Neoscotolemon cotilla Pérez-González & Mamani & Proud 2025, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Pérez-González, Abel
name: Mamani, Vanesa
name: Proud, Daniel N.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Opiliones
Neoscotolemon
Neoscotolemon cotilla

description: Neoscotolemon cotilla (Goodnight & Goodnight, 1945) comb. nov., nom. rest., stat. rest.
(Figs 19–20)
Rula cotilla Goodnight & Goodnight 1945: 63, Figs 5–7; Armas & Alayón 1984: 16; Silva Taboada 1988: 86.
Stygnomma spinifera bolivari [part.]: Goodnight & Goodnight 1951: 11, figs 19–21; 1953: 177.
Stygnomma spiniferum bolivari [part.]: Kury 2003: 236.
Remark: Goodnight & Goodnight (1951: 11) considered Rula cotilla as a synonym of the subspecies Stygnomma spinifera bolivari. We reject this decision and reinstate their species status and the name under a new combination. See the diagnosis below for characteristics used to support our statement.
Type material. Holotype: ♂ (AMNH, examined), CUBA, Mayabeque, San José de las Lajas, Loma de Cotilla, Cueva de Cotilla; 6-Oct-43, coll. C. Bolívar-Pieltain leg. Paratypes: 1 ♂ and 1 juvenile, same data as the holotype (repository unknown).
Other material examined. None.
Comparative diagnosis. Differs from major males of N. spinifer and N. tancahensis by the absence of enlarged pointed setiferous tubercles in the lateral regions of free tergite III (Fig. 19A, B vs. Figs 22A; 23A; 24A; 29A; 30A; 31A). Males of N. cotilla can be separated from N. pictipes by the presence of long medial pointed setiferous tubercles on each free tergite and the anal operculum covered by similar pointed tubercles (Fig. 19A, B vs. Fig. 2A, D, F, G). Males of N. cotilla are easily distinguished from N. armasi by the absence of a pseudochela in the enlarged tarsus of the pedipalp (Fig. 19C, D vs. Fig. 8E). The most morphologically similar species, N. bolivari, can be diagnosed by the absence of frontal pointed setiferous tubercles on the cheliceral hand of males (Fig. 19E–G vs. Figs 13F–H; 15E–G) and by the absence of two medial pointed setiferous tubercles on mesotergal areas III –IV and one medial pointed setiferous tubercle on mesotergal area V (Fig. 19A, B vs. Figs 12C; 13A, B; 14A). Additionally, N. cotilla exhibits a smaller body size than N. bolivari. Neoscotolemon cotilla has a highly differentiated male genital morphology with a remarkably narrow calyx and a wide and shallow dorsal neckline (Fig. 20A), and the carapace has two anterolateral patches of coarse granulation; these features separate N. cotilla from all other Nesocotolemon species.
Redescription. Male (holotype, AMNH). Body measurements: Total body length 3.54, carapace length 1.24, scutum magnum length 2.70, carapace maximum width 1.68, abdominal scutum maximum width 2.37. Appendage measurements (taken from Goodnight & Goodnight 1945): Legs [Tr–Ta (total)]: I: 0.4, 1.3, 0.5, 0.8, 1.4, 0.8 (5.2); II: 0.4, 1.5, 0.6, 1.5, 1.9, 2.1 (8.0); III: 0.4, 1.4, 0.5, 1.0, 1.4, 0.9 (5.6); 0.4, 1.7, 0.8, 1.4, 2.2, 1.2 (7.7). Pedipalp: Tr: 0.4, Fe: 1.8, Pa: 0.9, Ti: 1.1, Ta: 1.1. total: 5.3.
Dorsum: Outline slightly hourglass-shaped with an Eta (η) shape, with a constriction posterior at eye level (Figs 19A). Carapace granulated but with two anterolateral patches of coarse granulation (Fig. 19A, B). Carapace wider than long, with a rounded and marked frontal hump; anterior border slightly convex, each lateral corner with a row of small tubercles (Fig. 19A). Cheliceral sockets not marked (Fig. 19A). Eyes separated, slightly posterior to the medial region of the carapace, located at the base of a poorly defined ocularium with a wide base and apically armed with a long, forward-slanted spiniform apophysis (Fig. 19B); ocularium extends from the posterior of the carapace to just before the frontal hump (Fig. 19B). Abdominal scutum in lateral view convex (Fig. 19B). Sulcus I deep and well-marked, in dorsal view, curved to the posterior body region (Fig. 19A, B). Mesotergal areas granulated and defined; sulci II–V shallow and complete (Fig. 19A, B). Mesotergal areas I–II with small medial conical setiferous granules; mesotergal areas III–IV with a row of small conical setiferous granules, medial granules longer than lateral granules (Fig. 19A, B). Mesotergal area V with a posterior row of conical setiferous granules (Fig. 19A, B). Lateral borders with two rows of granules. Free tergites granulated; free tergites I–III with a posterior row of setiferous granules and one medial pointed setiferous tubercle; medial tubercle of free tergite II longer than medial tubercles of free tergite I and III (Figs 19A, B).
Venter: Anal operculum with setiferous granules and setiferous tubercles (Fig. 19B).
Chelicerae: Basichelicerite unarmed, with an elongated and slightly marked bulla (Fig. 19E, F). Cheliceral hand with sparse setae and small frontal setiferous granules (Fig. 19E, F). Movable finger with a proximal wide tooth followed by a lamina with sub-square teeth; fixed finger with rounded teeth (Fig. 19G).
Pedipalps: Trochanter rounded, with two dorsal pointed setiferous tubercles and small dorsal granules, one small mesal tubercle, and two ventral setiferous tubercles (Fig. 19C). Femur dorsally convex; ventrally armed with a row of four small ectal setiferous pointed tubercles, the third distal tubercle longest (Fig. 19D); ventroproximally with two large spines, fused at the base (Fig. 19C, D); ventromesal surface with a proximal longitudinal row of rounded setiferous granules, one medial spine followed by one setiferous pointed tubercle (Fig. 19C). Patella short, ventrodistally with one mesal spine and one ectal small setiferous pointed tubercle (Fig. 19C, D). Tibia ventromesally with three spines, increasing in size from proximal to distal (Fig. 19C); ventroectally with one proximal setiferous tubercle followed by one spine, one setiferous pointed tubercle, and two spines fused at the base, the longest spine featuring a socket with an apical square-shaped projection (Fig. 19D); ventral surface with several small granules (Fig. 19C). Tarsus remarkably elongated, incrassate, and ventrally flattened (Fig. 19C, D); ventromesally with one proximal setiferous pointed tubercle, followed by a row of five spines (Fig. 19C); ventroectally with three spines interspersed with three setiferous pointed tubercles (Fig. 19D). Claw remarkably short, robust, and triangular (Fig. 19C, D).
Legs: Femurs III–IV with one prolateral and one retrolateral longitudinal row of setiferous tubercles (Fig. 19B). Metatarsus III swollen at the calcaneus region, in lateral view with a rectangular shape.
Genitalia: General shape of penis tubular tapering distally to a blunt, rectangular tip; boundary not well defined between pars basalis and pars distalis (Fig. 20A, C). Pars distalis with a ventral plate ending in a calyx (Fig. 20B); dorsally, pars distalis with a wide and shallow dorso-medial neckline (Fig. 20B). Pars distalis armed with two groups of macrosetae bilaterally arranged: a basal row of four pairs (B1–B4) extending along the edge, from the dorsal neckline to the ventrolateral region (Fig. 20B, D), and an apical row (A1–A3) located on the ventrolateral region of the calyx (Fig. 20B, D). Capsula externa with follis invaginated and not visible in resting position (Fig. 20B). Capsula interna with two laminar conductors, apically with two lateral projections (Fig. 21B, D); conductors flanked by a shorter, pointed, laminar stylus (Fig. 21B, D).
Female: unknown
Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Fig. 39).
Natural history. Although this species is known only from a cave, the morphological characteristics do not support the troglobiont condition as proposed for the closely related N. bolivari (see above). Neoscotolemon cotilla exhibits darker body coloration than N. bolivari and other troglobionts. Based on the original species description, the male has a reddish-brown venter and dorsum, some darker spots at the posterior of the dorsum, yellowish spines and tubercles on the dorsum, black eyes, yellowish legs with dark spots, yellowish-orange pedipalps with some darker spots on distal segments, and chelicerae that are concolorous with the dorsum (Goodnight & Goodnight 1945, p. 64). In contrast, N. bolivari exhibits a lighter, troglomorphic coloration. According to the original species description, the holotype has a yellow-orange body, black eyes, and yellow spines on the free tergites, and the uniform color of the appendages is lighter than the body Goodnight & Goodnight (1945, p. 63). Additionally, N. cotilla has shorter appendages than N. bolivari. For these reasons, we consider N. cotilla a troglophilic species rather than a troglobite.
description: Published as part of Pérez-González, Abel, Mamani, Vanesa & Proud, Daniel N., 2025, On the genus Neoscotolemon (Opiliones: Laniatores: Samooidea incertae sedis) with the description of one new species, pp. 109-165 in Zootaxa 5563 (1) on pages 134-137, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5563.1.11, http://zenodo.org/record/14595849