Asiolasma damingshan ( Zhang & Zhang, 2013 ), 2019

Martens, Jochen, 2019, An ancient radiation: Ortholasmatine harvestmen in Asia - a new genus, three new species and a revision of the known species (Arachnida, Opiliones, Nemastomatidae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 126 (1), pp. 79-110 : 90-93

Asiolasma damingshan ( Zhang & Zhang, 2013)

comb. nov.

Figs 1 , 31 , 33-46

Dendrolasma damingshan Zhang & Zhang, 2013: 444 (description of male).

Material examined: MHBU Opi-12CZ030; male holotype; CHINA, Guangxi Autonomous Region, Wuming County, Daming Shan National Nature Reserve , 23°30’N, 108°26’E, 1231 m; Chao Zhang leg.; 18.7.2012 .

Extended diagnosis: A relatively small species with slightly globular body; prolonged central anterior part of prosoma including eye mound and hood markedly elevated, eyes situated beyond anterior margin of prosoma; central and the two distal pairs of tubercles of hood longest and slender; pedipalps relatively slender, pedipalpal tibia shorter than in the geographically closest species, A. schwendingeri sp. nov. from Vietnam.

Description

MALE

Body, dorsal side ( Figs 31 , 33-34 ): Body rather flat but less flat than in A. schwendingeri sp. nov. when seen in lateral view; eye mound at anterior margin of prosoma markedly elevated, forming a rather steep ascent distinctly elevating the eyes, eye mound smooth, no tubercles on top; eyes strongly displaced distally and integrated into proximal parts of hood, central hood tubercles slightly bent downwards (la view); hood bearing one central unpaired and three lateral paired tubercles, the basic one shortest (less than half size of next one), the following ones consecutively longer, the last one nearly as long as the central unpaired one, tubercles interconnected by small anvil-shaped bridges close to their bases. Lateral to hood at each side one long and massive apophysis projecting from anterior margin of prosoma and closely flanking hood, its top reaching level between 2nd and the 3rd lateral tubercle of hood ( Figs 31 , 33-34 ). Posterior margin of opisthosoma with a row of six slender, relatively long tubercles of nearly equal length, slightly tapering towards markedly rounded tip, longest ones in mid-part of row; longer tubercles interspersed by few smaller ones, all of them interconnected by low anvil-shaped tubercles close to base. Distinct network of large cells, each of them irregularly surrounded by anvil-shaped elevated tubercles; small and large cells on prosoma, most of them not closed; no cells on metapeltidium but a transverse row of interconnected anvil-shaped tubercles instead; on opisthosoma five rows of cells of various sizes, largest cells in mid-part near posterior margin of opisthosoma.

Body, ventral side: Front and back side of all Cx of legs with row of tubercles, on Cx I pro- and retro-la, Cx II retro-la, Cx III pro- and retro-la, Cx IV retro-la; on Cx I tubercles markedly elevated and anvil-shaped, between the rows of tubercles densely covered with pointed tubercles; Op gen, free sternites, corona analis and free tergites bent to ve side and covered with pointed tubercles, the latter with low tubercles on rough surface and scattered low setae.

Legs: Light brownish, Mt and Ta contrastingly blackish, slender; Fe I slightly inflated, covered with densely packed light pointed microtubercles and fine setae; long rounded tubercles on Cx: I retro-la, II 1 retro-la, III -, IV 1 pro-la; number of articles on Ta: leg I 4, II 5, III 6, IV 6. No pseudo-articulations.

Chelicera ( Figs 35-36 ): Basal article in posterior part dorsally slightly invaginated (la view), set with few setae laterally and prolaterally, no brush of setae, no obvious glandular tissue. Second article with a strong apophysis on upper side prolaterally, pointed and slightly twisted at tip, bent downward. Setae of various sizes, mainly on frontal side.

Pedipalp ( Fig. 37 ): Tr slender, slightly swollen on do side; two small tubercles on ve side, pointed and with strong seta each; Fe long and slender, slightly bent downwards, slightly enlarged distally, set with few scattered setae, ventrally in proximal part with scattered clavate hairs; Pt slightly enlarged and bulge-like ventrally in distal two-thirds, ventrally and prolaterally with a loose field of short setae, no glandular tissue apparent below; Ti cylindrical but slender, with indistinct basal stalk, not curved, dense cover of clavate hairs on all sides; Ta more slender than Ti, distinctly stalked, slightly inflated on do side, densely covered with clavate setae all round, few long fine setae at distal end.

