Neoscirula Den Heyer 1977
Creators: name: Mejía-Recamier, Blanca E.
name: Palacios-Vargas, José G.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Prostigmata
Cunaxidae
Neoscirula

description: Genus NEOSCIRULA Den Heyer, 1977
Neoscirula Den Heyer, 1977: 74
Type species: N. theroni Den Heyer, 1977: 75
Diagnosis
Dorsum with a weakly-sclerotized propodosomal plate not clearly demarcated by edges, the surface with papillae or granulation, sometimes subcuticular reticulations. Hysterosomal plate sometimes present in males. Integument lateral to the propodosomal plate and dorsal hysterosoma with papillae-bearing striations. One pair of dorsal cupules (im) near to f1, f2; one pair of ventral cupules (ip) near h1, anal valves, and one pair of cupules (ih) at genital valves. Coxal plates I–II may be separate as laterocoxal plates or fused; coxal plates III– IV, are confined to the coxal bases. Medial region of coxae I–II with or without subcuticular cells. Two pairs of anal setae and one pair of paranal setae. Hypognathum is cone-shaped distally and papillate. Four pairs of hypognathal setae, hg1-4, hg1 is longest and stoutly bent or sometimes thickly elongated. Entomalae with two pairs of small adoral setae. Palps five segmented, ending in claw, and projecting slightly beyond the apex of the hypostome. Trochanter lacks setae; basifemora and telofemora fused but with distinctive suture, dorsally with a simple or spine-like setae on each of these segments. Genua has four simple setae of which the dorsal one is very long, one apophysis may be present. Tibiotarsi have six setae, 2 long dorsal setae, 1 proximiventral and lateral, 2 subterminal ventral, on inner margin simple seta or tubercle-like seta is present. All segments with papillae. Claw with or without a tooth on its mesal margin. Chelicera three segmented and thin at distal part and broad proximally, dorsal cheliceral seta close to chela.
Neoscirula aliciae sp. nov. (Figs. 2–3)
Type-specimens. Holotype (female) and 14 paratypes (females) under slides. 13.X.1991, ex. soil. Watershed 1. A. Rodríguez Palafox and J. A. Gómez Anaya Colls.
Type-locality. MÉXICO: Jalisco, Estación de Biología de Chamela.
Diagnosis. Adults can be distinguished from other members of the genus by the rounded propodosomal plate with verrucate integument, and also by leg chaetotaxy as follows: genua I with 4 ats and 4 sts; tibiae I with 2 bsl and 4 sts; tarsi I with 4 solenidia (2 ats, 2 bsl), 1 depression and 20 sts; tarsi IV with 20 sts.
Description
Female. Body including gnathosoma 325 (n= 15; range 217–424) long and 158 wide
Gnathosoma. Hypognathum (Fig. 2 A-B) 97 long; distal hypostome funnel–shaped, short and thickly conical and subrectangular in shape basally with membrane or plate on distal portion of hypostome (entomalae) (Fig. 2 A); adoral setae lacking. Coxal hypostome, ventral region with papillae (Fig. 1c) and dorsal surface smooth, dorsolateral area with stout papillae (Fig. 1d); 4 pair hypostomal setae (hg l-4), seta hg1 20, stout bent, hg2-4 simple (length 12, 16, 7, respectively); hg3 on hypostomal shoulder. Palp (Figs. 2 A–B) with 5 segments, length of palp 61, with papillae ornamentation. Chaetotaxy of segments as follows: Trochanter none; basifemora with 1 dorsolateral spinelike seta; telofemora with 1 dorsolateral bent long and stout spinelike seta; genua with 2 dorsal simple setae and 2 ventral simple setae; tibiotarsi with 2 long and 1 short simple tactile seta ventrally, 1 long and 1 short setae dorsally, 1 tiny tubercle apically on inner margin. Tibiotarsal claw with 2 teeth on mesal margin, of bifid appearance. Chelicera (Fig. 2 C) 76 long, thin at distal and broad at proximal part; dorsal integument smooth and venter densely covered with fine papillae; cheliceral seta very short, at dorsal region of chela.
