A new species of Monoscutinae (Arachnida, Opiliones, Monoscutidae) from New Zealand, with a redescription of Monoscutum titirangiense

2008·0.22 MB·

2008.TheJournalofArachnology36:176–179
SHORT COMMUNICATION
A new species of Monoscutinae (Arachnida, Opiliones, Monoscutidae) from New Zealand, with a
redescription of Monoscutum titirangiense
Christopher Taylor: Department of Environmental Biology, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth,
Western Australia 6845, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract. Templar incongruens new genus and species (Monoscutidae) is described and assigned to the subfamily
Monoscutinae(Opiliones).ItisdistinguishedfromotherMonoscutinaebydifferentornamentation,relativelyshorterlegs,
andenlargedcheliceraeinthemale.AredescriptionofMonoscutumtitirangienseForster1948isalsogiven.
Keywords: Taxonomy,newspecies,newgenus,morphology,Australasia
The subfamily Monoscutinae was established by R.R. Forster METHODS
in 1948 for two new monotypic genera (Monoscutum titiran-
Specimens were examined under alcohol using a Leica MZ6
giense Forster 1948 and Acihasta salebrosa Forster 1948) of
microscopeanddrawingsmadeusingacameralucida.Genitaliawere
heavily sclerotized, dorsoventrally flattened harvestmen from
examined under an Olympus BH-2 compound microscope using K-
northern New Zealand. Although Forster placed his new sub-
YHBrandjellyasamountantasdescribedinCokendolpher&Sissom
family in the Phalangiidae, it was seemingly quite distinct from
(2000). Measurements were taken of all specimens using a graticule
anyothermemberofthatfamily,withrelativelyshortlegsandalmost
and are given below as averages in millimeters with standard
the entire dorsum fused into a single scute (hence the name deviationsinparentheses.Prosomaandtotalbodylengthswereboth
Monoscutum). takendownthemidline,whilewidthwasmeasuredatthewidestpart
Sincetheoriginalpublication,nofurtherspeciesofMonoscutinae oftheprosomabetweenthesecondandthirdlegs.Legmeasurements
havebeendescribed,thoughundescribedspecieshavebeenrecorded aregivenfromlegItoIV.Thespecimensexaminedforthisstudyare
fromeasternAustralia(Hunt&Cokendolpher1991).Sˇilhavy´ (1970) lodged in Auckland Museum (AMNZ), Te Papa Tongarewa,
transferred Monoscutum to the Neopilionidae as part of the Wellington (MONZ) and Canterbury Museum, Christchurch
Megalopsalidinae. Megalopsalidinae was then raised to family rank (CMNZ), all in New Zealand. The system of approximately equal-
by Martens (1976), and the subfamilies Monoscutinae and Mega- sizedareaswithinNewZealanddesignedbyCrosbyetal.(1998)for
lopsalidinae were treated as distinct by Hunt (1990) and Hunt & recordingspecimenlocalitieswasfollowed.
Cokendolpher (1991). Crawford (1992) pointed out that the name
Monoscutinae Forster 1948 has priority over Megalopsalidinae TAXONOMY
Forster 1949, and the correct name for the family uniting the two
subfamiliesisMonoscutidae. FamilyMonoscutidaeForster1948
The two subfamilies of Monoscutidae have been united solely by Templarnewgenus
the structure of the penis (both possess paired bristle groups at the Typespecies.—Templarincongruensnewspecies.
junctionofshaftandglans),andhavebeenregardedasquitedistinct Etymology.—Name given in recognition of the appearance of the
in external appearance. While Monoscutinae is described as female of the type species – heavily armored, and with a Cross
dorsoventrally flattened and sexually monomorphic, Megalopsalidi- marking.
naegenerallyhasaglobularbody,islessheavilysclerotized,andhas Diagnosis.—Distinguished from Acihasta by absence of flanking
greatly enlarged chelicerae in the male (Forster 1949). However, spines on the dorsum ofthe opisthosoma and fromMonoscutum by
better-preserved specimens of Monoscutinae do not show the high denticlesondorsumofbodybeingsimpleandrounded,notcomplex,
degreeofdorsoventralflatteningpreviouslyregardedascharacteristic without large denticle on ocularium. Pedipalp patellar apophysis
of the subfamily, which therefore appears to be an artifact of short,rounded.Legsshort(e.g.,femurIIca.one-thirdlengthofbody
preservation. The new genus of Monoscutinae described below also versusthree-quartersinMonoscutum).
