Nemastoma bidentatum martensi, Novak & Novak & Kozel & Schaider & Komposch & Lipovšek & Podlesnik & Paušič & Raspotnig, 2021

Novak, Tone, Novak, Ljuba Slana, Kozel, Peter, Schaider, Miriam Gudrun, Komposch, Christian, Lipovšek, Saška, Podlesnik, Jan, Paušič, Igor & Raspotnig, Günther, 2021, Hidden diversity within the Nemastoma bidentatum Roewer, 1914 complex (Opiliones: Nemastomatidae) Part I: Morphological evidence, European Journal of Taxonomy 777, pp. 1-67 : 45-46

Nemastoma bidentatum martensi ssp. nov. × N. bidentatum schmidti ssp. nov.

Figs 3 , 9O

Nemastoma (Stridulostoma) seliskari Hadži, 1973a: 48 , figs 33c, 37a−e.

Nemastoma bidentatum bidentatum – Martens 1978: 107 [partim: Nemastoma (Stridulostoma) seliskari Hadži, 1973 ].

Nemastoma bidentatum bidentatum × N. bidentatum sparsum – Novak & Gruber 2000: 286 [partim: Novo mesto, Mt. Mirna gora].

Nemastoma bidentatum pluridentatum – Schönhofer 2013: 36 [partim: Nemastoma (Stridulostoma) seliskari Hadži, 1973 , and Nemastoma seliskari Hadži, 1973 ].

Diagnosis

Typical male hybrids with Ch basal article with large hump in front of dorsal indentation, Ch-Apo with knee-like frontal flexion and narrowly drawn out upper portion, Pa-Fe club-shaped, but thinner than in N. b. schmidti ssp. nov., with four simple, equidistant ventral spines in distal Pa-Fe half, and Pa-Ti with minute hump.

Material examined

SLOVENIA – VL15 • 1 ♂; Prelože pri Lokvi ; 27 Sep. 2011; L. Slana Novak and T. Novak leg. (310/2011); PMSL. – VL35 • 3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; Ribnica – Ostrožno Brdo ; 27 Sep. 2011; L. Slana Novak and T. Novak leg. (324/2011, rev. 2015); PMSL. – VL53 • 1 ♂; Zabiče ; 27 Sep. 2011; L. Slana Novak and T. Novak leg. (301/2011, rev. 2015); PMSL. – WL05 • 1 ♂; Mt. Mirna gora; 28 Jul. 1948; A. Seliškar leg; PMSL. – WL17 • 1 ♂; Novo Mesto; Karaman leg. (107/1983 microscopic preparation, JH det., TN rev. 2017); PMSL .

Remarks

In Hadži’s original preparation, labelled “ Nemastoma bidentatum Roewer pulli”, with two cover glasses on the same microscope slide, there are two males and a female. One male corresponds to the type specimen of Nemastoma (Stridulostoma) seliskari Hadži, 1973 ( Hadži 1973a) . For this species, Hadži (ibid.) founded a new subgenus Stridulostoma based on the existence of an alleged “stridulatory organ” on the Fe III ( Hadži 1973a: figs 37č–d). Gruber (1976: 797) explained that the stridulatory organ alone does not justify establishing of a new subgenus, especially because this new species differs from N. (Lugubrostoma) triste pluridentatum Hadži, 1973 exclusively by possession of this organ, and accordingly, synonymized Stridulostoma with Nemastoma . Following these remarks, Schönhofer (2013: 36) synonymized N. seliskari with N. b. pluridentatum . We found that the portion of the Fe III, identified by Hadži (1973a) as a stridulatory organ in the type specimen, is in fact a depression-damage, caused by desiccation. Moreover, such damage is present in nearly all (sic!) the other femora of this freshly moulted specimen, but nothing resembles the fine lamellated structure shown in Hadži’s drawing (1973a: figs 37č–d). No similar structure was found in the specimens of Nemastoma collected later on Mt. Mirna gora. One might imagine that a careless inspection under a microscope at low magnification could result in the illusion of a ʻstridulatory organʼ. However, the drawing of its lamellae cannot be considered anything but a pure fabrication. Moreover, Pa-Fe in Hadži (1973a: fig. 33c), being under the same cover glass in the preparation, belongs to the same specimen, although Hadži (ibid.) ascribed it to N. (Lugubrostoma) triste pluridentatum . See remark under N. pluridentatum stat. nov.

Figures

Fig. 3. Distributional areas of six subspecies (circles) and hybrids (triangles, squares) within the Nemastoma bidentatum Roewer, 1914 in Slovenia and adjacent regions. Note that many localities overlap on the map.

Fig. 9. Nemastoma bidentatum Roewer, 1914 complex, ♂♂. Variation of the Ch basal article (medial view) in species, subspecies and hybrids.