Zygonopus packardi Causey

Shear, William A., 2010, 2385, Zootaxa 2385, pp. 1-62 : 36-38

Zygonopus packardi Causey

Figs. 48–55, Map 3

Zygonopus packardi Causey, 1960:77 , figs. 8. 9.

Trichopetalum packardi, Shear 1972:278 : figs. 514, 515.

Types: Male holotype ( AMNH) and male and female paratypes ( FSCA) from Patton’s Cave , 2 mi SE of Gap Mills, Monroe Co., West Virginia .

Diagnosis: Distinct from the other three species of the genus in much less enlarged sixth legpair ( Fig. 50); the lateral branch of the gonopod angiocoxite is much shorter than the median branch, and closely appressed to it; the bases of the gonopod coxae are widely separated and the lateral margin of the coxa on each side is angular and roughened.

Etymology: Named by Causey for Alphaeus S. Packard, the first American biologist to make a deliberate study of troglobiotic animals.

Male from Patton’s Cave, West Virginia: Length, 8.2 mm, width, 0.75 mm. Eyeless, unpigmented. Pregonopodal legs as in figs. Legpair 6 ( Fig. 50) only slightly larger than pairs 4 ( Fig. 48), 5 ( Fig. 49); femur somewhat enlarged distally, bowed; legpair 7 ( Fig. 51) of nearly normal size. Gonopods ( Fig. 52) with sternum bearing typical anterior swellings, coxae well-separated, heavily set with trichomes, trichomes triangularacute near midline, become longer, scale-like, laterodistally; lateral angles of coxae acute, trichomes long; 4 lateral setae on ech side short, straight. Angiocoxites divided, median branch 3–4 times longer than lateral branch, which is closely appressed to posterior side of median branch. Colpocoxites typical, fimbriate branches readily visible in both posterior and anterior views. Legpair 9 typical ( Fig. 53). Legpairs 10 and 11 with coxal glands ( Figs. 54, 55).

Female from Patton’s Cave, West Virginia: Length, 9.1 mm, width, 0.8 mm. Nonsexual characters as in male.

Distribution: See Map 3 for selected records. Each of the following records verified by the examination of at least one male. VIRGINIA: Alleghany Co.: Blue Spring Cave, 11 April 1970, L. Ferguson (VMNH). Bland Co.: Coon Cave, 4.3 mi SW Mechanicsburg, 10 May 1981, J. Holsinger (VMNH); Hamilton Cave, 1 May 1971, L. Ferguson (VMNH), no date or collector (FSCA); Newberry Bone Cave, 3 mi SW Mechanicsburg, “winter” 1981, B. Koerschner (VMNH); Repass Saltpetre Cave, 10 May 1966, J. Holsinger (FSCA); Perry Saltpetre Cave, no date or collector (FSCA). Craig Co.: Loney’s Cave, 18 April 1970, L. Ferguson (VMNH); Rufe Caldwell Cave, 1 July 1962, J. Holsinger (VMNH). Giles Co. : Canoe Cave, 25 February 1967, J. Holsinger, H. Steeves (FSCA); Clover Hollow Cave, 21 January 1962, J. Holsinger (FSCA); Doe Mountain Cave, 23 November 1999, D. Hubbard (VMNH); Echols Cave, 28 April 2000, D. Hubbard (VMNH); Giant Cave, October 1962, J. Holsinger (FSCA); Hopkin’s Cave, 1 mi S Narrows, no date, C. Krekeler (FSCA); New River Cave, 24 October 1976, L. Ferguson (VMNH), 8 March 1970, L. Knight (VMNH); Stearns Cave, no date or collector (FSCA); Straley’s Cave, no date or collector (FSCA); Tawney’s Cave, 11 August 1954, C. Krekeler (FSCA), 7 July 1970, W. Muchmore (VMNH); Montgomery Co: Old Mill Cave, 18–20 October 1971, L. Ferguson (VMNH). Pulaski Co.: Collier Cave, 22 June, 1997, D. Hubbard (VMNH); Fifty-foot Hell Cave, 3 mi NE Dublin, 5 October 1970, J. Holsinger (VMNH); Sam Bell’s Cave, 0.8 mi NNW Dublin, 24 July 1970, J. Holsinger (VMNH). Roanoke Co.: Dixie Caverns, 23 November 1961, J. Holsinger (FSCA). Wythe Co.: Campbell Cave, 15 March 2000, D. Hubbard (VMNH); Early’s Cave, 7 July 1997, D. Hubbard (VMNH); Gardner Cave, 6 September 1997, D. Hubbard (VMNH); Sam Six Cave, 25 August 1967, J. Holsinger (FSCA). WEST VIRGINIA: Mercer Co.: Beacon Cave, Bluefield, 5 December 1966, J. Holsinger (FSCA); Dyepot Cave, 5 December 1966, J. Holsinger (FSCA); Honaker Cave, 5 mi W Glen Lyn, 12 August 1957, C. Krekeler (FSCA). Monroe Co.: Fletcher’s Cave, 31 August 1967, J. Holsinger (FSCA), “Ketcher’s Cave (probably Fletcher’s Cave)” no date or collector (FSCA); McClung Zenith Cave, 31 January 1967, J. Holsinger (FSCA); Patton’s Cave, 2 mi SE Gap Mills, 7 August 1957, T. Barr (FSCA).

Literature records: Holsinger (1963) reports Z. packardi from VIRGINIA: Bland Co.; Newberry-Bane Caves; Giles Co. : Clover Hollow, Stearnes, Straley’s, Tawney’s Caves and Giant Caverns. Holsinger and Culver (1980) cite numerous localites in Bland and Giles Cos. , VIRGINIA, all already listed above. Holsinger, Baroody and Culver (1976) and Fong et al. (2007) report the following WEST VIRGINIA localities: Mercer Co.: Beacon, Caldwell, Dyepot, Honaker, and Panther Caves; Monroe Co.: Crossroad, Fletcher’s, McClung Zenith, and Patton Caves. Holsinger and Culver (1988) and Holsinger et al. (1976) cite numbers of caves in both Virginia and West Virginia as supporting Zygonopus populations, but males were not collected. For most of these caves, examination of the records given here for all four species allows good educated guesses as to the species present, but males are needed for confirmation.

Notes: Causey (1960), Holsinger et al. (1976)., and Fong et al. (2007) cite packardi from Organ Cave and The Hole, Greenbrier Co., West Virginia. I was not able to find the specimens from Organ Cave and have not seen material from The Hole, but the records would be extremely unlikely since they are far out of range for packardi and well within the range of Z. weyeriensis . Organ Cave is a part of the Greenbrier Cave System, from which weyeriensis has been collected, and Holsinger and Culver (1988) report Z. weyeriensis from Organ Cave itself; Fong et al. (2007) list both weyeriensis and packardi from Organ Cave and The Hole. While syntopy of these two species is remotely possible, I have not seen any evidence for it and conclude that only weyeriensis occurs in these central Greenbrier County caves.