Genital morphology ( Figs 38-46 ): Penis very long and slender, about two-thirds of body length, base slightly broadened, deeply split into two parts, there two muscles concentrated; truncus moderately slender, slightly depressed, nearly parallel-sided, only slightly tapering toward distal end (ve/do view; Figs 43, 45 ); penis extremely slender in la view ( Figs 44, 46 ), beyond base parallel-sided, slightly broadened below glans; glans ( Figs 38-42 ) spindle-shaped and broadened (la view); stylus short and in strait continuation of glans, with a slight helical torsion.

Apex of penis with longer (proximal ones) or slightly shorter (distal ones) spindle-shaped spicules, these symmetrical on do and ve side and arranged in three groups from distal to proximal: i) distal group: six spicules in somewhat irregular arrangement on all sides on basis of stylus, ii) central group: four spicules, two of them on do side, the other two on la side, iii) proximal group: one each on la edge of truncus, close to and interconnected with central group of spicules ( Figs 39, 42 ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Measurements: Body length of male holotype: 3.50. Leg II: Tr 0.40, Fe 3.00, Pt 1.00, Ti 2.50, Mt 1.30, Ta 1.48 (data according to Zhang & Zhang, 2013). Penis length 1.25.

Relationships: A. damingshan appears closely related to A. schwendingeri sp. nov. from northern Vietnam ( Figs 32 , 88-93 ). Both species lack a massiv cheliceral apophsis on 1st cheliceral article; body size in A. damingshan ( Fig. 31 ) smaller, tubercle of anterior hood (absolutely and relatively) shorter, slenderer, thus forming a narrower palmate fan cover above pedipalps and chelicerae than in A. schwendingeri sp. nov. Pedipalpal tibia is shorter and slenderer than in the latter species. Armature of glans differs, two proximal spicules in A. schwendingeri sp. nov. are more remote from central group of spicules ( Figs 38-42 cf. Figs 94-96 ).

Distribution ( Fig. 1 ): This species is so far only known from a locality in the Daming Shan Natural Reserve in the Chinese province Guangxi. The sole specimen was collected from soil litter in a subtropical rain forest at 1231 m altitude ( Zhang & Zhang, 2013).

Figures

Fig. 1. Distributional records of ortholasmatine species in East and Southeast Asia. (1) Asiolasma billsheari sp. nov., China, Gansu, Qinling range. (2) A. juergengruberi sp. nov., China, Yunnan, above Lugu Hu. (3) Same species as before, China, north of Lijiang. (4) A. ailaoshan, China, Yunnan, Ailao Shan. (5) A. damingshan, China, Guangxi, Daming Shan. (6) A. schwendingeri sp. nov., Vietnam, Mt Ba Vi. (7) A. angka, Thailand, Doi Inthanon. (8) Dendrolasma parvulum, Japan, Shikoku Island.

Figs. 31-32. Asiolasma damingshan, male holotype (31) and A. schwendingeri sp. nov., male paratype (32). Body in dorsal view. Scale 1.0 mm. Photographs by P. Schwendinger.

Figs 33-37. Asiolasma damingshan, male holotype. (33) Body in dorsal view. (34) Same in lateral view. (35) Chelicera in prolateral view. (36) Apophsis of 2nd cheliceral article in prolateral view. (37) Left pedipalp in retrolateral view. Figs 33-34 reproduced from Zhang & Zhang (2013). Scales: 0.03 mm (36); 0.2 mm (35); 0.4 (37); 0.5 mm (33-34).

Figs 38-46. Asiolasma damingshan, male holotype.(38) Glans penis in ventral view. (39, 42) Same in lateral view. (40) Same in dorsal view. (41) Same in slightly different lateral view. (43) Whole penis in ventral view. (44, 46) Same in lateral view. (45) Same in dorsal view. Figs 38-40 and 43-45 reproduced from Zhang & Zhang (2013). Scales: 0.05 mm (38-42); 0.2 mm (43-46).

Figs 88-91. Asiolasma schwendingeri sp. nov., dorsal view of male paratype (88, 90-91) and of female paratype (89). (88-89) Entire body. (90) Prosoma. (91) Opisthosoma. Photographs by J. Schmidt.

Figs 92-93. Asiolasma schwendingeri sp. nov., male holotype. (92) Entire body in lateral view. (93) Prosoma in dorsal view. Scale: 0.5 mm (92-93).

Figs 94-103. Asiolasma schwendingeri sp. nov., male holotype (94-100, 102), female paratype (101, 103). (94) Glans penis in lateral view. (95) Same in ventral view. (96) Same in dorsal view. (97) Whole penis in lateral view. (98) Same in ventral view. (99) Same in dorsal view. (100-101) Right chelicera in prolateral view. (102-103) Right pedipalp in prolateral view. Scales: 0.1 mm (94-96); 0.3 mm (100-101); 0.25 mm (97-99); 0.5 mm (102-103).