Lobonychium Roewer, 1938

Zhang, Chao & Martens, Jochen, 2018, Rediscovery of Lobonychiumpalpiplus Roewer, 1938 (Opiliones, Laniatores, Epedanidae) in Sabah, Malaysia, ZooKeys 785, pp. 29-40 : 29

Lobonychium Roewer, 1938

Lobonychium Roewer, 1938: 125.

Type species:

Lobonychium palpiplus Roewer, 1938, by monotypy.

Etymology.

The name Lobonychium is derived from the Greek λοβός, meaning lobe of the ear, and the Latinized Greek onyx (genitive onychos), meaning claw.

Diagnosis.

Body, including ocularium, unarmed. Basichelicerite and tibia II elongate. Basichelicerite dorsally with conspicuous granules. Femur of pedipalp ventrally with a row of seven setiferous tubercles. Distitarsus I with two tarsomeres, distitarsus II with three. Double claws of tarsi III–IV with basal lobes, untoothed; no scopula. Ventral plate of penis forming a heart-shaped stereoscopic structure (ventral view, Fig. 28). Glans partially sunken into dorsally depressed portion of pars distalis (Fig. 26). Stylus with capsula interna sunken into capsula externa (Fig. 27).

Sexual dimorphism.

Tibia II in male distended at distal portion, but normal in female.

Remarks.

Within the subfamily Epedaninae, Lobonychium is morphologically similar to Epedanidus Roewer, 1943, Metepedanulus Roewer, 1913, and Zepedanulus Roewer, 1927 in having an unarmed body. Besides, Lobonychium and Caletorellus Roewer, 1938 have characteristic basal lobes or medial branches on double claws of tarsi III–IV ( Roewer 1938: 125, 129, fig. 4 b–d). However, Lobonychium is noticeably distinct from these epedanids by the pedipalp femur, medially with a row of seven setiferous tubercles.

Distribution.

The type locality is at or near the city of Pontianak (Fig. 36 A), Indonesia. The new records are from Malaysia, at Trus Madi Mountain (Fig. 36 B) and Kalabakan (Fig. 36 C).