Heteroonops andros, Platnick & Dupérré, 2009

Platnick, Norman I. & Dupérré, Nadine, 2009, The Goblin Spider Genus Heteroonops (Araneae, Oonopidae), With Notes on Oonops, American Museum Novitates 3649, pp. 1-72 : 38

Heteroonops andros , new species

Figures 169–175

TYPE: Female holotype taken in a Berlese sample of coastal coppice litter at Pigeon Cay , Andros Island, Bahama Islands (May 1–6, 1994; R. Anderson), deposited in AMNH (PBI_OON 21177) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality.

DIAGNOSIS: Females can be recognized by the triangular anterior receptaculum with a wide, translucent sac (figs. 173–175).

MALE: Unknown.

FEMALE (PBI_OON 21177, figs. 169– 172): Total length 1.80. Palpal patella prolaterally dilated at half its length. Abdominal venter without pair of subcuticular dark spots just anterior of spinnerets. Leg spination (leg II missing): femora: I d1-0-0; III, IV d1-0-1; tibiae: I v0-2-2; III p1-1-0, v0-2-2, r0-1-0; IV d0-1-0, p1-0-1, v0-1-2, r1-0-1; metatarsi: I v2- 0-2; III d1-0-0, v0-2-2, r1-0-1; IV d1-0-0, p1-0- 1, v2-1-2, r1-0-1. Palpal spination: femur v1-1- 1, patella p0-1-1, tibia p1-1-2, v1-1-2, tarsus p1-3-1, v2-1-2. Anterior receptaculum consisting of sclerotized triangle leading to membranous sac; posterior receptaculum with presumed secretory glands arrayed in rows (figs. 173–175).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: None.

DISTRIBUTION: Bahama Islands.

The Cuban Species

The paper on Cuban oonopids by Dumitresco and Georgesco (1983) includes descriptions of at least three species that may belong to Heteroonops , but all three descriptions are problematic. As indicated above, the specimens studied by those investigators are not available on loan, but probably wouldn’t prove to be very helpful even if they could be re-examined. Judging from the detailed figures in their paper, Dumitresco and Georgesco treated the specimens like mites, and probably mounted them in Hoyer’s medium on ‘‘permanent’’ slides. During that process, the male and female genitalia would have been smashed flat by the weight of the cover slips, making comparisons with normal, three-dimensional specimens difficult.

The only Cuban specimens of the genus we have been able to examine are the two females of H. spinimanus recorded above. Dumitresco and Georgesco (1983: 88, pl. 13, figs. 1–5) recorded one female of that species from the Isla de Pinos, but we are not convinced that this female was correctly identified. First, as noted above, Dumitresco and Georgesco indicated that this specimen lacks a dilation on the palpal patella; in addition, their illustrations show that the anterior receptaculum is scarcely expanded at its anterior end. One possible complication is that the overall appearance of the female genitalia, in this species (and perhaps the others), depends on whether or not the epigastric furrow is open; a conical projection at the rear of the anterior portion of the female genitalia apparently inserts into a conical invagination at the front of the posterior portion, when the furrow is closed (see fig. 131) .

They described a second species as ‘‘ Heteroonops (?) colombi n. sp. ’’ ( Dumitresco and Georgesco, 1983: 90, pl. 14, figs. 1, 2). Again, they had a single female, from the Cueva Cinco Cuevas in La Habana province. That female is missing both pedipalps, and hence its generic placement remains debatable. They presented only a ventral view of the female genitalia, which do not closely resemble those of any of the species of Heteroonops known to us. The identity and placement of this species will remain enigmatic until topotypical specimens become available for study.

Finally, those authors (Dumitesco and Gerogesco, 1983: 81, pl. 10, figs. 1–7) assigned to Oonops castellus Chickering three specimens from two widely separated Cuban localities. They noted some discrepancies between their specimens and those described from the Virgin Islands by Chickering, but concluded that the differences did not justify the establishment of a new species for any of the Cuban specimens. Their illustrations suggest that these Cuban specimens may belong to Heteroonops , but they also leave little doubt that they do not belong to H. castellus . Here again, the generic and specific placement of these specimens will remain indeterminate until topotypical material can be obtained for study.

Figures

Figs. 169–175. Heteroonops andros, new species, female. 169. Carapace, dorsal view. 170. Habitus, ventral view. 171. Same, lateral view. 172. Carapace and palp, anterior view. 173. Epigastric region, ventral view. 174. Genitalia, ventral view. 175. Same, dorsal view.