Leptopholcus hispaniola Huber, 2000

Huber, Bernhard A. & Wunderlich, Jörg, 2006, Fossil and extant species of the genus Leptopholcus in the Dominican Republic, with the first cases of egg-parasitism in pholcid spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae), Journal of Natural History 40 (41 - 43), pp. 2341-2360 : 2347-2350

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00222930601051196

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B2583A-FF90-1B33-FE40-FC38FCDCFF7C

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Leptopholcus hispaniola Huber, 2000
status

 

Leptopholcus hispaniola Huber, 2000 View in CoL

( Figures 2c, d, j View Figure 2 , 5 View Figure 5 , 6 View Figure 6 , 9b View Figure 9 )

L. hispaniola Huber 2000, p 77 View in CoL –79, Figures 300, 301 (female not conspecific, see below).

Type

Male holotype from Parque Nacional Bermudez Cienaga, La Vega Prov., Dominican Republic; tropical evergreen forest at 1100 m a.s.l., 19 July to 2 August 1995 (S. and J. Peck), in AMNH .

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known Caribbean congeners by the shapes of the apophyses on the male genital bulb ( Figures 5a View Figure 5 , 6a–c View Figure 6 , 9b View Figure 9 ), by the shape of the procursus ( Figure 5b View Figure 5 ), by the short male palpal trochanter apophysis ( Figure 5b View Figure 5 ), and by the internal sclerotized structures in the female genitalia ( Figures 2j View Figure 2 , 5c, d View Figure 5 ). From L. toma and L. baoruco also distinguished by the shorter abdomen tip ( Figure 2d View Figure 2 ).

Male (type locality)

For a detailed description of the male holotype see Huber (2000). All males from the type locality have distinct black spots in the area of the AME, lenses are either absent or not visible in the dissecting microscope; other eyes as usual: distance PME–PME 300 Mm; diameter PME 80 Mm; distance PME–ALE 20 Mm. Habitus as in Figure 2c, d View Figure 2 ; prosoma very pale ochre-grey, with darker band between eye triads extending over dorsal half of clypeus; sternum whitish, legs pale ochre, patellae and tibia–metatarsus joints dark (almost black), abdomen ochre-grey with black spots dorsally ( Figure 2c View Figure 2 ). Chelicerae not visibly different from those of L. baoruco (cf. Figure 3c View Figure 3 ), with indistinguishable distal apophyses ( Figure 6i View Figure 6 ). Palps as in Figure 5a, b View Figure 5 ; coxa unmodified, trochanter with small retrolateral and relatively short ventral apophyses, the latter with distal modified hair ( Figure 6h View Figure 6 ); femur with three small apophyses retrolaterally; procursus strongly bent dorsally, with distinctive distal structures ( Figure 6d View Figure 6 ); genital bulb with distinctive uncus and appendix and slightly sclerotized embolus ( Figures 5a View Figure 5 , 6a–c View Figure 6 , 9b View Figure 9 ); palpal tarsal organ capsulate ( Figure 6g View Figure 6 ). Prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae. Gonopore with four epiandrous spigots ( Figure 6e View Figure 6 ). Spinnerets as in L. baoruco (see above, and Figure 6f View Figure 6 ). Serrated hairs on tarsi 4 as in L. toma (cf. Figure 8g View Figure 8 ).

Variation

All males (and females) from the Cordillera Central (La Cienaga; near Jima) have distinct AME spots (sometimes apparently even lenses), while males (and females) from all other localities lack these spots as well as any trace of AME lenses. The genitalia (male and female) in all these specimens are indistinguishable. Tibia 1 in 36 males: 6.3–8.3 (mean: 7.2).

