Rhaucus artifex Pinzón-M & Pinto-Da-Rocha, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Pinzón-M, Conchita
name: Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Opiliones
Cosmetidae
Rhaucus
Rhaucus artifex

description: Rhaucus artifex sp. nov.
(Figs 2–4, 12)
Type material. Colombia, Bolivar: Holotype male (MUSENUV-Ar 2618, penis prepared for SEM, afterwards preserved in a microvial with the holotype), Carmen de Bolivar, Cerro La Cansona, 9°43’57.89’’N, 75°15’55.22’’W [530 m], E. Salazar leg. V.2017. Paratypes: 1 female (MUSENUV-Ar 2619) same data as holotype. 2 males and 1 female (MNRJ 1594), Colombia, Bolívar: El Carmen de Bolívar, corregimiento Santo Domingo de Meza; vereda Saltones de Meza, Cerro Mica Prita; 9°46’44.53” N, 75°17’47.15” W [284 m], M. Cabarcas leg. 22–25.II. 2020; (M. Cabarcas). 2 females (MNRJ 1593), Colombia, Bolívar: San Jacinto, corregimiento San Cristóbal, Cerro Capiro, 9°52’57.38” N, 75°15’14.20” W [260 m], J. P. Botero, A. García, H. Vides, D. Ahumada-C. legs. 2–5.XII.2019.
Etymology. From the Latin word “Artifex,” used herein in the nominative masculine case, which can be translated as “craftsman” or “artisan” in English, and as “artesano” in Spanish. We use this term to refer to one of the most representative economic activities in the region Montes de María in Colombia.
Diagnosis. Body not strongly granulated, mostly smooth (Fig. 2A, C–D) (strongly granulated in the remaining species, except in R. gaiterus sp. nov. with smooth tegument, see Fig. 5A); color pattern with patches on the cephalic area, extending toward the lateral portion of the abdominal scutum, not reaching areas III and IV but with isolated patches on areas IV and V (lines on grooves of DS in R. florezi, R. quinquelineatus, and R. vulneratus; reticulated pattern on lateral sides of DS extending toward posterior areas III–IV but not on the cephalic groove in R. marmoratus comb. nov., R. robustus, and R. serripes; almost complete arborescent chevron and omega stripe in R. gaiterus sp. nov.; with lateral patches covering prosoma and abdomen, but invading the middle portion of prosoma in R. serratus comb. nov. and laterally extended patches surrounding tubercles on area I in R. papilionaceus). Pedipalp with Ti projected ectally more than mesally (Fig. 3I), sub-rectangular (spoon-shaped in remaining species except in R. gaiterus sp. nov. which is not projected on the mesal margin, see Fig. 6I); Fe III and IV longer than DS and moderately curved, almost sub-straight (Figs. 2C and 3E) (short and curved in the remaining species, except in R. marmoratus comb. nov. and R. serratus comb. nov. where Fe is straight); dorsal process of glans spoon-shaped and wide at the apical portion (Fig. 4A) (narrow in R. gaiterus sp. nov., R. papilionaceus, R. quinquelineatus, and R. serratus comb. nov.; dorsal process finger-shaped in remaining species). This species is very similar to R. papilionaceus (see discussion), they can be differentiated by the color pattern (see Fig. 2A, C–D); chelicerae with basal segment strongly ornamented with marginal tubercles and a meso-apical apophysis longer than R. papilionaceus (see Fig. 3A); MS B is emerging from a pore in R. artifex sp. nov. and ventrally attached (Fig. 4B).
Description: Male. Measurements: CL: 2.2; CW: 4.3; DSL: 5.5; DSW: 5.1; Fe: 5.7, 10.1, 8.2, 10.7; Pa: 1.5, 1.7, 1.6, 2.0; Ti: 3.6, 9.2, 4.5, 6.5; Mt: 5.9, 12.4, 8.6, 12.2.
Color in ethanol: DS deep orange-yellow (69); pedipalps and legs vivid yellow (82); chelicerae brilliant yellow (83); pattern of color on DS pale yellow-green (121), being a complete arborescent chevron modified, extended laterally, attenuated omega stripe, and two transverse patches on area IV.
