Aschnaoonops Makhan and Ezzatpanah

Platnick, Norman I., Dupérré, Nadine, Berniker, Lily & Bonaldo, Alexandre B., 2013, The Goblin Spider Genera Prodysderina, Aschnaoonops, And Bidysderina (Araneae, Oonopidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2013 (373), pp. 1-102 : 24-28

Aschnaoonops Makhan and Ezzatpanah

Aschnaoonops Makhan and Ezzatpanah, 2011: 1 (type species by original designation Aschnaoonops aschnae Makhan and Ezzatpanah ).

DIAGNOSIS: Members of this genus resemble those of Prodysderina and Bidysderina in sternal and spiracular characters, but lack the elongated distal/reduced proximal embolar prong configuration and instead have a twisted (and usually basally widened) embolus in males (figs. 214, 363, 439, 479, 563), and a greatly reduced (or absent) genitalic atrium in females (figs. 233, 288, 370, 413, 559).

DESCRIPTION: Total length of males 1.5– 2.9, of females 1.6–3.5. Carapace, sternum, mouthparts, abdominal scuta, legs orangebrown, without pattern; abdomen soft portions white, without pattern. Cephalothorax: Carapace broadly oval in dorsal view (figs. 148, 178), anteriorly narrowed to 0.49 times its maximum width or less, pars cephalica strongly elevated in lateral view (figs. 149, 179), anterolateral corners with strongly sclerotized, triangular extension, pars thoracica with rounded posterolateral corners, without depressions or radiating rows of pits, posterolateral edge without pits, posterior margin not bulging below posterior rim, posterolateral surface without spikes; surface of elevated portion of pars cephalica granulate, sides granulate; fovea absent, lateral margin straight, rebordered, with blunt, seta-bearing denticles (fig. 149, except in A. yasuni and A. orito , which have sharp denticles on lateral margins plus enlarged posterolateral corners); plumose setae near posterior margin of pars thoracica absent; marginal, nonmarginal pars cephalica, pars thoracica setae light, needlelike, scattered. Clypeus margin strongly rebordered, sinuous in front view, vertical in lateral view, high, ALE separated from edge of carapace by their radius or more, median projection present, formed by fused small, triangular chilum (figs. 150, 180); setae light, needlelike. Eyes six, well developed, ALE largest, oval, PME squared, PLE oval; posterior eye row recurved from above, procurved from front; ALE separated by less or more than their radius, ALE-PLE separated by less than ALE radius, PME touching throughout most of their length, PLE-PME separated by less than PME radius. Sternum (figs. 156, 186) wider than long, not fused to carapace, surface without transverse ridges or pits, median concavity and hair tufts absent, with radial furrows between coxae I–II, II–III, III–IV, furrows with rows of small pits, radial furrow opposite coxae III absent, sickleshaped structures absent, anterior margin with continuous transverse groove, posterior margin not extending posteriorly of coxae IV but with posterior hump, anterior corners excavated, lateral margins with infracoxal grooves bearing anterior, posterior openings, distance between coxae approximately equal, extensions of precoxal triangles absent, lateral margins with bridges to coxae; setae sparse, dark, needlelike, densest laterally, originating from surface, posterior and lateral margins with conspicuous, tuberculate setal bases. Chelicerae slightly divergent, anterior face with slight swelling; usually with one large tooth on promargin, one smaller tooth on retromargin (figs. 151, 152, 181, 182; scanned only in A. silvae ); fangs without toothlike projections, directed medially, shape normal, without prominent basal process, tip unmodified; setae dark, needlelike, densest medially; paturon inner margin with scattered setae, distal region, posterior surface unmodified, promargin with row of flattened setae, inner margin unmodified, laminate groove absent. Labium (figs. 153, 183) triangular, not fused to sternum, anterior margin not indented at middle, same as sternum in sclerotization; with six or more setae on anterior margin, subdistal portion with unmodified setae. Endites (figs. 153, 154, 183, 184) same as sternum in sclerotization, distally not excavated, serrula usually absent in males, reduced in females (fig. 185; scanned only in A. silvae ), anterior portion modified in males, posterior portion unmodified; labrum with rounded projection (fig. 155). Female palp (figs. 187, 188) without claw or spines; tibia with three trichobothria (fig. 189), patella without prolateral row of ridges, tarsus elongate. Abdomen: Ovoid, without long posterior extension, rounded posteriorly, interscutal membrane without rows of small sclerotized platelets. Booklung covers large, ovoid, without setae, anterolateral edge unmodified; posterior spiracles connected by groove, groove continued beyond spiracles almost to lateral edge of postepigastric scutum (except in A. cristalina and A. paez , where groove apparently shifted to anterior of spiracles, figs. 299, 509). Pedicel tube medium, ribbed, scutopedicel region unmodified, scutum extending far dorsal of pedicel, plumose hairs, matted setae on anterior ventral abdomen in pedicel area, cuticular outgrowths near pedicel all absent. Dorsal scutum strongly sclerotized, in males covering most to all of abdomen length, width (smaller in females), sometimes fused to epigastric scutum around midline, middle surface smooth, sides smooth, anterior half without projecting denticles. Epigastric scutum strongly sclerotized, surrounding pedicel, not protruding, small lateral sclerites absent, without lateral joints in females. Postepigastric scutum strongly sclerotized, in males covering nearly full length of abdomen, fused to epigastric scutum (in females smaller, not fused to epigastric scutum); anterior margin unmodified, with short posteriorly directed lateral apodemes. Spinneret scutum present (except in A. pedro and A. cristalina ), incomplete ring, with fringe of long setae; supraanal scutum absent. Abdominal setae dark, needlelike, epigastric area setae not basally thickened; dense patch of setae anterior to spinnerets absent, interscutal membrane with setae. Colulus present, tiny, with pair of setae. Anterior lateral spinnerets bisegmented, basal segment without oblique membranous strip, posterior medians unisegmented, posterior laterals bisegmented (figs. 158, 193); spigots scanned only in A. silvae , anterior laterals with single major ampullate gland spigot and four piriform gland spigots in males (fig. 159), seven in females (fig. 194); posterior medians with three spigots in males (two with convex bases, presumably minor ampullate gland spigots, one with concave base, presumably aciniform gland spigot, fig. 160), 10 spigots in females (three with convex bases, seven with concave bases, fig. 195), posterior laterals with three spigots in males (two with convex bases, one with concave base, fig. 161), 10 spigots in females (three with convex bases, seven with concave bases, fig. 196). Legs: Femur IV not thickened, same size as femora I–III, patella plus tibia I shorter than carapace, tibia I unmodified, tibia IV specialized hairs on ventral apex, ventral scopula absent, metatarsi I, II mesoapical comb absent, metatarsi III, IV ventral scopula absent. Leg spines present on anterior femora, tibiae, metatarsi; femoral spines strong, tibial and metatarsal spines long, spines absent on posterior legs. Tarsi without inferior claw. Superior claws (scanned only in A. silvae ) of males with single row of 3–6 teeth set on inner margin (figs. 166–173), of females with two rows of teeth, outer margin with four teeth, distalmost tooth much smaller than others, inner margin with two or three longer teeth (figs. 197–204). Trichobothrial base with numerous parallel ridges (fig. 192). Tarsal organs with three receptors on legs I, II (figs. 174, 175, 205, 206), two on legs III, IV, palps (figs. 176, 177, 207). Genitalia: Male epigastric region with sperm pore (fig. 157) situated between anterior and posterior spiracles, rebordered; furrow without Ω-shaped insertions, without specialized setae. Male palp of normal size, not strongly sclerotized, right and left palps symmetrical (except in A. marta ), proximal segments pale orange, cymbium, bulb yellow; embolus dark, without prolateral excavation; trochanter of normal size, unmodified; femur of normal size, two or more times as long as trochanter, without posteriorly rounded lateral dilation, attaching to patella basally; patella shorter than femur, not enlarged, without prolateral row of ridges, setae unmodified; tibia with three trichobothria (fig. 162); cymbium (figs. 163, 165) ovoid in dorsal view, completely fused with bulb, no seam visible, extending beyond distal tip of bulb, plumose setae, stout setae absent, distal patch of setae sometimes present; bulb shorter than cymbium, stout, elongated. Embolus typically widened, basally twisted (fig. 164). Female genitalia externally with atrium greatly reduced or absent (fig. 190), internally with pair of slight to pronounced protrusions situated near anterior spiracles (presumably serving as muscle attachments), sclerotized anterior genitalic process, often accompanied by transverse basal sclerite (fig. 191).

