Nesticus jonesi 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 jonesi Gertsch, 1984

Fig. 56A-C

Nesticus jonesi Gertsch, 1984: 38, figs 153-155, 167-169.

Material examined.

Type material: Holotype: USA - Alabama, Morgan Co. • ♂ holotype; Cave Spring Cave; 2 May 1959; W.B. Jones, Royer, Steeves, T.C. Barr leg; AMNH; New collections from type locality: - Morgan Co. • 4♂, 14♀; Wheeler NWR, Cave Spring Cave , E of Decatur; 14 Nov. 1992; M. Hedin, J. Hedin leg.

Diagnosis.

Similar to regional congener Nesticus barri , this species is long-legged and nearly eyeless, but is otherwise morphologically and genetically allied with members of the Nesticus reclusus group from montane western North Carolina. Very similar in male and female genital morphology to close phylogenomic kin N. dellingeri (Fig. 55A-G ), N. dykemanae (Fig. 59A-C ) and N. binfordae (57A-C), but geographically disjunct, troglomorphic, and larger in body size. Also differing from these taxa in the shape of the tegular apophyses (both basal and distal), and the shape of the basal edge of the median apophysis (Fig. 56A ).

Distribution and natural history.

This species is known only from the type locality south of the Tennessee River in north-central Alabama (Fig. 53 ). Geographically far-flung from phylogenetic relatives, perhaps similar to the biogeographic situation observed in Nesticus paynei and/or N. carteri , both of which also include disjunct populations towards the southern end of the Tennessee River valley.

Collections in 1992 revealed a very large spider population in Cave Spring Cave, perhaps up to 1,000 individuals. This cave is home to a protected bat colony and located in a US National Wildlife Refuge. The extraordinary size of the Nesticus jonesi population is perhaps related to the high productivity associated with the large bat colony and/or the protected status of this cave.

Remarks.

Part of a near phylogenomic trichotomy with Nesticus dykemanae and N. binfordae (Figs 3 , 4 ), with sCF values near a lower limit.

Figures

Figure 3. UCE concatenated maximum likelihood tree. Distant outgroups removed (for graphical purposes), specimen numbers correspond to those in Suppl. material 3 (with detailed location provided in Suppl. material 1). Node numbers correspond to bootstrap (bold text) / gCF / sCF. Only bootstrap values below 100 shown, all others 100. gCF and sCF values rounded to nearest integer; sCF values below 38 highlighted with red text.

Figure 4. UCE ASTRAL species tree. Distant outgroups removed (for graphical purposes), specimen numbers correspond to those in Suppl. material 3 (with detailed location provided in Suppl. material 1). Included are quartet support values (rounded to nearest integer), and local posterior probability values (if less than 1.0, red text). Branch lengths in coalescent units for internal branches only, terminal branch lengths arbitrary. Internal branch to Nesticus cressleri truncated for graphical purposes.

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.

Figure 55. Nesticus dellingeri sp. nov. genitalia. North Carolina, Macon Co., vicinity Whiteside Mountain, MCH specimen # 1047, ♂ palp, dorsal (A), ventral (B) C North Carolina, Jackson Co., Whitewater River, below Upper Falls, MCH 02 _ 183, palp, ventral. North Carolina, Macon Co., vicinity Whiteside Mountain, MCH specimen # 1057, epigynum, ventral (D), dorsal (E). North Carolina, Jackson Co., Whitewater River, below Upper Falls, MCH 02 _ 183, ventral (F), dorsal (G). Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

Figure 56. Nesticus jonesi genitalia A Alabama, Morgan Co., Cave Spring Cave, MCH specimen # 1644, ♂ palp, ventral. Alabama, Morgan Co., Cave Spring Cave, MCH specimen # 1656, epigynum, ventral (B), dorsal (C). Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

Figure 59. Nesticus dykemanae sp. nov. genitalia. ♂ palps - Tennessee, Sevier Co., Great Smoky Mountains NP, Hwy 441 near Chimney Tops trailhead, MCH 00 _ 143 (SDSU _ TAC 000673), ♂ palp ventral (A), dorsal (B) C Tennessee, Sevier Co., Great Smoky Mountains NP, Hwy 441, between tunnel and Chimney picnic area, MCH specimen # 1977, ♂ palp ventral. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. epigynal variation - Tennessee, Sevier Co., Great Smoky Mountains NP, Hwy 441 near Chimney Tops trailhead, MCH 00 _ 143 (SDSU _ TAC 000674), epigynum ventral (D), dorsal (E). Tennessee, Sevier Co., Great Smoky Mountains NP, Hwy 441, between tunnel and Chimney picnic area, MCH specimen # 1973, epigynum ventral (F), dorsal (G). Tennessee, Sevier Co., Great Smoky Mountains NP, Hwy 441, N of Chimneys campground, epigynum ventral (H), dorsal (I). Scale bar: 0.5 mm.