Coryssocnemis, SIMON, 1893

HUBER, BERNHARD A., 2000, New World Pholcid Spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae): A Revision At Generic Level, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (254), pp. 1-348 : 246-248

CORYSSOCNEMIS SIMON, 1893

Coryssocnemis Simon, 1893b: 483 (type species by original designation Coryssocnemis callaica Simon, 1893 ; examined). – Gertsch, 1971: 56. – Gertsch and Peck, 1992: 1186.

DIAGNOSIS: Medium-sized (total length ~ 2–5 mm), dark-colored, eight-eyed pholcids, with elongate opisthosoma, known only from Venezuela and Trinidad. Distinguished from other New World genera by the simple procursus with dorsodistal black spine (figs. 988, 1000, 1004, 1006), the chelicerae with short, pointed apophyses (figs. 987, 997, 1005; missing in C. monagas , n. sp.), and a pair of distal apophyses on the male chelicerae that are bent back upwards (figs. 35, 987: arrow, 997; missing in C. aripo , n. sp.).

DESCRIPTION: Total length ~ 2–5 mm. Carapace with distinct thoracic groove, ocular area moderately elevated, with eight eyes, AME considerably smaller than others. Distance PME-ALE usually large (~ 70–90% of PME diameter; in C. monagas only 45%). Male clypeus unmodified. Sternum wide (fig. 986). Male chelicerae usually with typical pointed cone-shaped apophyses (e.g., figs. 987, 997), sometimes with additional pair of longer apophyses and pair of apophyses (close to laminae) that are bent upward (figs. 35, 987: arrow, 997); without stridulatory ridges. Male palps small in relation to overall size; coxa with retrolateral apophysis; femur with blunt, downward-projecting, ventrodistal apophysis (e.g., figs. 989, 1007); procursus simple, with dorsodistal black spine (e.g., figs. 988, 1000); bulb with varying pattern of apophyses and membranous structures distally. Tarsal organ exposed (examined: C. simla , n. sp.). Legs long (leg 1 about 8–16 × body length; tibia 1 l/d about 65–80), leg 1 always longest, leg 2 slightly longer than leg 4, leg 3 shortest; femur 2 sometimes thicker than others; sometimes with darker rings on femora (subdistally, fol- lowed by light tip) and tibiae (proximally, subdistally followed by light tip); sometimes with spines ventrally on anterior femora (femora 1– 2, or 1–3), without vertical and curved hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 very proximal (at 2–4%); tarsus with ~ 20 to more than 30 pseudosegments, which are distinct distally but difficult to count proximally. Opisthosoma elongate with terminal spinnerets (fig. 980), dorsally with dark spots. Male gonopore without epiandrous spigots (examined: C. simla ). ALS with only one piriform gland spigot each (examined: C. simla ), other spinnerets typical for family.

Sexual dimorphism slight, females with shorter legs, unmodified chelicerae, with greater variation in opisthosoma size. Epigynum simple dark sclerotized plate or moderately sculptured; internally with pair of small, roundish dorsal pore plates.

MONOPHYLY: The species included share the shape of the procursus (simple rod with dorsal spine distally). All species except C. aripo share the upward-bent apophysis on the male chelicerae near the cheliceral lamina.

GENERIC RELATIONSHIPS: The genus shares with some other Venezuelan genera ( Mecoloesthus , Systenita , Kaliana ) the shape of the ventrodistal femur apophysis. Some Mecoloesthus species and Kaliana yuruani , n. sp., have a distal structure on the chelicerae that might be a homolog to the upward-bent apophysis in Coryssocnemis (see figs. 1018, 1092). The cladogram in appendix 2 proposes Coryssocnemis as sister group of Mesabolivar based on the presence of enlarged femora in walking legs. However, this character has considerable homoplasy (see char. 23 in Characters Scored).

MISPLACED SPECIES: Of the 22 species previously assigned to Coryssocnemis , all but the type species are herein either transferred to other genera, or considered incertae sedis: most Central American species are transferred to Ixchela (incertae sedis are: ‘‘C.’’ clara, faceta, iviei, tigra, viridescens ; see appendix 3), Galápagos species to Aymaria ; C. altiventer to Tupigea ; C. togata, banksi and paraensis to Mesabolivar ; C. uncata to Litoporus ; see respective genera for discussion of transfers. ‘‘ C.’’ discolor, lepidoptera, and occulta cannot be placed (inadequate de- scriptions; types possibly lost; see appendix 3).

NATURAL HISTORY: Some information on the labels (see species descriptions) suggests that the spiders live in webs close to the ground, in shady humid areas.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from northern Venezuela and Trinidad.

COMPOSITION: The genus as redelimited herein includes only the type species C. callaica (see redescription in Huber, 1997b) and the four species newly described below. Eight further species formally remain in the genus, but will have to be removed eventually (see Misplaced Species above).