Cosmetus albolineatus, Sorensen, 1884

Kury, Adriano B. & Medrano, Miguel, 2023, Once upon a time in America: recognition of the species of Libitioides from USA, with comments on other American Cosmetidae (Opiliones, Laniatores), European Journal of Taxonomy 875 (1), pp. 101-141 : 105

[3] The northernmost cosmetid ( albolineatus )

Only five years after Simon had named Cynorta sayi, Sørensen (1884) baptized a third American cosmetid – Cosmetus albolineatus Sørensen, 1884 from New Orleans, Louisiana. Sørensen’s lengthy Latin description is enough to allow recognition of this species ( Fig. 2d ). By then, the recognition of three USA species was clear enough, so that Weed (1893) also transferred albolineatus to Cynorta and easily summarized the distinction of the three American species of Cynorta . Weed offered redescriptions of those Cynorta , providing some additional records – in the case of C. sayi he also mentioned a distinct morph (see [7]) with a “yellow marking on dorso-meson behind eye eminence, and a transverse line near posterior margin of abdominal scutum.” In the case of C. albolineata , he also provided illustrations which match precisely Sørensen’s description and also considerably expanded the known distribution of the species. As for C. ornata, Weed described the variation of the “canary-yellow” markings and noted it as “exceedingly abundant in the pine woods under logs.”

Figures

Fig. 2.Libitioides spp. from USA, in vivo. a. L. ornata (Say, 1821) (morph A), ♂ and ♀, Florida, Orange, Orlando Wetlands Park (©Mary Keim). b. L. sayi (Simon, 1879) (morph B, “clean”), ♂, Texas, Sherman Co. (©Kate Farkas). c. L. sayi (morph C, “depressa”), ♂, Texas, Kleberg Co., Padre Island National Seashore (©Meghan Cassidy). d. L. albolineata (Sørensen, 1884) (typical morph D), ♂, Georgia, Fulton Co. (©E. Christina Butler). Photos are somewhat cropped.All images used here under written permission.