Dicranopalpus cantabricus Dresco, 1953

Wijnhoven, Hay, Martens, Jochen & Prieto, Carlos E., 2022, Revision of the genus Dicranopalpus from northern Spain and Corsica, with descriptions of two new species (Arachnida, Opiliones, Phalangioidea), European Journal of Taxonomy 839, pp. 39-73 : 53-56

Dicranopalpus cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (revalidation)

Figs 4B , 5B , 6B, G , 9D , 11–13

Dicranopalpus cantabricus Dresco, 1953: 147–149 . Type locality: ‘‘Au-dessus du refuge des Puertos de Aliva, (…) au dela du Col Horcadina de Covarrobres (alt. 1900 m.) (43.16° N, 4.81° W) (province de Santander, presently Cantabria).’’

D. martini – Roewer 1953: 206. — Luque 1992: 150.

Dicranopalpus sp. – Merino & Anadón 2008: 203.

Diagnosis

Medium-sized, male dark brown coloured, leg femora in both sexes with trichomes.

Material examined

SPAIN • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Asturias, Río Cares, Camarmeña ; 43.157° N, 4.503° W; 320 m a.s.l.; 24 Apr. 2006; L. Crespo leg.; both specimens are partly bleached; ZUPV 4542 .

Description

Male

LENGTH. 3.4, width of prosoma 2.5, BLI 1.8.

DORSUM ( Fig. 4B ). Ground colour pale yellowish. Prosoma with dark brown spots and patches laterally and posteriorly of eye tubercle. Anterior and lateral margins of prosoma pale yellowish. Ozopores small, round. Dark brown saddle narrowing on opisthosomal tergites III–IV, widening on following tergites. Opisthosomal tergites with paramedian pairs of white spots and transverse rows of small dark spots.

EYE TUBERCLE. Greyish brown with silvery sheen, shallow, canaliculated (with longitudinal groove), slightly wider than long, and slightly tilted backwards, at about its length from anterior margin of carapace, dorsally with few minute black setae. Eyes surrounded by narrow black ring.

VENTER AND COXAE. Uniformly pale yellowish with scattered black setae.

CHELICERAE. Uniformly pale yellowish, segment I with distinct ventral spur; segment I dorsally, and segment II dorsally and medially near cheliceral claw with stout black setae ( Fig. 5B ).

PEDIPALPS ( Fig. 11A–C ). (Colouration of specimen faded, colour pattern probably as in D. gallaecicus sp. nov.) Compared to D. gallaecicus sp. nov., segments longer and more slender; femoral apophysis pale, more than half as long as femur width at its base, femur on ventral side with sensilla chaetica that are slightly longer than other setae on femur; patella slender, apophysis about as long as patella, slightly widening in distal half, in lateral view curved upwards ( Figs 6G , 11A, C ). Mediodistal apophysis of tibia a small knob ( Fig. 6B ). Tarsus straight, slightly bent ventrally in distal third section; claw pectinate ( Fig. 11B ).

LEGS. Leg lengths I–IV (in parentheses femur lengths): 25 (4.6); 46 (8.3); 28 (5.0); 37 (6.7). Colouration faded, colour pattern probably as in D. gallaecicus sp. nov. Leg segments cylindrical in cross section, dorsal and dorsolateral sides of femora with sensilla chaetica and a few small black spines. Femur I on dorsodistal half with trichomes, legs II to IV with trichomes, absent only on ventral side proximally. Patellae and tibiae densely covered with trichomes. Tibia II with 5 pseudo-articulations; metatarsi I–IV have 4, 9, 4 and 6 pseudo-articulations, respectively. Numerous bipterate setae on prolateral sides of metatarsus III and IV and in decreasing numbers on proximal tarsomeres 1–10 of leg III and 1–19 of leg IV.

PENIS ( Fig. 12 ). Long and slender; length 1.94; truncus widest in basal ⅓, tapering to glans ( Fig. 12A ). Intrinsic penial muscle in about basal 2 /5. Glans longer than wide, ventral margin continuing in a smooth line to horns ( Fig. 12G ); glans dorsally and ventrally sclerotized and provided with canaliculi; dorsal cavity large and ovoid ( Figs 12C–D, F–G ). Dorsal truncus–glans transition in a wide angle. A pair of sensory setae ( Fig. 12E ). Stylus about as long as glans, slightly curved ventrally; two slender horns positioned on stylus.

Female

LENGTH. 4.1, width of prosoma 2.4, BLI 1.9.

DORSUM. Colours of specimen faded.

