A new species of Discocyrtanus from Mato Grosso,Brazil (Opiliones: Gonyleptidae) with a key to the species of the genus

Discocyrtanus canjinjim sp. n., belonging to the family Gonyleptidae Sundevall, 1833 is described based on nineteen specimens, eleven adult males and eight adult females, collected in the Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. This new species represents an endemic component for the harvestmen fauna of Chiquitano Dry Forests terrestrial eco-region, being the most occidental point of distribution of the genus, notably found in the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest. The new species is characterized by femur IV swollen with the same length of dorsal scutum, trochanter IV with prodorsal distal apophysis as a stout hook not bifurcated, and a unique form of genitalia in the genus. This paper also includes the first identification key to the species of the genus after its revalidation.     

Redescription of Paradiscocyrtus neglectus Mello-Leitão, 1927 (Opiliones: Gonyleptidae), with the designation of a neotype and two synonymies

Paradiscocyrtus neglectus Mello-Leitão, 1927 is here redescribed and for the first time illustrated. A neotype is proposed to clarify the taxonomic status of this species and to differentiate it from the other two species of Paradiscocyrtus and related genera (e.g., Discocyrtus). Two junior synonyms of this species, currently allocated in Discocyrtus Holmberg, 1876 are here detected. This harvestman is endemic from areas above 2000 meters of altitude, occurring in the Campos Rupestres montane savannas terrestrial eco-region in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This species is characterized by the powerful retrodorsal apophysis of the coxa IV, the unique armature of dorsal scutum, trochanter IV, and femur IV.     

A new species of Discocyrtoides from southern Brazilian pine forest (Opiliones,Gonyleptidae, Mitobatinae)

Discocyrtoides pinorum sp. nov. is described from the conifers forest in Paraná State, Southern Brazil. This is the second species of Discocyrtoides Mello-Leitão, 1923, the other being known from São Paulo State. It is remarkable for having greenish/yellowish spots in the dorsal scutum highly contrasting with the brown background, a feature rare in Mitobatinae, hitherto known only for Ruschia Mello-Leitão, 1940. It is the first record of this genus for Paraná State (WWF Ecoregion NT0101, Araucaria moist forests). Terminology for the male genitalia of the Mitobatinae is defined and illustrated.     

Four new Laniatorean harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

Four new laniatorean harvestmen specimens (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores) are described from the mid-Cretaceous (upper Albian–lower Cenomanian) Burmese amber of Northern Myanmar. One is placed as Insidiatores indet., but is not formally named as it is probably immature. Burmalomanius circularis n. gen. n. sp. and Petroburma tarsomeria n. gen. n. sp. represent the first fossil records of the extant families Podoctidae and Petrobunidae respectively. Finally, Mesodibunus tourinhoae n. gen. n. sp. belongs to Epedanidae, a family previously recorded from Burmese amber. These new records bring the total number of Burmese amber laniatorean species to ten, and the total number of fossil laniatoreans to fifteen. The new finds offer additional calibration points for the Laniatores tree of life and are consistent with the hypothesis that the modern Laniatores fauna of Southeast Asia may have had Gondwanan, as opposed to a Laurasian, origins.     

Typhlonesticus gocmeni sp. n., a new cave-dwelling blind spider species from the Aegean region of Turkey (Araneae,Nesticidae)

A new species of the troglobitic spider genus Typhlonesticus is described from specimens found in Keloğlan Cave (Denizli Province, Dodurgalar Town), Turkey. Typhlonesticus gocmeni sp. n. is described on the basis of both sexes; and its phylogenetic relationships with closely related European genera and species are discussed based on morphological and molecular data (the cox1, rrnL and H3 genes). Three new combinations are proposed: Typhlonesticus idriacus (Roewer, 1931), comb. n., Typhlonesticus morisii (Brignoli, 1975) comb. n. and Typhlonesticus obcaecatus (Simon, 1907), comb. n. all ex Nesticus.     

Almost a spider: a 305-million-year-old fossil arachnid and spider origins

Spiders are an important animal group, with a long history. Details of their origins remain limited, with little knowledge of their stem group, and no insights into the sequence of character acquisition during spider evolution. We describe a new fossil arachnid, Idmonarachne brasieri gen. et sp. nov. from the Late Carboniferous (Stephanian, ca 305–299 Ma) of Montceau-les-Mines, France. It is three-dimensionally preserved within a siderite concretion, allowing both laboratory- and synchrotron-based phase-contrast computed tomography reconstruction. The latter is a first for siderite-hosted fossils and has allowed us to investigate fine anatomical details. Although distinctly spider-like in habitus, this remarkable fossil lacks a key diagnostic character of Araneae: spinnerets on the underside of the opisthosoma. It also lacks a flagelliform telson found in the recently recognized, spider-related, Devonian–Permian Uraraneida. Cladistic analysis resolves our new fossil as sister group to the spiders: the spider stem-group comprises the uraraneids and I. brasieri. While we are unable to demonstrate the presence of spigots in this fossil, the recovered phylogeny suggests the earliest character to evolve on the spider stem-group is the secretion of silk. This would have been followed by the loss of a flagelliform telson, and then the ability to spin silk using spinnerets. This last innovation defines the true spiders, significantly post-dates the origins of silk, and may be a key to the group''s success. The Montceau-les-Mines locality has previously yielded a mesothele spider (with spinnerets). Evidently, Late Palaeozoic spiders lived alongside Palaeozoic arachnid grades which approached the spider condition, but did not express the full suite of crown-group autapomorphies.     

