Licornus Roewer, 1932: newly transferred to Ampycinae and first record of the family Gonyleptidae (Opiliones: Laniatores) from Venezuela

Licornus tama sp. nov. is described from Táchira State in Venezuelan Andes. This is the first record of real Gonyleptidaefrom this country, although in the past some Venezuelan species, currently placed in other families, have been assigned toGonyleptidae. The genus Licornus Roewer, 1932 had hitherto two species, both endemic to Ecuador. Male genitalmorphology of a species of Licornus is for the first time illustrated and described. Original placement of Licornus in theCranaidae: Cranainae is not supported by morphology of the included species and Licornus is here formally placed in Gonyleptidae: Ampycinae. An emended diagnosis is given to Ampycinae

Unveiling the diversity of Phalangodus Gervais, 1842 (Opiliones: Cranaidae): descriptions of four new species from Colombia

The Cranaidae genus Phalangodus Gervais, 1842 is revisited and its species are diagnosed. An identification key for the males of Phalangodus is provided. Four Colombian species are described as new: Phalangodus briareos sp. nov. from a cave in Zapatoca, Santander department, P. cottus sp. nov. from Villavicencio, Meta department, P. gyes sp. nov. from Ibagué, Tolima department and P. kuryi sp. nov. from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Magdalena department. SEM images of the penis of Phalangodus, including the type species of the genus, P. anacosmetus Gervais, 1842, are provided for the first time. Sexual dimorphism and the morphology of stylar caps and ovipositor in Cranaidae are discussed. Additionally, we revised the geographical distribution of P. anacosmetus, including a map with the geographical records of the genus

The prickly blade mapped: establishing homologies and a chaetotaxy for macrosetae of penis ventral plate in Gonyleptoidea (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores)

For the first time a hypothesis of homology is proposed for the macrosetae which compose the armature of the distal truncus penis of the Gonyleptoidea. Previous attempts to name them in the literature have not been continued because they started by referring to macrosetae based on their position, which may change widely, and all of them were very narrow in scope. The present project instead names groups of macrosetae that do not mandatorily refer to their position, thus compensating for their hypothesized secondary position shifts. Using criteria of topology, shape and exclusion, six groups of setae are recognized, A–E, and their topological and phylogenetic distribution is studied and described in all families of Gonyleptoidea and two other related families of Grassatores. A cladistic analysis is performed, providing the following results: (1) the Microsetata are recovered including Metasarcidae/Cosmetidae sister to an expanded Gonyleptidae; (2) the genera Quindina (Cranaidae) and Zygopachylus (Manaosbiidae) are transferred to Nomoclastidae rank nov., hitherto regarded as a subfamily of Stygnidae, now a sister group of the Microsetata; (3) Zamorinae, currently placed in Cranaidae, is the sister group to Nomoclastidae, and it is therefore transferred to this family; (4) an expanded Gonyleptidae is recovered, including Manaosbiidae and Cranaidae, but the independence of these families is also recovered because the Gonyleptidae stricto sensu form a clade; (5) the Ampycinae, in spite of many particularities, are recovered inside Gonyleptidae; (6) the zamorine-less Cranaidae are recovered as a monophyletic sister group to Gonyleptidae, but not nested inside it. Jabbastygnus gen. nov. is described in Stygnidae along with its type species J. huttorum, from Colombia

On Venezuelan pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae)

We present a comprehensive revision of the pholcid spider collection of M.A. González- Sponga, who between 1998 and 2011 described 22 new genera and 51 new species of Pholcidae from Venezuela. In addition, we treat the pholcid material collected during three expeditions to Venezuela conducted between 2002 and 2020. Of González-Sponga’s pholcid taxa we recognize three genera and 24 species as valid. We describe 43 new species (all from males and females) in one new and 13 previously described genera; four genera are newly recorded for Venezuela. We describe the previously unknown females of 15 species, present new records for 46 previously described species, synonymize one genus and one species, and correct numerous minor errors in previous publications on Venezuelan pholcids. At the generic level, the Venezuelan pholcid fauna now appears fairly well known, but available data on distribution and endemism suggest that many species remain undiscovered and undescribed. Despite the obvious gaps, our data are congruent with previous studies on other taxa that have the highest levels of endemism in the Venezuelan Andes, the Coastal Ranges, and the Guyana Highlands. The Falcón Region in particular shows a complex mosaic of biogeographic relationships with other regions. We provide new biological data on numerous species. We document the first cases of evolutionary microhabitat shifts in the genera Mecolaesthus Simon, 1893 and Priscula Simon, 1893. We document several cases of close congeners sharing localities, usually in slightly to conspicuously different microhabitats, sometimes apparently in identical microhabitats. We document several cases of color polymorphism, mostly intersexual, in Metagonia conica (Simon, 1893) both intersexual and among males. We document further cases of two rare phenomena in Pholcidae: use of specific non-silken structures for retreats (in Pisaboa Huber, 2000) and egg parasitism (in Priscula).</p

New generic assignment to the harvestman Metaphareus punctatus (Opiliones: Stygnidae) and observations about it reproductive behavior

ABSTRACT We herein propose the transfer of Metaphareus punctatus Roewer, 1913, to the genus Eutimesius Roewer, 1913 (Heterostygninae) based on the genital morphology of the species and morphology of tarsi III and IV, resulting in the new combination Eutimesius punctatus (Roewer, 1913), comb. nov. New geographical records for E. albicinctus (Roewer, 1915) are offered, recording sympatry between the congeneric species E. albicinctus and E. punctatus and data on the reproductive behavior of E. punctatus are presented, suggesting the existence of parental care in this species

Revision of the cranaid genera Phalangodus, Iquitosa and Aguaytiella (Opiliones: Laniatores: Gonyleptoidea)

The monotypic genus Temucus Roewer, 1943, originally placed in Pachylinae (Gonyleptidae) is transferred to the Cranainae (Cranaidae) and synonymized with Phalangodus Gervais, 1842, therefore Phalangodus palpiconus (Roewer, 1943) comb. nov. is proposed. The synonymy is based on the following features: (i) the outline of dorsal scutum type alpha; (ii) the thickened pedipalpal claw in males; (iii) pedipalpal femur with a few ventral enlarged tubercles restricted to the median ventral region, and a conspicuous group of very large and acuminated tubercles basally; (iv) ventral plate of penis with a rather elevated number of cylindrical, straight and sharp distal pairs of setae and a notorious reduction in the number of the basal pairs of setae; (v) penis stylus straight, its distal tip rounded in a mushroom-like shape without stylar caps. The record of P. palpiconus to Chile is doubtful. We also propose the revalidation of Iquitosa Roewer, 1943, hitherto considered a junior synonym of Phalangodus. Iquitosa is revised and the male of its type species, I. poecilis, is reported for the first time. Aguaytiella Goodnight & Goodnight, 1943, a monotypic genus which superficially resembles Iquitosa is also revised. In this article, we report data of male genitalia of Iquitosa and Aguaytiella, providing redescriptions and diagnoses of those genera and species, and a discussion of their relationship with other cranaids

A new species of Piaroa (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) from Venezuela, with taxonomic notes on the genus

A new species belonging to the schizomid genus Piaroa Villarreal, Giupponi and Tourinho, 2008 is described from north-western Venezuela. A complementary description of Piaroa guipongai Villarreal and Garcia, 2012 is provided including SEM pictures of relevant structures of both sexes. A key for males of Piaroa and Colombiazomus Armas and Delgado-Santa, 2012 is included. The presence of Dm3 setae on Hubbardiidae is discussed