Leiobunum subalpinum Komposch, 1998

Martens, Jochen & Schönhofer, Axel L., 2016, The Leiobunum rupestre species group: resolving the taxonomy of four widespread European taxa (Opiliones: Sclerosomatidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 216 (216), pp. 1-35 : 9-10

Leiobunum subalpinum Komposch, 1998

Fig. 2

Leibunum subalpinum Komposch, 1998: 20 .

Leiobunum rupestre Gruber, 1966: 46 (partim).

Nelima religiosa Roewer, 1910: 912 (in part: series from Tirol, Gross-Glockner).

Nelima religiosa Thaler, 1966: 79 .

Leiobunum sp. – Komposch 1997: 83.

Leibunum subalpinum – Komposch 2009 b: 487.

Taxonomic history

Rather uncomplicated. Because of its extreme similarity to L. rupestre , including genital morphology, this species went unidentified in many former high-altitude reports on L. rupestre until its formal description in 1998. Leiobunum rupestre and L. subalpinum occur in sympatry and local syntopy, but coxal markings allow easy field identification, so no further misindications were recorded.

Diagnosis

A medium-sized Leiobunum species very similar to L. rupestre , except for black coxal markings in both sexes and white markings on Ceph including a white area in front of the tuber oculorum in males. Coxa IV without granules. For further details refer to Komposch (1998).

Description

BODY. See Diagnosis.

DORSAL PATTERN. Extremely similar to L. rupestre .

PEDIPALPS. Very similar to L. rupestre except for a medio-basal swelling on Ta in males.

GENITAL MORPHOLOGY. Very similar to L. rupestre . The wing-free basal part of truncus shorter than in L. rupestre .

Distribution ( Fig. 2 )

Restricted to the eastern Austrian Alps, mainly on the southern macroslope in the federal states of Salzburg, Steiermark and Kärnten ( Komposch 1998; Komposch & Gruber 2004; Komposch 2009 b) extending into adjacent Slovenia ( Novak et al. 2006). Type locality is Gössnitztal in the National Park Hohe Tauern in Kärnten.

Ecology

This a mountainous species of the eastern Alps. Its distributional range extends from about 1500 m to 2100 m a.s.l. with rare outliers down to 430 m in moist and cool ravines and up to 2200 m. Vertical rockfaces mostly of siliceous origin are preferred ( Komposch 2009 a, b; Komposch & Gruber 1999). There is a zone of sympatric and sometimes even syntopic occurrence together with L. rupestre between 500 m and 1400 m. Strongholds of L. rupestre in that area extend from 500 m to 1000 m with rare occurrences below (down to 200 m) and above (up to 1400 m) ( Komposch 1998).

Figures

Fig. 2. Distribution of the species of the Leiobunum rupestre species group. Red squares = L. rupestre Herbst, 1799; blue circles = L. gracile Thorell, 1876; green triangles = L. apenninicum (Martens, 1969); stippled line circumscribes area of L. subalpinum Komposch, 1998. Type localities are indicated by abbreviated taxon names (ape = apenninicum; gla = glabrum; gra = gracile; lae = laeve; nor = norvegicum; rup = rupestre; sub subalpinum; tis = tisciae). Arrows indicate a specified locality, if unprecisely given, the general area is indicated (rupestre = Saxony; gracile, laeve = Scania).