Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 5563 No. 1: 3 Jan. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-01-03
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5563.1.13
Page range: 193-208
Abstract views: 127
PDF downloaded: 9

Deciphering a Chilean harvestmen enigma: what is Parabalta bicornis (Gervais, 1849) comb. nov. (Opiliones: Gonyleptidae: Pachylinae)

Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas; Físicas y Naturales; Cátedra de Diversidad Biológica II; and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA); Av. Vélez Sarsfield 299; X5000JJC Córdoba; Argentina
Opiliones Neotropics Chile systematics new combination revalidation

Abstract

The largely neglected Chilean harvestman Gonyleptes bicornis Gervais, 1849 (Opiliones, Gonyleptidae), hitherto considered a junior synonym of Sadocus asperatus (Gervais, 1847), is revalidated and reallocated in genus Parabalta Roewer, 1913. This species has been repeatedly confused in the early literature, due to the misleading mismatch between text and figures in the original publication, and the lack of types. A thorough comparison of descriptions and figures demonstrated that two drawings displaying G. bicornis were mistakenly referred to G. acanthops Gervais, 1849 (currently species inquirenda and incertae sedis) and G. planiceps Guérin-Méneville in Gervais, 1842 (currently Eubalta planiceps). Parabalta bicornis comb. nov. is hereby redescribed upon modern samples; considering the complexity of the taxonomical problem, a male neotype is accordingly designated. Among other features, males can be distinguished from congeners, P. reedii (Butler, 1874) and P. cristobalia (Roewer, 1943), by the bifid apophysis on coxa IV, a strong finger-like, upwards-pointing apophysis on trochanter IV, and the armature of femur IV. A detailed comparison between these species and an updated distribution map are given.

 

