Platymessa victoriae Pinzon-M . & Townsend

Pinzon-M., Conchita A., Townsend, Victor R., Jr., & Martinez-H., Neis, 2017, New record for the genus Platymessa Mello-Leitao, 1941 in Colombia, with the description of a new species (Opiliones, Cosmetidae), ZooKeys 665, pp. 59-70 : 59-63

Platymessa victoriae Pinzon-M. & Townsend sp. n.

Diagnosis.

This species differs from P. h-inscriptum and P. ectroxantha by the presence of multiple blunt tubercles in scutal area I, paired triangular tubercles in scutal area III, the absence of a pair of larger paramedian granules on dorsal scutal area V, lacking a ladder mask color pattern on the dorsal scutum, and instead having a V-shaped color pattern on the cephalic groove and a transverse line in the groove between areas III-IV on the dorsal scutum.

Type locality.

Colombia, Cesar Departament, Municipality of Manaure Balcón del Cesar, páramo de Sabana Rubia, 10°22'8.6"N; 72°53'33.6"W, 3200 m of elevation, 29 October 2015. C. Pinzón-M.

Type material.

Holotype (ICN-AO-1030). Adult male preserved in 96% ethanol, penis in a microvial with 70% ethanol. Original label: "CO, Cesar, Manaure, Páramo de Sabana Rubia, 10°22'8.6"N; 72°53'33.6"W, 29 October 2015. The holotype, allotype and paratypes will be deposited in the Collection of the Arachnida at the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales (ICN-AO), National University of Colombia (ICN). Collector: C. Pinzón-M.

Paratypes.

21 individuals (10 ♂ ICN-AO-1032, ICN-AO-1033, ICN-AO-1034, ICN-AO-1035, ICN-AO-1036, ICN-AO-1037, ICN-AO-1038, ICN-AO-1039, ICN-AO-1040, ICN-AO-1041 and 11♀ ICN-AO-1042, ICN-AO-1043, ICN- AO- 1044, ICN-AO-1045, ICN-AO-1046), Colombia, Cesar, Manaure, October 29, 2015. Collected with the holotype. 22 individuals (5 ♂ and 17 ♀), Colombia, Cesar, Manaure, March 12, 2016. Same data as the holotype.

Etymology.

The new species is named to honor the memory of María Victoria Pinzón M.

Description of the male holotype.

Measurements: CL: 1,34mm; DSW: 4,17mm CW 2,31mm; DSL: 4mm; Fe: 1,4; 2,9; 2,6; 3,3 mm. Ti: 1,1; 2,6; 1,5; 1,9 mm. Dorsum (Figs 1A, C–D and 2): Dorsal scutum β shaped, body slightly convex posteriorly, cheliceral sockets shallow flanked by subsquare lateral projections and separated by a short triangular median projection. Lateral borders with granules on the protrusion of the dorsal scutum, posterior border with a row of small and scarce granules. Free tergites each with one row of round tubercles. Ocularium with a slight median depression, covered with granules arranged proportionally towards each of the eyes. Dorsal scutum in area I with a pair of relatively large blunt tubercles and many smaller granules; area III with a pair of strongtriangular tubercles that are tilted backwards. Anal operculum with tubercles of medium size. V-shaped color pattern on the cephalic groove and a transverse, discontinuous, substraight line behind the triangular tubercles on area III in the groove between areas III-IV. Pedipalps (Fig. 3 A–C). Trochanter with a subdistal seta; femur at the dorsal border with a keel and the ventral border with a row of 8 tubercles of variable size; tibia with an ectal laminar projection wider to distal part and in inner side, the projection is smaller and the same size lengthwise; tarsus with scarce setae on the dorsal surface. Chelicerae. Basichelicerite with a row of tubercles on the posterior border, the dorsal surface has small granules. Fixed finger with a row of six teeth which decrease in size towards the distal part, moveable finger with a row of 12 small denticles that are equal in size. Legs. Coxa IV with a distal prodorsal projection, ventrally with a subdistal blunt tubercle smaller than the prodorsal, clavus inguinis present. Femora of legs I and II substraight with some granules, III and IV slightly curved, in general, densely granulated, with five longitudinal rows of tubercles, the ventral tubercles are larger (Fig. 4 A–E); patellae I-IV granulated; tibiae of legs III and IV slightly granulated; tarsi I with basitarsus inflated; tarsal formula: 5 (3); 9-9 (3); 7-7 (3); 7-7 (3). Genitalia (Fig. 5 A–C). Ventral plate subrectangular, the basal region is narrower than the distal, the lateral margins are subparallel and the distal margin is concave. Truncus apically thickened. On the lateral edges of the distal part of the ventral plate are two pairs of MS - C1 and C2, are strongly curved and flattened; there are two pairs of MS D1 and D2, D1 is well-developed, straight and cylindrical and shorter than C1 and C2 and MS D2 is reduced and cylindrical and occurs dorsally between MS A and C. In the basal part of the ventral plate there are two pairs of MS, A1 and A2 are both well-developed, cylindrical and anchored laterally to the ventral plate, although MS A1 is slightly more dorsal and remains aligned with the MS C1, C2 and D1 and with A2. On the ventral surface are located two pairs of MS, E1 and E2 located at the height of MS D1, both are reduced and aligned with a single pair of MS B1 located ventrally near the apical part of the truncus. On the ventral plate, the microsetae occur in the corners and extend on the lateral margins towards the proximal part of the ventral plate without touching each other. The midfield lacks microsetae. The distribution of microsetae is similar to that observed for P. h-inscriptum (Medrano and Kury, 2016).

Female allotype

(Fig. 1B). Very similar to the male. Measurements: CL: 1,2mm; DSL: 2,5mm; AW: 1,6mm; DSW: 3,5mm; Fe: 1,4; 2,7; 2,1; 2,7 mm. Ti: 0,9; 2,1; 1,4; 1,9 mm.

Sexual dimorphism.

Basitarsus I inflated in males (Fig. 3D), the tubercles of the femora and tibiae of legs III and IV are larger in males than in females, in general the tubercles on legs I-IV are larger in males. The dorsal scutum is almost α shape in males and γ shape in females; clavus inguinis and the body size of females is larger than that of males.

Variation.

The color pattern of dorsal scutum varies especially with respect to the completeness of medial line of the dorsal scutum (Fig. 6).

Color in ethanol.

Body is “Cinnamon-Brown” (XV-15'k), legs are “Buckthorn-Brown” (XV-17'i), blots and lines are "Light Orange-Yellow" (III-17 d).

Distribution.

Only known from the type locality (Fig. 5).

Ecology.

In the Páramo de Sabana Rubia, the temperature may drop to 0 °C, the specimens were collected in the necromass of frailejones ( Asteraceae ).