Leiolima iberica, Prieto & Wijnhoven, 2020

Prieto, Carlos E. & Wijnhoven, Hay, 2020, Leiolima iberica, a new harvestman genus and species from the Iberian Peninsula (Arachnida, Opiliones, Sclerosomatidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 609, pp. 1-20 : 4-14

Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:AFA32744-CAE4-4DF0-88FC-5122775787E1

Figs 1–10

Leiobunum sp. – Prieto 2008: fig. 10.

Diagnosis

Same as for genus.

Etymology

The specific epithet refers to its supposed endemicity for the Iberian Peninsula.

Type material

Holotype SPAIN • ♂; León Prov. , San Feliz de las Lavanderas; 42.6869° N, 5.9765° W; 1182 m a.s.l.; 12 Oct. 2006; C. Prieto and K. Altonaga leg.; pitfall traps; MNCN 20.02 /17372.

Paratypes SPAIN – León Prov. • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; MNCN 20.02 /17373 to 17374 • 2 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; ZUPV 3809 . • 1 ♂; Ponferrada, Campus Universidad ; 42.5479° N, 6.5829° W; 560 m a.s.l.; 13 Oct. 2006; C. Prieto leg.; grasses; ZUPV 3821 • 1 ♂; Robledo de la Valduerna ; 42.3270° N, 6.0696° W; 820 m a.s.l.; 8 Nov. 1988; K. Altonaga and R. Gorrotxategi leg.; riverside; ZUPV 1373 • 1 ♂; Susañe del Sil ; 42.8308° N, 6.5047° W; 894 m a.s.l.; 30 Oct. 2009; C. Prieto and K. Altonaga leg.; ruderal, grass; ZUPV 4261 at CHW . – Ávila Prov. • 1 ♀; Piedrahita , Eta.Virgen de la Vega; 40.4876° N, 5.3303° W; 1000 m a.s.l.; 22 Sep. 1987; K. Altonaga and A.I. Puente leg.; ZUPV 1446 . – Salamanca Prov. • 1 ♂; Peña de Francia ; 40.5127° N, 6.1584° W; 1350 m a.s.l.; 20 Sep. 2002; Sergio Montagud leg.; pasture, pinewood; ZUPV 3279 . – Zamora Prov. • 2 ♂♂; Cubelo ; 42.0982 ° N, 6.6509° W; 1000 m a.s.l.; 9 Nov. 1988; K. Altonaga and R. Gorrotxategi leg.; orchards, oaks; ZUPV 1471 • 1 ♂; Lubián ; 42.0332 ° N, 6.9239° W; 1030 m a.s.l.; 9 Nov. 1988; K. Altonaga and R. Gorrotxategi leg.; pasture, chestnuts; ZUPV 1076 • 1 ♂; Tabara ; 41.8509° N, 5.9880° W; 790 m a.s.l.; 9 Nov. 1988; K. Altonaga and R. Gorrotxategi leg.; pasture, poplars; ZUPV 1378 .

PORTUGAL – Bragança Distr. • 2 ♂♂; Freixo de Espada, Mazouco ; 41.1671° N, 6.7989° W; 730 m a.s.l.; 7 Feb. 2001; Pedro Cardoso leg.; Cistus , Genista ; ZUPV 3324 • 1 ♀; Freixo de Espada, Palao ; 41.1261° N, 6.8217° W; 630 m a.s.l.; 10 Oct. 2001; Pedro Cardoso leg.; ZUPV 5001 • 2 ♀♀; Freixo de Espada, Picotino ; 41.2051° N, 6.7619° W; 740 m a.s.l.; 7 Feb. 2001; Pedro Cardoso leg.; ZUPV 5000 • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 21 Feb. 2001; Pedro Cardoso leg.; pinewood; ZUPV 3330 • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; CHW • 1 ♂; Malhadas ; 41.5429° N, 6.3205° W; 740 m a.s.l.; 10 Nov. 1988; K. Altonaga and R. Gorrotxategi leg.; pasture, ash; ZUPV 1648 • 1 ♀; Mogadouro, Algozinho ; 41.3046° N, 6.5590° W; 620 m a.s.l.; 21 Feb. 2001; Pedro Cardoso leg.; ZUPV 5002 • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; Mogadouro, Bruçó ; 41.2522° N, 6.7268° W; 760 m a.s.l.; 7 Feb. 2001; Pedro Cardoso leg.; Douglas fir; ZUPV 3333 • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; CJM • 2 ♂♂; Porrais; 41.400° N, 6.805° W; 360 m a.s.l.; 10 Nov. 1988; K. Altonaga and R. Gorrotxategi leg.; ruderal; ZUPV 1419 • 1 ♂; Quintanilha; 41.720° N, 6.589° W; 600 m a.s.l.; 11 Nov. 1988; K. Altonaga and R. Gorrotxategi leg.; ruderal; ZUPV 1532 • 1 ♂; Vimioso ; 41.593° N, 6.558° W; 500 m a.s.l.; 11 Nov. 1988; K. Altonaga and R. Gorrotxategi leg.; ruderal; ZUPV 1497 . – Guarda Distr. • 1 ♂; Seia, Cabeça ; 40.324° N, 7.746° W; 550 m a.s.l.; Dec. 1998; Grosso-Silva leg.; ZUPV 4104 • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; Jan. 1999; Grosso-Silva leg.; ZUPV 4108 .