An ant-associated mesostigmatid mite in Baltic amber

Fossil mesostigmatid mites (Acari: Parasitiformes: Mesostigmata) are extremely rare, and specimens from only nine families, including four named species, have been described so far. A new record of Myrmozercon sp. described here from Eocene (ca 44–49 Myr) Baltic amber represents the first—and so far only—fossil example of the derived, extant family Laelapidae. Significantly, modern species of this genus are habitually myrmecophilous and the fossil mite described here is preserved attached to the head of the dolichoderine ant Ctenobethylus goepperti (Mayr, 1868). It thus offers the oldest unequivocal evidence for an ecological association between mesostigmatid mites and social insects in the order Hymenoptera.     

The role of bracket fungi in creating alpha diversity of invertebrates in the Białowieża National Park,Poland

Bracket fungi are seen mainly as the cause of economic losses in forestry, and their role as creators of biodiversity is relatively poorly understood. The aim of the study was defining the manner in which the degree of decay (DD) of the fruiting bodies determines the character of the invertebrate assemblages colonising them. The effect of this group of fungi on the modification of biodiversity of invertebrates (Aranae, Opiliones, Pseudoscorpionida, two groups of mites—Mesostigmata and Oribatida, and Collembola and Insecta) was investigated by analyzing 100 fruiting bodies of 10 species of bracket fungi divided into four DD classes. The material was collected at Białowieża National Park, which is considered to be the largest area of natural forests in the North European Plain. 16 068 invertebrate individuals classified into 224 species were obtained. Oribatid mites (12 543 individuals) constituted the largest group of individuals, which were classified into 115 species with the most numerous Carabodes femoralis (8,811 individuals). Representatives of this group of mites have been reported previously in the publications on bracket fungi; however, the contributions of Oribatida and other groups of invertebrates were not broadly compared. Moreover, the species such as Hoploseius mariae and H. oblongus, which were predominantly found in fruiting bodies of bracket fungi, have also been discerned. The invertebrate fauna differs depending on DD of the samples: In the more decayed samples, a higher number of both individuals and species were recorded compared to the samples with lower DDs; however, this trend proved to be nonlinear. The DCA and cluster analysis revealed a similarity of the invertebrate assemblages from the 2 DD and 4 DD samples. They also indicated that the group 3 DD differed the most from all the other samples. The indicator species analysis identified species characteristic to individual DDs: For group 1 DD, it was, for example, Hoploseius oblongus; for 2 DD—Orchesella bifasciata; and for 3 DD—Chernes cimicoides, while for 4 DD—Dinychus perforatus.     

Neotropical harvestmen (Arachnida,Opiliones) use sexually dimorphic glands to spread chemicals in the environment

Sexually dimorphic glands have convergently appeared in animals and are often responsible for the production of pheromones. In the suborder Laniatores of the order Opiliones (Arachnida), glands of such type are widespread, but there is not a single paper on how they are used. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy and a behavioral approach, we describe glandular openings and how these glands are used, in the harvestmen Gryne perlata and Gryne coccinelloides (Cosmetidae). Males of these two species have glandular openings on the metatarsi of legs I and on the metatarsi IV. Males were shown rubbing the glands of the metatarsi I against their other legs, whereas glands on the metatarsi IV are gently touched on the substrate or rubbed either against other legs, or against the substrate. Not all behaviors were seen in both species.     

Molecular systematics of sclerosomatid harvestmen (Opiliones, Phalangioidea, Sclerosomatidae): geography is better than taxonomy in predicting phylogeny

Phylogenetic relationships within the Sclerosomatidae, the largest family of harvestmen, are explored using molecular data from four nuclear genes (28S and 18S rRNA, Histone 3 and Elongation factor-1α) and two mitochondrial gene regions (COI-COII, 16S and 12S rRNA). The taxon sample includes representative species from all families in Phalangioidea and all subfamilies of Sclerosomatidae (Gagrellinae, Gyinae, Leiobuninae, Sclerosomatinae). Our results solve several major taxonomic problems, including placement of Gyinae sensu stricto in Phalangiidae, the monophyly of the Metopilio group and its exclusion from Sclerosomatidae, and reaffirmation of the familial rank of Protolophidae. However, most major groups of sclerosomatids (Leiobuninae, Gagrellinae, Leiobunum, Nelima) are recovered as polyphyletic, although with a phylogenetic structure suggesting a strong association between geography and monophyly as well as notable morphological convergence in traditional diagnostic characters. Phylogenetic affinities between biotas of the New World and Asian tropics, as well as between temperate North American and East Asia, suggest that sclerosmatid historical biogeography may conform with the Boreotropic Concept. Finally, we discuss how the many problems that remain in sclerosomatid systematics might be addressed.     

