Flavonuncia ubicki, Abel & Pérez-González, 2025

Abel, Willians Porto & Pérez-González, Abel, 2025, Madagascar, the real Treasure Island! Malagasy uncharted diversity of a rare ancient lineage of armored harvestmen (Opiliones, Laniatores, Buemarinoidae), Zoosystema 47 (14), pp. 203-229 : 210-213

Flavonuncia ubicki n. sp.

( Figs 6-9 ; 23B, G, L )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:98ACD478-4293-4143-9AA2-62CC86C937CF

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. Madagascar • ♂; Toamasina, Analamay-Mantadia, Ambaroharanana ; Elev. 1012 m; 18°48’14”S, 48°24’18”E; coll. Malagasy ant team; 19-21.XII.2012; sifted litter, rainforest, collection code: BLF30324 ; CASTYPE 21649 .

Paratypes. Madagascar • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; CASENT 9072045 • 1 ♂ SEM voucher; same data; MACN-Ar 45999 • 1♀; same data; MACN-Ar 46000 .

ETYMOLOGY. — Patronymic in honor of the former CAS arachnologist and friend Darrell Ubick, in recognition of his contribution to the advances of arachnology.

COMPARATIVE DIAGNOSIS. — Robust, long legged Flavonuncia species, differing from all known Flavonuncia species by the pair of apical tubercles present on the top of the ocularium. The penis is similar to Flavonuncia pupilla .

DISTRIBUTION ( Fig. 1 ). — Known only from the type locality.

DESCRIPTION

Male (CASTYPE 21649)

Measurements. See Table 1 .

Dorsum ( Figs 6A, C ; 7A, B ). Outline hourglass-shaped of Eta (η) type. Ocularium conical, with a pair of apical tubercles, eyes located on the top of the ocularium. Mesotergal scutum without tubercles or apophyses. Carapace smaller than mesotergum, mesotergal areas not clearly defined, areas I-II with a row of two small setiferous granules, area III with three, area IV with eight, the posterior border with a row of 15 granules. Free tergites bearing a row of granules on each tergite.

Venter ( Figs 6E ; 7C, D ). Coxae ventral surface covered by setae; coxa I bearing 8-9 granules, almost all ventral surface covered by cerotegument, except by the proximal coxa II-III; proximal coxa II with a remarkable tubercle with three basal setae and one tubercle with subdistal setae; coxa III with three tubercles, small bridge present, spiracles not visible. Sternum straight with a drop shape base.

Chelicerae ( Fig. 8A, B ). Basicheliceritae bearing a small tubercle on dorso-distal surface, cheliceral hand bearing seven ectal small tubercles with subdistal setae, two mesal small granules, and one mesal tubercle with subdistal setae.

Pedipalps ( Fig. 8C, D ). With one ventral and two small dorsal tubercles, femur bearing a ventral row of small tubercles and two distal acute tubercles on the distal surface, patella with four mesal tubercles, tibia ventral surface bearing sparse small tubercles, with a medial and 2-3 apical acute tubercles with subdistal setae, tarsus bearing four ectal and five mesal tubercles with setae.

Legs ( Fig. 8 E-H). Astragalus longer than calcaneus. Tarsal count: 3-6-4-4.

Genitalia ( Figs 9 ; 23B, G, L ). Penis proportionally larger than other species of Flavonuncia . Capsula interna longer than the ventral plate, ventral view with a cleft separating the capsula interna into two halves, apical portion of ventral plate narrow arch-shaped, with upper and lower macrosetae not aligned in dorsal view. Ventral view, with a group of three macrosetae. Distal capsula interna with a complex structure ending in a thin free stylus. Ventral distal part of the capsula interna bearing a hexagonal process.

Female (CASENT 9072045) ( Fig. 6B, D, F )

Similar to male, presenting dimorphism in the body coloration, females having a dark brown opisthosoma while the males are yellowish with brown stripes. Pedipalps larger in males.

Figures

FIG. 6. — Flavonuncia ubicki n. sp. (CASENT 9072045), A, C, E, male; B, D, F, female. Scale bars: A, C, E, 1 mm; B, D, F, 500 µm.

FIG. 7. — Flavonuncia ubicki n. sp., SEM images of male paratype (MACN-Ar 45999): A, habitus, dorsal; B, lateral; C, D, ventral. Scale bars: A-C, 500 µm; D, 200 µm.

FIG. 8. — Flavonuncia ubicki n. sp., SEM images of male paratype (MACN-Ar 45999): A, B, chelicera, ectal (A); mesal (B); C, D, pedipalp, ectal (C), mesal (D); E, F, legs, I (E), II (F), III (G), VI (H). Scale bars: A, B, G, 200 µm; D-F, H, 500 µm.

FIG. 9. — Flavonuncia ubicki n. sp., SEM images of male paratype (MACN-Ar 45999) penis:A, B, ventral view;C, apical view; D, E, lateral view; F, G, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CI, capsula interna; VP, ventral plate. Scale bars: A, D, F, 200 µm, B, E, G, 100 µm, C, 50 µm.

FIG. 23. — SEM images comparing the penis shape and size of: A, F, K, Flavonuncia pupilla Lawrence, 1959; B, G, L, Flavonuncia ubicki n. sp.; C, H, M, Flavonuncia mahaka n. sp.; D, I, N, Flavonuncia vazimba n. sp.; E, J, O, Flavonuncia zanahary n. sp.; dorsal view (A-E); lateral view (F-J); ventral view (K-O). Colored structures: ventral plate (yellow), capsula interna (magenta). Scale bars: 50 µm.

FIG. 1. — Map showing the geographic distribution of revised material of Flavonuncia Lawrence, 1959: black cross: F. zanahary n. sp.; red cross: F. pupilla Lawrence, 1959; black triangle: F. ubicki n. sp.; black diamond: F. vazimba n. sp.; white circle with a black cross: F. mahaka n. sp.