Noonops, Platnick & Berniker, 2013

Platnick, Norman I. & Berniker, Lily, 2013, The soft-bodied goblin spiders of the new genus Noonops (Araneae, Oonopidae), American Museum Novitates 2013 (3776), pp. 1-48 : 5-7

Noonops , new genus

TYPE SPECIES: Oonops floridanus (Chamberlin and Ivie) .

ETYMOLOGY: The generic name is a contraction of “not Oonops ” and is masculine in gender.

DIAGNOSIS: Males differ from those of most soft-bodied New World oonopines in having the palpal bulb and cymbium fused, from those of Wanops in having a relatively short, subterminal embolus, and from those of Oonopoides in lacking a hyaline conductor near the tip of the embolus; females have a distinct anterior receptaculum situated just anterior of a median, often T-shaped sclerotization.

DESCRIPTION: Total length of males 0.80–1.95, of females 1.00–1.95. Carapace, sternum, mouthparts, abdominal scuta, legs yellow, without any pattern, abdomen soft portions white, without pattern. Cephalothorax: Carapace elongated hexagonal in dorsal view, anteriorly narrowed to 0.49 times its maximum width or less, pars cephalica strongly elevated in lateral view, anterolateral corners with slightly sclerotized triangular projection, pars thoracica with angular 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, at least sometimes with distinct platelets (figs. 1, 58), sides smooth; fovea absent, lateral margin straight, rebordered (figs. 2, 59), 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, sloping forward slightly in lateral view, low, ALE separated from edge of carapace by less than their radius (figs. 3, 60), median projection absent; setae light, needlelike. Chilum undivided. Eyes six, well developed, ALE largest, oval, PME squared, PLE oval; posterior eye row recurved from above, procurved from front; ALE separated by their radius to 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 longer than wide, not fused to carapace, surface smooth, without pits or microsculpture but medial portions at least sometimes with fingerprint pattern (figs. 10, 67), median concavity, hair tufts absent, radial furrows between coxae I–II, II–III, III–IV smooth, radial furrow opposite coxae III absent, sickle-shaped structures absent, anterior margin unmodified, posterior margin not extending posteriorly of coxae IV, without posterior hump, anterior corner unmodified, lateral margin without infracoxal grooves, distance between coxae approximately equal, extensions of precoxal triangles absent, lateral margins with rounded extensions between coxae; setae sparse, light, needlelike, densest laterally, originating from surface. Chelicerae slightly divergent, anterior face unmodified (figs. 4, 61); without teeth on promargin or retromargin (figs. 5, 62); fangs without toothlike projections, directed medially, shape normal, without prominent basal process, tip unmodified; setae light, needlelike, densest medially; paturon inner margin with scattered setae, distal region, posterior surface unmodified, promargin with row of flattened setae, inner margin unmodified, laminate groove absent. Labium rectangular, fused to sternum (figs. 6, 63), anterior margin indented at middle, same as sternum in sclerotization; with six or more setae on anterior margin, subdistal portion with unmodified setae. Endites distally not excavated (figs. 7, 65), anterior portion with zero, one, two, or three processes in males, unmodified in females, posterior portion unmodified, same as sternum in sclerotization; serrula usually present in females (fig. 64), present or absent (fig. 8) in males. Labrum with broad basal plate bearing single modified seta (figs. 9, 66). Female palp without claw (figs. 68, 69); tibia with three trichobothria (fig. 70), patella without prolateral row of ridges, tarsus unmodified, spines present only in N. chapul . 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; posterior spiracles not connected by groove. Pedicel tube short, unmodified, scutopedicel region unmodified, abdomen not extending anterior of pedicel, plumose hairs, matted setae on anterior ventral abdomen in pedicel area, cuticular outgrowths near pedicel all absent. Dorsal scutum absent. Epigastric scutum weakly sclerotized, not surrounding pedicel, not protruding, small lateral sclerites absent, without lateral joints in females. Postepigastric scutum weakly sclerotized, yellow, short, only around epigastric furrow (figs. 11, 71), not fused to epigastric scutum, anterior margin unmodified, without posteriorly directed lateral apodemes. Spinneret scutum, supraanal scutum both absent. Abdominal setae light, needlelike, epigastric area setae not basally thickened; dense patch of setae anterior to spinnerets absent. Colulus present, bearing two setae (figs. 12, 73). Anterior lateral spinnerets (scanned only in N. floridanus ) bisegmented, basal segment with oblique membranous strip (figs. 13, 74), with one major ampullate gland spigot and three piriform gland spigots (figs. 14, 75), posterior medians unisegmented, with single spigot in males (fig. 15), two spigots in females (fig. 76), posterior laterals bisegmented, with two spigots in males (fig. 16), four spigots in females (fig. 77). 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 absent, metatarsi I, II mesoapical comb absent, metatarsi III, IV weak ventral scopula absent. Leg spines present on tibiae, metatarsi III, IV, sometimes also on femora III, IV, spines longer than segment width but little wider than other setae and thus often difficult to differentiate under light microscopy (figs. 17–21). Tarsi without inferior claw. Superior claws scanned only in N. floridanus , males with single row of four or five teeth (figs. 22–29), females with additional medial row of numerous narrow teeth (figs. 83–87). Trichobothrial base wide, ridged (fig. 30). Tarsal organs with three receptors on legs I, II (figs. 31, 32, 78, 79), two on legs III, IV, palps (figs. 33–35, 80–82), distalmost receptor often slightly to deeply bifid. Genitalia: Male epigastric region with sperm pore not visible; furrow without Ω-shaped insertions, without specialized setae. Male palp of normal size, not strongly sclerotized, right and left palps mirror images of each other, proximal segments, cymbium yellow; embolus light, prolateral excavation absent; trochanter normal size, unmodified; femur 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 (fig. 36); cymbium ovoid in dorsal view, completely fused with bulb, no seam visible on at least one side of palp (figs. 37, 38), not extending beyond distal tip of bulb, plumose setae, stout setae, distal patch of setae absent; bulb longer than cymbium, stout, elongated; embolus of varying width, often with basal spur, tip sometimes complex (figs. 39–45). Female genitalia with distinct anterior receptaculum, varying in shape, followed posteriorly by transverse sclerotized bar, then by sclerotized median portion of posterior receptaculum, remainder of posterior receptaculum membranous, with dorsal papillae in at least N. floridanus (fig. 72).

DISTRIBUTION: Specimens are known from the southern United States, ranging from California east to Florida and Georgia, and from all parts of Mexico except for the far southern states. Specimens of the type species have also been collected in the Bahama Islands and in northeastern Brazil .