Thaumatocranaus mirabilis Roewer 1932
Creators: name: Hara, Marcos R.
name: Bragagnolo, Cibele
name: Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Opiliones
Cranaidae
Thaumatocranaus
Thaumatocranaus mirabilis

description: Thaumatocranaus mirabilis Roewer, 1932
(Figs 1, 2, 7 A–C)
Thaumatocranaus mirabilis Roewer, 1932: 308 (desc), fig. 24; Soares & Soares 1948: 619 (cat); Kury 2003: 99 (cat).
Material examined. ECUADOR. Chimborazo: Alausi. Without further data of date or collector name, male holoype (SMF 1405 /16).
Diagnosis. T. mirabilis can be distinguished from the other two species of the genus by: the free tergite III with robust and bifid apophysis; coxa IV with bifid retroapical apophysis; trochanter IV with a retrodorsal, acuminated, enlarged apical tubercle; metatarsus I inflated on distal third; tarsi III–IV with the three basalmost tarsomeres inflated; three pairs of MS B on penis ventral plate.
Redescription. Male (holotype): Dorsum (Figs. 1 A, C–E, 2E): Measurements: DSL 3.55; DSW 3.25; LI 6.95; LII 12.30; LIII 8.40; LIV 11.90. Carapace and scutal areas I–III with tubercles sparsely distributed. Median longitudinal groove of scutal area I wide and conspicuous. Lateral margin of dorsal scutum with an external row of tubercles increasing in size posteriorly, becoming slightly large and blunt. Free tergite III with a robust, bifid median apophysis.
Venter (Fig. 1 B): Coxae I–IV tuberculate; coxa I with median rows of tubercles increasing in size apically.
Chelicerae (Fig. 1 A): Segment I with few dorsal tubercles; movable finger with 4–5 teeth; fixed finger with 5 teeth.
Pedipalps (Fig. 1 F, G): Trochanter dorsal face smooth, unarmed; ventral face with 1–2, enlarged setiferous tubercles (prolateral largest). Femur with few, sparsely distributed dorsal tubercles, 3 ventral tubercles. Patella– tarsus with few dorsolateral scattered setiferous tubercles. Tibial setation: prolateral I, retrolateral?i (broken). Tarsal setation: prolateral and retrolateral IIi placed on distal half.
Legs (Fig. 2 A–D, F, G): Coxa IV with 1 prolateral and 1 retrolateral conical, apical apophyses, retrolateral one bifid and shortest. Trochanters I–IV with 1 basoventral median enlarged tubercle; trochanters I–III retrolateral face with 1 basal and 1 apical enlarged tubercles (apical ones acuminated on trochanters II–III). Trochanter IV with 1 prodorsal, acuminated, enlarged subapical tubercle pointing dorsally; retrolateral face with 1 median and 1 apical enlarged tubercles (apical largest). Femora I–II ventral face with 2 rows of slightly enlarged, pointed tubercles; femur I dorsal face unarmed; femur II dorsal face with 1 enlarged retroapical spine. Femur III with 1 pair of dorsoapical spines (retrolateral largest); ventral face with 1 prolateral row of tubercles increasing in size subapically, alternating high, acuminated tubercles with low ones on basal half, 1 retrolateral row of tubercles increasing in size apically, becoming acuminated; ventroapical face with 1 prolateral enlarged tubercle, 1 retrolateral spine. Femur IV roughly straight, with 1 pair of dorsoapical spines (retrolateral largest); ventral face with 2 rows of acuminated tubercles increasing in size apically, retrolateral one with enlarged tubercles; 1 pair of ventroapical tubercles (prolateral largest). Patellae I–II unarmed; patella III with 1 retrodorsal apical enlarged tubercle. Patella IV with 1 retrodorsal, acuminated, enlarged apical tubercle and few retroventral acuminated tubercles. Tibiae I–III unarmed. Tibia IV dorso- and ventroapical face unarmed, 1 retrolateral row of slightly enlarged tubercles (subapical ones largest); ventral face with 2 rows of tubercles, retrolateral one with 4–5 acuminated, large tubercles. Metatarsus I distal ¼ inflated; metatarsus IV basal part dorso-ventrally curved, with subapical constriction, apical part inflated. Tarsi III–IV 3 basal most tarsomeres inflated. Tarsal segmentation: 5(3), 8–9(3), 6, 6.
Penis (Fig. 7 A–C): Glans stylus sub cylindrical, without trichomes. Ventral plate with 3 pairs of long, subapically curved MS C, 1 pair of short MS D, 3 pairs of short MS E (basalmost pair largest), 2 pairs of MS A and 3 pairs of MS B.
Coloration: Large median pale beige spot (from distal ½ of scutal area I to III) and many narrow and/or small pale beige spots of depigmented areas on dorsal scutum. Body, patellae I–IV, trochanter IV and apophyses dark brown. Remaining parts of the legs and body, brown.
Female: Unknown.
Type locality. Ecuador, Chimborazo, Alausi.
Geographical distribution. Known only from the type locality.
description: Published as part of Hara, Marcos R., Bragagnolo, Cibele & Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo, 2017, Revision of Thaumatocranaus Roewer, 1932, with description of two new species (Opiliones: Laniatores: Gonyleptoidea), pp. 457-472 in Zootaxa 4254 (4) on pages 460-463, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4254.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/556045