Libitioides sayi ( Simon, 1879 )

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 : 132-135

Libitioides sayi ( Simon, 1879)

Figs 20‒22

Cynorta Sayi Simon, 1879: 200 .

Libitioides ornata Roewer, 1912: 15 . ‡ Nomen made available by deliberate employment of Wood’s misidentification (ICZN Arts 11.10 and 50.1), but originally mistakenly attributed to Wood, 1868. Syn. nov.

Cynorta (Cynorta) depressa Sørensen in Henriksen, 1932: 386. Syn. nov.

Platycynorta transversalis Roewer, 1952: 42 , fig. 23 [junior subjective synonym of Cynorta sayi Simon, 1879 by Cokendolpher & Jones (1991: 86)].

“ Gonyleptes ornatum ” – Wood 1868: 37. ‡ Non Gonyleptes ornatus Say 1821 : misidentification, as noted by Cokendolpher & Peek (1991, vouchers destroyed).

Cynorta Sayii – Banks 1893: 150.

Cynorta sayi – Weed 1893: 294.

Cynorta sayii – Banks et al. 1932: 33.

Cynorta (Cynorta) sayi – Sørensen in Henriksen 1932: 385.

Platycynorta depressa – Mello-Leitão 1933: 112.

Libitioides sayi – Mello-Leitão 1933: 112. — Medrano et al. 2021: 610 (comb. rest.).

Vonones sayi – Goodnight & Goodnight 1953a: 59.

Vonones ornata – Goodnight 1958: 322.

Diagnosis

Libitioides sayi differs from the other species of Libitioides by the following characters: short legs (femur IV shorter than or equal than DS length), small rounded tubercles in area III (instead of spines), small coda. Frequently without any spots in DS, chevron and omega stripe may be present (frequently fragmented). Ribs, backbone and lateral clouds never present. General color of body and appendages mustard yellow with a pair of much darker spots on scutal area III.

Type data

Types of Cynorta sayi

USA • Texas, without further locality data; whereabouts unknown (not examined).

Syntypes of Cynorta depressa

“ CENTRAL AMERICA ” • 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; MTD • 1 ♂; ZMUC .

Holotype of P. transversalis

[ USA] • ♂; Texas, Seagoville, near Dallas ; SMF RII 9795 (examined).

Paratype of P. transversalis

[ USA] • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; SMF RII 9795 (examined).

Incorrect records (misidentifications)

CUBA, Santiago de Cuba, Santiago ( Roewer 1912). USA, Alabama, Auburn ( Banks 1900). Illinois, Southern portion ( Weed 1893). Indiana, Cannelton; New Albany; Wyandotte ( Banks 1907); “southern portion” ( Goodnight 1958). Kansas ( Banks 1893). Kentucky, Mammoth Cave ( Roewer 1912). Louisiana, Southern portion; Morgan City; New Orleans. Mississippi, Agricultural College; Macomb. Oklahoma, Cleveland County; Comanche County; Grady County; Latimer County; Murray County ( Roewer 1912; Banks et al. 1932). University of Oklahoma Biological Station; Sulfur: Platt National Park ( Worsham 1962). Tennessee, Davidson County ( Cokendolpher & Jones 1991). Texas, Brazos County; Harwood; Houston ( Weed 1893); Jim Wells County: Alice ( Dumitrescu 1976). From Florida into Texas, and from the Gulf states nothward to southern Illinois, Indiana and Ohio ( Goodnight & Goodnight 1953b). North Carolina ( Roewer 1928). MEXICO, Nuevo León, 6 km SW of Bustamante; Redondo, 40 km S of Monterrey. Tamaulipas, 7 km NW of Gómez Farías; road cut near Gómez Farías; 4 km N of Joya de Salas ( Goodnight & Goodnight 1973). There are two doubtful records of Sørensen ( Henriksen 1932) from Texas and North Carolina.

Distribution ( Figs 7–11 )

Species occurring in the western part of the Central Lowlands, barely reaching the eastern part of the Great Plains. WWF Terrestrial Ecoregions: Piney Woods forests (NA0523), Western Gulf coastal grasslands (NA0701), Central forest/grasslands transition zone (NA0804), Central tall grasslands (NA0805, only in the extreme south in the state of Kansas), Edwards Plateau savanna (NA0806) and Texas blackland prairies (NA0814).

Figures

Fig. 20. Libitioides sayi (Simon, 1879), ♂ (MNRJ 58916) from Lake Kirby, Texas. a. Dorsal view of body. b. Left femur and trochanter IV, dorsal view. c. Left metatarsus and tarsomeres of leg I, lateral view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 21. Libitioides sayi (Simon, 1879), (MNRJ 58916) from Lake Kirby, Texas. Habitus. a. Male, dorsal view. b. Sinistrolateral view. c. Frontal view. d. Ventral view. e. Panoramic, dorsal view. f. Female, dorsal view (MNRJ 58916). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 22. Libitioides sayi (Simon, 1879), ♂ (MNRJ 58916) from Lake Kirby, Texas, distal part of penis. a. Panoramic dorsal view. b. Ventral view. c. Detail of glans, dextrolateral view. d. Apical view. Scale bars: a = 100 μm; b, d = 50 μm; c = 40 μm.

Fig. 7. Southeastern USA, showing the contrasting occurrences of prevailing body color backgrounds in the four morphs B/C/D/E of Libitioides Roewer, 1912.

Fig. 8. Southeastern USA, showing the contrasting conformations of the chevron in the four morphs B/C/D/E of Libitioides Roewer, 1912.

Fig. 9. Southeastern USA, showing the contrasting conformations of the backbone in the four morphs B/C/D/E of Libitioides Roewer, 1912.

Fig. 10. Southeastern USA, showing the contrasting conformations of the omega stripe in the four morphs B/C/D/E of Libitioides Roewer, 1912.

Fig. 11. Southeastern USA, showing the contrasting conformations of the ribs in the four morphs B/C/ D/E of Libitioides Roewer, 1912.