Pherania Strand, 1942

Kury, Adriano B., 2003, A new species of Pherania Strand, 1942 from southern Brazil (Arachnida: Opiliones: Gonyleptidae), Zootaxa 363, pp. 1-8 : 2

Pherania Strand, 1942

Phera Sørensen, 1932: 228 [junior homonym of Phera Stål, 1864 , Homoptera]; Mello­Leitão,

1935:92; 1938: 138; H.Soares,1966:110(typespecies Pherapygmaea Sørensen,1932,bymonotypy). Pherania Strand, 1942: 399 [valid replacement name for Phera]; Kury, 1995: 75; 2003: 187. Pera [misspelling]: Šilhavý, 1978: 62.

Diagnosis. Eye mound moderately high, elliptic, removed from frontal border of carapace, armed with unpaired tubercle, blunt or sharp. Scute outline bulged in the middle, lateral margins straight at carapace and areas IV­V. Areas III and IV entirely separated. Area I divided in left and right halves by longitudinal groove. All scutal areas and free tergites unarmed. Femur III of male unarmed and without spurs. Coxa IV of male well developed, changing direction abruptly from almost transverse to almost straight, armed with bifid dorso­apical apophysis with two subequal branches and posterior retrolateral apophysis. Trochanter IV of male with one basal­prolateral blunt apophysis + one subbasal retrolateral apophysis + one dorso­subdistal procurved apophysis. Tarsal process much reduced, virtually absent. Tarsal counts: 3(2) / 4(3) / 4­5 / 5. Ventral plate trapezoid, narrowing slightly and gradually distally. Distal border of penis ventral plate with soft notch. Two groups of setae on ventral plate. Basal group of 2­4 short lanceolate setae + two smaller accessory setae. Distal group of 3–4 short straight setae + one smaller accessory seta. Glans without ventral or dorsal processes, stylus with subapical small rounded tubercles.

Included species. Pherania pygmaea ( Sørensen, 1932) and Pherania giupponii new species.

Distribution. Southern Brazil, Santa Catarina state, in the realm of Atlantic Forest. Type localities of both species are about 100 km apart (see map in Fig 14 ).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Eastern Santa Catarina State, Brazil, showing distribution of Pherania pygmaea (dotted circle) and Pherania giupponii (triangle). Thin lines are rivers and dotted lines are state boundaries.