Hesperocranum rothi, Ubick & Platnick, 1991

Ubick & Platnick, 1991, On Hesperocranum, A New Spider Genus from Western North America (Araneae, Liocranidae), American Museum Novitates 3019 (1), pp. 1-12 : 11-12

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.814908

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6282004

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038ED400-8216-FFC9-FF33-F5B2B49DA4ED

treatment provided by

Jeremy

scientific name

Hesperocranum rothi
status

sp. nov.

Hesperocranum rothi View in CoL , new species

Figures 1-4 View Figs , 17-30 View Figs View Figs View Figs View Fig

TYPES: Male holotype and female allotype from 5.8 mi. E of Highway 4 on Boards Crossing Road, Stanislaus National Forest, Tuolumne Co., California (Aug. 17,1990; D. Ubick), deposited in AMNH .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a patronym in honor of Mr. Vincent D. Roth, collector of this and many other unusual spiders, who first recognized the species as new.

DIAGNOSIS: With the characters of the genus and genitalia as in figures 25-29.

MALE: Total length 2.28-3.23 (2.66 ± 0.30). Carapace length 1.13-1.36 (1.23 ± 0.07), width 0.92-1.03 (0.97 ± 0.03; N = 8); holotype total length 2.77, carapace 1.23 long, 0.97 wide, femur II 0.94 long. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.08, ALE 0.09, PME 0.08, PLE 0.09; AME-AME 0.03, AME-ALE 0.02, PME-PME 0.08, PME-PLE 0.04, ALE- PLE 0.03; MOQ length 0.21, front width 0.18, back width 0.23. Palpus as illustrated (figs. 21-27).

FEMALE: Total length 2.69-4.06 (3.29 + 0.34). Carapace length 1.18-1.46 (1.32 ± 0.07), width 0.95-1.18 (1.07 ± 0.06; N = 27); allotype total length 2.73, carapace 1.27 long, 1.05 wide, femur II 1.03 long. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.08, ALE 0.10, PME 0.09, PLE 0.09; AME-AME 0.03, AME- ALE 0.02, PME-PME 0.06, PME-PLE 0.05, ALE-PLE 0.03; MOQ length 0.21, front width 0.18, back width 0.23. Epigynum as illustrated (figs. 19, 28, 29).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: UNITED STATES: Oregon: Lane Co.: Limberlost Camp, 6 mi E Mckenzie Bridge , 122°02' W, 44º10' N, June 5, 1957 (B. Malkin, AMNH), 1♀ . California: Siskiyou Co.: 3 mi E McCloud , Sept. 2, 1959 (V. Roth, W. J. Gertsch, AMNH), 1♂ ; Dunsmuir , June 22, 1984 (R. West, CNC), 1♀ . Plumas Co.: 13 mi N Quincy , Sept. 5, 1988, decaying logs (D. Ubick, CDU), 1♀ . Sierra Co.: The Cups, Sierra City , Sept. 6, 1959 (W. J. Gertsch, V. Roth, AMNH), 1♀ . El Dorado Co.: 1 mi SW Meyers , May 24, 1986, May 28, 1988, May 5-6, 1990, June 16, 1990, around cabin (W. H. Tyson, CDFA, CDU), 6♀; Fallen Leaf Lake , Sept. 9, 1959 (W. J. Gertsch, AMNH), 1♀ ; 4 mi W Kyburz , Sept. 15, 1959 (W. J. Gertsch, V. Roth, AMNH), 2♂, 3♀ . Alpine Co.: Carson Iceberg Wilderness, 2.6 mi E of E shore of Lake Alpine , Aug. 17, 1990, elev. 7900 ft, under decomposing douglas fir logs (D. Ubick, CDU), 2♂ . Tuolumne Co.: 5.8 mi E Hwy 4 on Boards Crossing Road , Stanislaus National Forest , Aug. 17,1990, elev. 4000 ft, in ponderosa pine bark litter (D. Ubick, CDU, CAS), 4♂, 4♀ ; SW end of Calaveras South Grove Natural Preserve, Calaveras Big Trees State Park , Aug. 18, 1990, elev. 4600 ft, in ponderosa pine bark litter (D. Ubick, CDU), 1♀ ; Yosemite National Park, Aspen Valley , Sept. 4, 1958 (V. Roth, AMNH), 1♀ ; 6 mi S Mather , Sept. 4, 1958 (V. Roth, AMNH), 2♀ . Mariposa Co.: Yosemite National Park, Glacier Point , Sept. 27, 1944, elev. 7200-7600 ft (B. Malkin, AMNH), 1♀ . Mono Co.: Big Bend Campground, 5 mi W Lee Vining , Sept. 21, 1961 (W. Ivie, W. J. Gertsch, AMNH), 1♀ . Fresno Co.: Shaver Lake , Sept. 12, 1959 (W. J. Gertsch, V. Roth, AMNH), 2♂, 1♀ ; Kings Canyon National Park, Cedar Grove , Sept. 13, 1959 (V. Roth, W. J. Gertsch, AMNH), 1♀ . Tulare Co.: Sequoia National Forest, Sequoia Guard Station , Aug. 24, 1979, elev. 5000 ft (D. Ubick, CDU), 1♀ ; Quaking Aspen Camp , Sept. 9, 1959 (W. J. Gertsch, V. Roth, AMNH), 1♀ .

DISTRIBUTION: Oregon and California (fig. 30).

NATURAL HISTORY: Hesperocranum rothi appears to be restricted to coniferous forests, ranging in elevation from about 2500-3500 ft in Oregon and northern California and from about 4000-8000 ft in the Sierra Nevada. Known collections are from beneath logs and bark debris. The series of specimens from the Stanislaus National Forest was sifted from the bark litter accumulation surrounding the base of a single large ponderosa pine. Female specimens have been collected from May to September, males in August and September.

Three specimens, two mature males and a juvenile, were maintained in captivity for a period of five months. During this time they proved to be very reluctant feeders, refusing live Drosophila but occasionally accepting live Psocoptera and Collembola as well as freshly killed Drosophila .

AMNH

USA, New York, New York, American Museum of Natural History

CNC

Canada, Ontario, Ottawa, Canadian National Collection of Insects

CDU

CDU

CDFA

USA, California, Sacramento, California State Collection of Arthropods

CAS

USA, California, San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Liocranidae

Genus

Hesperocranum

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