Description

Description. Adult males (Figs 7 A, 8 A-E, G-I, 9 A-C, E-I, K, M). Color: anterior half of carapace yellowish brown, paler in posterior half; pedipalps reddish brown, paler in female; tergites brown, paler in legs; remainder yellow. Carapace (Figs 8 A, 9 A): 1.25 x longer than broad; surface smooth, but with a medial furrow; with two distinct eyespots situated near anterior margin of carapace; anterior margin with four setae, posterior margin with eight or nine setae, 34 or 35 in total, each seta acicular and very slightly curved; more lyrifissures on posterior margin. Chelicera (Figs 9 B, C, E): much smaller than carapace length; surface smooth; four setae (sbs absent) and two lyrifissures (exterior condylar lyrifissure and exterior lyrifissure) present on hand; movable finger with one galeal seta (shorter than others); bs and es dentate apically, is and ls long and acute. Fixed finger with five large retrorse teeth and two or three small apical teeth, movable finger with one large teeth; galea present, shorter and with seven or eight branchlets (Fig. 9 C). Serrula interior connected to fixed finger for entire length, proximally modified to form velum, serrula exterior with 26 lamellae, the basal one longest; lamina exterior present. Rallum composed of four blades, the basal two blades shorter than others, the distal two dentated anteriorly, remainder smooth (Fig. 9 E). Pedipalp (Figs 8 B-D, 9 F, G): stout, trochanter 1.52 - 1.59 x, femur 2.59 - 2.76 x, patella 1.93 - 1.94 x, chela with pedicel (without pedicel) 2.49 - 2.66 x (2.31 - 2.45 x), hand without pedicel 1.37 - 1.44 x longer than broad; movable chelal finger 0.56 - 0.61 x (0.63 - 0.71 x) longer than hand with pedicel (without pedicel). Setae generally long and acuminate. Retrolateral surface of trochanter, prolateral surface of patella, surface of femur and hand granular; trochanter with a rounded ventral tubercle and a well-developed conical dorsal tubercle. Fixed chelal finger with eight trichobothria, movable chelal finger with four trichobothria: eb and esb situated at base of fixed finger on retrolateral face, esb slightly distal to eb; ib and isb situated at base of fixed finger on prolateral face, isb slightly distal to ib; est in the middle of fixed finger; et near sub-distal of fixed finger; est closer to et than to esb; it slightly distal to est and proximal to et; ist situated proximal to est and distal to isb; it closer to ist than to fingertip; distance between est and esb nearly equal to that of ist and isb; b and sb situated at base of movable finger on retrolateral face; t in the middle of movable finger and at same level as est; sb closer to b than to st; st midway between t and sb (Fig. 9 G). Venom apparatus only present in fixed chelal finger, venom ducts curved and short, terminating in inflated nodus ramosus between et and est, closer to et. Both chelal fingers with a row of acute teeth, spaced contiguously along the margin, slightly rounded proximally: fixed chelal finger with 25 teeth; movable chelal finger with 32 teeth (nearly as large as teeth on fixed chelal finger), basal half with ten sense spots; without accessory teeth (Fig. 9 G). Femur without long tactile setae. Movable chelal finger slightly curved in lateral view (Figs 8 D, 9 G). Opisthosoma: typical, all setae long and acuminate, setal bases distinct larger; pleural membrane longitudinally striate, without setae. Tergites I and XI undivided and other tergites incompletely divided, tergal chaetotaxy I-XI: 8: 8: 9: 8: 15: 16: 17: 16: 17: 15 + (2 T): 10 + (4 T). Sternites XI undivided and other sternites divided, sternal chaetotaxy IV-XI: 7 - 8: 9 - 7: 8 - 7: 7 - 7: 8 - 9: 7 - 6 (4 T): 11 + (4 T). Anus (tergite XII and sternite XII) without raised rim. Anterior genital operculum with 12 setae, posterior margin with eight setae on each side and one or two lyrifissures. Male genitalia (Figs 8 E, 9 K, M): the distal part (l) of lateral apodemes with a distinctive inner ridge curved into semicircle; the hooked branch (br) bowed distally and terminated in a plate-like tip; the proximal part with a distinct dark sclerotized bar (c); the longitudinal fold of medial diverticula (d) with a projection midway along its length, forming a lobe bulge; the ejaculatory canal atrium (e) not well-developed, curved distally; the lateral rods (f) long and diverging proximally; the tip of dorsal apodeme (g) completely joined; the ventral diverticulum (h) bilobed; genital atrium without genital setae. Legs (Figs 8 G-I, 9 H, I): typical, fairly smooth, slightly stout; junction between femora and patellae I and II oblique. Femoropatella of leg IV 2.82 - 2.83 x longer than deep; tibia 3.55 - 3.80 x longer than deep; with basal tactile setae on tarsal segment: tarsus 4.14 - 4.15 x longer than deep (TS = 0.09 - 0.11); subterminal tarsal setae arcuate and acute. Arolium slightly longer than claws, not divided; claws smooth. Adult females (Figs 7 B, 8 F, 9 D, J, L): mostly same as the male, but a litter larger in body size; anterior half of carapace yellowish brown, paler in posterior half; pedipalps reddish brown, paler, and paler from fingertip to trochanter; tergites yellowish brown, paler in legs. Chelicera: hand with four setae; fixed finger with four large retrorse teeth and two or three small apical teeth, movable finger with a long, broadly rounded, subapical lobe; galea distinct relatively short, with seven or eight branchlets (Fig. 9 D); serrula exterior with 24 lamellae; rallum composed of four blades, the basal two blades shorter than others, the distal two dentated anteriorly, remainder smooth. Pedipalp: stout, trochanter 1.56 - 1.74 x, femur 2.50 - 2.51 x, patella 1.96 - 2.06 x, chela (with pedicel) 2.37 - 2.49 x, chela (without pedicel) 2.25 - 2.35 x, hand (without pedicel) 1.49 - 1.56 x longer than broad, movable chelal finger 0.56 - 0.55 x (0.59 - 0.61 x) longer than hand with pedicel (without pedicel). Dimensions (length / breadth or, in the case of the legs, length / depth in mm). Males (females in parentheses): body length 2.94 - 3.23 (3.13 - 3.69). Carapace 1.09 - 1.14 / 0.87 - 0.91 (1.16 - 1.20 / 0.91 - 0.95). Pedipalp: trochanter 0.50 - 0.54 / 0.33 - 0.34 (0.56 - 0.61 / 0.35 - 0.36), femur 0.96 - 1.02 / 0.37 (1.00 - 1.03 / 0.40 - 0.41), patella 0.87 - 0.93 / 0.45 - 0.48 (0.90 - 0.99 / 0.46 - 0.48), chela (with pedicel) 1.52 - 1.65 / 0.61 - 0.62 (1.68 - 1.72 / 0.69 - 0.71), chela (without pedicel) 1.41 - 1.52 (1.60 - 1.62), hand (with pedicel) 0.98 - 0.99 (1.13 - 1.19), hand (without pedicel) 0.85 - 0.88 (1.03 - 1.11), movable finger length 0.55 - 0.60 (0.63 - 0.66). Leg I: trochanter 0.21 - 0.22 / 0.19 - 0.20 (0.41 - 0.43 / 0.27 - 0.29), femur 0.31 - 0.35 / 0.24 (0.33 - 0.36 / 0.19 - 0.22), patella 0.50 - 0.56 / 0.21 - 0.24 (0.53 - 0.56 / 0.21 - 0.23), tibia 0.53 - 0.59 / 0.16 - 0.17 (0.51 - 0.61 / 0.15 - 0.17), tarsus 0.51 - 0.53 / 0.11 (0.46 - 0.53 / 0.10 - 0.12). Leg IV: trochanter 0.39 - 0.48 / 0.22 - 0.26 (0.44 - 0.45 / 0.24 - 0.29), femoropatella 0.96 - 1.02 / 0.34 - 0.36 (1.00 - 1.02 / 0.36 - 0.37), tibia 0.76 - 0.78 / 0.20 - 0.22 (0.80 - 0.83 / 0.21 - 0.22), tarsus 0.54 - 0.58 / 0.13 - 0.14 (0.56 - 0.57 / 0.14).

Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Arachnida

Order: Pseudoscorpiones

Family: Atemnidae

Genus: Catatemnus

Species: Catatemnus ramus Hou, Zhao & Zhang, 2023