Nesticus secretus Gertsch, 1984

Hedin, Marshal & Milne, Marc A., 2023, New species in old mountains: integrative taxonomy reveals ten new species and extensive short-range endemism in Nesticus spiders (Araneae, Nesticidae) from the southern Appalachian Mountains, ZooKeys 1145, pp. 1-130 : 1

Nesticus secretus Gertsch, 1984

Fig. 39G, H

Nesticus secretus Gertsch, 1984: 33, figs 173, 174.

Material examined.

Type material: Holotype: USA - Tennessee • ♀ holotype; Great Smoky Mountains National Park ; 8 Jul. 1933; W.J. Gertsch leg.; AMNH.

Remarks.

Gertsch cites the type data for this " small, dusky epigean species with short legs " as "female holotype from Little Pigeon River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sevier County, Tennessee, 8 July 1933 (W.J. Gertsch)". However, the label associated with the holotype female (see above) includes neither specific locality nor county information.

The type female is clearly a representative of the Nesticus nasicus group, and is potentially synonymous with Nesticus gertschi (see Fig. 39C, D ). However, essentially all eastern Nesticus nasicus group populations are known from east of the French Broad River, while the Great Smoky Mountains National Park lies west of this (Fig. 30 ). Also, extensive collections from the eastern portion of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have only ever resulted in the collection of members of the Nesticus tennesseensis group ( N. cherokeensis and N. silvanus , Fig. 13 ), or members of the Nesticus reclusus group ( N. binfordae and N. reclusus , Fig. 53 ). Both N. binfordae and N. reclusus have been collected from along the Little Pigeon River.

A possible region to search for Nesticus secretus would be the English or Green Mountains, west of the French Broad River, but not too distant from records for N. gertschi (Fig. 30 ). Because of this possibility we retain N. secretus as a valid taxon, pending further focused collection efforts.

Figures

Figure 13. Distribution of Nesticus tennesseensis group species. Type localities designated with yellow circles. State boundaries and major cities shown for geographic context. Dashed lines circumscribe known species distributions.

Figure 30. Distribution of Nesticus nasicus group species. Type localities designated with yellow circles. Primary cities shown for geographic context. Dashed lines circumscribe known species distributions; possible distribution of Nesticus secretus is tentative, see text for details.

Figure 39. Nesticus gertschi and N. secretus genitalia. N. gertschi A North Carolina, Yancey Co., Blue Ridge Parkway at Balsam Gap, MCH 02 _ 195, ♂ palp, ventral B North Carolina, Buncombe Co., NW of Hickory Nut Gap, Hwy 74, MCH 01 _ 173, ♂ palp, ventral. North Carolina, Buncombe Co., NW of Hickory Nut Gap, Hwy 74, MCH 01 _ 173, epigynum, ventral (C), dorsal (D). North Carolina, Yancey Co., Blue Ridge Parkway at Balsam Gap, MCH 02 _ 195, epigynum, ventral (E), dorsal (F). Scale bar: 0.5 mm. N. secretus Gertsch 1984 epigynum. Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, ♀ holotype, ventral (G), dorsal (H).

Figure 53. A distribution of Nesticus reclusus group species B distribution of Nesticus jonesi. Type localities designated with yellow circles. State boundaries and major cities shown for geographic context. Dashed lines circumscribe known species distributions. The geographic distribution of " N. cooperi - like " populations is circled; this includes some female-only locations which are inside this distribution and included here only for purposes of graphical convenience.