Dicranopalpus pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948

Wijnhoven, Hay, Martens, Jochen & Prieto, Carlos E., 2022, Revision of the genus Dicranopalpus from northern Spain and Corsica, with descriptions of two new species (Arachnida, Opiliones, Phalangioidea), European Journal of Taxonomy 839, pp. 39-73 : 61-64

Dicranopalpus pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948

Figs 2 , 4E , 5D , 6D , 9E , 17B , 18–21

Dicranopalpus pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948: 339–341 , figs 17–18. Type locality: Lac d’Oredon, commune d'Aragnouet (Hautes-Pyrénées, France).

Dicranopalpus martini – Mello-Leitão 1936: 14–15. — Rambla & Perera 1989: 30. — Rambla 1998: 6. Dicranopalpus sp. – D’Amico 1988: 149–150.

Diagnosis

Small-sized species, males with dark brown saddle. Penis glans rounded, with triangular horns.

Material examined

SPAIN – Cataluña • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Lleida, Val d'Arán, ascent to Lac de Rius; 42.64° N, 0.82° E; 2000–2250 m a.s.l.; 31 Aug. 1984; J. and B. Martens leg.; CJM 2649 • 1 ♀, 1 juv.; Lleida, Val d'Arán, ascent to Lac de Rius; 42.64° N, 0.85° E; 1700–1800 m a.s.l.; 30 Aug. 1984; J. and B. Martens leg.; CJM 2651 . – Aragón • 5 juv.; Huesca, Bujaruelo, Valle del Ara , Mesón San Nicolás ; 42.693° N, 0.107° E; 1332 m a.s.l.; 30 Sep. 2014; H. Wijnhoven leg.; under stones and cardboard; CHW 490 • 3 ♂♂; Huesca, Bujaruelo ; 42.673° N, 0.126° W; 1210 m a.s.l.; 26 Sep. 1987; C. Prieto, Benjamín Gómez and Ramón Martín leg.; beech forest; ZUPV 1112 • 1 juv.; Huesca, Selva de Oza ; 42.857° N, 0.693° W; 1200 m a.s.l.; 15 Aug. 1984; C. Prieto, Kepa Altonaga and Ramón Martín leg.; ZUPV 1339 • 1 juv.; Huesca , Valle de Pineta, Parador ; 42.680° N, 0.084° E; 1300 m a.s.l.; 1 Nov. 1995; C. Prieto leg.; ZUPV 1768 .

FRANCE – Hautes-Pyrénées • 2 ♂♂; Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Baréilles ; 42.887° N, 0.434° E; 1200 m a.s.l.; 23 Oct. 1987; C. Prieto, P, Benjamín Gómez and Ramón Martín leg.; mixed forest near river; ZUPV 861 • 1 juv.; Lac d’Oredon, Neouvielle ; 42.827° N, 0.168° E; 1800 m a.s.l.; 30 Oct. 1988; Ramón Gorrotxategi leg.; ZUPV 1338 • 1 juv.; Tourmalet ; 42.907° N, 0.140° E; 2175 m a.s.l.; 25 Oct. 1987; C. Prieto and Ramón Martín leg.; ZUPV 1575 . – Midi-Pyrénées • 1 ♂; La Mongie ; 42.908° N, 0.176° E; 1700 m a.s.l.; 24 Oct. 1987; C. Prieto, Ramón Martín leg.; mountain pasture; ZUPV 941 . – Pyrénées- Atlantiques • 1 juv.; Urdos ; 42.851° N, 0.517° W; 1755 m a.s.l.; 27 Sep. 2014; H. Wijnhoven leg.; under stones at edge of pasture and forest; CHW 471 • 1 juv.; Pic de Guilhers ; 43.008° N, 0.733° W; 1250 m a.s.l.; 30 Oct. 1987; C. Prieto and R. Martín leg.; ZUPV 965 .

Description

Male

LENGTH. 2.7, width of prosoma 1.8, BLI 1.4 (CJM 2649).

DORSUM ( Figs 4E , 18A ). Ground colour pale yellowish brown. Prosoma with dark brown patches and spots, anterior margin pale, lateral margin near ozopores dark brown. Ozopores oval-shaped, small. Saddle dark brown, narrowing on opisthosomal tergites I–IV, widening on following tergites. Opisthosomal tergites with paramedian pairs of white spots. Lateral areas of tergites VI–IX mottled with light and dark spots.