possesses enlarged chelicerae in the male, though they are nowhere Description.—Asfortypeandonlyknownspecies.
near the extraordinarily large appendages possessed by some
Megalopsalidinae (Forster 1944; Taylor 2004). The greater scleroti- Templarincongruensnewspecies
zation of Monoscutinae remains a distinguishing feature of the (Figs.1–8)
subfamily. Also notable are the ozopores, which are small and not Material examined.—NEW ZEALAND: South Island: Mid Can-
easily visible from above in Monoscutinae, but large and readily terbury: Holotype male: Ahuriri Reserve, 43u419S, 172u389E, 22
visibleinMegalopsalidinae. January 2000, M.S. Harvey (CMNZ). Paratype: 1 female, collected
The new genus and species Templar incongruens is here described withholotype(CMNZ).
from specimens collected near Christchurch, South Island, New Etymology.—Latinfor‘‘incongruent,’’toreflectthepresenceinthis
Zealand, increasing the known range of Monoscutinae. The species of enlarged chelicerae in the male, a feature previously
opportunity is also taken to present a redescription of Monoscutum associatedwiththesubfamilyMegalopsalidinae,notMonoscutinae.
titirangiense, the actual characteristics of which differ enough from Description.—Male: Prosoma length 0.76, total body length, 2.3,
the original published description that some confusion might width 1.52. Mottled medium and dark brown; carapace with lighter
otherwisebepossible. longitudinalstripesoneithersideofocularium.Dorsumofprosoma
176
TAYLOR—NEWMONOSCUTINAE(OPILIONES) 177
Figures 1–8.—Templarincongruensnewspecies:1.Dorsalviewofbody,femaleparatype;2.Lateralview,femaleparatype;3.Malechelicera,
lateralview,maleholotype;4.Femalechelicera,lateralview,femaleparatype;5.Femalepedipalp,medialview,femaleparatype;6.Patellaand
tibia,malepedipalp,dorsalview,maleholotype;7.Penis,ventralview,maleholotype;8.Penis,lateralview,maleholotype.Scalebars51mm
(Figs.1–6),0.05mm(Fig.7),0.01mm(Fig.8).
and first five segments of opisthosoma except for lateral margins opisthosomafromfirsttofourthsegments,with‘‘cross-bar’’onthird
denselyandevenlycoveredwithsimple,roundeddenticles.Ocularium segment.
rugose.Ozoporessmall,notvisiblefromabove. Chelicerae:SegmentI0.43,segmentII0.96.Cheliceraesmallerthan
Chelicerae:SegmentI0.72,segmentII1.42.Bothsegmentsheavily inmale;norowofenlargeddenticlesonsegmentI.
denticulate.SegmentIwithventralrowoflargedenticles.SegmentII Pedipalps:Femur0.74,patella0.33,tibia0.40,tarsus0.95.
enlargedrelativetosegmentI.Outsideoffingerssmoothlyconvex. Legs:Femora0.95,1.87,0.84,1.34;patellae0.45,0.76,0.41,0.54;
Pedipalps:Femur0.57,patella0.29,tibia0.35,tarsus0.71.Femur tibiae0.68,1.97,0.86,1.18.
without spines; setae in rows on sides and centerline of femur, with Remarks.—Though I was originally reluctant to establish a new
concentrationofsetaeatinnerdistalend.Patellawithrowsofsetae genusforthisspecies,andsoleaveMonoscutinaewiththreespeciesin
onsidesandcenterline.Patellarapophysisrounded,notextendingfar as many genera, Templar incongruens differs at least as much from
pastpatella-tibiajunction,withscatteredlargesetae.Tibiawithrows eitherMonoscutumtitirangienseandAcihastasalebrosaastheydiffer
of setae on sides, otherwise glabrous, and concentration of setae at fromeachother,ifnotmoreso.Asmentionedabove,Templarisnot
inner distal end. Tarsus uniformly covered with small setae, with entirely congruent with the original description of Monoscutinae by
interspersedlargesetae. Forster (1948), but is placed in that subfamily pending a proper
Legs:Femora0.88,1.81,0.86,1.32;patellae0.40,0.70,0.35,0.53; phylogeneticanalysisoftheMonoscutidaeasawhole.
tibiae 0.83, 1.68, 0.81, 1.09. Legs noticeably shorter than in other Due to insufficient specimens, it cannot be established at present
Monoscutidae. Femora, patellae and tibiae of all legs denticulate whether the differences in color pattern described for the male and
exceptlegII,whichhasonlyfemurdenticulate.TibiaIInotdivided female represent differences between the sexes or simply differences
intopseudosegments. betweenindividuals.Unfortunately,themalegenitaliawerelostafter
Penis: Glans bent dorsad to shaft, stylus slightly anteriad from examination.
vertical. Bristle groups on left smaller than right, with left anterior
MonoscutumForster1948
groupveryreduced.
