Iberina microphthalma ( Snazell & Duffey, 1980 )

Růžička, Vlastimil, 2022, A review of the spider genus Iberina (Araneae, Hahniidae), Zootaxa 5133 (4), pp. 555-566 : 560-562

Iberina microphthalma ( Snazell & Duffey, 1980)

Figs. 3B , 4B , 5B .

Hahnia microphthalma Snazell & Duffey, 1980 — Snazell & Duffey (1980): p. 50, Figs. 1 –6 (descr. ♀); transferred by Ledoux (2014).

Iberina caeca Georgescu & Sarbu, 1992 — Georgescu & Sarbu (1992): p. 139, Figs. 1 –6 (descr. ♀); new synonymy.

H. caeca — Weiss & Sarbu (1996): p. 164, Figs. 1–4 (descr. ♂).

H. microphthalma — Szita et al. (1998): p. 342, Figs. 1 , 2.

I. microphthalma — Ledoux (2014): p. 34, Figs. 11A–E.

I. microphthalma — Mezöfi & Markó (2018): p. 3, Figs. 4a–d .

Material examined. CZECHIA: Jenišovice-Mravín , 49.9446°N, 16.0522°E, 335 m a.s.l., sandy marl slope, 25 Oct 2013 – 10 Nov 2021, 19 ♂ 9 ♀, leg. V. Růžička & J. Dolanský • Bohemian Karst , Liteň, 49.8957°N, 14.1224°E, 440 m a.s.l., 13 Apr–17 May 2011, 1 ♀, leg. A. Tenčík (Machač & Zedek 2014; sub I. candida , misidentification) • Louny-Raná , Raná Mt., 50.3999°N, 13.7730°E, 250 m a.s.l., 11 Aug 2019 – 28 Oct 2021, 31 ♂ 30 ♀, leg. P. Veselý, P. Moravec, J. Blízek, R. Kmeco & J. Bouchal • Bečov-Milá , Milá Mt. 50.4272°N, 13.7684°E, 410 m a.s.l., 11 Sep 2019 – 28 Oct 2021, 5 ♂ 1 ♀, leg. J. Blízek, R. Kmeco & J. Bouchal • Louny-Dobroměřice 50.3780°N, 13.8088°E, 190 m a.s.l., 11 Sep 2019 – 7 Sep 2021, 8 ♂ 7 ♀, leg. P. Moravec & P. Veselý • Semice , 50.1594°N, 14.8666°E, 225 m a.s.l., 13 Jul–10 Oct 2020, 1 ♂, leg. P. Veselý & M. Linhart • Praha-Řeporyje , 8 Apr–20 Aug 2021, 1 ♂ 2 ♀, leg. P. Veselý ( IECA, VčM) • SLOVAKIA: Hronský Beňadik , 48.3540°N, 18.5561°E, 300 m a.s.l., 5 Jul 2020 – 12 Sep 2021, 3 ♂ 3 ♀, leg. J. Blízek, R. Kmeco & J. Bouchal ( IECA) .

Description. ♀ (from Jenišovice-Mravín, Czechia, 29 Sep 2015 – 15 Nov 2016). CW 0.46 mm. Carapace pale yellow, abdomen pale whitish grey. Leg measurements: I: 1.60 (0.48, 0.18, 0.34, 0.31, 0.29); II: 1.51 (0.45, 0.15, 0.31, 0.30, 0.30); III: 1.42 (0.39, 0.16, 0.28, 0.29, 0.30); IV: 1.82 (0.50, 0.16, 0.42, 0.40, 0.34). Loops of copulatory ducts are situated in front of primary spermathecae. Secondary spermathecae are greatly reduced and hardly visible ( Fig. 5B ).

♂ (from Jenišovice-Mravín , Czechia, 29 Sep 2015 — 15 Nov 2016). The palpal femur has three spines on the ventral side. The tibial apophysis is long and sharply separated from the tibia, with serrations on its inner side ( Fig. 3B ). The male palp differs from that of all other species by the protruding tip of the cymbium and by an embolus with one turn only ( Fig. 4B ) .

Variation. The eyes exhibit various stages of diminishment.

Comments. The type material of I. caeca , collected in Movile cave, should be deposited in the ‘Emile Racovita’ Institute of Speleology, Bucharest; however, the material is not available (A. Nae, in litt.). The male of I. caeca was described by Weiss and Sarbu (1996) based on one male completely lacking eyes, collected in the Movile Cave. It should be deposited in the Natural History Museum Sibiu; however, the material is not available (A.-M. Papureanu, in litt.).

Originally, I. microphthalma was described by Snazell and Duffey (1980) based on two females with reduced PMA. Iberina caeca , described by Georgescu and Sarbu (1992), exhibit the same characteristic copulatory ducts, albeit absent AME. The male designated provisionally as Hahnia sp. aff. caeca , described from surface habitats in Romania, fully fits the specimens from Movile cave ( Weiss & Sarbu 1996). The form of the copulatory ducts and the protruding cymbium and embolus with one turn in the material examined fully fit these descriptions.

The descriptions of females by Snazell and Duffey (1980) and Georgescu and Sarbu (1992) and of the male by Weiss & Sarbu (1996), together with rich material of males and females from the Czech and Slovak Republics, allow synonymisation of I. caeca with I. microphthalma .

Ecology. In Great Britain, I. microphthalma was recorded in chalck grasslands. In Romania, it was collected in xerotherm slopes and once in a cave. Using pipe traps, Růžička & Dolanský (2016) documented, for the first time, that the species inhabits the soil on sandy marl slopes, at a depth of 50–120 cm. Later, rich material was collected during research on invertebrates in stony soils on bedrock formed by decaying claystone and sandy marl. In Czechia, this habitat forms so-called ‘white slopes’. Using a colonisation trap, three living females were collected: two at a depth of 60 cm and one at the depth of 110 cm.

Geographic distribution. According to its subterranean mode of life, it is known from sporadic records in Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Czechia, Hungary ( Růžička & Dolanský 2016; Mezöfi & Markó 2018) and Romania ( Weiss & Sarbu 1996). Recently it was also recorded in Slovakia.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Antistea elegans from Třeboň, Czechia. A—♀ carapace, dorsal view. B—♀ stridulating organ. C—♀ epigynum. D—♂ palpal femur. E—♂ palpal patella. F—♂ palpal tibia. