Paraprotus atroluteus Roewer, 1912: 120

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 : 624-625

Paraprotus atroluteus Roewer, 1912: 120 .

Type data: Syntypes: Ecuador. ‘ Columbien’ [Zamora- Chinchipe]: Sabanilla [–3.95843°, –79.04729°, 1800 m], 3 ♂ 1 ♀ ( SMF RI 291 , examined by photograph) .

Records: ECUADOR [Zamora-Chinchipe], Zamora Valley ( Roewer, 1928).

Diagnosis: It differs from P. albithorax by having in carapace the same colour of abdomen ( Fig. 29A ) instead of yellow spots. Abdomen with slightly yellowish coloration in lateral margins ( Fig. 29A ). Tarsal counts: 7(3), 17(3)/19(3), 9, 10.

Distribution: Only known from the type locality. Eastern Cordillera real montane forest ecoregion in Zamora Chinchipe Province of Ecuador ( Fig. 23 ).

Remarks: Although it was described from ‘Columbien ( Sabanilla )’ ( Fig. 28D ), the correct place is possibly ECUADOR, Zamora-Chinchipe, Sabanilla . In the description of various species, Roewer (1913; 1923) inconsistently cited Sabanilla either as being in ‘Kolumbien’ or in ‘Venezuela’. Sabanilla , in this case, probably refers to a small village called Sabanilla [–4.03333°, –79.01667°, c. 1500 m], on the old road between Loja and Zamora (Zamora-Chinchipe, southern Ecuador). A subsequent record ( Roewer, 1928) reinforces our interpretation.

Although external similarity is encountered comparing the type specimens of both species of Paraprotus ( Figs 29 , 30 ), Roewer (1912: 120) made a detailed description of the coloration of P. atroluteus , remarking that dorsal scutum was mostly light rustyellow except for brown-black coloration of ocularium and ventral surface (coxae and free sternites). Then, no yellow mark is described by Roewer (1912) for P. atroluteus , which is a remarkable feature present in P. albithorax , described and illustrated by Roewer (1947: 33, pl. 12, fig. 106) and visible in Fig. 28A.

Figures

Figure 23. Map of known distribution of Paraprotus and Kayania. Numbers correspond to the following WWF ecoregions: 1 = Eastern Cordillera real montane forest, 2 = Ucayali moist forest, 3 = Peruvian yungas.

Figure 28. Paraprotus albithorax, female holotype (SMF RII 132/2). A, dorsal view. B, lateral view. C, panoramic dorsal view. D, original label. Scale bar: 1 mm. Photos courtesy Abel Pérez.

Figure 29. Paraprotus atroluteus, syntype (SMF RI 291). A, dDorsal view. B, lateral view. C, panoramic dorsal view. D, original label. Scale bars: 1 mm. Photos courtesy Abel Pérez.

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.