Neocarus chactemalensis Vazquez & Klompen, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Vázquez, Ma. Magdalena
name: Klompen, Hans
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Opilioacarida
Opilioacaridae
Neocarus
Neocarus chactemalensis

description: Neocarus chactemalensis Vázquez & Klompen sp. nov.
(Fig. 1 A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A)
Diagnosis. Palp tarsus with 4 foliate setae, each of which with 4 lobes; area between sternal and genital verrucae with 1 pair of long, tapering setae (st3 stout and ribbed); female without setae in pregenital area; males with 4 pregenital and 6 genital setae, all of the short, stout, ribbed type; tip of ovipositor with 11 long, setiform sensilla with bifurcate tips. Glands in males not observed.
Description. Based on 2 females, 3 males, 3 tritonymphs, 5 deutonymphs, and 9 protonymphs.
Gnathosoma. Chelicera (Fig. 1 A). Basal segment with 1 seta (cht; added in deutonymph), fixed digit with 3 in all instars examined. All setae lightly barbed, more prominently so in adults; fixed digit seta ch2’ (all instars) and basal segment seta cht bifurcate. Dorsal (id) and antiaxial (ia) lyrifissures on fixed digit well developed. Fixed digit with 1 tooth and a secondary, offset, protrusion, movable digit with 1 distinct large tooth with a distal hackle, a small proximal ridge-like structure, and a well developed terminal hook. Movable digit in adults and tritonymph with 1 large and 2 smaller ventral denticles (Fig. 1 A, arrow); proto- and deutonymphs lacking the smaller denticles.
Palp adults. Trochanter with 3–4 spine-like, ribbed, tapering setae (= r - type); femur with 4–9 ribbed papilliform (= p - type) and 11–13 r - type setae; genu with 2–3 p - type and 25–31 r - type setae; tibia with 22–29 r - type setae and 27 lightly serrate and pointed setae (see Fig. 2). Tibia and tarsus partially fused. Tarsus (Fig. 3 A) with 4 foliate (d), 7– 8 v, 11–13 ch, and 10–11 sm setae, plus 3 solenidia (= s sensilla). Tarsal lyrifissures i π and i α present (see Fig. 3 B). Pretarsus in shape of a pair of well developed sessile claws, inserted more or less laterally. No distinct sexual dimorphism observed.
Subcapitulum (Fig. 4 A). All 4 pairs of paralabial setae present: pl1 (see Fig. 4 D) small, conical; With’s organ (pl2) membranous, discoid; rutellum (pl3) with 1 row of 5 teeth, inserted dorso-laterally; pl4 tiny, inserted dorsally. With 4 circumbuccal (cb) and 11 median and subcapitular (vm, lvm, ldm, vp, lvp) setae in adults. Number of median and subcapitular setae in nymphs increases over development (PN 2; DN 4; TN 6). No sexual dimorphism observed. Lateral lips with distinct canals in all instars examined.
Idiosoma. Color. With dark blue and violet stripes on both body and legs. A relatively small species (males average length 1280 (N=4), females 1512 (N=2)).
Dorsum. Prodorsal shield in adults with 2 pairs of eyes, 92 (M)–120 (F) stout, ribbed setae, and 1 pair of lyrifissures (Fig. 5 A). Dorsal idiosoma between prodorsal shield and preanal segment without setae but with numerous lyrifissures arranged in transverse rows. Preanal segment with 1 dorsal and 2 ventro-lateral setae. Anal plates in females with 9–10, in males with 8, stout, ribbed setae.
