Dicranopalpus gallaecicus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: F6BADA91-F315-4D06-BA39-B78ED74C522D

Figs 4C–D, 5C, 6C, H, 9A, C, 13–16, 17A

Dicranopalpus martini – Prieto et al. 2020: 50.

Diagnosis

Medium-sized species, males with dark prosoma, with pale patch in front of eye tubercle. Legs dark brown, femora lack trichomes.

Etymology

The name of the new species refers to the type locality in the north-westernmost Spanish autonomous community of Galicia, in Latin Gallaecia, here with masculine ending, and used as an adjective.

Material examined

Holotype SPAIN – Galicia • 1 ♂; Pontevedra, O Grove; 42.468° N, 08.898° W; 119 m a.s.l.; 23 Apr. 2019; H. Wijnhoven leg.; pine and eucalyptus forest, collected from loose strips of eucalyptus bark and from a rock face; deposited in collection of Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, Leiden, Netherlands; CHW 491.

Paratypes SPAIN – Galicia • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; deposited in collection of Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands; CHW 492 • 6 ♂♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; CHW 493 • 12 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; CHW 494 • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; deposited in collection of C. Prieto, Spain; ZUPV ·6164 • 8 ♂♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; deposited in Senckenberg Research Institute, Arachnology, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; CJM 8152.

Additional material

SPAIN – A Coruña, Santiago, Monte Pedroso • 2 ♀♀; 42.900° N, 8.561° W; 363 m a.s.l.; 12 May 1977; J.C. Otero leg.; pitfall trapping; ZUPV 5932 • 1 ♀; 42.899° N, 8.572° W; 320 m a.s.l.; 28 Oct. 1977; J.C. Otero leg.; ZUPV 5940 • 1 ♀; 42.890° N, 8.557° W; 280 m a.s.l.; 23 Apr. 1977; J.C. Otero leg.; ZUPV 5949.

Description

Male (holotype)

LENGTH. 2.9, width of prosoma 1.9, BLI 1.9.

DORSUM (Figs 4C, 15). Ground colour pale yellowish. Prosoma dark brown to almost black, anterior margin of prosoma, and area proximally of eye tubercle pale yellowish. Ozopores oval-shaped, small. Black saddle wide on prosoma, narrowing on opisthosomal tergites I–IV, widening on following tergites. Opisthosomal tergites with paramedian rows of white spots. Tergite IX and lateral margins of opisthosomal tergites pale.

EYE TUBERCLE. Base pale yellowish, dorsally greyish, with silvery sheen most distinct around eyes, shallow, canaliculated, slightly wider than long, and somewhat tilted backwards, at less than its length from anterior margin of carapace, dorsally with a few minute black setae. Eyes with narrow black ring.

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

CHELICERAE (Fig. 5C). Pale yellowish, segment I with dorsolateral brown patch, segment II in dorsoproximal area dark; ventral spur distinct, segment I dorsally, and segment II dorsally and medially near cheliceral claw with stout black setae.

PEDIPALPS (Figs 6C, H, 14A–C). Pale yellowish, femur in proximal half, and patella and tibia dorsally with dark brown patches; femoral apophysis pale, robust, about 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 stout, shorter than patella, rod-shaped, widest in distal half (Fig. 6H), in lateral view distinctly curved upwards (Fig. 14A). Tibia mediodistally with a protrusion (Fig. 6C). Tarsus straight, slightly bent ventrally in distal third section; claw pectinate (Fig. 14B).

LEGS. Leg lengths I–IV (in parentheses femur lengths): 20 (3.6); 35 (6.2); 21 (3.6); 28 (5.1). Dark brown, trochanters, proximal femur portions, joints and pseudo-articulations paler, additional small pale spots on femora, particularly around the three isolated femoral dorsal slit sensilla (see Wijnhoven 2013, fig. 10B). Tibiae have lighter band in midsection. Leg segments cylindrical, dorsal and dorsolateral sides of femora with sensilla chaetica and a few small black spines. Patellae and tibiae densely covered with trichomes. Tibiae I–IV with 0, 4, 3 and 3 pseudo-articulations, respectively; metatarsi I–IV with 3, 6, 3 and 5 pseudo-articulations, respectively. Tarsi I–IV with 47, 66, 46 and 54 segments, respectively. Numerous bipterate setae on prolateral sides of metatarsus III and IV and in decreasing numbers on proximal tarsomeres 1–7 of leg III and 1–10 of leg IV.

