Mayazomus loobil Monjaraz-Ruedas & Francke, 2015, new species
Creators: name: Monjaraz-Ruedas, Rodrigo
name: Francke, Oscar F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Schizomida
Hubbardiidae
Mayazomus
Mayazomus loobil

description: Mayazomus loobil, new species
Figs. 95−111, 112, Table 4
Type material. MEXICO: Chiapas: Heteromorphic male holotype (CNAN-T0878) [26 July 2013, O. Francke, A. Valdez, C. Santibáñez, J. Mendoza, R. Monjaraz, K. Zarate] from 1 km N outside Cueva de San Francisco (16.09971ºN, 92.0469ºW, 1546 masl), Municipio La Trinitaria. Paratypes: 4 females (CNAN-T0879), same data as holotype; 2 homeomorphic males, 1 heteromorphic male and 1 female (CNAN-T0880), [18 June 2011, O. Francke, A. Valdez, C. Santibáñez, J. Cruz, G. Contreras, R. Monjaraz, K. Zarate]. Same data as holotype.
Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition, which is a Mayan word that means malign or evilness, referring to the cave near the type locality, in which people perform witchcraft rituals, and alluding to the devilish aspect of the pedipalps.
Diagnosis. Males can be distinguished by the pedipalp trochanter having the apical process long and triangular, less than 45º; pedipalp femur setiferous tubercle well developed and located distally, forming an uneven “V” where seta Fv1 presents a tubercle larger than that of Fv2. Seta Fe1 spiniform, located ventrally (Fig. 101–104); femoral apophysis (FAP) long, ending in a tip with a lateral spiniform seta (Fig. 101); pedipalp tibia with a well-developed mesal apophysis, that is opposable to tarsus, claw-shaped, located medially (TMA). Females can by distinguished by the spermathecae with two pairs of lobes subequal in length and with the same width, median lobes inverse J-shaped and lateral lobes straight, with the posterior branch of chitinized arch V-shaped (Fig. 100). Mayazomus loobil resembles M. infernalis and M. tzotzil in the cordate male flagellum with two dorsosubmedian depressions. Mayazomus loobil resembles M. aluxe in the morphology of the pedipalps, sharing the Fv1 and Fv2 spiniform setiferous tubercles apically and V-shaped, but M. loobil differs in having tubercle of the setae Fv2 reduced and the presence of a spiniform setiferous tubercle Fe1. Mayazomus aluxe presents two tibial apophyses, whereas M. loobil presents just one medial tibial apophysis, very similar in shape and position to M. infernalis. The spermathecae of M. loobil are very similar to the spermathecae of M. infernalis, but differ in the shape of the posterior branch of the chitinized arch, in the first it is V-shaped, whereas in M. infernalis it is Ushaped; the pairs of lobes are asymmetrical in M. infernalis, whereas they are symmetrical in M. loobil.
Description. Heteromorphic male (holotype): brownish; chelicerae, pedipalps and flagellum lighter. Prosoma: Propeltidium with two setae on anterior process and two pairs of dorsal setae; ocular spots asymmetrical and small. Mesopeltidial plates 0.29 wide, 0.06 long; gap between plates 0.29. Metapeltidium 0.40 long, 0.74 wide. Anterior sternum with 11 setae, plus two sternophysial setae; posterior sternum with six setae.
Chelicerae (Figs. 97–99): Movable finger: Serrula with 18 teeth. Fixed finger with 4 small teeth between 2 primary teeth. Setation: Setal group formula: 1:3, 2:6, 3:4, 4:2, 5:8, 6:1. G1 (setae group 1) with three spatulate setae, covered with many small spiniform spicules starting at middle of shaft (Fig. 99); G2 composed of six feathered setae, subequal in length, and shorter than movable finger length; G3 with four setae, feathered apically and smooth basally, two of them shorter, about 2/3 length of larger setae; G4 consisting of two spine-like setae, smooth and thick, narrower at the tip; G5 with eight similar sized setae, feathered apically and longer than fixed finger; G6 with one smooth seta, 1/2 of movable finger length.
Pedipalps (Figs. 101–104): Robust, 3.33 times longer than propeltidium length. Trochanter elongated, 3.14 times longer than high; apical process long and triangular, about 45º, ending in a blunt tip, with a spiniform seta on the tip; with a row of long setae on ventral margin plus one row of nine small setae on ectal face; mesal surface with a row of three setae near ventral margin, plus two setae near dorsal margin; with a small, median mesal spur. Femur 1.85 times longer than high, elongated; distal margin straight, ventral margin flattened; distal margin on ectal surface with spiniform setiferous tubercles Fv1 and Fv2 well developed, near each other, tubercle of the seta Fv1 bigger and wider than that of Fv2; setae Fe1 present as spiniform setiferous tubercle, in which the tubercle is small (Fig. 101); mesal surface with two ventral plus two dorsal spiniform setae (2+2); distal margin of mesal surface with a well-developed pointed apophysis with a spiniform seta laterally (FAP) (Fig. 102). Patella strongly curved, inverse U-shaped; flattened ventrally and widened apically; with scattered setae and one row of three setae on ventro-mesal margin Tibia elongated, with scattered plumose setae; with a long, chitinized, claw-shaped apophysis on ventro-mesal margin, opposable to tarsus, located medially (TMA). Tarsus elongated, 3.43 times longer than high. Claw about 0.4 times as long as dorsal length of tarsus; spurs asymmetrical, 0.06 long.
Legs: Leg I, basitarsal-telotarsal proportions: 24: 5: 5: 5: 6: 6: 13. Femur IV 2.42 times longer than wide.
Opisthosoma: Tergite I with two pairs of microsetae anteriorly plus one pair macrosetae 2+1; tergite II with three pair microsetae anteriorly plus two pairs macrosetae 3+2; tergites III–VII with one pair dorsal setae each; tergites VIII–IX with one pair dorsal and one pair lateral setae each; segments X–XI telescoped with one pair lateral setae and three pairs of ventral setae; segment XII with one dorsal, two lateral and four ventral pairs of setae, without posterodorsal process. Sternites with scattered setae; genital aperture with many microsetae.
Flagellum (Figs. 106–108): dorsoventrally flattened, cordate in shape; 1.81 times longer than wide, 2.57 times longer than pedicel length; with one pair of dorso-submedian depressions fused distally. Setation: Dm1 situated over the bulb base; Dm4 situated distally; Dl1 reduced, 1/3 of Vl1 setae; Dl1 anterior to Vl1; Dl3 at the same level as Vl2; pair Vm2 present; seta Vm1 at same level as Vm2 pair; Vm5 posterior to Vl1. With one pair of antero-dorsal microsetae between Dm1 and Dl1 nearest to Dl1; one pair of antero-lateral microsetae on flagellar pedicel, and one pair of irregular clumps between Vl1 and Vl2, each composed of 6 microsetae.
Female (paratype): Similar to the heteromorphic holotype male, except in pedipalp development, 1.93 times longer than propeltidium length, pedipalps are very similar to homeomorphic males except for the femoral apophysis that is absent in females (Fig. 105). Other differences: Propeltidium longer than on male (Table 1); general setation as on male. Anterior sternum with 12 setae, plus two sternophysial setae. Flagellum with three annuli (Figs. 109–111). Setation: seta Dl1 reduced (1/3 of Vl1 length) and at same level as Vl1; Dl3 posterior to Vl2; Vm2 present and reduced; seta Vm1 at the same level as Vm2. Segment III with one lateral pair of microsetae near Vm4. Segment IV with one pair of distolateral microsetae near Vl2. Spermathecae (Fig. 100), with 4 lobes subequal in length and with the same thickness; lateral lobes straight, median lobes inverse J-shaped with a slightly formed bulb, both pairs with duct openings. Gonopod short, wide; chitinized arch V-shaped, posterior branch widened at the base, with irregular margins, lateral tip not sclerotized, without anterior branch, secretory glands marked. Chelicera: serrula with 19 teeth. Fixed finger with 4 smaller teeth between 2 primary teeth. Setae 1:3, 2:6, 3:4, 4:2, 5:8, 6:1.
Variation. The homeomorphic male differs from the heteromorphic male mainly in pedipalp size (total length of the pedipalp in heteromorphic male 3.33, and in homeomorphic male 1.83 times the length of the propeltidium) and in the length of the propeltidium (homeomorphic: 1.15, heteromorphic: 1.44 mm); the trochanter of the homeomorphic male presents the apical process less pronounced; the femur is shorter in homeophorphic males (1.52 times longer than wide) than in the heteromorphic males (1.85 times longer than wide); the femoral apophysis, spiniform setiferous tubercle and Fe1 are weakly developed in homeomorphic males; the curvature of the patella in homeomorphic males is slightly pronounced, and the ventral margin flattening is absent. The tibia of the homeomorphic males presents a small median mesal apophysis opposable to tarsus, while in heteromorphic males the apophysis is well-developed. There is a gradual transition in the development of the pedipalps in different specimens: there are homeomorphic males very similar to the females, whereas others have pedipalps more robust and more similar in shape to the heteromorphic males, although not as long, essentially intermediate in size and shape. Variation in length of propeltidium among adult females 4.88–4.16 (n= 5); adult males 4.28 – 3.16 (n= 4). Cheliceral movable finger with 18 to 19 teeth on serrula (mode= 18).
Mayazomus loobil Distribution. This species is known only from the type locality (Fig. 112).
Natural history. The specimens were collected under big rocks and rotten logs outside the cave, which is a very perturbed area with substantial incursions of people who perform religious ceremonies. The original vegetation was a deciduous oak forest.
description: Published as part of Monjaraz-Ruedas, Rodrigo & Francke, Oscar F., 2015, Taxonomic revision of the genus Mayazomus Reddell & Cokendolpher, 1995 (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae), with description of five new species from Chiapas, Mexico, pp. 451-490 in Zootaxa 3915 (4) on pages 483-487, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3915.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/241155