Protimesius foliadereis, Villarreal-Manzanilla, Osvaldo & Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo, 2006

Villarreal-Manzanilla, Osvaldo & Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo, 2006, Five new species of Protimesius from Brazil (Opiliones: Stygnidae), Zootaxa 1325, pp. 219-233 : 220-222

Protimesius foliadereis n. sp.

Figs 1–7 , 36–37

Type­material: Male holotype (MZSP­17753), Brazil, Mato Grosso, Juruena (Amazonian Rain Forest, 12°51´S, 58°56´W), 7.–18.VI.1997, G. Skuk leg.

Diagnosis: The new species is similar to P. evelianeae (Soares & Soares, 1978) by the presence of a dorsal row of acute tubercles on male patella IV to basal third of tibia IV. It differs from P. evelianeae by the presence of a prolateral row of acute tubercles on distal half of male tibia IV and by the absence of a wide eminence on anterior margin of dorsal scute.

Etymology: “Folia de Reis” is a popular Brazilian religious festival in which people go from home to home, chanting and playing instruments, held between Christmas and January 6th. The singers perform religious themes about the birth of Jesus, and they are dressed with colored­striped clothes adorned with small pieces of mirror. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition.

Description of male (holotype):

Measurements: Dorsal scute length 4.4; prosoma length 2.0; dorsal scute width 3.8; prosoma width 3.6; interocular distance 2.6; chelicera: II 5.1; III 2.2; pedipalpus 16.5; leg I 21.0; II 38.5; III 28.5; IV 36.5.

Dorsum ( Figs 1–2 ): Prosoma with low anterior eminence carrying 9 small tubercles. Ocularium smooth. Lateral margin with tubercles from eyes to groove II. Area III with 2 parallel spines.

Venter: Coxa I with 1 median row of 5 tubercles, 2 apical; II with 1 median row of 6 tubercles; III and IV irregularly minutely tuberculated. Free sternites I–III with a row of minute granules. Anal plate irregularly minutely granular.

Chelicera: Swollen. Segment I smooth; II with finger carrying 1 wide lamina and 2 small teeth; III with 3 subapical teeth (basal one widest).

Pedipalpus ( Figs 3–4 ): Coxa with large dorso­anterior apophysis and 1 basal posterior tubercle. Trochanter with 1 ventral tubercle. Femur with 1 ventro­basal tubercle. Tibia mesal IIiIi (2=4>1>3=5), ectal IIiIi (4>1>2>5>3). Tarsus mesal IiIiii (1=3>5>2>4>6), ectal Iiiii (1>4;2=5).

Legs ( Figs 5–7 ): Coxa I with 2 anterior and 1 posterior tubercles; II with 2 posterior tubercles (1 fused with another of coxa III); III with 1 tubercle fused with other of coxa IV; IV minutely tuberculated. Trochantera I and II with 3 ventral tubercles; III and IV with 2 ventral tubercles. Femur IV with prolatero­apical row of 5 tubercles; retrolateral row of 15 tubercles on distal third. Patella IV with dorsal row of 8 tubercles increasing in size apicad, 1 large ventro­apical tubercle. Tibia IV with 1 row of tubercles from ventral to mesal (increasing in size apicad); 1 prolateral row on distal 2/3, increasing in size apicad (apical tubercle trifid); 7 dorso­basal tubercles. Tarsal segmentation: 8, 19, 7, 8.

Penis ( Figs 36–37 ): Ventral plate with lateral and distal margin almost straight, 3 curved distal setae, no intermediary pair, 4 basal pairs of straight setae; with dorsal process; stylus swollen apically.

Color: Mostly brown, with minute dark brown spots all over body and legs. Chelicerae (fingers darker) and tibia IV reddish brown.

Female unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Protimesius foliadereis, sp. nov, male holotype. 1 Dorsal view of body. 2 Lateral view of body. 3 – 4 Right palpus (3 ectal, 4 mesal view). 5 – 7 Proximal segments of leg IV (5 dorsal, 6 ventral and 7 lateral view of patella and tibia). Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURES 36 – 45. Protimesius spp., distal portion of penis, dorsal (36, 38, 40, 42, 44) and lateral view (37, 39, 41, 43, 45). Protimesius foliadereis n. sp. (36 – 37), Protimesius junina n. sp. (38 – 39), Protimesius boibumba n. sp. (40 – 41), Protimesius cirio n. sp. (42 – 43), Protimesius carnaval n. sp. (44 – 45). Scale bars: 0.1 mm.