Neocarus haicolous Vazquez & Castano-Meneses 2022, n. sp.
Creators: name: Vázquez, Ma. Magdalena
name: Castaño-Meneses, Gabriela
name: Rodríguez, Abraham
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Opilioacarida
Opilioacaridae
Neocarus
Neocarus haicolous

description: Neocarus haicolous Vázquez & Castaño-Meneses n. sp. (Fig. 2)
(Figs. 1–12)
Diagnosis. Palp tarsus with 5 d - type foliate setae. With 3 large and pointed lobes each. Area between sternal and genital verrucae with 2 pairs of long tapering St setae and 5–6 pairs of long stout, blunt, serrated St setae. Female with 2 short, blunt serrated setae in pregenital area, male with 7 setae on pregenital area; 2 of them ending acutely and 5 more or less blunt or acute and 5 short acute setae on genital area. Ovipositor with 2 pairs of glands-like and 2 channels and 6 thin acutely tipped eugenital setae. Males with a group of large serrated setae on tarsus.
Description. Based on observations of 3 females, 2 males, and 1 Tn.
Gnathosoma. Chelicera (Fig. 3. A–B). Basal segment in adults with 1 seta (cht), fixed digit with 3, one of which (ch1′) larger, thick. Seta cht on basal segment of male chelicera shorter than seta ch1″ on fixed digit. Setae ch2′, ch2″ and cht in female and males simple. Fixed digit with 1 tooth, movable digit with 2 teeth and well-developed terminal hook. Movable digit in adults and tritonymph with 1 large and 2 small ventral denticles (Fig. 3 A–B).
Subcapitulum (Fig. 3. C–D).All 4 pairs of paralabial setae present in adults; pl1 small, conical; With’s organ (pl 2) membranous, discoid; rutellum (pl3) with 1 row of 5 teeth, inserted dorso-laterally; pl4 small but distinct inserted dorsal on subcapitulum. In addition, 4 circumbuccal (cb), and in females 6, in males 8 median and subcapitular (vm, 1vm, 1dm, vp, 1vp) setae. Lateral lips with distinct canals.
Palp. Adults (Fig. 4 A–D). Trochanter with 5 large, ribbed tapering setae (= r - type) in female and male; femur with 5 papilliform (= p - type) setae in female, 6 in male and 18–14 r - type setae, the lower number in female, genu with only 2–1 p - type setae and 42–37 r - type setae, the lower number in female. Tibia and tarsus partially fused. Tibia with 35 large lightly serrated setae in female and 29 r - type setae, 37 lightly serrated and pointed setae in male and 40–42 r - type. Small group of 6 thick, serrated and mostly large setae within r - type setae, on lateroventral border almost at border of tibia and tarsus (Fig. 5-B) only in males). Tarsus with lyrifissures iπ and iα. Tarsus with 5 foliate (d- type), 3 s, 5 v in male, 6 v in female; male with 5 v -2 on lateroventral side of tibia, most thicker than v setae on dorsal side (Fig. 5-A and 6-A), 9–13 ch setae, lowest number in female, 5–7 m setae. Pretarsus in shape of a pair of well-developed sessile claws. Sexual dimorphism: male with 6 thick serrated and acutely tipped setae in between r - type setae on tibia, female without. Male with 2 pairs of big glands or testes.
Idiosoma. Color light blue-violet. Stripes on both body and legs.
Dorsum. Prodorsal shield in adults with small stout puffy setae (152–158) and a pair of eyes on dark patch (Fig. 7-A). Dorsal idiosoma between shield and preanal segment without setae, but with numerous lyrifissures arranged in transverse rows. Preanal segment with 1 dorsal and 2 ventral setae; anal plates with 8–9 stout ribbed setae in females and males (Fig. 8 A–B).
Stigmata. Stigma 1 close to lateral border of body, stigmas 2 and 4 at same distance and stigma 3 towards body axis female and male (Fig. 7 B–C).
Sternitogenital region (Fig. 8 C–D). Sternal verrucae each with 1 long, barbed, tapering seta and 2–3 smaller barbed setae. Remaining sternal area with 2 pairs of long, tapering St setae in both sexes, 5–6 pairs of stout, ribbed St setae and 3 pairs of lyrifissures very large and obvious. Pregenital capsules each with 1 long tapering and 4 (females) or 5 (males) stout ribbed setae. Pregenital area with 7 setae, 3 of them ribbed and slightly pointed, 4 of them ribbed and stout. Genital area with 5 ribbed pointed large setae. Pregenital area in female with 2 short, stout ribbed setae; genital area without setae and 6–7 thin, acute, pointed eugenital setae. Ovipositor (Fig. 9-A) of simple type, without spines, but with a single pair of gland-like structures and a pair of large channels or ducts.
Legs. Legs relatively long. Ratio of legs I to idiosoma approximately 2.5, legs IV to idiosoma about 2. Broad sensillum with “crown-like” tip (Fig. 9 B–C) in main sensillar field. Pretarsus I with well-developed sessile claws without setae.
Tritonymph
Diagnosis. Palp tarsus with 5 d- type foliate setae. Area between sternal and genital verrucae with 2 pairs of long tapering St setae and 5–6 pairs of long stout, blunt, serrated St setae. Without setae in pregenital or genital area, without genital opening.
Description. Based on observations of 1 specimen.
Gnathosoma. Chelicera (Fig. 10-B). Basal segment in adults with 1 seta (cht), fixed digit with 3, one of those (ch1′) large, thick. Seta cht on basal segment of male chelicera shorter than seta ch1″ on fixed digit. Setae ch2′, ch2″ and cht in female and males simple. Dorsal and antiaxial lyrifissures present. Fixed digit with 1 tooth, movable digit with 2 teeth and a well-developed terminal hook. Movable digit with 2 small denticles and 1 large denticle on ventral margin.
Subcapitulum (Fig. 10-A). All 4 pairs of paralabial setae present: pl 1 relatively, small, conical; With’s organ (pl 2) membranous and discoid; rutellum (pl 3) with 1 row of 5 teeth, inserted dorso-laterally; pl 4 small but distinct inserted dorsal on subcapitulum. In addition, 4 circumbuccal (cb), and 6–8 median and subcapitular (vm, 1vm, 1dm, vp, 1vp) setae. Lateral lips with distinct canals (ogl1 and ogl2).
Palp. Tn (Fig. 11 A–C). Trochanter with only 3 small lightly serrated setae instead 5 in adults. Femur with 5 papilliform (= p - type) and 8 r - type setae, genu with only 1 p - type seta and 16 r - type setae.
Tibia and tarsus partially fused. Tibia with 24 large lightly serrated setae and 17 r - type setae. Tarsus with lyrifissures iπ and iα. Setation includes 3s, 5d-4v on lateroventral side, 14 ch setae, 5 sm setae. Pretarsus in shape of a pair of well-developed sessile claws (Fig. 10 C–D).
Idiosoma. Color light blue-violet. Stripes on both body and legs.
Dorsum. Prodorsal shield in Tn with 68 small stout puffy setae and a pair of eyes on dark patch (Fig. 12-C). Preanal segment with 1 dorsal seta and 2 lateroventral setae; anal plates with 6–7 stout ribbed setae (Fig. 12-A).
Stigmata. Same arrangement as in adults.
Sternitogenital region (Fig. 12-B). Sternal verrucae each with 1 long, barbed and tapering seta and 2 smaller barbed setae. Remaining sternal area with 2 pairs of long, tapering St setae, 5–6 pairs of stout, ribbed St setae and 3 pairs of lyrifissures very large and obvious. Pregenital capsules each with 1 long tapering seta and 4–5 stout ribbed setae. Pregenital and genital area without setae. Pregenital capsules each with 1 long tapering seta and 4–5 stout ribbed setae.
Tn without genital opening (Fig. 12-B).
Legs not studied.
Differential diagnosis
N. haicolous sp. nov. is similar to N. bajacalifornicus, N. bajacalifornicus chamelaensis, N. calakmulensis, and N. veracuzensis in that all present 5 d setae on the palp. The new species differs by the group of 6 thick, serrated, pointed setae on the tibia between the r - type setae, which is unique for Mexican species of Neocarus. This group of setae resembles the group of setae in Brasilacarus cocaris Vázquez, Araújo & Feres, 2015, which has 11–12 of these setae, which are also larger. In contrast, N. haicolous has only 6 of these setae. N. haicolous also differs from all other American Neocarus by having thicker and more numerous setae v1. The ovipositor, even though it is of the simple type, has an obvious pair of canals or ducts in the inferior part of the ovipositor connected to an unknown type of gland. This pair of ducts or channels has been observed in several species like C. panamensis (Vazquez & Klompen 2009), N. veracruzensis (Vazquez & Klompen 2009), O. nobecanus (Vazquez & Klompen 2009) and O. thaleri (Vazquez et al. 2021). Thus, these structures are not unique but are either not always visible or not present in all species.
Deposition of types. Holotype female (specimen number LEAEx00001) and allotype male (LEAEx00002) deposited at UNAM. Paratypes at UQROO (1F) and LEAEx1F,1TN).
Material examined. Holotype female 3 slides. Mexico, Queretaro, Ojo de agua de San Francisco, Jalpan de Serra, mountain mesophyll forest in litter 21° 33' 10.289''N, 99° 11' 43.49'' W, 1145 m asl, Rodriguez, A., col. 14- IX-19. Paratypes 2 males (LEAEx 00002), 1 Tn. (LEAEx; 00003), same data as holotype.
Etymology. The specific name is derived from “hai” hñähñu“lenguaje” which means soil.
description: Published as part of Vázquez, Ma. Magdalena, Castaño-Meneses, Gabriela & Rodríguez, Abraham, 2022, The family Opilioacaridae (Parasitiformes: Opilioacarida) in Mexico, description of two new species, new records, and geographical distribution, pp. 201-231 in Zootaxa 5200 (3) on pages 203-215, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5200.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7260418