Revalidation of Santinezia albilineata Roewer , 1932 ( Arachnida : Opiliones : Cranaidae )

2202 2009), however a systematic revision is yet needed. The only cranaine genus studied under phylogenetic treatment is Santinezia Roewer, 1923, which has almost 30 species described from Panama to Brazil, with an Andean-Amazonic distribution, and only one species from Central America (Kury 2003; Pinto-daRocha & Kury 2003; Townsend & Milne 2010). In a taxonomic review of Santinezia from Venezuela (González-Sponga 2003), 11 new species and two new subspecies were described and a new combination was proposed; a few months later, a taxonomic and systematic review of the genus was published (Pintoda-Rocha & Kury 2003), which included only species prior to the aforementioned paper, being composed of 17 species assembled in three groups: curvipes, festae and gigantea, distributed in northern South America. Both articles reached similar conclusions in several taxonomic points, as in the establishment of the synonymy between S. francourbanii Avram, 1987 and S. curvipes Roewer, 1916, however, there are some points of disagreement on the taxonomic status of three populations of the genus inhabiting the central track of Cordillera de La Costa, in Venezuela, specifically: Henri Pittier National Park, a locality near San Casimiro (both in the Aragua State) and El Avila National Park (in the Capital District and Miranda State). While González-Sponga (2003), accepts these three populations as an equal number of species (S. curvipes Distrito Capital and Miranda; S. marcuzzii north of Aragua State and S. albilineata south of Aragua State), Pinto-da-Rocha & Kury (2003) recognize only one species: S. curvipes. In the present note the external morphology and the genital structure of the males of three localities were studied, to resolve the taxonomic status of populations referred as Santinezia curvipes (Roewer, 1916) or its current synonym: S. albilineata Roewer, 1923, and the revalidation of the last species is proposed. Abstract: Santinezia albilineata Roewer, 1923 is revalidated from the synonymy of Santinezia curvipes (Roewer, 1916). Both species, which inhabit the central northern costal mountain range in Venezuela, are illustrated and compared. Santinezia albilineata can be differentiated easily from S. curvipes, by the following characters of the males: development and direction of the ventral process of the coxa IV, direction of the retrolateral distal tubercle of the trochanter IV, perpendicular with blunt tip in S. albilineata and sharp and posteriorly projected in S. curvipes; retrolateral proximal tubercle of the femur IV absent, this is present in S. curvipes. The genital characters in S. albilineata are: ventral plate with five lateral setae, the three proximal aligned and larger. Distal setae distal straight. With two small mesodorsal setae. S. curvipes ventral plate with five non-aligned lateral setae, the basal largest and located at the height of the lateral expansion, the four remaining grouped medially. Absence of mesodorsal setae.

2009), however a systematic revision is yet needed.The only cranaine genus studied under phylogenetic treatment is Santinezia Roewer, 1923, which has almost 30 species described from Panama to Brazil, with an Andean-Amazonic distribution, and only one species from Central America (Kury 2003;Pinto-da-Rocha & Kury 2003;Townsend & Milne 2010).
In a taxonomic review of Santinezia from Venezuela (González-Sponga 2003), 11 new species and two new subspecies were described and a new combination was proposed; a few months later, a taxonomic and systematic review of the genus was published (Pintoda-Rocha & Kury 2003), which included only species prior to the aforementioned paper, being composed of 17 species assembled in three groups: curvipes, festae and gigantea, distributed in northern South America.
Both articles reached similar conclusions in several taxonomic points, as in the establishment of the synonymy between S. francourbanii Avram, 1987 andS. curvipes Roewer, 1916, however,  In the present note the external morphology and the genital structure of the males of three localities were studied, to resolve the taxonomic status of populations referred as Santinezia curvipes (Roewer, 1916) or its current synonym: S. albilineata Roewer, 1923, and  Emended diagnosis: Carapace reticulated dark brown on yellowish-brown background; abdominal scute reddish-brown with mesotergal areas slightly darker (Image 1).Ventral tubercles of the coxa IV short (two times larger than wide), projected posteriorly, forming an acute angle with the rear margin of the coxa (Image 2); retrolateral distal tubercle of the trochanter IV sharp and posteriorly projected (Image 3); presence of a retrolateral proximal tubercle in the femur IV (Images 3-4).Penis: Ventral plate with five non-aligned lateral setae, basal largest and located at the height of lateral expansion, the four remaining grouped medially.Absence of mesodorsal setae; distal setae of the ventral plate curved.Distal cleft of the ventral plate shallow.Ratio length/width of the plate  -6).Species of the genus Santinezia frequently present conspicuous sexual dimorphism.Females of S. curvipes have differences with the males, on the yellow spots, showing additional spots on the groove III in the dorsal scute (Image 5).This species can be distinguished from S. albilineata, by the absence of spots inside mesotergal area III (S. albilineata has two elongate spots) (Image 10).
Complete descriptions of this species were done by Roewer (1916) and González-Sponga (2003).Here we present only diagnostic characters.
Remarks: After studying specimens from two localities in the central track of Cordillera de la Costa, we do not find characters to separate the populations in as many species as it has been proposed in the literature (González-Sponga 2003).An analysis of the penis and morphometry suggests that the decision taken by Pinto-da-Rocha & Kury (2003) was correct, proposing S. marcuzzi as a junior synonym of S. curvipes.The specimens of Parque Nacional El Ávila, were smaller than those of Parque Nacional Henri Pittier, and subtle differences have been observed in the position of the more distal mesal seta and the shape of the distal portion of the ventral plate (Figs.4-6) however, they do not have other differences that allow us to separate them as two species.
there are some points of disagreement on the taxonomic status of three populations of the genus inhabiting the central track of Cordillera de La Costa, in Venezuela, specifically: Henri Pittier National Park, a locality near San Casimiro (both in the Aragua State) and El Avila National Park (in the Capital District and Miranda State).While González-Sponga (2003), accepts these three populations as an equal number of species (S. curvipes -Distrito Capital and Miranda; S. marcuzzii -north of Aragua State and S. albilineata -south of Aragua State), Pinto-da-Rocha & Kury (2003) recognize only one species: S. curvipes.