Genus Protimesius Roewer, 1913

Protimesius Roewer, 1913: 439; Roewer 1923: 575; Mello-Leitão 1923: 179; Mello-Leitão 1926: 366; Roewer 1931: 151; Mello-Leitão 1932: 421; Mello-Leitão 1935: 112; H. Soares and B. Soares 1974: 614; H. Soares 1978: 75; Pinto-da-Rocha 1997: 275; Kury 2003: 230; Kury and Pinto-da-Rocha 2008: 320 [type species: Protimesius gracilis Roewer, 1913, by monotypy].

Fonteboatus Roewer, 1931: 156; Mello-Leitão 1932: 427; Mello-Leitão 1935: 112 [type species: Fonteboatus coxalis Roewer, 1931, by subsequent designation, Pinto-da-Rocha, 1997a]. Synonymy established by H. Soares, 1978.

Ideostygnus SØrensen in Ideostygnus SØrensen, 1932: 288; Mello-Leitão 1935: 112; H. Soares and B. Soares 1978: 81 [type species: Ideostygnus laevis SØrensen, 1932, by monotypy]. Synonymy established by Pinto-da-Rocha, 1997.

Misetropius H. Soares, 1978: 71 [type species: Misetropius mendopticus H. Soares, 1978, by original designation]. Synonymy established by Pinto-da-Rocha, 1997.

Etymology

From Greek πρό (before, forth) + pre-existing genus Timesius . Gender masculine.

Diagnosis

Dorsal scutum type epsilon (never iota, as is frequently present in Obidosus). Scutal area III with two paramedian backward tilted spines (except P. orcus sp. nov.) (Figure 1 (a,c)). Leg III – IV without tarsal scopula, tarsal process reduced, with a long terminal seta (Figure 6 (a)); femur, patella and tibia without particular ornamentation, additional to the normal longitudinal rows of tubercles (Figure 4 (a – d,g – j)). Penis: with ventral crack between the truncus and lamina parva (LP) (Figure 7 (b,c,e,f)); ventral surface of the LP with microsetae type T4 and T3 (Figure 7 (c,f)) (unknown in P. gracilis). MS B absent, and MS A1 – A2 located on the LP, at same level of MS D (never on the malleus) (Figure 7 (a – f)).

Included species

P. gracilis Roewer, 1913, P. lucifer sp. nov. and P. orcus sp. nov.

Combined distribution

Brazil (Amapá, Ceará and Pará), French Guyana (Inini) and Suriname (Figure 10 (a,b)).