Dorsum: (Fig. 2A and 3A) DS with constrictions I and II well marked, mid-bulge well developed laterally, long coda. Anterior margin with lateral projections subtriangular and blunt. Ocularium with a well-marked medial depression. Lateral margin smooth, posterior margin, and free tergites unarmed, with a row of small granules on FT I and II. Abdominal grooves well marked, area I with a pair of low blunt tubercles, area III with a pair of large pointed tubercles. Scent gland opening on a dorsal mound as a slit reaching the apical portion of the mound toward the lateral margin, the apical portion rounded.
Venter: Gnathocoxa with tubercles in the margin close to the stomotheca. Cx I with two longitudinal rows of tubercles, the anterior one with larger tubercles than the posterior; II–V smooth. Free sternites without tubercles.
Chelicerae: (Fig. 3B–C) Hyperthelic. Basal segment with acute and large marginal tubercles, on the anterior meso-apical margin an outstanding blunt projection, basal and ectal margins mostly ornamented. Fixed finger with a row of small same-size teeth, movable finger with a large basal tooth and a row of small teeth.
Pedipalps: (Fig. 3I–J) Tr with four ventral-apical tubercles. Fe subrectangular, with ventral margin sub-straight, with a longitudinal row of tubercles well differentiated from each other; dorsal margin with a row of tubercles from the medial to the basal portion. Pa with a mesal longitudinal projection, increasing in size distally. Ti with ectal projection well marked, sub-square, with marginal setae; mesally with a distal anterior projection with a terminal seta. Tarsus subtriangular, extended laterally at the basal portion with thick marginal setae. Long claw reaching almost half the length of the tarsus.
Legs: (Fig. 3D–H) Cx I–III with an anterior basal projection, those on Cx I bifurcated at the apex, Cx I and II with a retrolateral projection visible in dorsal view, IV with groin warts formed by two tubercles close to each other on a slight mound, apically with an apophysis bearing some additional tubercles. Tr I with ventral outstanding tubercles. Tr I to III with a retrolateral basal tubercle, III with another one on the prolateral basal side and, one retrodistal; IV with a pair of tubercles retrolateral and prolateral, distal and basal, respectively. Fe I–IV sub-straight, III with two ventral rows of acute tubercles denticle-shaped, subtly increasing in size toward the distal portion, dorsally with rows of low tubercles as in Fe I and II; IV long, with four rows of dorsal small tubercles, ventrally with two rows of large tubercles, apical 3 times larger than penultimate. Pa tuberculate, with 4 apical acute tubercles. Ti IV with two ventral rows of outstanding tubercles increasing in size distally. Pa IV with three acute tubercles retrodistally located and with a row of smaller tubercles toward the basal portion, and with an acute tubercle on the prodistal portion. Basitarsus on leg I slightly inflated. TF: 8-7(3):20:10:11.
Penis: (Fig. 4A–F) VP sub-squared, hump-shaped in lateral view, with the distal margin slightly curved and a lateral front fold. Two pairs of MS C, long, flattened, and curved. Two pairs of MS D, D1 long, cylindrical, and acute, positioned closer to MS C2; D2 shorter, located dorsally and closer to MS A1. Two pairs of MS A, both cylindrical, acute, and long. Two pairs of MS E, volcano-shaped. A pair of MS B, short, located at the base of the VP, and attached deeper as if emerging from an outstanding pore. VP with microsetae T4 covering the lateral fields and microsetae T2 covering the middle portion. Wattle extends ventrally, with stylar barbs at the apex and an extended slit. Dorsal process of the glans is laterally flattened and ventrally bent in a spoon shape.
Female: (Fig. 2D) Similar to male, without ornamentation on legs, monomorphic chelicerae, and basitarsus not inflated. Cx I with only a row of tubercles located on the anterior margin in ventral view.
Remarks: This species exhibits intrasexual dimorphism, with major and minor males. The holotype designated herein corresponds to a minor male, with the second segment of the chelicera moderately inflated (see Figs. 1A–B and 2A–C).
description: Published as part of Pinzón-M, Conchita & Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo, 2024, Two new species of Rhaucus Simon, 1879 reveal putative synapomorphies related to the microstructural morphology of male genitalia (Opiliones: Cosmetidae), pp. 35-56 in Zootaxa 5555 (1) on pages 39-43, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5555.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/14508494