Neocarus veracruzensis Vazquez & Klompen 2009
Creators: name: Vázquez, Ma. Magdalena
name: Klompen, Hans
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Opilioacarida
Opilioacaridae
Neocarus
Neocarus veracruzensis

description: Neocarus veracruzensis Vázquez & Klompen 2009
(Fig. 1 D, 3D, 6D, 7D, 9A)
Material examined: 2 females and 1 male.
Description focusing on additions to, and differences with, the description of N. veracruzensis by Vázquez & Klompen (2009). States from that study listed in square brackets.
Gnathosoma. Chelicera (Fig. 1 D). Movable digit with a single large ventral denticle.
Palp (Fig. 3 D). Trochanter with 5 [3–5] ribbed, tapering (= r - type) setae; femur with 9–12 [7–8] papilliform (= p - type), and 15 [12–17] r - type setae; genu with 11 [4–10] p - type and 26–29 [17–31] r - type setae; tibia with 34 r - type, 32 lightly serrate and pointed [65], plus two [4] thin smooth setae. Tibia and tarsus partially fused. Tarsus with 5–6 [5]foliate (d), 9 [7] v, 18 [13] ch, and 9–11 [5] sm setae, plus 3 solenidia (= s sensilla). Tarsal lyrifissures i π and i α present. Pretarsus in shape of a pair of well developed sessile claws; claws with a line of short and acute denticles on internal side.
Idiosoma. Dorsum. Prodorsal shield in adults with two pairs of eyes, 132–135 [108–126] stout, ribbed setae, and 1 pair of lyrifissures. Anal plates each with 9–12 [7–14] stout, ribbed setae.
Sternitogenital region (Fig. 6 D, 7D). Sternal verrucae in adults each with 2–3 [1–2] ribbed, tapering, and 1 long, composite seta (st1). Remaining sternal region with 6–8 [4–6] pairs of stout, ribbed, blunt-tipped setae and, centrally, 2 pairs of ribbed tapering setae (st2, st3). Pregenital capsules each with 1 long, tapering seta and 4 [3–4] stout, ribbed, blunt-tipped setae. Pregenital and genital areas in male with, respectively, 5 [6–8] medium-sized stout, ribbed, and blunt-tipped and 10 [6–8] medium-sized, stout, ribbed setae with rounded tips. Pregenital area in female with 2–3 [2] short, stout, ribbed setae, genital area nude. Ovipositor with two pairs of gland-like structures connected by small channels and one pair of larger, sac-like glands with large channels. Males with 2 pairs of large glands (Fig. 9 A).
Legs. Legs moderately long. Length legs I–IV in adults (1 female, 1 male), respectively, 3515–3686, 1746– 2060, 1928–2079, and 2986 (female only) µm. Ratio of legs I to idiosoma in adults 1.8–2.0 [2.2], legs IV to idiosoma 1.5 [1.8]. Tarsus I without distinct acrotarsus. Sensillum with “crown-like” tip in main sensillar field. Coronidia limited to the basal 2/3 of basitarsi II–IV.
Deposition of specimens. One female (CNAC 007221) and one male (CNAC 007222) at CNAC; other female at OSAL.
Material examined. Due to their size, individual specimens may be represented by multiple slides (as indicated). Mexico, Guerrero., Mpio. Tepecoacuilco, Jalitla, elevation 580m, 18.1527N 99.5395W; 17-Jun-2007; coll. Francke, O & Montaño, H; ex under stones, dry low tropical forest; coll. event no. CNAC 0 0 5976. F, CNAC 0 0 7221 (3 slides); F, OSAL 0 105757 (3 slides); M, CNAC 0 0 7222 (3 slides).
Taxonomic remarks. Our specimens are very close to N. veracruzensis but differ by the higher number of supernumeral sternitogenital setae, that is in addition to setae st2 and st3 (7–8 vs. 5–6 pairs in N. veracruzensis). Other quantitative characters (e.g. number of setae on the prodorsal shield) differ somewhat from the numbers listed for N. veracruzensis, but the ranges overlap. In the absence of conclusive evidence that the new population is different from N. veracruzensis, we assign it to that species.
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 545-546, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3957.5.3, http://zenodo.org/record/245496