Integrative taxonomy of the genus Nesticus in central Japan, with the description of a new species and redescriptions of N. echigonus and N. gondai (Araneae, Nesticidae)

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  Integrative taxonomy of the genus Nesticus in central Japan, with the description of a new species and redescriptions of N. echigonus and N. gondai (Araneae, Nesticidae) Abstract Species of the genus Nesticus ( Araneae , Nesticidae ) in central Japan are revised based on morphological and molecular analyses of specimens collected from Niigata and Gunma Prefectures. Among them, a putative undescribed species was discovered having clearly distinguishable morphological characters from other known species in the same area. A phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial COI gene was carried out using a maximum-likelihood method to confirm its distinctiveness. The new species, Nesticus yamabushi sp. nov ., is described based on specimens of both sexes. Furthermore, we provide detailed redescriptions of two other closely related species, N. echigonus and N. gondai , to address the lack of information in their original descriptions and facilitate future identifications. This s...

Paratricommatus infernalis (Opiliones: Cryptogeobiidae): a new troglobitic harvestman from southeastern Brazil

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Paratricommatus infernalis (Opiliones: Cryptogeobiidae): a new troglobitic harvestman from southeastern Brazil

Abstract

A new troglobitic species belonging to the genus Paratricommatus Piza, 1943 (Cryptogeobiidae), was found in a cave in the Pains municipality, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, and is described here. Paratricommatus infernalis sp. nov. is distinguished from all other species in the genus by having the IV femur 1.5–2.5 longer than the dorsal shield (instead of the IV femur shorter than the dorsal shield) and small eyes with reduced pigmentation. This new species presents several troglomorphic traits, such as elongated legs and different degrees of reduction in integumentary and ocular pigmentation, in addition to being absent in epigean environments. Thus, it is considered a troglobitic species and may represent a relic, as evidenced by its geographic isolation from other Cryptogeobiidae species.

Lais Furtado Oliveira, Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira "Paratricommatus infernalis (Opiliones: Cryptogeobiidae): a new troglobitic harvestman from southeastern Brazil," The Journal of Arachnology, 53(2), 92-99, (17 September 2025) https://doi.org/10.1636/JoA-S-22-055