Neocarus comalensis Vazquez & Klompen, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Vázquez, Ma. Magdalena
name: Klompen, Hans
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Opilioacarida
Opilioacaridae
Neocarus
Neocarus comalensis

description: Neocarus comalensis Vázquez & Klompen sp. nov.
(Figs. 1 B, 2, 3B, 4B–C, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B–D, 9B)
Diagnosis. Palp tarsus with 5 foliate setae; area between sternal and genital verrucae with two pairs of long, tapering setae; female with 2–3 well developed, stout and relatively blunt genital setae; males with 5–7 short, ribbed, blunt-tipped pregenital and 6–10 stout, round-tipped genital setae; ovipositor with numerous large and thick terminal setiform sensilla at the tip; glands in males unusually large and distinct.
Description. Based on 4 females, 5 males, and 1 tritonymph
Gnathosoma. Chelicera (Fig. 1 B). Setation and dentition similar to N. chactemalensis, but seta cht not bifurcate. Dorsal and antiaxial lyrifissures on fixed digit well developed. Movable digit with 1 large ventral denticle.
Palp (Fig. 2, 3 B). Trochanter with 4–5 (usually higher in females) ribbed, tapering setae (= r - type); femur with 7–9 ribbed papilliform (= p - type) and 12–16 r - type setae; genu with 4–8 p - type and 23–27 r - type; tibia with 21–33 r - type setae and 20–26 lightly serrated and pointed setae. Tibia and tarsus partially fused. Tarsus with 5 foliate (d), 7– 8 v, 14–18 ch, and 9 sm setae, plus 3 solenidia. Tarsal lyrifissures i π and i α present. Pretarsus in shape of a pair of well developed sessile claws.
Subcapitulum (Fig. 4 B–C). All 4 pairs of paralabial setae present: pl1 small, conical; With’s organ (pl2) membranous, discoid; rutellum (pl3) with a single row of five teeth, inserted dorso-laterally; pl4 tiny, inserted dorsally. With 4 circumbuccal (cb) and 8–12 median and subcapitular (vm, lvm, ldm, vp, lvp) setae. Females have more setae (9–12) than males (7–9) (compare Figs 4 B and C). Lateral lips with distinct canals in all instars examined.
Idiosoma. Color. With dark blue and violet stripes on body and legs. Sexual differentiation distinct. Males can de distinguished (even in alcohol) by the presence of a pair of very large glands which are visible in dorsal view, while females carry an ovipositor. Relatively large, among Mexican species (adults average length 2150 (N=8)).
Dorsum. Prodorsal shield in adults with 2 pairs of eyes, 128 (M)–164 (F) setae, and 1 pair of lyrifissures (Fig. 5 B). Dorsal idiosoma between prodorsal shield and preanal segment without setae but with numerous lyrifissures arranged in transverse rows. Preanal segment with 1 dorsal and 2 ventro-lateral setae. Anal plates in adults each with 9–12 (usually 10–11) stout, ribbed setae. Females tend to have slightly higher numbers (11–13) than males (9– 11).
Sternitogenital region (Fig. 6 B, 7B). Sternal verrucae in adults each with 2–3 large, ribbed, and 1 composite seta (st1). Remaining sternal region with 6–7 pairs of stout, ribbed and blunt-tipped setae and, centrally, 2 pairs of ribbed, tapering setae (st2, st3). Pregenital capsules each with 1 long, tapering seta and 4–5 stout, ribbed setae. Pregenital area in males with 5–7 stout, barbed, blunt-tipped setae, genital area with 6–10 stout, round-tipped setae. Pregenital area in female with 3 medium sized, stout, ribbed setae, genital area nude. Ovipositor with 40–46 large setiform sensilla, a pair of gland-like structures, and a pair of channels. When fully evaginated, the sensilla are terminal, but when invaginated, they appear more median. Some females carried eggs near ovipositor. Males show two pairs of unusually large glands (largest set illustrated in Fig. 9 B).
Legs. Legs relatively short. Length legs I–IV in adults (1 female, 1 male), respectively, 3440–3742, 1588– 1928, 1644–2306, and 2476–2930 µm. Ratio of legs I to idiosoma in adults 1.4–1.7, legs IV to idiosoma 1.1–1.2. Tarsus I without distinct acrotarsus. Sensillum with “crown-like” tip in main sensillar field. Setae lv on acrotarsi II– IV with multiple distinct barbs. Coronidia limited to the basal 2/3 of basitarsi II–IV.
Deposition of types. Holotype female (CNAC 007217) and one paratype male (CNAC 007218) at CNAC; paratypes at OSAL, UQROO.
Material examined. Due to their size, individual specimens may be represented by multiple slides (as indicated). Holotype female CNAC (CNAC 007217; 4 slides): Mexico, Guerrero, El Comal, elevation 1749m (in Guerrero Mountains on Pacific side), 18.4600N 99.4100W; colls. Francke, O & Montaño, H; under stones in low tropical forest; coll. event no. CNAC 0 0 5975. Same collection event data: M, CNAC 0 0 7218 (3 slides); F, OSAL 0 105726 (4 slides); F, OSAL 0 105741 (4 slides); F, OSAL 0 105737 (4 slides); M, OSAL 0 105734 (3 slides); M, OSAL 0 105745 (3 slides); M, OSAL 0 105748 (3 slides); M, OSAL 0 105730 (4 slides); TN, OSAL 0 105751 (3 slides).
Etymology. The specific name is derived from the primary collection locality, El Comal, Guerrero, Mexico. “Comal” is a Nahuatl word for an extended disk used by Mexicans to cook tortillas.
Taxonomic remarks. This species differs from N. calakmulensis, N. nicaraguensi s, N. orghidani, N. siankaanensis, N. texanus, and N. veracruzensis by the presence, vs. absence, of distinct setiform sensilla on the tip of the ovipositor, and from N. chactemalensis and N. nohbecanus by the presence of 5 (not 4) foliate setae on the palp tarsus, and the high number of setiform sensilla on the ovipositor (>40 vs. 7–12). Neocarus comalensis is quite similar to N. bajacalifornicus and N. bajacalifornicus chamelaensis but differs from those two taxa by the number of setiform sensilla on the ovipositor (> 40 in N. comalensis, vs. 21–23 in N. bajacalifornicus and 18–20 in N. bajacalifornicus chamelaensis), and the fine-tipped genital setae in the male (blunt-tipped in N. bajacalifornicus).
In addition to the collections of these two new species, a number of individuals from two additional populations were examined. They show small differences with previously described species, but these differences are considered insufficient to recognize them as separate species, at least at this point. If the species are indeed conspecific, it does result in species ranges that are geographically and biologically very diverse. For this reason we are summarizing the differences with type specimens below. Some additional drawings are also included to provide comparative data for future studies.
description: Published as part of Vázquez, Ma. Magdalena & Klompen, Hans, 2015, The family Opilioacaridae (Parasitiformes: Opilioacarida) in Mexico, description of two new species and notes on biology and geographical distribution, pp. 535-552 in Zootaxa 3957 (5) on pages 538-542, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3957.5.3, http://zenodo.org/record/245496