Dorsum (Fig. 3 H). Propodosoma with round shield and verrucate integument (Fig. 1e), without subcuticular cells; dorsal hysterosoma with papillae-bearing striations. Dorsum of propodosoma with two setose sensillae vi and sci, 94 and 84 long, respectively; two simple setae ve (22) longer than sce, stout and simple (13).
Hysterosoma with 7 pairs of simple dorsal setae, c1, d1 and e1 of equal length (13); f1, 21, h1, 24 and h2 and c2 20. Cupule im located laterally and between setae e1 and f1 (Fig. 3 H).
Ve n te r (Fig. 3 G). Coxae I–II and coxae III–IV widely separated, not fused medially, coxae shields weakly sclerotized, with finely granulate rows; papillae-bearing striations between coxae I–II and III–IV and venter (Fig. 1h); 7 pairs of setae located between coxae III–IV. Genital plate with two weakly sclerotized valves and finely granulate rows with four pairs of simple genital setae, g1–g2 arranged longitudinally, internally and g3–g4 laterally, lengths: g1– g2 7, g3 9, g4 13. Anal valves weakly demarcated, one pair of paranal setae and two pairs of anal setae 7 (a I– a2). Cupule ih is laterally between anal and genital shields.
Legs (Figs. 2 D–F). Legs shorter than idiosoma. Length of legs I–IV: 168, 148, 168, 197, all segments with papillae and granulate (Fig. 1c). Tarsi taper gradually, ambulacra borne terminally with two claws and a threerayed empodium between them (Figs. 2 D–F). Chaetotaxy as follows: coxae 3-3-3-3 sts; trochanters 1-1-2-1 sts; basifemora 4-5-3-1 sts; telofemora 5-5-4-3 sts; genua I, 4 ats + 1 mst + 4 sts (Fig. 2 D); genua II, 3 ats + 5 sts (Fig. 2 E); genua III, 1 ats + 5 sts; genua IV, 2 ats + 5 sts; tibiae I, 2 bsl + 5 sts (Fig. 2 D); tibiae II, 1 bsl + 5 sts (Fig. 2 E); tibiae III, 1 bsl + 5 sts (Fig. 2 F); tibiae IV, 1 T + 4 sts; tarsi I, 4 (2 ats + 2 bsl) + 1 dep + 20 sts (Fig. 2 D); tarsi II, 1 long bsl + 20 sts (Fig. 2 E); tarsi III, 16 sts; tarsi IV, 20 sts.
Male. Unknown
Etymology. This species is dedicated in memory of M. Sc. Alicia Rodríguez Palafox.
Discussion. This species resembles Neoscirula sevidi (Den Heyer, 1977) by having several characters in common: a funnel–shaped hypostome that is short and thick and the coxal region subrectangular in shape; the hypostomal setae hg1 stout and bent; palpal basifemora with spine-like setae; dorsal cheliceral setae very short; dorsal hysterosoma with setae h2 present; ventrally with 7 pairs of simple setae between coxae III–IV; and coxal plates I–II widely separated, not fused medially, without subcuticular cells and with papillae-bearing, striated integument. N. aliciae sp. nov. can be separated from N. sevidi by: propodosomal plate with verrucate integument (the propodosomal plate bears randomly distributed papillae in N. sevidi), palpal tibiotarsal claw with a tooth on mesal margin claw (simple claw in N. sevidi), the distal hypostomal region covered dorsolaterally with a membrane (Fig. 2 A) (without membrane in N. sevidi), palpal telofemora with 1 thick spinelike and bent setae (normal in N. sevidi), and chaetotaxy of genua IV and tarsi II (2 ats, 5 sts; 1 ats, 20 sts, respectively), but in N. sevidi there are 1 ats, 5 sts in genua IV and 1 bsl, 1dt, 1 tsl, 21sts in tarsi II.
description: Published as part of Mejía-Recamier, Blanca E. & Palacios-Vargas, José G., 2007, Three new species of Neoscirula (Prostigmata: Cunaxidae) from a Tropical dry forest in Jalisco, Mexico, pp. 17-31 in Zootaxa 1545 on pages 19-21, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.177981