Protus speciosus Medrano & Kury & Mendes, 2022

Medrano, Miguel, Kury, Adriano Brilhante & Mendes, Amanda Cruz, 2022, Morphology-based cladistics splinters the century-old dichotomy of the pied harvestmen (Arachnida: Gonyleptoidea: Cosmetidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 195, pp. 585-672 : 636-639

PROTUS SPECIOSUS ( ROEWER, 1928) COMB. NOV.

( FIGS 1I , 40 , 41 )

Paraprotus speciosus Roewer, 1928: 628 , pl. 1, fig. 11.

Type data: Holotype, Brazil. [Maranhão], ‘ Sierra da Cinta’ , 1 ♂ ( SMF RII 185 /4, examined by photograph).

Non-type material: Brazil. Amazonas : Parque Nacional do Jaú, Rio Papagaio, [– 2.27395°, –62.64949°, 61 m], 1 ♀ ( INPA-OP 1208 ); Tabatinga [–4.23083°, –69.93504°], 1 ♂ 1 ♀ ( MNRJ 6379 ) . 1 ♂ ( INPA-OP 1204 ) . Colombia. Amazonas : Leticia, km 10 vía Tarapacá, la arenosa, [–4.12796°, –69.95197°, 93 m], 2 ♂ 2 ♀ (ICN-Ao-381) ; Leticia , Comunidad Monifue-Amena, [–4.12264°, –69.94925°, 70 m], 1 ♂ ( MPUJ _ ENT 0011415 ), 1 ♂ ( MPUJ _ ENT 0011416 ); Monilla-Amena, [–4.11276°, –69.95967°, 90 m], 1 ♂ ( MPUJ _ ENT 0058149 ); Monifue-Amena, [–4.12264°, –69.94925°], 1 ♂ ( MPUJ _ ENT 0058150 ); km 11, vía Tarapacá, near sendero quebrada Tacaia, [–4.08304°, –69.93814°], 1 ♂ (ICN-Ao-849) ; km 11 N of Leticia, near Omshanty and Tanimboca reserve, forest floor and low vegetation trunks, etc. [–4.1214°, –69.9509°, 88 m], 1 ♀ ( MNRJ 19407 ); km 11 vía a Tarapaca, [–4.11944°, –69.95556°], 1 ♂ (ICN-Ao-467) ; km 7, vía Tarapaca , [–4.06598°, –69.94552°, 100 m], 1 ♀ (ICN-Ao-248) ; [–4.08304°, –69.93814°], 1 ♂ 5 ♀ (ICN-Ao-222) , 1 ♂ (ICN-Ao-246); Leticia , Monilla- Amena, Varzea, [–4.11276°, –69.95967°, 60 m] , D Rodriguez leg., 18.iii.2004, (post-fire material) 2 ♀ ( MPUJ-ENT 0064474 ); Chagra , 28.ix.2003, (postfire material) 1 ♂ ( MPUJ-ENT 0064475 ); Manual, [–4.11276°, –69.95967°, 70 m], D Abondano, E Daza & C Forero leg., 3.x.2004, (post-fire material) 1 ♂ ( MPUJ-ENT 0064476 ); Chagra , Pitfall, iv.2003, (postfire material) 1 ♂ ( MPUJ-ENT 0064477 ); Monifue- Amena, [–4.12264°, –69.94925°, 70 m], A Salcedo, M Charry & E Ruge leg., 30.ix.2004, (post-fire material) 1 ♀ ( MPUJ-ENT 0064478 ) .

Diagnosis: May be differentiated from other Protus by the combination of the following features: lateral margins of DS with a yellow stripe going from carapace to area IV in abdomen, but without invading mesotergum ( Fig. 40A ); coxa IV with one yellow dot in lateral side ( Fig. 40B ); distal border of VP of the penis convex without median cleft and stylus with distal wattle not going to the base ( Fig. 41A–C ).

Distribution: Solimões-Japurá moist forest in Amazonas department of Colombia, Southwest Amazon moist forest and Japurá-Solimões-Negro moist forest in Amazonas state of Brazil ( Fig. 30 ).

Description of male ICN-Ao-381 (with extra figures from other specimens): Measurements: CL: 1.70, CW: 2.58, AL: 3.05, AW: 4.35, IOD: 0.72, FeIV: 14.62.