References

  1. Acosta, L.E. (1996a) Die Typus-Exemplare der von Carl-Friedrich Roewer beschriebenen Pachylinae (Arachnida: Opiliones: Gonyleptidae). Senckenbergiana biologica, 76 (1–2), 209–225.
  2. Acosta, L.E. (1996b) An emendation of the generic concept of Pachyloides, with the description of a new species (Opiliones, Gonyleptidae, Pachylinae). Revue Suisse de Zoologie (Memoirs XIIIth International Congress of Arachnology, Genève), Hors série, 1, 5–14.
  3. Acosta, L.E. (2021) The identity of an elusive Chilean harvestman, Pachylus crassus (Roewer, 1943) (Opiliones, Gonyleptidae, Pachylinae), with taxonomic and distribution notes. Zootaxa, 4984 (1), 134–147. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4984.1.13
  4. Acosta, L.E. (2024) The two southernmost species of the Andean genus Acrographinotus Holmgren (Arachnida, Opiliones, Gonyleptidae) described from Bolivia and Argentina. Zootaxa, 5481 (5), 547–562. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5481.5.4
  5. Acosta, L.E., Pérez-González, A. & Tourinho, A.L. (2007) Methods for taxonomic study. In: Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (Eds.), Harvestmen: The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachussetts, pp. 494–505.
  6. Butler, A.G. (1873) A monographic list of the species of the genus Gonyleptes, with descriptions of three remarkable new species. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Ser. 4, 11, 112–117, pl. 3. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222937308696775
  7. Butler, A.G. (1874) Descriptions of five new species of Gonyleptes. The Journal of the Linnean Society, Zoology, 12 (57), 151–155, pl. 8.
  8. Canals, J. (1936) Los opiliones de Chile. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural, 39, 68–71.
  9. Cekalovic K., T. (1968) Conocimiento actual de los opiliones chilenos. Noticiario mensual del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Chile, 12 (138), 5–11.
  10. Cekalovic K., T. (1976) Catálogo de los Arachnida: Scorpiones, Pseudoscorpiones, Opiliones, Acari, Araneae y Solifugae de la XII Región de Chile, Magallanes, incluyendo la Antártica Chilena (Chile). Gayana, Zoología, (37), 1–108.
  11. Cekalovic K., T. (1985) Catálogo de los opiliones de Chile (Arachnida). Boletín de la Sociedad de Biología de Concepción, 56, 7–29.
  12. Cuvier, G. & Griffith, E. (1833) The Animal Kingdom, arranged in conformity with its organization. 13 (Annelida, Crustacea, and Arachnida). Whittaker, Treacher & Co., London, viii + 540, 27 pls.
  13. Evenhuis, N.L. (2015) Dates of the Diptera in Volume 7 of the Zoología of Gay’s “Historia Física y Política de Chile”. Fly Times, 55, 40–45.
  14. Gervais, P. (1842) Description et figures de quatre espèces nouvelles de Phalangiens. Magasin de Zoologie, d’Anatomie Comparée et de Palaeontologie (ed. Guérin-Méneville F.-E.), (2) 4 (13), 1–5, pls 2–5.
  15. Gervais, P. (1844) Phalangides. In: Walckenaer, C. (Ed.), Histoire Naturelle des Insectes, Aptères, vol 3. Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret, Paris, pp. 94–131, pls. 28–30, 43, 46. [Atlas]
  16. Gervais, P. (1847) Additions à l'Histoire Naturelle des Insectes Aptéres, Dernier Supplément. § LXXII. Genre Gonyleptes. In: Walckenaer, C. & Gervais, P. (Eds.), Histoire Naturelle des Insectes, Aptères, vol. 4. Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret, Paris, pp. 576–577.
  17. Gervais, P. (1849) Arácnidos. In: Gay, C. (Ed.), Historia Física y Política de Chile, Zoología, vol. 4. Maulde & Renou, Paris, pp. 5–52.
  18. [Gervais, P.] (1854) Arachnídeos. In: Gay, C. (Ed.), Atlas de la Historia Física y Política de Chile. Vol. 2. E. Thunot & Cie, Paris, pl. 1.
  19. Guérin-Méneville, F.E. (1837) Arachnides. In: Guérin-Méneville, F.E. (Ed.), Iconographie du Règne Animal de G. Cuvier Tome 2. Planches des Animaux Invertebrés. J. B. Baillière, Paris, pls. 2, 4–6.
  20. Johnston, I.M. (1941) Bibliographic data concerning Gay’s flora de Chile. Darwiniana, 5, 154–165.
  21. Kirby, W. (1819) A century of Insects, including several new genera described from his cabinet. The Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, 12, 375–453, pls. XXI–XXII.
  22. Koch, C.L. (1839) Die Arachniden getreu nach der Natur abgebildet und beschrieben. Siebenter Band. C.H. Zeh’sche Buchhandlung, Nürnberg, 106 pp., pls 217–247.
  23. Kury, A.B. (2003) Annotated catalogue of the Laniatores of the New World (Arachnida, Opiliones). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología, Volumen especial monográfico, 1, 5–337.
  24. Kury, A.B. & Medrano, M. (2016) Review of terminology for the outline of dorsal scutum in Laniatores (Arachnida, Opiliones). Zootaxa, 4097 (1), 130–134.
  25. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4097.1.9
  26. Kury, A.B. & Villarreal M., O. (2015) The prickly blade mapped: establishing homologies and a chaetotaxy for macrosetae of penis ventral plate in Gonyleptoidea (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 174, 1–46.
  27. https://doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12225
  28. Pérez-González, A., Cotoras, D.D. & Acosta, L.E. (2022) Early detection of an invasive harvestman in an oceanic island? Remarkable findings of Parabalta reedii (Opiliones, Gonyleptidae) in the Juan Fernández archipelago, Chile. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 57 (1), 43–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2020.1809611
  29. Pessoa-Silva, M., Hara, M.R., Pinto-da-Rocha, R. & Kury, A.B. (2020) Pachylinae at their southernmost extreme (Laniatores: Gonyleptidae). In: Kury, A.B., Mendes, A.C., Cardoso, L., Kury, M.S. & Granado, A.A. (Eds.), WCO-Lite: Online world catalogue of harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones). Version 1.0. Self published, Rio de Janeiro, pp. 58–59.
  30. Pessoa-Silva, M., Hara, M.R. & Pinto-da-Rocha, R. (2021) Revision of the southern Andean genus Sadocus Sørensen, 1886 (Opiliones, Gonyleptidae, Pachylinae). ZooKeys, 1025, 91–137. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1025.57806
  31. Roewer, C.F. (1913) Die Familie der Gonyleptiden der Opiliones-Laniatores. Archiv für Naturgeschichte, 79A (4–5), 1–472, pl. 1a–b.
  32. Roewer, C.F. (1923) Die Weberknechte der Erde. Systematische Bearbeitung der bisher bekannten Opiliones. G. Fischer Verlag, Jena, 1116 pp.
  33. Roewer, C.F. (1943) Über Gonyleptiden. Weitere Weberknechte (Arachn., Opil.) XI. Senckenbergiana biologica, 26 (1–3), 12–68.
  34. Sagredo Baeza, R. (2010) El Atlas de Gay. La representación de una Nación. In: Gay, C. (Ed.), Atlas de la historia física y política de Chile, 1954, vol. 1–2 (facsimile). Biblioteca fundamentos de la construcción de Chile, Cámara Chilena de la Construcción, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Dirección de Bibliotecas, Archivos y Museos, LOM Ediciones, Santiago de Chile, pp. ix–lxxvi.
  35. Simon, E. (1884) Arachnides recueillis par la Mission du Cap Horn en 1882–1883. Bulletin de la Societé Zoologique de France, 9, 117–144, pl. 3.
  36. Simon, E. (1887) Arachnides. In: Mission scientifique du Cap Horn. 1882–1883. Zoologie. 6 (2e partie.). Gauthier-Villars et Fils, Imprimeurs-Libraires, Paris, pp. 1–42, pl. I–II.
  37. Soares, B.A.M. & Soares, H.E.M. (1954) Monografia dos gêneros de opiliões neotrópicos III. Arquivos de Zoologia do Estado de São Paulo, 8 (9), 225–302.
  38. Sørensen, W. (1902) Gonyleptiden (Opiliones Laniatores). In: Ergebnisse der Hamburger Magalhaensischen Sammelreise 1892/93. 2 (Arthropoden). L. Friederichsen & Co., Hamburg, pp. 1–36.
  39. Sørensen, W. (1886) Opiliones. In: Koch, L. & Keyserling, E. von (Eds.), Die Arachniden Australiens nach der Natur beschrieben und abgebildet. Part 2 (issue 33). Bauer & Raspe, Nürnberg, pp. 53–86, pls. 5–6.
  40. Stuardo Ortiz, C. (1953) Los Atlas de la Historia Física y Política de Chile. Revista Chilena de Entomología, 3, 152–178.