EYE TUBERCLE. Dark brown with silvery ring around eyes, canaliculated, slightly wider than long, at about its length from anterior margin of carapace, dorsally with few minute black setae.

VENTER AND COXAE. Uniformly pale yellowish brown, with black sensory setae.

CHELICERAE ( Fig. 5D ). Small, smooth, pale yellowish, segment I with ventral spur, segment I dorsally, and segment II dorsally and medially near cheliceral claw with black setae.

PEDIPALPS ( Fig. 19 ). Slender, pale yellowish, femur in proximal half, patella and tibia darker; femoral apophysis pale, robust, more than half as long as femur width at its base, femur ventrally and mediodistally with sensilla chaetica; patellar apophysis slender, tapering distally, as long as or longer than patella, in lateral view slightly curved upwards ( Fig. 6I ). Tibia mediodistally with a small protrusion ( Fig. 6D ). Tarsus slightly bent ventrally in distal third section; claw pectinate ( Fig. 19B ).

LEGS. Leg lengths I–IV (in parentheses femur lengths): 16 (28); 27 (5.2); 18 (3.2); 23 (3.9). All leg segments cylindrical. Femora brown with lighter median band and distal tips, rows of denticles and sensory setae, no trichomes; patellae brown, densely covered with small trichomes; tibiae brown with light brown tips, smooth, covered with trichomes and small sensilla chaetica; metatarsi and tarsi dark brown. Tibia II with 3 pseudo-articulations; metatarsi I–IV with 3, 4, 2 and 4 pseudo-articulations, respectively. Numerous bipterate setae on prolateral sides of metatarsus III and IV and in decreasing numbers on proximal tarsomeres 1–5 of leg III and 1–9 of leg IV.

PENIS ( Fig. 20 ). Short and compact; length 1.56 (ZUPV 1112); truncus widest in proximal third ( Fig. 20B–D ), slightly widening to the glans; intrinsic penial muscle in basal half. Glans rounded, with two curved sclerotized ridges forming a pair of small humps on ventral side ( Fig. 20E–G, K ); glans dorsally sclerotized and provided with canaliculi; dorsal glans cavity large and ovoid, curving from halfway along glans to base of stylus. Dorsal truncus–glans transition approximately right-angled. Sensory setae not visible. Stylus about as long as glans, S-curved; horns triangular ( Fig. 20D–H ).

Female

LENGTH. 3.1, width of prosoma 2.2, BLI 1.0.

DORSUM ( Fig. 18B ). Colours faded in available samples. Prosoma as in male, saddle dark brown, narrowing on opisthosomal tergites I–IV, continuing on following tergites as a broad median band. Opisthosomal tergites with paramedian pairs of white spots, lateral areas mottled with light and dark spots.

PEDIPALPS ( Fig. 19D–E ). Femoral apophysis robust, almost as long as femur width. Long and robust plumose setae on apophysis, and ventral and mediodistal side of femur; patellar apophysis large, with tapering tip, not reaching tibial apophysis, about 4 /5 as thick as tibia. Mediodistal apophysis as long as wide. Tibia ventrally with twelve robust plumose setae.

LEGS. Leg lengths I–IV (in parentheses femur lengths): 13 (2.3); 25 (4.6); 14 (2.3); 19 (3.7) (CJM2649). All leg segments cylindrical. Femora lack trichomes. Metatarsi I–IV with 0, 3, 2 and 3 pseudoarticulations, respectively.

SEMINAL RECEPTACLES ( Fig. 9E ). Ovipositor with 24 segments (CJM2649), seminal receptacles in segments 5 and 6; two long tubes, each proximally with a long lateral pocket.

Distribution and ecology

An endemic species, predominantly inhabiting the high mountain ranges of the central Pyrenees ( Fig. 21 ). Easternmost occurrence in the Vall d’Aran (Lleida, Cataluña, Spain), and north along the French Ariège/ Haute-Garonne border; western distribution poorly known, the westernmost records are from Urdos (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), La Pierre-Saint Martin ( Marcuzzi & Biondi 1980), Mendive and Pic d’Orhy ( Delfosse & Dubois 2018; photos A. Schönhofer, Fig. 18 ). Recorded altitudes between 1200 and 2250 m a.s.l. For the Vallée d’Ossau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) an altitudinal distribution of D. pyrenaeus is given by d’Amico & Besson (1995: fig. 2) ranging from about 1500 to 1800 m a.s.l. ( Fig. 17B ).