Remarks

Paratype specimens (male and female) from Freixo de Espada (Bragança, Portugal; samples ZUPV 3324, 3330, 5000 and 5001) have been deposited at the SMF: ♂ ( ZUPV 3324), ♀ ( ZUPV 5000);

Naturalis: ♂ ( ZUPV 3324), ♀ ( ZUPV 5000); MNHN: ♂, ♀ ( ZUPV 3330); AMNH: ♂ ( ZUPV 3330), ♀ ( ZUPV 5001).

Description

Male (holotype, Fig. 1 )

Body length 3.15, prosoma width 1.85, and BLI index 1.61. Leg lengths ( Table 1 ).

PROSOMA. Anterior margin slightly concave on both sides and midsection protruding ( Fig. 1 ). Cheliceral apodemes appear as two narrow stripes. Supracheliceral lamellae with two cylindrical protuberances, each having three or four apical granules ( Fig. 4C ). Ozopores close to anterolateral margin, rounded and minute (0.04–0.05 diameter).

DORSUM. Dorsal integument with a microtuberculate-microgranulate morphology, consist of distinct obtuse to acute granules, approximately separated by their width. Granules towards sides more prominent.

COLORATION OF DORSUM. Dorsum dark reddish-brown with black granules and numerous scattered yellowish to silvery spots, especially prominent near sides of prosoma ( Fig. 1 ). Saddle as faint pattern of two paramedian longitudinal bands of diffuse and blackish segmental patches. Muscle insertion plaques dark brown. Area in front of ocularium dark brown. Prosoma bordered with black.

OCULARIUM. Shallow, basally constricted canaliculate, covered with large granules and dorsally armed with two rows of pointed black denticles, with a few sensilla chaetica ( Fig. 4D ). Eyes (diameter 0.15) on a black ocularium (0.32 long, 0.35 wide), base reddish-brown. Ocularium located about its length from anterior margin of prosoma.

VENTER AND COXAE. Coxae smooth, pale yellowish, armed with numerous black sensilla chaetica, distal pro- and posteriolateral sides with short rows of tubercles ( Fig. 2 ). Posteriolateral side of coxa III without or rarely with sparse tubercles ( Table 2 ). The resulting coxal tubercle formula can be expressed as Ap Ap A- aP [A, P, anterior, posterior row (lowercase for weakly developed ones) from 1 st to 4 th leg coxae]. Largest individual coxal tubercles 25–30 μm in height, separated from each other by 20–30 μm, with upper flange wider than basal width, bevelled towards their coxa and trilobed, being higher than central lobe. Ventral side pale yellowish. Epistome conical and 0.3 long. Genital operculum with sensilla chaetica, laterally with few obtuse denticles ( Fig. 4A ); internal side of anterior end of genital operculum without sclerotized lobes or any other cuticular structure.

CHELICERAE. Smooth, pale yellowish, dorsal area of first segment darkened and provided with ‘sensilla chaetica’ ( Fig. 4B ).

PEDIPALPS. Pale yellowish, distal areas of femur darkened, as well as patella and tibia. Femur covered with large black sensilla chaetica, medially with black-tipped blunt denticles ( Fig. 5 ); a single spine occurs dorsodistally. Pedipalpal tarsus almost straight, only very slightly curved inward, claw pectinate ( Fig. 5B ), without ventral rows of denticles. Pedipalpal patella, tibia and tarsus covered with trichomes (non-sensorial, not socketed “setae”). Dorsal regions of patella and tibia with fields of robust, transparent trichomes ( Fig. 5D ).

LEGS. Medium long and slender ( Table 1 ; BLI = 1.62 in holotype), orange-brown, mottled with small silvery spots, especially on dorsal sides of patella and tibia. Trochanters with bright patches on anterior and posterior sides. Femur I conspicuously shorter (59.5% in holotype) and more robust than femur II. Femora with irregular rows of small, black-tipped spines, each accompanied by a ‘sensillum chaeticum’. Tibia II has 5–6 silvery bordered pseudoarticulations. Patellae with three pointed granules on dorsodistal margin. All femora, except ventrally, densely covered with trichomes ( Fig. 3A, D ), which also occur on patella, tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi of all legs.

PENIS. Truncus slightly and regularly narrowing towards top ( Fig. 6 ). Alate portion well developed and elongated, consisting of two dorsal and two ventral membranes which are fused only in proximal onequarter section, thus forming two pockets that open to exterior distally as well as laterally. Ventral membranes attached at truncus/glans junction and have a characteristically curved distal margin. Dorsal membranes attached more proximally, extending on to ventral side, forming two wings that partly enclose ventral membranes. Distal margins of ventral membranes have an irregular ‘worn-down’ appearance ( Fig. 6D ). Glans and stylus with characteristic shape ( Fig. 6 F–G) and four sensilla chaetica located near tip. Measurements: penis length 1.83, glans + stylus length 0.29, truncus length from base to pockets 0.91, penial muscle length 0.77, basal truncus width 0.23, width of alae 0.32.

Female ( Fig. 1 )

Body length 5.58, prosoma width 2.17, opisthosoma width 3.29, BLI index 1.24. LEGS. Long, with legs I, III and IV more robust than in male, leg II slender. Femur of leg I more than twice as wide as that of leg II ( Table 1 ).

SEMINAL RECEPTACLES ( Fig. 7 ). In fourth to fifth ovipositor segments.

Sexual dimorphism

Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. shows minor sexual dimorphism. Females present smaller silvery patches on the prosoma and the length of the first thoracic tergite is about twice that in males. Legs are 1/ 6 shorter than in males, but female bodies are almost twice as long as male ones, with the opisthosoma greatly enlarged in egg-developing females.

Distribution

Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. is an Iberian endemic restricted to the north-western corner of the Iberian Peninsula ( Fig. 8 ). The known distribution extends along the mountainous areas ranging from the north-western part of Castilla y León (Spanish provinces of León and Zamora) and the eastern part of the old Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro region (Portuguese district of Bragança) to the mountain range that separates the Duero/Douro basin from the Tajo/Tejo basin (Serra da Estrela in Portugal, and Sierra de Francia and Sierra de Gredos in Spain). Galicia, Asturias or Extremadura have no records, although it may exist in the border areas.

It is possible to recognize a northern concentration and a southern block, separated by less than 100 km. Although both are separated by the deep canyons of the Duero/Douro River bordering Spain and Portugal, here we assume a continuous distribution of the species. In the southern area, the only known locality of the Portuguese Serra da Estrela is 150 km west of the Sierra de Gata region of Spain. The similar orogeny and geography, as well as the absence of obvious physical barriers, make their presence in the comprised area probable. The eastern border of its known distribution area in Castilla y León is marked by the Órbigo River (a tributary of the Esla River), which separates the Montes de León from the vast plains of the Duero basin, which are mainly cultivated with cereals.

Habitat

Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. is a species that lives in dry open biotopes, mainly pastures, grasslands and ruderal biotopes. It seems to fill the characteristic Nelima niches (ground and herb layer, sheltering under stones, wood and vegetation). The altitudinal range is 360–1350 m a.s.l. (average 782 m), with two somewhat divergent localities: the Porrais site (360 m a.s.l.) is near the bottom of the Sabor River (a tributary of the Douro River), whereas the Peña de Francia site (1350 m a.s.l.) is near the mountain top of the Sierra de Francia. The average altitude of the 129 sampled localities from the concerned provinces or districts represented in the ZUPV collection is 975 m, which on average is distinctly higher, suggesting that L. iberica gen. et sp. nov. is a ‘lowland’ species.

