Leptopholcus, SIMON, 1893

HUBER, BERNHARD A., 2000, New World Pholcid Spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae): A Revision At Generic Level, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (254), pp. 1-348 : 76-77

LEPTOPHOLCUS SIMON, 1893

Leptopholcus Simon, 1893b: 474 (type species by original designation L. signifer Simon, 1893 ;

not examined). Brignoli, 1980: 649 655. Huber, 1997a: 357 358.

TAXONOMIC NOTES: As discussed previously (Huber, 1997a), New World Leptopholcus may or may not be true Leptopholcus ; in fact, Leptopholcus may even be a subjective synonym of Pholcus (Brignoli has speculated about this possibility long ago Brignoli, 1980: 652), but this question has to be addressed by a very extensive study of Old World genera, practically of the entire Pholcus group sensu Huber (1995). This group has an almost exclusive Old World distribution, and presently includes over 200 nominal species. The point in this paper is to give further evidence of the very peculiar biogeography of this group. It seems to be completely absent in Central and South America (with the exception of some synanthropic cosmopolitan species: Pholcus phalangioides , Spermophora senoculata , and Micropholcus fauroti ), but has speciated independently in two relatively restricted areas in North America (eastern USA) and the Great- er Antilles. The North American Pholcus species are currently being revised by R. Baptista, who currently recognizes up to seven species from the southeastern States, especially the Appalachian Mountains (R. Baptista, personal commun.). Central and South America have no native Pholcus species. The only neotropical species that has not yet been transferred or synonymized is P. dubiomaculatus Mello-Leitao, 1918 . I have seen the type material (two males and one juvenile syntypes from Pinheiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; no further collection data, in MNRJ), and there is no doubt that this is Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin) (NEW SYNONYMY).

On the Antilles, two Leptopholcus species are currently recognized: L. dalei (Petrunkevitch, 1929) in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands (see New Records below), and L. delicatulus Franganillo, 1930 in Cuba (Huber and Pérez González, 1998). The present paper gives a few new records for these species, and descriptions of two new species, one restricted to Hispaniola, the other to Jamaica. The USNM has a single male specimen from Dominica, Lesser Antilles, which apparently represents a fifth species.

One observation that seems noteworthy but may be merely coincidental, is that the genus Metagonia , whose epigean representatives occupy a very similar if not identical microhabitat (the undersides of large leaves in humid forests), and which is extremely diverse in Central and South America, is apparently absent from the Antilles with the exception of blind, cavernicole species (Pérez González and Huber, 1999).

Leptopholcus dalei (Petrunkevitch, 1929) Figures 27 , 105 , 302 305, 309

Micromerys dalei Petrunkevitch, 1929: 150 154, figs. 144 148.

Leptopholcus dalei: Deeleman-Reinhold, 1986a: 47 . Huber, 1997a: 356 358, figs. 22a e, 23a b, 24, 26a. Huber and Pérez González, 1998: 251, figs. 6 10, 21.

NEW RECORDS: PUERTO RICO: Maricao, Hacienda Juanita, old coffee plantation, 600 m elev., Apr. 3 and Apr. 6, 1989 (2 vials) (H. & L. Levi), 2♀ in MCZ. Jayuya, old coffee plantation, gardens, ~ 1000 m elev., Mar. 20 26, 1986 (H. & L. Levi), 13 1♀ in MCZ. Mayagüez: University farm (8 vials), Jan. 15 Feb. 21, 1964 (A. M. Chickering), 183 19♀ and several juveniles in MCZ. Mayagüez, woods near nuclear center, Jan. 27, 1964 (A. M. Chickering), 23 2♀ 2 juveniles in MCZ. 5 km E Mayagüez on Rt. 106, Jan. 30, 1964 (A. M. Chickering), 13 2 juveniles in MCZ. Cidra, Treasure Island, Feb. 26 27, 1955 (A. M. Nadler), 13 1 juvenile in AMNH. Rio Piedras, Mar. 2, 1953, Jan. 21 23, 1955, Mar. 14, 1959 (3 vials, A. M. Nadler), 2♀ 2 juveniles in AMNH. VIR- GIN ISLANDS: St. John: above Cinnamon Bay, Mar. 17, 1970 (H., L. & F. Levi), 2♀ in MCZ. St. Thomas: woods and grass, Dec. 11 13, 1965 (Levins & Cintron), 13 in AMNH.

Leptopholcus delicatulus Franganillo, 1930 Figures 291 294, 306

Figures

Figs. 24–29. Sexual modifications on male chelicerae: modified hairs. 24–25. Spermophora senoculata (Dugès), modified hairs on distal cheliceral apophysis. 26. Micropholcus fauroti (Simon), modified hairs on distal cheliceral apophysis. 27. Leptopholcus dalei (Petrunkevitch), modified hair on cheliceral apophysis. 28. Metagonia rica Gertsch, hairs on frontal surface. 29. Metagonia delicata (O. Pickard-Cambridge), one of the several hairs on frontal surface. Scale lines: 4 µm (24, 27–29), 10 µm (25–26).

Figs. 105–112. Miscellaneous structures. 105. Leptopholcus dalei (Petrunkevitch), modified hair at tip of male palpal trochanter apophysis. 106. Micropholcus fauroti (Simon), modified hair at tip of male palpal trochanter apophysis. 107. Metagonia maldonado, n. sp., tip of clypeal apophysis. 108. Modisimus dominical Huber, male femur, showing vertical (and ‘‘normal’’) hairs. 109. Ibotyporanga naideae Mello- Leitão, male tibia, showing vertical (and ‘‘normal’’) hairs. 110. Coryssocnemis simla, n. sp., spine on male femur 2. 111–112. Modisimus dominical Huber, pseudotrichia on inner surface of male palpal coxae (endites). Scale lines: 100 µm (108–109), 20 µm (107, 110), 5 µm (105–106, 111–112).

Figs. 291 305. Leptopholcus spp. from the Antilles, male diagnostic characters. 291 294. L. delicatulus Franganillo. 291. Left procursus, retrolateral view. 292. Bulbal projections (left bulb). 293. Bulbal appendix. 294. Left palpal trochanter, retrolateral view. 295 299. L. jamaica, n. sp. 295. Left procursus, prolateral view. 296. Left procursus, retrolateral view. 297. Bulbal projections (left bulb). 298. Bulbal appendix. 299. Palpal trochanter. 300 301. L. hispaniola, n. sp. 300. Bulbal appendix.