Corresponding author: Adriano Brilhante Kury (
Academic editor: G. Giribet
As a result of an expedition to Ecuador in 2014, a new species of mite harvestman was discovered. This new species belonging to the genus
Alessandro P.L. Giupponi, Adriano Brilhante Kury (2015) A new species of
The genus
The specimens were collected during 15th–16th February 2014 through meticulous visual search throughout the floors of the forest and buildings. All specimens were captured with a fine brush and placed in vials containing 75% and 100% ethanol.
Nomenclature of body parts and measurements follows the model of
The following abbreviations are used: MNRJ = Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; QCAZ = Museo de Zoologia, Pontifícia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador – Quito, Ecuador; MCZ = Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Illustrations of the spermatopositor and ovipositor were made through a Carl Zeiss Primo Star microscope and AxioVision LE image capture system, with the stacking software Combine ZP Suite (by Alan Hadley). SEM images were made at JEOL JSM-6390 LV.
The new species is named after friend and fellow arachnologist Ligia Benavides for her work on Neotropical
♂ holotype: Ecuador, Napo, Sumaco-Galeras National Park, Pacto Sumaco (
Small animals, maximum body length 1.5 mm; body outline on dorsal view oblong (Fig.
Ventral prosomal complex (Fig.
Spiracles circular (Fig.
Known only from the type locality, Pacto Sumaco, Napo, Ecuador (Fig.
(Figs
All specimens were collected in an area of about 10 m2, under a house built partly on a small slope in a nature conservation area (Fig.
NW South America, showing the three
Ecuador, Pacto Sumaco, showing the collecting site.
Comparing the score or so of published genital illustrations of Neotropical neogoveids, a few connecting traits can be advanced. Unfortunately male genitalia of
Microtrichiae C may be either apical (short as in
Microtrichiae A are elongate and slender in most
The distribution of the four species of
APLG located the ideal spot of the type series, conceived of the study and participated in its design and coordination, dissected and prepared specimens, conducted all SEM and optical microscopy imaging sessions, criticized map and plates, and drafted the manuscript outline, species diagnosis and discussion.
ABK managed collecting permissions in Ecuador, drove the vehicle through meandering anoxic Andean roads, edited SEM and optical microscopy images, selected illustrations, set up plates, created the map, drafted the species description, edited the final text and saw the MS through press.
Both authors organized an expedition to Ecuador in which they collected the type series. Also both authors read and approved the final manuscript.
This study was supported by grants # 562149/2010-4 (PROTAX – OPESC project), # 504327/2012-7 (Sistema de Informações sobre a Biodiversidade Brasileira (SiB-Br) - Coleções Biológicas) and scholarship # 477502/2012-1 (Universal 14/2012) from CNPq, and grant E-26/111.705/2012 (APQ1) from FAPERJ to ABK. Personnel at the SEM Platform Rudolf Barth (IOC-FIOCRUZ) – Roger Magno Macedo Silva, Wendell Girard Dias and Rômulo Custódio dos Santos – provided SEM facilities. The Mycological Collection