Paecilaemella multimaculata ( Wood, 1869 ), 2020

Medrano, Miguel, Ázara, Ludson Neves de & Kury, Adriano Brilhante, 2020, The short-legged Andean cosmetids revisited: the genus Libitia Simon, 1879 with description of two new species (Opiliones, Cosmetidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 634, pp. 1-25 : 19-20

Paecilaemella multimaculata ( Wood, 1869) revalidated, comb. nov.

Fig. 13

Gonyleptes multimaculatus Wood, 1869: 438 , pl. 24, fig. 10 [junior subjective synonym of Cosmetus cordatus Gervais, 1844 by Butler (1873); synonymy disclaimed here].

Cynorta itacoaiensis H. Soares, 1970: 324 . syn. nov.

Gonyleptes multimaculatus – Cokendolpher & Peek 1991: 95.

Cranaus multimaculatus – Simon 1879: 241.

Type data

Gonyleptes multimaculatus : Type (s), whereabouts unknown, from “Napo and Maravon” [Napo and Marañon rivers] [possibly the confluence of both rivers, near Iquitos, Loreto, Peru].

Cynorta itacoaiensis : ♂, holotype ( MNRJ 5059, examined), from Brazil, Amazonas, Upper Itaquaí River.

Material examined

BRAZIL • 1 ♀; Acre, Cruzeiro do Sul, proximidades do Aeroporto Internacional de Cruzeiro do Sul , rodovia AC-405; 7.595972° S, 72.766528° W; 190 m a.s.l.; 30 Oct. 2016; L.S. Carvalho leg.; CHNUFPI 2317 .

Remarks

The synonymy of Gonyleptes multimaculatus with Cosmetus cordatus , established by Butler (1873), is not supported here because the former possess the following features ( Fig. 13 ): (1) large body (> 6 mm); (2) main solid white spot mostly occupying the cephalothorax; (3) scattered white dots on abdomen, free tergites and coxa IV; (4) long and smooth legs (femur IV longer than the total length of the dorsal scutum); (5) dorsal scutum beta-type and (6) tarsal counts more numerous (6/14/8/9). All those features also show that Gonyleptes multimaculatus does not belong to the genus Libitia , better fitting the diagnosis of the recently revalidated genus Paecilaemella (see Kury & Medrano 2018). The specimens of Gonyleptes multimaculatus examined by Wood (1869) were damaged and did not allow an unambiguous diagnosis as a cosmetid, since the pedipalps are missing. Butler (1873), besides his precipitated specific synonymy, already showed the relation of the species with cosmetids. After a century, H. Soares (1970) described Cynorta itacoaensis from the Itacoaí River in upper Amazonas with a description and an illustration that entirely match those of Wood’s species. Therefore, we propose that Cynorta itacoaiensis H. Soares, 1970 is a junior synonym of Paecilaemella multimaculata ( Wood, 1869) comb. nov.

Figures

Fig. 13. Living specimen of Paecilaemella multimaculata (Wood, 1869) (CHNUFP) from Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre (photo courtesy of Leonardo Carvalho).