DISTRIBUTION: Peru north to Puerto Rico.

KEY TO SPECIES FROM PERU AND ECUADOR

1. Males (unknown in A. jatun and A. marshalli ).......................... 2

– Females........................ 6

2. Embolus claw shaped in retrolateral view (figs. 216, 250)................... 3

– Embolus not claw shaped........... 4

3. Distal prong of embolus with blunt tip (fig. 216)..................... silvae

– Distal prong of embolus with sharply pointed tip (fig. 250)................. cosanga

4. Embolus relatively long (fig. 261)... ramirezi

– Embolus relatively short (figs. 227, 239)... 5

5. Posterolateral corners of carapace enlarged (as in fig. 219)................. yasuni

– Posterolateral corners of carapace not enlarged...................... tiputini

6. Posterolateral corners of carapace enlarged (fig. 219)..................... yasuni

– Posterolateral corners of carapace not enlarged.......................... 7

7. Pedicel tube with ventral notch (figs. 254, 270)........................... 8

– Pedicel tube without notch........... 9

8. Anterior genitalic process with procurved anterior tip (fig. 273).......... marshalli

– Anterior genitalic process otherwise (fig. 263)....................... ramirezi

9. Anterior genitalic process with wide, rectangular anterior expansion (fig. 218)... silvae

– Anterior genitalic process otherwise.... 10

10. Anterior genitalic process relatively long, slightly widened both at base and tip (fig. 241).................... tiputini

– Anterior genitalic process relatively short, uniform in width (figs. 252, 268)....... 11

11. Apodemes basally enlarged (fig. 268)... jatun

– Apodemes otherwise (fig. 252).... cosanga