Phenology

Adults of Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. have been obtained from September to February, mainly during malacological sampling trips. Because sampling outside of the appropriate season for land snails was infrequent, phenological information is biased. The collected specimens resulted in a sex ratio of 2.07, which is about two males per female. The bimonthly sex ratio figures (7 males / 3 females in Sep.– Oct.; 11 / 0 in Nov.–Dec.; 11 / 11 in Jan.–Feb.) does not allow further conclusions about its life cycle, which is also obscured by the total absence of juvenile specimens in the samples.

Figures

Fig. 1. Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. Dorsal view of the male holotype (MNCN 20.02/17372) (left, body length 3.15 mm) and a female paratype (MNCN 20.02/17374) (right, body length 5.58 mm). Scale bars: 1 mm.

Fig. 2. Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. Lateral view of the male holotype (MNCN 20.02/17372) (left is front side), showing coxae I to IV with coxal denticle rows.

Fig. 3. Male femur I of three European species of Leiobuninae. A, D. Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. (ZUPV 3330 at CHW). B, E. Nelima doriae (Canestrini, 1871) (from the Netherlands). C, F. Leiobunum rotundum (Latreille, 1798). A–C. Dorsal view. D–F. Lateral view (dorsal side on the right). Ch = sensillum chaeticum; Tr = trichome (trichomes in D drawn smaller). Scale bars: A–C = 0.05 mm; D–F = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 4. Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. (male) (holotype, MNCN 20.02/17372). A. Genital operculum. B. Right chelicera (median view). C. Supracheliceral lamellae (dorsal view). D. Ocularium (lateral view; front side on the right). Scale bars: A–B = 0.5 mm; C–D = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 5. Right male pedipalp of Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. (holotype, MNCN 20.02/17372). A. Median view. B. Lateral view with detail of claw. C. Detail of ventral side of femur showing sensilla chaetica and imbricate microsculpture. D. Detail of dorsal side of patella showing robust trichomes (tr) and sensilla chaetica (ch). Scale bars: A–B = 0.5 mm; C–D = 0.05 mm.

Fig. 6. Penis of Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. A. Ventral view. B. Detail of distal part (ventral view). C. Lateral view. D. Dorsal view. E. Attachment sites of dorsal and ventral membranes (dorsal view). F. Stylus (lateral view, ventral side to left). G. Stylus of two males in ventral (left) and dorsal (right) view. A, G: paratypes, ZUPV 3330 at CHW; B–F: paratype, ZUPV 4261 at CHW. Scale bars: A, C–D = 0.5 mm; B = 0.1 mm; F–G = 0.05 mm.

Fig. 7. Female Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov.; seminal receptacles, distance between left and right receptacles to scale. Paratypes: top: ZUPV 3333 at CHW, bottom ZUPV 4108 at CHW. Scale bar: 50 μm.

Fig. 8. Geographical distribution of Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. on the Iberian Peninsula. Some names of autonomic or regional entities (in capitals, without borders), mountain ranges and larger rivers (in italics) are given.

Fig. 9. Body size and leg length measurements (in mm apart from the MBLI ratio) of all European/ Mahgrebian species of Leiobunum C.L. Koch, 1839 (grey bars, diamonds on averages) and Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. (red rectangles). Only the measured parameters for L. iberica gen. et sp. nov. are shown. Source of data: Caporiacco (1929), Karaman (1996), Komposch (1998), Martens (1978), Prieto & Fernández (2007), Prieto & Wijnhoven (2017) and Šilhavý (1965).

Fig. 10. Orifices of repugnatorial glands of the type species of European genera of Leiobuninae in dorsal (upper) and lateral (lower) views. A. Leiolima iberica gen. et sp. nov. (male, ZUPV 4104). B. Nelima silvatica (Simon, 1879) (male, ZUPV 1316: Castarnés, Huesca, Spain). C. Leiobunum rotundum (Latreille, 1798) (male, ZUPV 5065: Oña, Burgos, Spain). D. Cosmobunus granarius Lucas, 1846 (male, ZUPV 1932: Hornos, Jaén, Spain). Coxae I were removed to improve vision and images have been resized in proportion to their respective prosomal width (A = 111 %; B = 125 %; C = 82 %; D = 73 %). Arrowheads in upper views point to the orifices. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.