Selenobrachys Schmidt 1999, stat. rev.
Creators: name: Acuña, Darrell C.
name: Dumbrique, Maria Mikaela U.
name: Ranido, Maricel C.
name: Ragasa, Lorenz Rhuel P.
name: Noriega, Charles Nylxon C.
name: Mayor, Anna Beatriz R.
name: Florendo Jr, Gregorio Antonio
name: Fadri, Mary Jane A.
name: von Wirth, Volker
name: Santiago-Bautista, Myla R.
name: Guevarra Jr, Leonardo A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Theraphosidae
Selenobrachys

description: GenusSelenobrachysSchmidt, 1999 stat. rev.
Type species.
Selenobrachys philippinus Schmidt, 1999, comb. rest., by original designation and monotypy.
Included species.
(2 species) S. philippinus Schmidt, 1999, comb. rest., S. ustromsupasius sp. nov.
Diagnosis.
Selenobrachys stat. rev. differs from all other selenocosmiine genera (including Chilocosmia stat. rev.), except sister genera Orphnaecus and Phlogiellus, in having a long prolateral superior keel (PS) (= retrolateral keel in West et al. 2012) from base to tip with a pronounced basal lobe (BL) on the embolus of males (Figs 10 A – F, 14 A – E). Selenobrachys stat. rev. differs from Orphnaecus, and Phlogiellus (i) in having an ovoid proximally truncated and distally mildly tapering lyrate patch on the prolateral maxilla, with rows of strong paddle-shaped bacillae possessing thick and strong shafts (Figs 7 F, G, 1 E, F, 17 E, F, 20 E) (reniform lyrate morphology for Orphnaecus; see above and Fig. 20 G; rudimentary patch of needleform rods, if present, for Phlogiellus; see Nunn et al. 2016) and where the largest ones in the lowest row have a more pointed tip in prolateral view (Fig. 20 E); (ii) in having greater number of cheliceral strikers (<150; excluding tertiary rows) (Figs 8 C, 13 C, D, 17 C, D); (iii) in having a long and cylindrical palpal tibia in males (Figs 9 A – D, 15 B, C) (proximally swollen and distally tapering in Phlogiellus and Orphnaecus; see Fig. 15 A and Nunn et al. 2016); and (iv) in having a broad and short, not reduced ends, almost symmetrical, tombstone-shaped spermathecal lobe in females (Fig. 18 A, B). It further differs from Orphnaecus in lacking long and dense dorsal scopulate palpal brush in adult males (Figs 9 D, 15 B, C) and in having short sword-like femoral setation on prolateral femur I (Fig. 21 E – H). It also differs from Phlogiellus in having a greater number of labial cuspules (~ 331–760) and a wider fovea than the ocular tubercle (Nunn et al. 2016; Sivayyapram et al. 2020).
Distribution.
Philippine endemic: Negros Is. (Schmidt 1999; West et al. 2012) and Romblon Is. (this study; Fig. 22). Probably restricted to West Visayas PAIC and Romblon PAIC.
Etymology.
A combination of two generic names, Selenocosmia and Chilobrachys (Seleno- + - brachys) (Schmidt 1999). Gender is masculine.
description: Published as part of Acuña, Darrell C., Dumbrique, Maria Mikaela U., Ranido, Maricel C., Ragasa, Lorenz Rhuel P., Noriega, Charles Nylxon C., Mayor, Anna Beatriz R., Florendo Jr, Gregorio Antonio, Fadri, Mary Jane A., von Wirth, Volker, Santiago-Bautista, Myla R. & Guevarra Jr, Leonardo A., 2025, Taxonomic revalidation of Selenobrachys Schmidt, 1999 and Chilocosmia Schmidt & von Wirth, 1992 based on morphological and molecular analyses (Araneae, Theraphosidae), with the description of a new species from Romblon Island, Philippines, pp. 139-193 in ZooKeys 1233 on pages 139-193, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1233.128056