Timesius Simon, 1879

Damron, Brittany, Moreno-González, Jairo A. & Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo, 2025, Systematic placement of the enigmatic genus Timesius Simon, 1879 (Opiliones, Laniatores, Nomoclastidae), with description of a new species from the Colombian Andes, Zootaxa 5661 (3), pp. 381-393 : 384

Timesius Simon, 1879 , new familial assignment urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D745EE3C-EE6A-49A3-A119-12E7D0A27E5D

Timesius Simon 1879: 225 ; Roewer 1913: 458 (redescription); 1923: 581 (redescription); Mello-Leitão 1926: 366 (redescription); 1932: 431 (redescription); Kästner 1937: 389 (citation); Pinto-da-Rocha 1997: 218 (redescription); Kury 2003: 181 (catalog).

Type species. Stygnus vesicularis Gervais, 1844 , by monotypy.

Species included. Timesius vesicularis ( Gervais, 1844) and Timesius paramuno sp. nov.

Distribution. Colombia: Tolima department, Central Cordillera.

Diagnosis. Timesius has a very distinctive zeta body shape ( Figs. 2A–D , 3A–D ) and swollen male basitarsus III ( Fig. 5A, B ) when compared to the other Nomoclastinae genera, in which the body is rounded and male tarsomeres are about the same size. The scutal areas I, II, IV, posterior margin of dorsal scutum and free tergites are unarmed; scutal area III has paired armature, short or long, adjacent to each other and directed backwards ( Fig. 3A–D ), differing from other genera of the subfamily, which present a pair of long and separated spines on area III and free tergites with paired armature ( Callcosma , Kichua Pinto-da-Rocha & Bragagnolo, 2017, and Quindina , see Kury & Villarreal 2015; Pinto-da-Rocha & Bragagnolo 2017), or only free tergites with unpaired armature ( Napostygnus Roewer, 1929 , see Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2012 and Pinto-da-Rocha & Bragagnolo 2017). Penis (based on Timesius paramuno sp. nov.) does not have a conspicuous dorsal process (present only in Napostygnus see Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2012; Fig. 3 B–C ) ( Fig. 6A ); the ventral plate is somewhat similar to Napostygnus in shape and the macrosetae C are placed more medially ( Fig. 6B ), instead of laterally as in most species of the subfamily.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Timesius Simon, 1879, dorsal (A, C) and lateral (B, D) male habitus aspects. A, B. Timesius vesicularis (Gervais, 1844). C, D. Timesius paramuno sp. nov. Scale bars= 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 3. Timesius Simon, 1879, schematic representations of dorsal (A, C) and lateral (B, D) male habitus aspects. A, B. Timesius vesicularis (Gervais, 1844). C, D. Timesius paramuno sp. nov. Scale bars= 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 5. Timesius Simon, 1879, male third leg lateral (A, B) aspects. A. Timesius vesicularis (Gervais, 1844). B. Timesius paramuno sp. nov. Scale bars= A: 2.5 mm; B: 2.0 mm.

FIGURE 6. Timesius paramuno sp. nov., male holotype penis, schematic representation. A. Dorsal aspect. B. Lateral aspect. C. Ventral aspect. Scale bar= 0.5 mm.