Sternitogenital region adults (Fig. 6 A, 7A). Sternal verrucae each with 2–3 medium-long, ribbed, and 1 distinctly longer, barbed and tapering seta (st1). Remaining sternal region with 6 pairs of stout, ribbed setae and, centrally, 1 pair of ribbed, tapering (st2) setae. Setae st3 stout and ribbed, not distinct from remaining sternal setae. With 3 pairs of lyrifissures, 2 unusually large and distinct near sternal verrucae, and a smaller pair anterior to setae st2. A final pair sometimes present between setae st3 and the pregenital area. Only the latter pair resembles the common opisthosomal lyrifissures, the anterior ones are larger and of a different shape. Pregenital capsules each with 1 long, tapering seta (st5?) and 3–4 (rarely 5) stout, ribbed setae. Pregenital and genital areas in male with, respectively, 4 and 6 short, stout, ribbed, and blunt-tipped setae. Pregenital and genital areas in female nude. Ovipositor (Fig. 8 A) with 11 long, serrate, terminal setiform sensilla with bifurcate tips, and 2 pairs of glands; ovipositor terminating in 3 lobes. Glands in males not observed.
Legs. Legs relatively long. Length legs I–IV in male, respectively, 3005, 1625, 1814, and 2741, in female, respectively, 4649, 1928, 1966, and 2911 µm. Ratio of legs I to idiosoma in adults 2.3–3.1, legs IV to idiosoma 1.9–2.1. Tarsus I without distinct acrotarsus. Sensillum with “crown-like” tip in main sensillar field. Setae lv on acrotarsi II–IV with multiple distinct barbs. Coronidia limited to the basal 2/3 of basitarsi II–IV.
Deposition of types. Holotype female (CNAC 007215) and one paratype male (CNAC 007216) at CNAC; other paratypes at OSAL, UQROO.
Material examined. Due to their size, individual specimens may be represented by multiple slides (as indicated).
Holotype female CNAC (CNAC 007215; 3 slides): Mexico, Quintana Roo, Chetumal, campus Quintana Roo State University, 8m, 18.5230N 88.2703W, ex on campus, under stones and in litter, medium-high tropical forest, coll. Vázquez, M M, 7-Feb-2007. Same locality, collector and date: M, CNAC 007216; PN, OSAL 0104250; PN, OSAL 0104251; PN, OSAL 0104252; N, OSAL 0104249; same locality and collector: 15-Nov-2006: PN, OSAL 0104253; PN, OSAL 0104254; PN, OSAL 0104255; 20-Apr-2007: F, OSAL 0 104233 (3 slides); M, OSAL 0 104228 (2 slides); M, OSAL 0 104230 (3 slides); M, OSAL 0 104236 (2 slides); TN, OSAL 0 104222 (2 slides); TN, OSAL 0 104224 (2 slides); TN, OSAL 0 104221 (3 slides); DN, OSAL 0104218; DN, OSAL 0 104219 (2 slides); PN, OSAL 0104210; PN, OSAL 0104211; PN, OSAL 0104212; PN, OSAL 0104213; PN, OSAL 0104214; PN, OSAL 0104215; same locality and collector: 23-Jun-2007; DN, OSAL 0104217; U, OSAL 0104240; same locality: coll. Berenice, J, 24-Oct-2006, M, OSAL 0 104238 (3 slides); PN, OSAL 0 104216. Continued presence of this species at this locality is unlikely as the collecting site was recently developed as part of an expansion of university facilities.
Etymology. The specific name is derived from a Mayan word Chac-teh’-mal, “place where the rain god lives”. The name of the city of Chetumal. the current capital of the state of Quintana Roo, has the same origin.
Taxonomic remarks. This species shares the presence of setiform sensilla on the ovipositor with N. bajacalifornicus, N. bajacalifornicus chamelaensis, and N. nohbecanus. It differs from the first two of those taxa by the presence of only 4, instead of 5, foliate setae on the palp tarsus, and the absence of setae in the pregenital region of the female. It differs from N. nohbecanus (and N. orghidani) by the absence, vs. presence, of modified sm3 - type setae on the palp tarsus of the male, and by the structure of the setiform sensilla on the ovipositor: smooth in N. nohbecanus, with distinct barbs/hackles in N. chactemalensis.
description: Published as part of Vázquez, Ma. Magdalena & Klompen, Hans, 2015, The family Opilioacaridae (Parasitiformes: Opilioacarida) in Mexico, description of two new species and notes on biology and geographical distribution, pp. 535-552 in Zootaxa 3957 (5) on pages 537-538, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3957.5.3, http://zenodo.org/record/245496