PEDIPALPS ( Fig. 11D–E ). Femoral apophysis robust, nearly as long as femur width at base; patellar apophysis large, reaching to base of tibial apophysis, as thick as tibia. Mediodistal apophysis of tibia stout, as long as wide ( Fig. 11E ). Femur ventrally with large plumose setae, tibia ventrally with a row of 14 robust plumose setae.

LEGS. As in male. Leg lengths I–IV (in parentheses femur lengths): 23 (4.6); 40 (8.8); 25 (5.1); 38 (7.1). Trichomes on femora as in male. Tibia II with 3 pseudo-articulations; metatarsi I–IV with 4, 7, 3 and 6 pseudo-articulations, respectively.

SEMINAL RECEPTACLES. Located in ovipositor segments 6–7; two long tubes, each with a small lateral pocket at base ( Fig. 9D ).

Distribution and ecology

The locality of the redescribed specimens (Camarmeña, Asturias) is about 10 km from the type locality of D. cantabricus (Puertos de Áliva, Cantabria), in the Picos de Europa National Park ( Fig. 13 ). Roewer (1953) erroneously located his D. martini records of Monte de los Sagredales (municipality of Caso, Asturias) in the Sierra de Guadarrama. Records given by Merino & Anadón (2008) from the Reserva Natural Integral de Muniellos (municipality of Cangas de Narcea) are in the mountainous Asturias, and these are likely D. cantabricus . We tentatively ascribe the record of Luque (1992) from a coastal Cantabrian site (Ría de Tina Menor , municipality of Val de San Vicente) to this taxon. In summary, D. cantabricus is a Spanish endemite, probably restricted to the Cantabrian Mountains. Phenology unknown.

Figures

Fig. 4. Dorsal colour pattern of species of Dicranopalpus Doleschall, 1852, ♂ (A–C, E–F) and ♀ (D, G). A. D. insignipalpis (Simon, 1879) (CJM 7258). B. D. cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (ZUPV 4542). C–D. D. gallaecicus sp. nov. (CHW 491). E. D. pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948 (CJM 2649). F–G. D. catariegensis sp. nov. (F: CHW 469; G: paratype, CJM 9005). Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 5. Male right chelicera, left lateral view, right median view. A. Dicranopalpus insignipalpis (Simon, 1879) (CJM 7258). B. D. cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (ZUPV 4542). C. D. gallaecicus sp. nov. (CHW 491). D. D. pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948 (CJM 2647). E. D. catariegensis sp. nov. (CHW 470). Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 6. Details of male right pedipalps. A–E. Dorsal view of mediodistal apophysis on tibia. F–J. Ventral view of patella (setae omitted). A, F. Dicranopalpus insignipalpis (Simon, 1879) (CJM 7258). B, G. D. cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (ZUPV 4542).C, H. D. gallaecicus sp. nov. (CHW 491).D, I. D. pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948 (CJM 2649). E, J. D. catariegensis sp. nov. (CHW 469). Note the two sensilla basiconica, mostly occurring paired, near the distal margin of the tibia (A–E; see also BA in Fig. 3). Scale bar: A–E = 0.25 mm; F–J = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 9. Females. A. Dicranopalpus gallaecicus sp. nov., distal part of ovipositor with seminal receptacles. B–F. Seminal receptacles (C–E left side).B. D. insignipalpis (Simon, 1879) (CHW 474).C. D. gallaecicus sp. nov. (CHW 492). D. D. cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (ZUPV 4542). E. D. pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948 (CJM 2649). F. D. catariegensis sp. nov. (CHW 467). Scale bars: A = 0.5 mm; B–F = 50 μm.

Fig. 11. Dicranopalpus cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (ZUPV 4542). Right pedipalp. A–C. Male. D– E. Female. A, D. Median view. B. Claw. C, E. Dorsal view of patella and tibia. Scale bars: A, C–E = 0.5 mm; B = 50 μm.

Fig. 12. Dicranopalpus cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (ZUPV 4542). Penis. A. Ventral view. B. Lateral view. C–G. Glans. C. Dorsal view. D. Slightly dorsolateral view. E. Ventral view. F. Dorsolateral view. G. Lateral view. Scale bars: A–B = 0.5 mm; C–G = 50 μm.

Fig. 13. Map of the northwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula with the known distribution of Dicranopalpus gallaecicus sp. nov. (red symbols) and Dicranopalpus cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (blue symbols). Dots: studied samples; squares: literature records; diamonds, photographic records. Type localities are indicated by a black spot.