Eremochelis branchi (Muma 1951)
Therobates branchi Muma, 1951: 85-86, figs 142-150
; Muma, 1962: 9; Muma, 1963: 1; Punzo, 1998g: figs 4-9a-b.
Eremochelis branchi (Muma): Muma, 1970a: 30; Muma, 1976: 19;
Brookhart and Brookhart, 2006: 315-316.
HOLOTYPE:
United
States.
California:
San Bernardino County - Twentynine Palms, July to August 1945 (Jefferson H. Branch),
males (including holotype), females (including allotype).
Deposited in American Museum of Natural History.
Original
description
Muma,
1951: 85-86, figs 142-150 (as Therobates branchi):
males:
Total length, 21.0 to 28.0 mm.
LENGTH WIDTH
Chelicerae 5.3-7.5 mm
2.2-3.0 mm.
Propeltidium 2.7-3.3
4.8-5.5
Palpi
24.0-29.0
-
1st legs
19.0-23.0
-
4th legs 31.0-36.0
-
Holotype, larger measurements.
Coloration in alcohol light to straw
yellow, with dusky purplish markings as follows: eye tubercle
dark; abdominal tergites faintly dusky; distal ends of metatarsi and all
of tarsi of palpi faintly dusky. Malleoli white.
Dentition of chelicerae variable but
following general pattern shown in figures 142 to 144. Movable finger
with a large principal tooth, two widely spaced intermediate teeth,
a small rounded anterior tooth, and an indistinct mesal tooth.
Supernumerary intermediate teeth are common. Fixed finger long and
narrow, with the ventral margin decidedly undulate. All fondal teeth are
distinct from dentate socket margin of movable finger. Fondal notch
U-shaped, about as wide as the base of the fixed finger and containing
one or more denticules.
Groove of fixed finger a deep,
parallel-sided slot that is mesoventral in position and does not extend
to the base of the finger. Flagellum complex typical of group,
with the apical plumose bristle not covering the distal fourth of the
mesoventral groove. Mesal setae of movable finger plumose on the
proximal half of the finger and simple distally.
Eye tubercle situated on the
anterior margin of propeltidium. Eyes separated by slightly more than
one diameter. Propeltidium wider than long by a ratio of 1 to 1.7.
Metatarsus and tibia of palpus
provided below with a double row of long, robust spines, with long,
heavy, cylinder bristles below and small fine ones above. Metatarsus
with a scopula of 40 to 50 widely spaced, rounded papillae on the
mesoventral surface which extends nearly the entire length of the
segment. Metatarsus of palpus about three and one-half times as long as
tarsus.
First post-spiracular
abdominal sternite provided with four long, linear ctenidia that extend
over the anterior margin of the next segment.
FEMALES:
Total length, 24.0 to 26.0 mm.
LENGTH WIDTH
Chelicerae 6.4-6.7 mm
2.4-2.5 mm.
Propeltidium 2.7-3.0
4.4-4.8
Palpi
22.0-23.0 -
1st legs
16.0-17.0 -
4th legs 28.0-29.0
-
Female allotype, larger measurements.
Coloration in alcohol similar to
that of males.
Dentition of chelicerae as shown in
figures 147 and 148. Movable finger with principal tooth large, two
widely spaced intermediate teeth, anterior tooth about two-thirds as
large as principal tooth, an uneven serration in front of anterior
tooth, and an indistinct mesal tooth. Fixed finger with principal and
medial teeth equally large, a smaller anterior tooth, two intermediate
teeth between principal and medial teeth, two between medial and
anterior teeth, and an uneven serration in front of anterior tooth.
Supernumerary teeth are common, especially on movable finger. Fondal
teeth same as in male.
Structure similar to that of
male except there is no scopula on the metatarsus of the palpus, and no
distinct ctenidia on the first post-spiracular abdominal sternite. Some
specimens have four trace ctenidia that are scarcely distinguishable
from setae clothing the abdomen.
Opercula of genital segment as
shown in figure 150.
PUBLISHED RECORDS:
United
States.
Nevada: Clark County - Las Vegas, summer 1932 (John Christensen and J. W.
Lugden), 2 females [Repository not identified]
