Libitioides ornata ( Say, 1821 )

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 : 129-132

Libitioides ornata ( Say, 1821)

Figs 17‒19

Gonyleptes ornatum Say, 1821: 68 .

Cosmetus ornatus – Butler 1873: 114.

Cynorta ornata – Simon 1879: 200.

Metacynorta ornata – Roewer 1912: 24.

Vonones ornata – Goodnight 1958: 322.

“ Vernones ornata ” [incorrect subsequent spelling] – Corey & Taylor 1987: 166.

Vonones ornatus – Kury 2003: 85.

Libitioides ornata – Medrano et al. 2021: 610.

Diagnosis

Libitioides ornata differs from the other species of Libitioides by the following characters: only moderately elongated legs (femur IV longer than DS length), high spines in area III slanted backwards (instead of rounded tubercles) and small coda. The yellow spots of DS with complete chevron and omega stripe, and backbone and ribs frequently fragmented. Lateral clouds are always present. General color of body and appendages uniformly brown.

Type data

Types of Gonyleptes ornatum

USA • Georgia, Cumberland Island and Florida, Eastern portion ; Cabinet of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (not examined) .

Records

USA, Florida, [Citrus County], Inverness ( Weed 1893); [Dade County], Biscayne Bay; Lake Worth; Punta Gorda; Runnymede ( Banks 1904). Orange County: University of Central Florida campus, 17 km E of Orlando ( Corey & Taylor 1987).

Incorrect records (misidentifications)

Louisiana, New Orleans. Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Biological Station. Texas. The records from Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana and Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas ( Wood 1868; Roewer 1912; Worsham 1962; Edgar 1966) are an incorrect interpretation of the confusing literature, and refer to other species of Libitioides .

Comment on the combination Vonones ornata

Whenever this specific epithet is combined under Vonones as Vonones ornata , it is incorrect from the nomenclatural viewpoint, because Vonones being a masculine noun, the specific epithet should be inflected as ornatus (mandatory inflection of adjective to agree in gender with the neuter generic name; ICZN Code Art. 34.2).

Distribution

Species known from the USA Atlantic coastal plain, including the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. WWF Terrestrial Ecoregions: predominant occurrence in the Southeastern conifer forests (NA0529), but absent from the Everglades flooded grasslands (NT0904).

Figures

Fig. 17. Libitioides ornata (Say, 1821), ♂ (USNMENT 01538061) from Hillsborough County, Florida. a. Dorsal view of body. b. Left femur and trochanter IV, dorsal view. c. Left metatarsus and tarsomeres of leg I, lateral view. d. left chelicera dorsal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 18. Libitioides ornata (Say, 1821) (USNMENT 0153861) from Hillsborough, Florida. Habitus. a. Male, dorsal view. b. Sinistrolateral view. c. Frontal view. d. Ventral view. e. Panoramic, dorsal view. f. Female, dorsal view (USNMENT 0153861). Scale bars: a–c = 1 mm; d–f = 2 mm.

Fig. 19. Libitioides ornata (Say, 1821), ♂ (USNMENT 0153861) from Hillsborough, Florida, distal part of penis. a. Dorso-apical view. b. Sinistrolateral view. c. Ventral view. d. Detail of Fig. (a), macrosetae and lateral concavity of ventral plate. e. Detail of glans, sinistrolateral view. Scale bars: a–c = 50 μm; d = 20 µm; e = 40 μm.