Notes on Hysterochelifer afghanicus Beier (Pseudoscorpiones: Cheliferidae), with a key to the species of Hysterochelifer Chamberlin

The pseudoscorpion Hysterochelifer afghanicus Beier, 1966 is redescribed and illustrated based on 21 specimens (13♂, 8♀) collected from different sites in northern, western, and southern Iran. A number of morphological characters and new provincial records are given. In addition, a key for 13 species of the pseudoscorpion genus Hysterochelifer Chamberlin, 1932 is proposed.     

MYGALOMORPH SPIDERS (ARANEAE: DIPLURIDAE) FROM THE LOWER CRETACEOUS CRATO LAGERSTÄTTE, ARARIPE BASIN, NORTH-EAST BRAZIL

Abstract:  The first mygalomorph spiders from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Lagerstätte of Cearà Province, north-east Brazil, are described, from adult males and females, in two new genera and species: Cretadiplura ceara Selden, gen. et sp. nov. and Dinodiplura ambulacra Selden, gen. et sp. nov. They belong to the extant family Dipluridae, hitherto known as fossils only from Tertiary strata; thus this occurrence extends the family record by some 90 myr.     

Cosmetophilus vonones, N. G., N. Sp., (Apicomplexa: Actinocephalidae) in the Harvestman Vonones sayi (Arachnida: Cosmetidae)

The gregarine Cosmetophilus vonones , n. g., n. sp. (Sporozoasida: Actinocephalidae: Acanthosporinae) from the intestine and intestinal caeca of the harvestman Vonones sayi (Simon) (Opiliones: Cosmetidae) is described. The new internal parasite is the first recorded from a harvestman in the New World and the second from the opilion suborder Laniatores. In addition to the records from the type locality in western Texas, additional collections are reported from the same host in central and eastern Texas and Tennessee.     

Description of a new pseudoscorpion species of the genus Amblyolpium Simon (Pseudoscorpiones: Garypinidae) from north-western Iran

A new species of pseudoscorpion, Amblyolpium atropatesi n. sp. is described and illustrated on the basis of the adult specimens extracted from soil by Berlese funnel.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0150B850-E80D-46F5-983C-7E958FE69B87     

Identification key to the species of Amblyolpium Simon (Pseudoscorpiones: Garypinidae), with first record of Amblyolpium bellum Chamberlin from Iran

A key based on bibliographic sources is given for identifying the 15 extant known pseudoscorpion species of the genus Amblyolpium recorded from different localities throughout the world. Species of Amblyolpium mostly occur in the Mediterranean basin, the Near to Far East, and the genus is only recorded with one species from South America. Amblyolpium bellum is redescribed and illustrated based on four males and two females collected for the first time from southern Iran.     

Hair regeneration in a solfugid chemotactile sensillum during moulting (Arachnida: Solifugae)

Summary The hair regeneration of a chemotactile sensillum was studied in the sunspiderGluvia during moulting. The sensilla in the old cuticle remain connected to the epidermis by dendrites which extend outwards during apolysis. The trichogen cells forming the new hairshaft in the exuvial space grow along the chemoreceptive dendrites, while the mechanoreceptive dendrites run separately. Morphogenetic aspects are discussed in comparison to results from other arthropods.     

A new Tithaeus species from Hainan Island, China (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores, Epedanidae), with a key to the Chinese species

A new species of the harvestmen Tithaeus calyptratussp. n. (Epedanidae, Opiliones) from Hainan Island (China) is diagnosed, described and illustrated. A key to the two Chinese species of Tithaeus is provided.     

First British Mesozoic Spider, From Cretaceous Amber Of The Isle Of Wight, Southern England

Cretamygale chasei , a new genus and species of spider, is described from a single specimen preserved in amber of early Barremian age from the Isle of Wight. This is the oldest (and second Cretaceous) amber spider to be described, and the first record of a Mesozoic spider from Britain. It belongs to the group Bipectina of the infraorder Mygalomorphae, and is tentatively referred to the family Nemesiidae. It is the oldest bipectinate, extending the record by around 90 myr, the only known fossil nemesiid, and the second oldest fossil mygalomorph.