Zalmoxis roeweri

Pérez-González, Abel, Sharma, Prashant P. & Proud, Daniel N., 2016, Morphological tricks and blessed genitalia: rectifying the family placement of Fijicolana tuberculata (Opiliones: Laniatores: Zalmoxidae), Zootaxa 4061 (3), pp. 253-260 : 254-256

Zalmoxis roeweri nom. nov.

( Figs 1 , 2 A–C, 3A–E)

Fijicolana tuberculata Roewer, 1963: 223 , pl. 18, figs 1–4.

Zalmoxis tuberculatus ( Roewer, 1963) comb. nov., by this act becoming a junior secondary homonym of Zalmoxis tuberculatus Goodnight & Goodnight, 1948 ).

Placement. Originally in the Phalangodidae : Samoinae. Here transferred to the Zalmoxidae .

Type material. Male holotype, one male and one female paratypes from MELANESIA, Fiji; SMF 9911155- RII/11155-3; examined. Remark: The paratypes are one male and one female instead of two females as stated by Roewer (1963) in the original description. The male paratype is poorly preserved and has presumably dried up in the past.

Etymology. The new name is a patronym in honor of the German arachnologist Carl Friedrich Roewer who first studied and described this species.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other Zalmoxis species by the presence of a conspicuous, dense scopula on the terminal tarsomere of legs III and IV in both sexes; five tarsomeres on leg IV; metatarsus III of males incrassate; anal operculum unarmed. Additionally, it is distinguished from Zalmoxis derzelas Sharma et al., 2012 by larger body size and differences in armature of femur IV and male genital morphology, particularly the very wide rutrum.

Genital morphology. Penis ( Figs 3 A–E): Pars distalis well-defined, wider than pars basalis. Pergula and rutrum clearly distinguishable. Rutrum very wide, apically shaped like an arrowhead, only slightly wider than base ( Fig. 3 C). Setae above pergula arranged in three medial ventral pairs and two lateral groups of three. Dorsal-most seta in each lateral group larger than others. One pair of small setae widely separated from each other, situated ventrolaterally below pergula. Capsula externa modified into a massive stragulum, basally fused, with two small dorso-subapical projections. Capsula interna entirely concealed by stragulum (in unexpanded penis), with a long, thin stylus and two rigid, laminar, curved conductors.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Zalmoxis roeweri nom. nov. (previously Fijicolana tuberculata Roewer, 1963), male holotype (A, C – F), female paratype (B). (A) left metatarsus and tarsus III, lateral view. (B) left metatarsus III, lateral view (C – D) habitus, dorsal view. (E) left femur and patella IV, lateral view. (F) habitus, lateral view. Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURE 2. (A – C) Zalmoxis roeweri nom. nov. (previously Fijicolana tuberculata Roewer, 1963), male paratype. (D – E) Badessa ampycoides Sørensen, 1886 (Samoidae) from Fiji, male; pictures courtesy of Guilherme Gainett and Gonzalo Giribet. (A) left tarsus III, lateral view. (B) distal portion of left metatarsus III, lateral view. (C) patella to tarsus of left leg III, lateral view. (D) distitarsus III, dorsal view, setae removed. (E) metatarsus III, ventral view. Scale bars: A, B: 0.2 mm; C: 0.4 mm; D: 10 µm; E: 100 µm. As: astragalus; Ca: calcaneus; Di: distitarsus; DL: distitarsal lobes; Met: metatarsus; Pa: patella; Sc: scopula; Ta: tarsus; Ti: tibia.

FIGURE 3. (A – E) Zalmoxis roeweri nom. nov. (previously Fijicolana tuberculata Roewer, 1963), penis of male paratype. (F – G) Ethobunus zalmoxiformis (Roewer, 1949), SEM micrographs of penis parts. (A) distal portion of penis, dorsal view. (B) same, lateral view. (C) same, ventral view. (D) same, dorsal view, showing internal morphology. (E) same, lateral view, showing internal morphology. (F) capsula externa, lateral view. (G) capsula interna, laterodorsal-apical view. Scale bars: A – E (to same scale): 100 µm; F, G: 100 µm. CE: capsula externa; CI: capsula interna; Co: conductor; DE: ductus ejaculatorius; PB: pars basalis; PD: pars distalis; Pe: pergula; Ru: rutrum; S: stylus; St: stragulum.