supracheliceral laminae armed with two 0.08 long, sparsely setose tubercles ( Fig. 2 ). Anteromedial area of prodorsum slightly elevated. Eye mound 0.2 high, asymmetric in lateral view, with a single blunt anterior tubercle ( Fig. 1 ). Tergites VII–VIII slightly depressed submedially. Tergites VII–XI with a medial tubercle, this 0.2 high on tergites IX–X and considerably lower towards tergites VII and XI. Each of tergites VIII–X with a blunt, laterad tubercle near posterior corners on each side ( Figs 1–2 ). Eye mound, medial tubercles on tergites IX and X, and tergite XIII very sparsely setose ( Figs 1–2 ). Odoriferous gland pores not visible, presumably covered by secretion.

Ventral side. Surface granular, individual sternites sparsely setose along posterior margins ( Fig. 1 ), individual hairs 0.05 long. Coxae granular, irregularly and sparsely setose, with pro­ and retrolateral rows of 10–12 compressed tubercles. These tubercles bearing a crown of 3–5 spines ( Fig. 8 ). Coxae II proximally with blunt pro­ and retrolateral tubercles densely covered with short hairs, reaching about 1/5 of length of trochanter; similar but smaller prolateral tubercles also on coxa IV ( Fig. 2 ).

Chelicerae. Ventro­basal hook of basal article terminating in a short spine. Basal article dorsally with several short hairs close to distal end, a few hairs also dorsally on medial article and near articulation of movable finger ( Fig. 6 ).

Pedipalpi. All articles unarmed. Femur slightly bent in lateral view; patella with an indistinct distal apophysis ( Fig. 4 ); tarsus markedly club­shaped, in its proximal 1/3 bent dorsally. Patella and tibia densely covered with soft, 0.01–0.02 long hairs, except for smooth ventro­proximal part, femur with a lateral row of short soft hairs, tarsus regularly but sparsely setose. Hairs in apical part of tarsus slightly longer and stiffer than elsewhere on tarsus. Sparse stiff hairs, 0.04–0.08 long, present ventro­distally on trochanter, ventrally on femur, and on all surfaces of patella and tibia except for basal parts. Tarsus ventrally near distal end with a short comb of solenidia. Tarsal claw blunt, with three denticles ( Fig. 3 ).

Legs. Femora and patellae I–IV dorso­apically with an apophysis directed dorsally, 0.35 and 0.30 long, respectively. All other articles unarmed, their surface granular, in cross section circular or slightly elliptic, without angles, with few hairs in 5 indistinct longitudinal rows. Femora I and III conspicuously incrassate, femur IV less distinctly so, femur II slender. Pseudoarticular nodules on femur I–IV missing, but 3 pseudoarticular nodules present on tibia II. Length of individual articles:

Penis ( Fig. 5 ). Shaft slightly compressed dorso­ventrally, its cross section elliptic in basal half. Ventral side of shaft forming a plate in proximal half. This plate distally extended into a narrowed medial, slightly elevated keel. Lateral sides rounded in basal half of shaft, changing from steeply to gently sloping between medial and distal part. Winglets not developed. Glans elliptic in cross section, smooth, with a pair of subapical setae. Stylus straight.

Female: Unknown.

Distribution: Known only from the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Umbopilio martensi n. sp., male holotype. 1 Body, lateral view. 2 Body, dorsal view. 3 Right pedipalpus, prolateral view. 4 Patella and tibia of left pedipalpus, prolateral­ventral view; indumentum not shown. 5 Penis, dorsal view (left), lateral view (right) and cross sections (in between). 6 Right chelicera, retrolateral view. 7 Trochanter, femur, patella, tibia and part of metatarsus of left leg I, retrolateral view. 8 Lateral tubercles on coxa I. Scale line values are in mm.