Phenology: adults probably from late summer to late autumn.

Figures

Fig. 2. Left pedipalp Dicranopalpus pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948, juvenile (CHW 490), median view, showing dense cover of plumose setae on patellar apophysis (PA) and tibia including mediodistal apophysis (TI). Abbreviations: BA = sensillum basiconicum; CH = sensillum chaeticum; PL = plumose seta; TA = tarsus; TR = trichome. Scale bar = 50 μm. SEM photo Wolff J.O. & Gorb S.N.

Fig. 4. Dorsal colour pattern of species of Dicranopalpus Doleschall, 1852, ♂ (A–C, E–F) and ♀ (D, G). A. D. insignipalpis (Simon, 1879) (CJM 7258). B. D. cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (ZUPV 4542). C–D. D. gallaecicus sp. nov. (CHW 491). E. D. pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948 (CJM 2649). F–G. D. catariegensis sp. nov. (F: CHW 469; G: paratype, CJM 9005). Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 5. Male right chelicera, left lateral view, right median view. A. Dicranopalpus insignipalpis (Simon, 1879) (CJM 7258). B. D. cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (ZUPV 4542). C. D. gallaecicus sp. nov. (CHW 491). D. D. pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948 (CJM 2647). E. D. catariegensis sp. nov. (CHW 470). Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 6. Details of male right pedipalps. A–E. Dorsal view of mediodistal apophysis on tibia. F–J. Ventral view of patella (setae omitted). A, F. Dicranopalpus insignipalpis (Simon, 1879) (CJM 7258). B, G. D. cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (ZUPV 4542).C, H. D. gallaecicus sp. nov. (CHW 491).D, I. D. pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948 (CJM 2649). E, J. D. catariegensis sp. nov. (CHW 469). Note the two sensilla basiconica, mostly occurring paired, near the distal margin of the tibia (A–E; see also BA in Fig. 3). Scale bar: A–E = 0.25 mm; F–J = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 9. Females. A. Dicranopalpus gallaecicus sp. nov., distal part of ovipositor with seminal receptacles. B–F. Seminal receptacles (C–E left side).B. D. insignipalpis (Simon, 1879) (CHW 474).C. D. gallaecicus sp. nov. (CHW 492). D. D. cantabricus Dresco, 1953 (ZUPV 4542). E. D. pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948 (CJM 2649). F. D. catariegensis sp. nov. (CHW 467). Scale bars: A = 0.5 mm; B–F = 50 μm.

Fig. 17. A. Habitat of D. gallaecicus sp. nov. at the type location, O Grove, Pontevedra (Galicia, Spain). Photo H. Wijnhoven. B. Habitat of D. pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948 on Pic d’Orhy in the French Pyrenees. Photo A. Schönhofer.

Fig. 18. Dicranopalpus pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948. Pic d’Orhy, Larrau, France, 15 Oct. 2019. A. Male. B. Female. Photos Axel Schönhofer.

Fig. 19. Dicranopalpus pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948. Right pedipalp. A–C. Male. D–E. Female. A, D. Median view. B. Claw. C, E. Dorsal view of patella and tibia. Scale bars: A, C–D = 0.5 mm; B = 50 μm.

Fig. 20. Dicranopalpus pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948. Penis. A. Lateral view. B. Ventral view. C–D. Dorsal view. E–K. Glans. E. Ventrolateral view. F–G. Ventral view. H. Dorsal view. I–J. Lateral view. K. Dorsolateral view. A–B, E–F, J–K (CJM 2649). D, G–H (ZUPV 1112). C, I (ZUPV 941). Scale bar: A–D = 0.5 mm; E–K = 50 μm.

Fig. 21. Map of the Pyrenean region with the distribution of Dicranopalpus pyrenaeus Dresco, 1948 (red symbols) andDicranopalpus catariegensis sp. nov. (blue symbols). Dots, studied samples; squares, literature records. Type localities are indicated by a black spot. The two French sites indicated by ‘?’ were recorded by Dresco (1948) as D. pyrenaeus; the Spanish ‘?’ was recorded by Bellés (1978) as Dicranopalpus sp. (martini?).