Female

The single female specimen available at the time of the original description was from Haiti, Damiens ( Huber 2000). The newly collected material clearly shows that this female specimen is not conspecific with the type specimen of L. hispaniola , but probably represents an undescribed species. Females of L. hispaniola have relatively short abdominal tips (similar to males), and the distinctive internal sclerotized structures in the genitalia differ markedly from those of the Haitian specimen (compare Figure 5d View Figure 5 with Figure 308 in Huber 2000). Tibia 1 in 56 females: 4.7–6.6 (mean: 5.4). Epigynum as in Figures 5c View Figure 5 , 6j View Figure 6 ; internal genitalia with oval pore plates ( Figures 5d View Figure 5 , 6m View Figure 6 ). Palpal tarsus with short distal cone-shaped claw, pair of strong hairs, and capsulate tarsal organ ( Figure 6l View Figure 6 ). Figure 6k View Figure 6 shows a female from La Cienaga with distinct AME pigment but without any trace of AME lenses. Serrated hairs on tarsi 4 as in male.

Distribution

Known from several localities in central, northern, and eastern Dominican Republic ( Figure 10 View Figure 10 )

Material examined (all collected by the first author)

Dominican Republic: La Vega Prov.: near La Cienaga, path to Los Tablones (19 ° 03.59N, 70 ° 53.09W),, 1200 m a.s.l., 3 „, 3♀ (8 November 2005); near La Cienaga, path along river (, 19 ° 039N, 70 ° 539W),, 1100 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 2 „, 5♀ (9 November 2005) GoogleMaps . Monseñor Nouel Prov.: forest at brook through plantation near Jima (19 ° 01.49N, 70 ° 28.89W),, 700 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 4 „, 8♀ (8 November 2005). GoogleMaps Samaná Prov.: forests near Saltos de Limón (, 19 ° 16.69N, 69 ° 26.59W),, 120 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 4 „, 13♀ (11 November 2005) GoogleMaps . Puerto Plata Prov.: N of La Cumbre (19 ° 34.39N, 70 ° 38.09W), forest near plantations, 600 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 2 „, 10♀ (13 November 2005). GoogleMaps Espaillat Prov.: near Jamao al Norte (19 ° 38.69N, 70 ° 26.99W), forest along river, 40 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 5 „, 2♀ (13 November 2005) GoogleMaps . Monte Plata Prov.: near Monte Plata (18 ° 48.79N, 69 ° 47.19W), forest along river, 60 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 2 „, 2♀ (21 November 2005); near Yamasá (18 ° 45.99N, 70 ° 01.29W), forest along river, 70 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 10 „, 6♀ (20 November 2005) GoogleMaps . Hato Mayor Prov.: N of Manchado (18 ° 50.29N, 69 ° 18.59W), forest near river, 150 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 2 „, 10♀ (21 November 2005) GoogleMaps . El Seíbo Prov.: near Miches (18 ° 56.89N, 69 ° 05.29W), forest with plantations,, 300 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 2 „, 3♀ (22 November 2005). GoogleMaps La Romana Prov.: near Batey El Gato (18 ° 27.79N, 69 ° 04.79W), near entrance to cave, 80 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 1 „, 1♀ (24 November 2005) GoogleMaps . Distrito Nacional: Santo Domingo, Jardin Botanico (18 ° 29.79N, 69 ° 57.29W), forest along brook, 50 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 3 „, 1♀ (27 November 2005) GoogleMaps .

Assigned tentatively: Puerto Plata Prov.: S of Puerto Plata, forest along path towards Isabel Torres National Park (19 ° 46.49N, 70 ° 42.39W),, 400 m a.s.l., underside of leaves, 1♀ (14 November 2005). Duarte Prov.: Reserva Scientifica Loma Quita Espuela,, 300 m a.s.l. (19 ° 419N, 70 ° 089W), one juvenile (10 November 2005) GoogleMaps .

AMNH

American Museum of Natural History

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Pholcidae

Genus

Leptopholcus

Loc

Leptopholcus hispaniola Huber, 2000

Huber, Bernhard A. & Wunderlich, Jörg 2006
2006
Loc

L. hispaniola

Huber BA 2000: 77
2000
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