Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain

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  Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain Abstract A taxonomic revision of the species of Nemesia Audouin, 1826, distributed in the vicinity of Córdoba City, southern Spain, is presented. Four new species are described: Nemesia morana sp. nov. (female), N. kodama sp. nov. (male and female), N. rosae sp. nov. (male and female), and N. tamajoni sp. nov. (male and female). These species are distinguished by distinct morphological characters, including the shape of the spermathecae, palpal bulbs, and spinnerets, as well as by burrow architecture. Fieldwork was conducted across two of the three major habitat types in the region—the humid, forested mountains of Sierra Morena and the croplands and riparian forests of the Guadalquivir Valley—while the third, the “campiña”, which is mainly composed of agricultural landscapes, remains poorly explored. Sampling methods included pitfall trapping and the direct e...

On the identity and placement of Xysticus lendli Kulczyński, 1897 (Araneae, Thomisidae): an integrative approach

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On the identity and placement of Xysticus lendli Kulczyński, 1897 (Araneae, Thomisidae): an integrative approach

Abstract

The species Xysticus lendli is known only from its original description of a single male and one doubtful record so far. Here, we illustrate and redescribe the species based on 34 specimens in total and describe its female for the first time. We illustrated the male palp via compound micrographs and scanning electron micrographs. We generated a DNA barcode and placed it into a current phylogenetic scaffold to confirm the species’ placement of Spiracme, a long-debated sister- or subgroup of Xysticus; hence, a new combination of Spiracme lendli (Kulczyński, 1897), comb. nov. is proposed. We illustrated the visually similar Xysticus mongolicus and the type species of Spiracme, S. striatipes, and compared them to S. lendli to aid future distinctions between those species.

Gallé-Szpisjak N, Gallé R, Szabó K, Szűts T (2024) On the identity and placement of Xysticus lendli Kulczyński, 1897 (Araneae, Thomisidae): an integrative approach. Zoosystematics and Evolution 100(3): 1017-1028. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.125826