Goniosoma bragagnolo Gomes-Silva & Dasilva, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Gomes-Silva, José Geovane
name: Dasilva, Marcio B.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Opiliones
Gonyleptidae
Goniosoma
Goniosoma bragagnolo

description: Goniosoma bragagnolo sp. nov. (Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
Type material: male holotype, 6 males and 4 females paratypes (MZSP 31022) from Vale Verde, Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Alto Caparaó, Minas Gerais. 20°25’10”S 41º50’45”W. 06/IV/2009; Pinto-da-Rocha, DaSilva & Bragagnolo; 2 males and 1 female paratypes (MZSP 21732) from Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Alto Caparaó, Minas Gerais. 01–05/V/2002; Equipe Biota; 4 males, 1 female and 1 immature paratypes (MZSP 29995) from Parque Estadual Serra do Brigadeiro, Fervedouro, Minas Gerais. 21–24/III/2005; DaSilva, Yamaguti & Nogueira; 1 male paratype (MZSP 31024) from Cachoeira Bonita, Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Alto Caparaó, Minas Gerais. 20°24’24”S 41°50’20”W. 07/IV/2009; Pinto-da-Rocha, DaSilva & Bragagnolo; 1 male paratype (MZSP 31023) from Cachoeira do Aurélio, Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Espera Feliz, Minas Gerais. 1,820m. 20°28’43’’S 41°49’45’’W. 08/IV/2009; Pinto-da-Rocha, DaSilva & Bragagnolo; 5 males and 2 females paratypes (MZSP 77541) from Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Alto Caparaó, Minas Gerais. 01–05/V/2009; Equipe Biota.
Diagnosis: The new species is distinguished from others in the genus by the presence of a pair of small tubercles on the ocularium, and on mesotergal area III (instead of large spines, similar to G. macracanthum), presence of a complex dry mark resembling a mask on the dorsal scutum (similar to G. varium), and a ventral process with a flabellum on the penis (similar to G. varium and G. carum).
Etymology: In honor of the opilionologist, author of many species of Gonyleptidae, as well as friend, Cibele Bragagnolo, who collected some of the type-specimens of the new species.
Distribution: slopes of the eastern end of the Mantiqueira range, in the Caparaó and Brigadeiro mountains.
Description (values in parentheses, for characters with variations, refer to the holotype, figure 1A–B): Ocularium with a pair of small tubercles separated from each other and near to the eyes; pair of tubercles of area I indistinct; area III with a pair of small tubercles; carapace with 13–33 (33) minute granules; area I with 3–9 (6), area II with 6–9 (6) and area III with 4–6 (4) small granules; dorsal scutum: posterior margin with high density of minute granules; lateral margin with medium density of minute granules; free tergites, anal operculum, stigmatic areas, and free sternites with low density of minute granules.
Chelicerae: Segment I with 3 small dorsal basal granules and 1 small apical prolateral granule; segment II with medium density of minute granules.
Pedipalps (figure 1C–D): Trochanter with 2 central dorsal tubercles, 1 central ventral tubercle, and 2 small apical ventral granules; femur with 6 ventral elevations 'IiIiii', and 1 subapical prolateral spine; patella with 1 apical prolateral ventral tubercle; tibia with 1 small basal ventral tubercle, ventral armature with retrolateral 'IiIi' and prolateral 'IiIIi'; tarsus with ventral armature retrolateral 'IiIi' and prolateral 'IIi'.
Leg I: Coxa with ventral row of very large granules; trochanter with low density of large ventral granules; femur and patella with small granules; tibia and metatarsus with minute granules.
Leg II: Coxa with a ventral row of medium granules; trochanter with low density of ventral medium granules; femur and patella with small granules; tibia and metatarsus with minute granules.
Leg III: Coxa with low density of minute granules; trochanter with low density of small granules; femur, patella and tibia with medium granules; metatarsus with minute granules.
Leg IV (figure 1B, E–G): Coxa with low density of minute granules; prolateral apophysis inserted almost dorsally, curved backwards and downwards at the apex; large apical retrolateral apophysis pointed and the same size as the trochanter; trochanter with a small, pointed and upward-curved prolateral sub-basal apophysis, retrolateral apical apophysis pointed, curved backwards and with a granule associated; femur short, with very strong inward curvature, apical retrolateral apophysis very large and curved backwards, prolateral apophysis very small, row 2 with flat granules, with a high density of disorganized granules in the apical third; patella with large prolateral granules; tibia with row 2 with a group of large granules close to each other, row 3 with small spines curved backwards along the entire length, increasing from base to apex; metatarsus with row 3 with small spines in the first half; tarsal process very large.
Tarsal segmentation: 8–10 (9); 16–22 (20); 8–10 (9); 8–10 (9).
Penis (figure 3A–B): Ventral plate rectangular-shaped, longer than wide, with practically straight lateral margins, only a slight convexity in the apical region due to its elevation; apical margin slightly concave with elevations above the margin at the ends. All macrosetae pointed; group A with 3 macrosetae aligned almost longitudinally and slightly curved downwards; macrosetae B small, positioned more apically and ventrally than the A1; group C with 3 macrosetae, C1 being slightly separated from the others and slightly curved backwards; macrosetae D with half size of the macrosetae of group C and positioned below C3; macrosetae E with half size of the macrosetae of group C and positioned more ventrally and between C1 and C2; glans with ventral process long, with a flabellum on apex, with many projections on apical margin, a little wider than the stem; stylus cylindrical with a dorsal apical beak.
Measurements. Dorsal scutum. Length: 8.9–10.6 (10.6); width: 8.4–11.1 (11.1); pedipalps: 13–14.1 (13.9); legs: I: 24.1–28.8 (28.7); II: 44.6–56.6 (56.5); III: 34.9–43.2 (43.2); IV: 47–59 (58.8).
Coloration (photos of live animals; figure 4): predominantly dark brown; chelicerae dark - yellowish; dorsal scutum dark brown, with yellowish grooves and carapace; apexes of trochanters of legs, tubercles of ocularium and granules of areas of dorsal scutum orange to yellow; articular membranes between coxae and trochanters pink; dry mark prominent, on the carapace like ‘complete mask’, on the abdominal scutum following the grooves between areas I, II and III, between the tubercles of area III as two circles and present on apex of coxa, base of trochanter and femur IV.
Female (figure 4): legs less armed and with weaker granulation compared to males; prolateral apophysis of coxa IV small, spine-like; trochanter IV with only a small apical retrolateral apophysis; posterior margin and free tergites with larger granules compared to males, and with a pair of small tubercles at the angles; tarsal processes smaller than in the male (approximately half the size of the tarsal claw).
Serracutisoma Roewer 1930 now includes: S. proximum group: S. thalassinum (Simon 1879); S. proximum (Mello-Leitão 1922), type-species; S. molle (Mello-Leitão 1933); S. banhadoae (Soares & Soares 1947); S. fritzmuelleri DaSilva & Gnaspini 2010; S. pseudovarium DaSilva & Gnaspini 2010; and S. gnaspinii DaSilva 2014. S. inerme group: S. inerme (Mello-Leitão 1927); S. spelaeum (Mello-Leitão 1933); S. catarina (Machado, Pinto-da-Rocha & Giaretta 2002); S. guaricana DaSilva & Gnaspini 2010; and S. hara sp. nov..
description: Published as part of Gomes-Silva, José Geovane & Dasilva, Marcio B., 2025, Two new species of Goniosomatinae (Opiliones: Gonyleptidae) narrowly endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil., pp. 16-28 in Zootaxa 5604 (1) on pages 17-20, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5604.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/15012448