Corresponding author: Ricardo Pinto-Da-Rocha (
Academic editor: D. Logunov
This paper is a first step in tackling this challenge, and it is based on our current investigations relevant to a revision of the
The nomenclature follows
We have also examined the type materials of ten laniatorid species from the genera which may be phylogenetically close to
Peru: Puno (shores of Titicaca Lake).
The label of type material of
PERU. Puno: without further data on locality (“Titicaca Seeufer” [shores of Titicaca Lake]), male holotype of
Male (holotype; SMF RII 7736/112). Measurements: carapace maximum length 1.8; carapace maximum width 2.1; dorsal scutum maximum length 4.6; dorsal scutum maximum width 4.1; femur IV length 3.1; legs I–IV length 6.8; 10.9; 9.9; 13.9. Dorsum (
Female (holotype of
Due to poor taxonomic characterization of the genera included in
Recently,
We have also found the ocularium to be very informative, although overlooked by many authors. Having examined the cosmetids from Andes and the eastern part of South America, we have confirmed the existence of at least two very distinct types of the ocularium: (i) the widened and medially depressed one, as in
The aforementioned characters are likely to be useful in revealing phylogenetic relationships within the speciose
Comparison of the genera of
Genera | Body shape | Male coxa IV | Ocularium shape | Body dorsal armature | Dorsal pedipalpal tibia shape | Dimorphic chelicera |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
γ (male), α (female) | Entirely visible in dorsal view, reaching groove IV | Domed | Scutal areas unarmed; posterior margin of dorsal scutum and free tergites with a row of conical, enlarged tubercles | Almost rectangular | Absent |
|
α | Entirely visible in dorsal view, reaching groove III | Domed | Scutal areas unarmed; posterior margin of dorsal scutum and free tergites with a row of conical, enlarged tubercles | Much wider at apex | Absent |
|
α | Visible only apically in dorsal view, reaching groove III | Depressed medially | Entirely unarmed | Much wider at apex | Absent |
|
γ | Visible only apically in dorsal view, reaching groove IV | Depressed medially | Scutal areas I–III unarmed or with a pair of tubercles; IV with two large tubercles | Almost rectangular | Absent |
|
α | Visible only apically in dorsal view; reaching groove IV | Depressed medially | Posterior margin of dorsal scutum and free tergites with a pair of enlarged tubercles | ? | Present |
|
α | ? | Domed | Scutal areas I–IV and posterior margin of dorsal scutum with a pair of enlarged tubercles; free tergites with row of large tubercles | Rectangular | ? |
We wish to thank Dr Peter Jäger and Julia Altmann from the Senckenberg Museum for their kind hospitality and for giving access to collection facilities. We are also deeply indebted to Drs Adriano Brilhante Kury (Brazil) and Nobuo Tsurusaki (Japan) for their critical comments helping to improve the ms. Dr Dmitri Logunov (UK) edited the English of the final draft. MRH and RPR received grant from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), 2009/03111–2 and 2008/06604–7, respectively.