Protus, SIMON, 1879

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 : 625-626

PROTUS SIMON, 1879

Protus Simon, 1879: 193 .

Type species: Protus insolens Simon, 1879 , by monotypy.

Etymology: Protus is a character of Plutarch´s Dion. Gender masculine.

Diagnosis: It differs from the other Discosomaticinae by having two white tubercles in area III ( Fig. 31B, C ) and by having the dorsal process of glans slender and acuminate ( Figs 35G , 41A ). Some species have the facies of Sibambea and Kayania because of the coloration of coxa IV with yellow spots ( Figs 33B , 44C ), for having a yellowish border in anterior margin of DS ( Figs 25 , 37 , 42A ) and for the absence of constriction I in the outline of DS in dorsal view. It differs from Sibambea by having a long VP of penis ( Fig. 35G , except for P. distinctus and P. bolivari ). Protus differs from Kayania and Marronia by not having strong ornamentation on the scutal area III ( Fig. 35F vs. Fig. 24 ).

Included species: Protus bolivari ( Roewer, 1952) comb. nov., P. distinctus ( Avram & Soares, 1983) comb. nov., P. insolens Simon, 1879 , P. quadripunctatus ( Roewer, 1947) comb. nov., P. marllusi Medrano, Kury & Mendes sp. nov. and P. speciosus ( Roewer, 1928) comb. nov.

Combined distribution: Upper Amazon basin, eastern Andean slope in Peru ( Fig. 30 ).

Figures

Figure 24. Kayania bicolumnata, male holotype (SMF 12782/16). A, dorsal view. B, ventral view. C, distal part of the penis emerging through genital operculum. D, habitus, lateral view. E, postero-lateral view. F, original labels by Weyrauch and Roewer. Scale bars: 1 mm. Photos courtesy Abel Pérez.

Figure 25. Kayania compressicoxa, schematic female illustration modified from Avram & Soares (1983). A, dorsal view. B, ovipositor and detail of macrosetae. C, left chelicera, mesal view. D, right pedipalpus, mesal view.

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 31. Protus bolivari, male (USNMENT 01538074). A, dorsal view. B, lateral view. C, frontal view. D, panoramic dorsal view. E, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A–C, E), 2 mm (D).

Figure 33. Protus distinctus, male (CAS AK 105).A, dorsal view. B, lateral view. C, panoramic dorsal view.Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 35. Protus insolens, male holotype (MNHN ES 03021). A, dorsal view. B, panoramic dorsal view. C, ventral view. D, frontal view. E, posterior view. F, lateral view. G, penis, dorsal view. H, same, lateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm. Abbreviation: MS = macrosetae.

Figure 37. Protus marllusi. A–B, Male holotype (MNRJ 7602): A, dorsal view; B, lateral view. C–E, variation of spots of dorsal scutum, female paratypes, dorsal view: C. MNRJ 4842. D. MNRJ 7602. E. MNRJ 2173. 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).

Figure 42. Sibambea cincta, male (MPUJ_ENT 644772). A, dorsal view. B, panoramic dorsal view. C, lateral view. D, posterior view. E, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 44. Sibambea rotunda, male (CAS AK 003). A, dorsal view. B, lateral view. C, panoramic dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm.