Metasiro savannahensis Clouse & Wheeler, 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Clouse, Ronald M.
name: Wheeler, Ward C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Opiliones
Sironidae
Metasiro
Metasiro savannahensis

description: Metasiro savannahensis sp. nov.
(Figs. 3 D–F; 4B, E, H, K; 6B, C; 7; 8; 10C, D, H; 11C, D; 12A; 13B)
Metasiro americanus (Davis, 1933), partim
Material examined. Males (n=62), females (n=72), and juveniles (n=51), with the following collection details: Jasper County, South Carolina, USA, at Kingfisher Pond, Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, 300 m south of parking lot (lat. 32.18923, long. -81.08008, elev. 3 m), leg. P. Sharma and R. Clouse, 16 March 2010. Holotype, male, specimen IZ-133799(105645)-7184. Paratypes, from collections IZ-133799–807, 6 males (SPM 007215, 7230, 7240, 7266, 7295, 7315) and 7 females (SPM 007191, 7222, 7234, 7252, 7275, 7301, 7322); two males dissected for genitalia (SPM 007185 and 7335), SPM 007185 disarticulated for appendage measurements and SEMs, and SPM 7214 and 7221–3 mounted for dorsal and ventral SEMs. A total of 85 specimens were sequenced for molecular analysis. All specimens are deposited in MCZ.
Description. Morphology as in the original description of M. americanus (Davis, 1933), with the following recap of characters and additional details. Body and appendage article measurements and proportions available in Tables 5–7. Tuberculate granulations, irregular in shape and spacing, covering entire body (Figs. 3 D–F; 7B) and legs with the following exceptions: on dorsal prosoma just anterior to ozophores and above anterior tip of coxa I; on irregular medial strip of anal plate of males (being glossy) (Figs. 6 B, C; 7B); on inner distal femur and patella of leg II (being glossy); on inner trochanter of leg IV (being glossy), and on all tarsi (being generally smooth). Anal plate in males with smooth, raised, medial strip, tapering posteriorly to width of anal gland pore on tergite IX, not reaching anterior edge of anal plate (Figs. 6 B, C; 7B). Tergite IX distinctly bilobed in males and females (Figs. 6 B, C; 8B). Gonostome in males oval, with straight posterior edge and a toothlike projection on either side of anterior edge, edges otherwise smooth (Fig. 7A); gonostome more rounded in females, without large toothlike lateral projections, anterior edge with fringe of small, sharp projections (Fig. 8A). Setation pattern even over most of body and appendages; especially concentrated on tarsi (Fig. 4 B, E, H, K), these bearing different kinds of setae, including weakly defined solae on tarsus I (Fig. 4 B), and solenidia (thick, curved setae; Willemart & Giribet 2010) on dorsal surface of tarsi I and II (Fig. 4 B, E); hairs nearly absent from chelicerae, especially from second article. Microtrichial formula of spermatopositor: 3–4, 6–8, 4+4+4 (Figs. 10 C, D, H; 11C, D; 12A; 13B); ventral microtrichia at nearly same level (middle slightly more distal) across middle of ventral surface (Fig. 10 C, D, H); apical microtrichia in some cases separated by deep medial cleft (Fig. 11 C).
Molecular diagnostic characters. In our COI amino acid fragment (described above) no. 43 is isoleucine (not methionine), no. 80 is threonine (not serine), no. 135 is methionine (not isoleucine), no. 145 is asparagine (not serine or glycine), no. 163 is valine (not isoleucine), and no. 231 is glutamine (not histadine). See Table 3.
Distribution and etymology. Known only from the type locality, the Savannah River delta in South Carolina, for which the species is named.
description: Published as part of Clouse, Ronald M. & Wheeler, Ward C., 2014, Descriptions of two new, cryptic species of Metasiro (Arachnida: Opiliones: Cyphophthalmi: Neogoveidae) from South Carolina, USA, including a discussion of mitochondrial mutation rates, pp. 177-201 in Zootaxa 3814 (2) on pages 187-188, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3814.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/250165