Timesius vesicularis ( Gervais, 1844 )

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 : 385-387

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5661.3.5
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F6B8CFA9-BFD7-4DCF-B198-2FC3378FB637
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D1A87A6-FF9C-FFF8-FF67-0B90FE59DE43
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Timesius vesicularis ( Gervais, 1844 )
status

Treatment

Timesius vesicularis ( Gervais, 1844) View in CoL

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FBBCC948-1839-4CAE-B24C-41AF07BCFC7B

Figs. 2A–B View FIGURE 2 , 3A–B View FIGURE 3 , 4A–B View FIGURE 4 , 5A View FIGURE 5

Stygnus vesicularis Gervais 1844: 111 View in CoL , pl. 46, fig. 8.

Timesius vesicularis View in CoL : Simon 1879: 225; Roewer 1913: 458 (redescription), fig. 180; 1923: 581 (redescription), fig. 730; Pinto-da-Rocha 1997: 219 (redescription), fig. 556; Kury 2003: 227 (catalog).

Type material. Male holotype, from Colombia, Tolima Department, Nevado del Tolima [Pic Tolima], M. J. Goudot leg. (collector stated in the original publication, not on labels), dried and pinned, most appendages missing ( NHM 010305625) [examined]. This specimen, first deposited in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris), was studied by Roewer (1913) but Pinto-da-Rocha (1997) reported it as lost; it was rediscovered by the senior author in the NHM dry collection and given an accession number. Four original labels pinned with the type: “Columbia”; “ Stygnus vesicularis , Stygne vesiculaire, Pic Tolima, regione frigidissima”; “ Stygnus ”; “ S. vesicularis Gervais ”; and a printed one: “ Stygnus vesicularis Gervais ”.

Habitat. The specific ecosystem where this species occurs is unknown. However, one original label provides some insights: “ Pic Tolima, regione frigidissima ”. This information suggests that the most probable locality is the Nevado del Tolima, a high Andean (max. elevation 5,216 m a.s.l.) glaciated stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Central, Colombia. It is part of the National Natural Park “Los Nevados” and comprises diverse high Andean ecosystems, including the Páramo ( Mora et al. 1995). The reference “ regione frigidissima ” [very cold region] suggests that the species may have been collected in the Páramo like T. paramuno . The Nevado del Tolima, where T. vesicularis is presumably distributed, is part of the same mountain range, Cordillera Central, as the type locality of T. paramuno .

Diagnosis. Timesius vesicularis can be distinguished from T. paramuno sp. nov. by having two long spines on area III of dorsal scutum ( Figs. 2B, D View FIGURE 2 , 3B, D View FIGURE 3 ) (two short and separated tubercles in T. paramuno ) and small whitish-yellow granules on ocularium and dorsal scutum ( Figs. 2B, D View FIGURE 2 ) (vestigial whitish-yellow granules in T. paramuno ).

Description of the male holotype (NHM 010305625). Measurements. Dorsal scutum: maximal width: 4; total length: 6.2; carapace length: 2.6; carapace width: 2.7.

Coloration ( Figs. 2A–B View FIGURE 2 ). Body color reddish-brown with small whitish-yellow granules on ocularium, prosoma, opisthosoma, dorsal scutum, free tergites, and anal operculum; prosoma with a posterior median crossshaped whitish-yellow spot; coxa IV with whitish-yellow granules in lateral view. The chelicerae, pedipalps, and legs are the same color as the body.

Dorsum ( Figs. 3A–B View FIGURE 3 ). Dorsal scutum shape zeta, anterior margin without armature and posterior margin convex. Ocularium with three granules on each side, close to the eyes; prosoma with four granules, in two pairs, posterior to eyes; frontal hump same height as ocularium; sulcus between prosoma and opisthosoma evident in dorsal view; integumentary dome of ozopore not pronounced. Area I divided with one median tubercle on each half; area II undivided, with a row of four granules; area III with two adjacent large spines, sharp and strongly directed backwards; area III with four granules, equidistant from each other. Sulci between areas evident in the dorsal view. Free tergite I with nine granules, II with 10 granules, III with nine granules, some of the granules with an apical seta.

Venter . Genital operculum appearing smooth, anal operculum with granules, some with apical setae.

Chelicerae. Segment I smooth except for three retro-dorsal granules on the posterior margin of the bulla and various setae. Movable finger with four teeth (middle two being the largest) and fixed finger with five teeth (the three most basal being the largest).

Pedipalps ( Figs. 4A–B View FIGURE 4 ). Coxae with three ventral tubercles, the two basal most sharing a base. Trochanter with two dorsal and two ventral tubercles (distal one larger). Femur with one prolateral subapical large setiferous tubercle. Femur-tibia smooth on the dorsal surface. Tibia retrolateral iiiIii, prolateral iiII. Tarsus retrolateral IiIi, prolateral IIIi. Tarsal claw same length as tarsus.

Legs. Some legs are missing from the holotype. Leg I is complete on both sides; legs II only remain up to the femur, and there is only one complete but detached leg III (not known what side it belongs to). No article beyond coxae of leg IV is left. Coxae I: nine small tubercles ventrally, one prolateral and one retrolateral tubercle; II with one larger prolateral tubercle before ozopore, one retrolateral largefused to one from III, ventrally smooth; III with one prolateral tubercle fused to IV, ventrally smooth; IV with two small tubercles on dorsal subapical region, ventrally smooth. Legs with small, scattered tubercles; femora I– III unarmed. Tarsal formula: 6(3):?:4:?. Metatarsus I without metatarsal carinate setae (MtCS). Leg III with four proximal tarsal segments fused; fusion enlarged dorsally and at least three times the width of the rest of the tarsi ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ). Tarsal claws III –IV smooth .

Male genitalia. Unknown.