Cynorta bromeliacia

Cynorta bromeliacia
Cynorta bromeliacia Goodnight & Goodnight, 1947 (from original description)
Suborder	Laniatores
Superfamily	Gonyleptoidea
Family	Cosmetidae
Genus	Cynorta

Cynorta bromeliacia Goodnight & Goodnight, 1947 is a member of the genus Cynorta (Laniatores:Gonyleptoidea, Cosmetidae).

Taxonomy

• C.b. Goodnight & Goodnight, 1947:21

Specimens

• C.b. Holotype male and approximately 15 paratypes males + females: in FMNH
• C.b. paratypes, unknown gender: in AMNH

Specifically, for type Goodnight & Goodnight, 1947 (p.21-22) say: Type - In the Collection of Chicago Natural History Museum. Male. Collected from bromeliads April 1, 1923, by Karl P. Schmidt and L. L. Walters. Paratypes.- Twenty males and females, same data as type. Five deposited in the collection of the American Museum of Natural History.

• C.b. Topotypes - 70+ males + females: at OUMNH.

Specifically, for topotypes, collected June-August during 2011, 2012 and 2013 by S.J. Longhorn and collaborators during Operation Wallacea surveys of Parque Nacional Cusuco, Departmento Cortés, Honduras.

Diagnosis

(from Goodnight & Goodnight, 1947)

Description of male. - Dorsum finely granulate, a pair of tubercles on the first area, a pair of sharp spines on the third. Remaining areas and free tergites without median armature. Lateral portion of each free tergite with several small tubercules. Venter and coxae finely granulate with scattered hairs. A transverse row of tubercles across surface of coxae I. A few lateral teeth present on anterior and posterior margins of coxae III. A transverse row of very small tubercles across each free sternite.

Cynorta bromeliacia Male. At type locality. Credit: S.J. Longhorn. 2013

Legs clothed throughout with scattered hairs. A distal posterior tubercle on third and fourth trochanters. Tubercles present on third and fourth femora, patellae and tibiae. Distal portion of fourth femur somewhat widened, with a row of ten or twelve larger tubercles on either side. Tarsal segments 6-15-10-12. Distitarsus of first, tarsus with three segments, of second with three. Basitarsus of first tarsus slightly enlarged.

Palpus with the trochanter 0.7 mm. long, femur 1.2, patella 0.7, tibia 1.2, and tarsus 0.7. Total length 4.5 mm. Palpus characteristically flattened. A row of teeth present on the ventral margin of the femur.

Chelicerae normal, tubercles on the proximal portion.

Cynorta bromeliacia, published table of measurements for male. In Goodnight & Goodnight, 1947, p. 22.

Dorsum reddish brown, spines of the third area darker brown. Tubercles of the first area white. In a few specimens these tubercles are not white. On either side, a broad white stripe with numerous brown punctation extending from the anterior margin of the cephalothorax to the median portion of the third area along the lateral edges of the scute. Posterior to the spines a similar broad marking extending to the posterior margin of the scutes. A broken median white line extending from the cephalothorax to the posterior stripe. In a few specimens, a pair of white dots just anterior to the pair of spines. Second and third free tergites with median white markings of varying size. Venter, coxae, and appendages reddish brown.

Total length of body 5.3 mm., cephalothorax 1.8, width of body at widest portion 3.8.

Description of female. - Similar in appearance to the male but lacking the enlarged basitarsus and the tubercles at the distal portion of the fourth femur.

Cynorta bromeliacia Female. At type locality. Credit: S.J. Longhorn. 2013

Total length of body 5.0 mm., cephalothorax 1.5, width of body at widest portion 4.8.

Remarks - This species is related to Cynorta coxalis Rower, but the dorsal color pattern is entirely different. Also, this species lack the tuberculate coxa and the spine on the proximal portion of the fourth femur of Cynorta coxalis.

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Additional comments by S.J. Longhorn (unpublished observations): The alleged 'broad white stripe' on lateral and posterior aspects of the dorsum and 'broken median white line' are actually in life a cream (colour #FFFDD0) and remaining dorsum and appendages predominantly burnt umber (#8A3324). There is only slight sexual dimorphism. In addition to gender differences outline by Goodnight & Goodnight, 1947, the distal femur of males is indeed slightly expanded compared to females, but in some males there are up to 15 'tubercles' on both dorsal and ventral surfaces. The chelicerae are also slightly enlarged and hence more robust in males.

Cynorta bromeliacia Pair. At type locality. Credit: S.J. Longhorn. 2013

Cynorta bromeliacia Pair. At type locality. Credit: S.J. Longhorn. 2013

Notes

• Location: Honduras: Mountain camp, 4,500 feet, west of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. (Note - This type locality is part of the mountainous Sierra del Merendón, now including Parque Nacional Cusuco, Departmento Cortés, Honduras). The species is only known from its type locality.