MonoscutumForster1948:314.
Female: Prosoma length 1.0, total body length 2.94, width 1.84.
Features as for male except for following. Mottled medium- and Typespecies.—Monoscutumtitirangiense Forster 1948,byoriginal
yellow-brown with darker median crucifix-shaped marking on designation.
178 THEJOURNALOFARACHNOLOGY
Figures 9–17.—MonoscutumtitirangienseForster:9.Dorsalview,male(AMNZ60921).10.Dorsalview,female(AMNZ61458);11.Female
eyemound,lateralview(AMNZ61459);12.Lateralview,female(AMNZ61458);13.Femalechelicera,lateralview(do.);14.Femalepedipalp,
lateralview(AMNZ61459);15.Patellaandtibia,femalepedipalp,dorsalview(do.);16.Penis,ventralview(AMNZ61121);17.Penis,lateral
view(do.)Scalebars51mm(Figs.9–15),0.01mm(Figs.16,17).
TAYLOR—NEWMONOSCUTINAE(OPILIONES) 179
Remarks.—NofurtherspeciesofMonoscutumhavebeendescribed Penis: Glans bent dorsad to shaft, stylus directed anteriad from
since M. titirangiense. Monoscutum is distinguished from both vertical.Leftanteriorbristlegroupnotreduced.
Acihasta and Templar by the complex ornamentation covering the Female:Prosomalength1.13(0.07),totalbodylength4.02(0.26),
dorsum,andalsofromAcihastabytheabsenceofflankingspineson width2.14(0.17).Asformale,exceptforfollowing.Generallymore
theopisthosoma. rugose,denticlesonopisthosomamorenumerousandnotarrangedin
any obvious pattern. Large median tubercles on third segment of
MonoscutumtitirangienseForster1948
opisthosomairregularinform,ratherthanspines.
(Figs.9–16)
Chelicerae:SegmentI0.42(0.07),segmentII1.01(0.09).
Monoscutumtitirangiensis[sic]Forster1948:314–315,figs.1–4. Pedipalps: Femur0.84(0.06),patella0.46(0.04),tibia0.53(0.03),
MonoscutumtitirangienseForster:Sˇilhavy´ 1970:173. tarsus 1.09(0.05). Legs: Femora 1.21(0.05), 3.15 (0.26), 1.23(0.15),
2.09 (0.12); patellae 0.60 (0.06), 0.89 (0.10), 0.60 (0.05), 0.71 (0.06);
Material examined.—NEWZEALAND: North Island:Auckland:
syntypes1L,1K:Titirangi,36u569S,174u399E,12December1945,R. tibiae1.20(0.07),3.00(0.21),1.08(0.09),1.63(0.11).
Remarks.—The description given here differs somewhat from
Forster(Tube2/60)(MONZAH.000076).
Forster’s (1948) original. Despite the typevial containing specimens
Other material examined: NEW ZEALAND: Auckland: 1 L,
of both sexes, Forster’s description is seemingly based on the male
Atuanui, Mt Auckland, 36u279S, 174u289E, February 2002, A.
only (nevertheless, as the specimens are still conspecific, I do not
Warren (AMNZ 60921); 6 L, 2 K, Atuanui, Mt Auckland, January
designatealectotype).Forstermadenomentionofthecomplexform
2002, A. Warren (AMNZ 61121); 1 K, Mataitai Forest S[outh?]
ofthedenticles,andtheyappearroundedinhisillustration.Healso
A[uckland?],39u599S,175u089E,February 2002,A.Warren(AMNZ
seemstohaveoverlookedthedistinctappearanceofthefemale.
61458);1K,MataitaiForestS.A.,February2002,A.Warren(AMNZ
61459); L, Atuanui, Mt Auckland, February 2002, A. Warren ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
(AMNZ61795);1K,Atuanui,MtAuckland,April2002,A.Warren
Thanks are due to Phil Sirvid of Te Papa Tongarewa and John
(AMNZ 61796); 1 L, 1 K, Atuanui, Mt Auckland, April 2002, A.