Dorsum ( Fig. 40 ). DS beta-type and lenticular in lateral view, without remarkable ornamentation, only low, coloured tubercles in areas I and III. Anterior edge of dorsal scutum with protoglyphs slightly concave with lateral triangular borders. Ocularium low and with a few granules near the eyes. Mesotergum convex, higher at level of area II, scutal areas I and III armed with a pair of rounded tubercles, other areas unarmed. Posterior border and free tergites each containing a transverse row of minute granules, anal operculum with scattered granules.

Venter. Coxae I–III triangular, transverse to main body axis, each with a longitudinal row of granules. Coxae II–IV connected by tubercular bridges. Coxa IV pentagonal, greatly developed, oriented obliquely, but almost parallel to the body axis. Stigmatic area T-shaped with stigmata large, unconcealed. Free sternites each with a row of granules.

Chelicerae ( Fig. 41D, E ). Hand not swollen. Basichelicerite short, with well-marked bulla and uniformly granulated dorsally. Mesal margin of bulla with three setiferous tubercles, larger than dorsal ones. Posterior and ectal margins of bulla fringed with many tubercles. Movable finger of cheliceral hand with nine trapezoidal tubercles. Fixed finger with three triangular tubercles of different sizes.

Pedipalps ( Fig. 41F–H ). Elongate trochanter, foliaceus femur, convex dorsally, with a dorsal row of seven setiferous tubercles and a ventral row of 14 setiferous tubercles. Tibia only slightly convex in the mesal side, with two ventro-marginal rows of small setae each side, mesal region three equally spaced large setae. Tarsus conical, with scattered dorsal setae and three well-marked ventral rows of subequal setae.

Legs ( Fig. 40 ). Long and unarmed legs, femora straight. Coxa IV convex in dorsal view with few apical granules, no clavi inguines. Pectinate claws in legs II and IV in two rows. Tarsal counts: 7(3), 15(3), 11, 12/13 (from Roewer, 1928).

Colour (in alcohol, Fig. 40 ). DS and coxae dark reddish-brown (44), with numerous two lateral stripes and two paramedian spots brilliant greenish-yellow (98) in each area I and III. Coxa IV with one spot of the same colour than stripes in DS. Trochanters vivid greenish-yellow (97) and the rest of podomeres brilliant yellow-green (116) and dark olive (108). Chelicerae and pedipalps deep orange (51) mottled in dark brown (59)

Penis ( Fig. 41A–C ). Ventral plate rectangular elongate, with apical corners rounded, distal margin convex. Sub-distal lateral margin of VP with two pairs of MS-C, large, slender and conical. Two pairs of MS-D located in apical half of VP, MS-D1 twice longer than MS-D2 and closer to MS-C2, both MS-D straight and conical. One pair of MS-A basally in VP, straight, conical and as long as MS-D1. Two pairs of MS-E in apical portion of lateroventral surface and one pair of MS-B in the basal portion of ventral surface of VP. Ventral surface glabrous apically, two wide basal regions with microsetae type 1 (T1) near MS-B and invading truncus. Glans with dorsal process thin and acuminate, stylus with a reduced distal wattle with serrate part and without stylar barbs.

Figures

Figure 1. Habitus in vivo of lenticular Discosomaticinae. A–B, Sibambea waorani from Yasuní National Park (Ecuador) C–D, Sibambea rotunda from Orellana (Ecuador). E–F, Kayania bicolumnata from Ecuadorian Amazon. G–H, Protus bolivari from Madre de Dios (Peru). I, Protus speciosus from Amazonas (Colombia). Photographs of Arthur Anker (A–B, I), Andreas Kay (C–F), Nicky Bay (G) and Paul Bertner (H).

Figure 30. Map of known distribution of Protus. Numbers correspond to the following WWF ecoregions: 1 = Ucayali moist forest, 2 = Iquitos varzea, 3 = Southwest Amazon moist forest, 4 = Solimões-Japurá moist forest, 5 = Juruá-Purus moist forest, 6 = Madeira-Tapajos moist forest, 7 = Japurá-Solimões-Negro moist forest, 8 = Uatuma-Trombetas moist forest, 9 = Mato Grosso seasonal forest.

Figure 40. Protus speciosus, male (ICN-Ao-381).A, dorsal view. B, lateral view. C, panoramic dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 41. SEM images of some structures of Protus speciosus, male (ICN-Ao- 467). A–C, penis: A, dorsal view; B, lateral view; C, ventral view. D, left cheliceral hand, frontal view. E, left basichelicerite, dorsal view. F, left pedipalpus, mesal view. G, same, dorsal view. H, same, detail of tarsus, ventral view. Scale bars: 100 μm (A–C, E, H), 200 μm (D), 500 μm (F, G).