Notes on the genus Harmonicon F. O. P. - Cambridge, 1896 (Araneae, Dipluridae) with description of a new species from French Guyana
Author
Drolshagen, Bastian
Author
Baeckstam, Christian M.
text
ZooKeys
2011
112
89
96
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.112.1205
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.112.1205
1313-2970-112-89
Harmonicon F.O.P.-Cambridge, 1896
Harmonicon
F.O.P.-
Cambridge 1896
: 755;
Marechal
and Marty 1998
: 500.
Diagnosis:
Harmonicon
is one of the genera of the subfamily
Diplurinae
with a lyra prolaterally on the maxillae. It differs from
Diplura
by the shape of the lyra bristles (claviform in
Diplura
rather than hookshaped in
Harmonicon
), a more dense scopula on Ta I and II, the presence of a dense scopula in more than the apical third of pedipalpal tarsus, the presence of a scopula in the apical third of most leg metatarsi, and by the leg tarsi being pseudosegmented instead of showing only a few cracks.
Harmonicon
can be distinguished from
Trechona
by a less dense scopula on Ta III and IV, and by fewer lyra bristles arranged in a single row.
Remarks:
Cambridge (1896)
and
Marechal
and Marty (1998)
regarded the presence of five lyra bristles a key feature for the genus. Research on the development on the new species described here showed that younger specimens have fewer lyra bristles than fully grown ones. Therefore the number of lyra bristles should no longer be considered diagnostic for
Harmonicon
.
Marechal
and Marty (1998)
stated that the leg formula of 1423 (rather than 4123 as in
Diplura
and
Trechona
C.L. Koch, 1850), is also a key feature of the genus
Harmonicon
, but show a leg formula of 4123 for the female holotype of
Harmonicon audeae
.
Cambridge (1896)
was incorrect in stating that the holotype of
Harmonicon rufescens
is a female; it is in fact a juvenile male.
Marechal
and Marty (1998)
did not comment on the putative synonyms of
Harmonicon
,
Pseudohermachura
Mello-Leitao
, 1927 and
Prosharmonicon
Mello-Leitao
, 1938, as well as those species formerly assigned to
Harmonicon
:
Harmonicon nigridorsi
Mello-Leitao
, 1924 and
Harmonicon riveti
Simon, 1903.
Mello-Leitao
(1927)
described the monotypical genus
Pseudohermachura
from a single female specimen of the type species
Pseudohermachura catharinensis
Mello-Leitao
, 1927 (holotype deposited in MPSP) and did not mention the presence of a lyra at all.
Buecherl
(1962)
redescribed
Pseudohermachura catharinensis
and mentioned a lyra consisting of 7-10 claviform bristles.
Mello-Leitao
(1938)
described the monotypical genus
Prosharmonicon
from a single female specimen of the type species
Prosharmonicon maculatum
Mello-Leitao
, 1938 (holotype deposited in IBSP and destroyed in the fire of 2010) and explicitly mentioned claviform lyra bristles. We therefore consider
Pseudohermachura
and
Prosharmonicon
junior synonyms of
Diplura
and reject the synonymies with
Harmonicon
established by
Buecherl
(1962)
.
Simon (1903)
described
Harmonicon riveti
from a single male specimen, of which the palpal organ, distal part of Ti I and basal part of Mt I were later illustrated in
Berland (1913)
: pl. 7, fig. 5-6. The illustrations show a palpal organ with a strongly curved apex of the embolus and a highly elevated tubercle laterally in the basal third of Mt I. The morphology of the palpal organ and the tubercle in the basal third of Mt I in (known) males is different in those species currently assigned to
Harmonicon
.
Mello-Leitao
(1924)
described
Harmonicon nigridorsi
from a single female specimen, he explicitly mentioned claviform lyra bristles, which is
also
supported by the illustration in
Mello-Leitao
(1926)
: fig. 4. We therefore support the transfer of those two species to
Diplura
by
Raven (1985)
.
Key to the species of
Harmonicon
|
Harmonicon audeae
|
|
Harmonicon rufescens
|
|
Harmonicon oiapoqueae
|
|
Harmonicon audeae
|
|
Harmonicon oiapoqueae
|