EarlyofAucklandMuseumforloaningspecimens.Mythanksalsoto
Warren(AMNZ61805);1L,MataitaiForestS.A.,March2002,A.
Mark Harvey of Western Australian Museum for advice, proof-
Warren(AMNZ61960);2K,MataitaiForestS.A.,March2002,A.
reading this paper and for the loan of the specimens of the new
Warren(AMNZ61968);1K,Atuanui,MtAuckland,April2002,A.
species. Research for this paper was conducted at and funded by
Warren(AMNZ61997).
CurtinUniversity.
Description.—Male:Prosomalength0.94(0.07),totalbodylength
3.13 (0.09), width 1.95 (0.09). Uniformly brown with dark brown LITERATURECITED
saddle around central opisthosomal spines, small lateral darker
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multiple complex denticles, generally with short central column and
Crawford,R.L.1992.Catalogueofthegeneraandtypespeciesofthe
two lateral projections, though individual denticles may be more or
harvestmansuperfamilyPhalangioidea(Arachnida).BurkeMuse-
less irregular in form. Denticles on carapace roughly in rows along
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lateral and posterior margins of carapace, as well as directly behind
Crosby, T.K., J.S. Dugdale & J.C. Watt. 1998. Area codes for
and on either side of ocularium. Ocularium with single large
recordingspecimenlocalitiesintheNewZealandsubregion.New
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ZealandJournalofZoology25:175–183.
enlargedcentralprojection.Ozoporessmall,notobviousfromabove.
Forster,R.R.1944.ThegenusMegalopsalisRoewerinNewZealand
Denticlesonopisthosomamostlyinrowsalongsegmentboundaries.
withkeystotheNewZealandgeneraofOpiliones.Recordsofthe
Two large median spines on third segment of opisthosoma. Extra
DominionMuseum1:183–192.
denticlesmediallyontwosegmentsdirectlybehindspines.Outermost
Forster, R.R. 1948. A new sub-family and species of New Zealand
denticleonthreerowsbehindspinesoftenshowsreductionofmedial
Opiliones. Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum
branch and enlargement of lateral branch to form small laterally-
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Forster, R.R. 1949. Australian Opiliones. Memoirs of the National
freesegment.
MuseumofVictoria16:59–89.
Chelicerae: Segment I 0.40 (0.05), segment II 0.90 (0.03). No
Hunt, G.S. 1990. Taxonomic value of spiracle microstructure in the
denticles on chelicerae. Secondsegment with anterior medial rowof
Megalopsalididae (Opiliones, Phalangioidea). Acta Zoologica
setae.Outeredgesoffingerssmoothlyconvex.
Fennica190:187–194.
Pedipalps: Femur 0.74(0.04),patella 0.38(0.04),tibia0.46(0.03),
Hunt,G.S.&J.C.Cokendolpher.1991.Ballarrinae,anewsubfamily
tarsus 0.95 (0.03). Femur with row of spinose setae, bent distad, on
of harvestmen from the Southern Hemisphere. Records of the
innerdorsaledge;setaeinrowsonsidesandcenterlineoffemur,with
AustralianMuseum43:131–169.
concentrationofsetaeatinnerdistalend.Patellawithrowsofsetae
Martens, J. 1976. Genitalmorphologie, System und Phylogenie der
on sides and centerline. Patellar apophysis triangular, about half as
Weberknechte (Arachnida: Opiliones). Entomologica Germanica
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scattered large setae. Tibia with rows of setae on sides, otherwise Sˇilhavy´, V. 1970. Nouvelles recherches sur la famille des Neopilio-
glabrous, and concentration of setae at inner distal end. Tarsus
nidae Lawrence. Bulletin du Muse´um National d’Histoire Natur-
uniformlycoveredwithsmallsetae,withinterspersedlargesetae.
elleseries2,41(Supplement1):171–175.
Legs: Femora 1.35 (0.09), 3.26 (0.31), 1.28 (0.08), 2.15 (0.13);
Taylor, C.K. 2004. New Zealand harvestmen of the subfamily
patellae 0.60 (0.07), 0.85 (0.09), 0.54 (0.12), 0.66 (0.03); tibiae 1.27
Megalopsalidinae(Opiliones:Monoscutidae)—thegenusPantop-
(0.12),3.09(0.19),1.17(0.09),1.67(0.10).Femora,patellaeandtibiae
salis.Tuhinga15:53–76.
of all legs with longitudinal rows of stout setae, no spines. Tibia II
withfourpseudosegments. Manuscriptreceived14February2007,revised20July2007.