PENIS (Fig. 16). Long, robust; length 1.78; truncus slightly widening from base, narrowing in midsection, narrowest in the middle; intrinsic penial muscle in about the basal 2 /5. Glans ovoid, robust, dorsally and ventrally sclerotized and provided with canaliculi, dorsal cavity large, ovoid. Dorsal truncus to glans transition forming a sharp angle (Fig. 16E–F). Sensory setae missing. Stylus about as long as glans, distinctly S-curved; horns slender.

VARIABILITY. In some specimens, the dorsal saddle is dark brown, and the tergites VII–VIII are a contrasting reddish-brown.

Female

LENGTH. 4.3, width of prosoma 2.5, BLI 1.1.

DORSUM (Figs 4D, 15). Prosoma with dark brown spots, lateral margins near ozopores dark brown; anterior margin of prosoma and area proximally of eye tubercle silvery. Opisthosoma with small dark brown paramedian patches on tergites III–IV, tergites V–VI with extended dark brown paramedian patches, central area light brown. Opisthosomal tergites with paramedian pairs of white spots and transverse rows of small dark spots.

VENTER AND COXAE. Pale yellowish, with scattered black setae. All coxae with subapical dark band. Margins of sternites dark.

PEDIPALPS (Fig. 14D–E). Pale yellowish, with dark brown bands on basal half of femur, distal portion of patellar apophysis and tibial apophysis; tibia dark in midsection, dorsolaterally with dark brown elongated patch. Femoral apophysis robust, half as long as femur width, patellar apophysis large, reaching base of tibial apophysis, as thick as tibia. Mediodistal apophysis on tibia as long as wide. Tarsus straight, claw pectinate.

LEGS. Leg lengths I–IV (in parentheses femur lengths): 16 (2.7); 29 (5.2); 17 (2.7); 24 (4.5). Colouration as in male. Patella, tibia and tarsus of all legs with trichomes. Tibia II with four pseudo-articulations; metatarsi I–IV with 3, 5, 3 and 4 pseudo-articulations, respectively.

SEMINAL RECEPTACLES (Fig. 9A, C). Ovipositor with 22 segments, seminal receptacles in segments 6–8; two long tubes, each proximally with an additional lateral pocket.

Distribution and ecology

Dicranopalpus gallaecicus sp. nov. is a Spanish endemic species, its distribution probably being restricted to the Galician region (Fig. 13).

The type locality (Fig. 17A) is a wooded slope consisting of a Pinus L. and Eucalyptus L’Hér. tree plantation, undergrowth mainly with Common gorse (Ulex europaeus L.). Individuals were present in considerable numbers, and could easily be collected especially on and among shed strips of Eucalyptus bark, hanging from the trees or laying on the forest floor. In two cases, individuals were found in resting position on a shaded rock face.

Records based on photos (from https://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/insectarium/; record number in parentheses) included (Fig. 13): 1 (sub)adult ♀, Pontevedra, Vigo, 21 Apr. 2017 (969655); 1 juv. ♀, Parque forestal do Vixiador, 8 Dec. 2018 (1194231); 1 juv., Parque forestal do Vixiador, 10 Feb. 2019 (1075602); 1 (sub)adult ♀, Pontevedra, Cercedo, 18 Mar. 2017 (985496); 1 ♀, Lugo, Villalba, 11 Jun. 2014 (593557); 1 juv. ♀, Lugo, Villalba, 19 Dec. 2014 (660313); 1 ♂, Lugo, Villalba, 1 Apr. 2015 (679111); 1 ♂, Lugo, Villalba, 17 Apr. 2016 (783897); 1 juv. ♀, Lugo, Villalba, 17 Feb. 2019 (1075059).

A species of lower altitudes, with recorded altitudes between 119 and 428 m a.s.l.

Phenology: juveniles have been found in December and February, subadults in March and April, adults from April to October, suggesting that eggs hatch in autumn, juveniles overwinter and adults appear in spring.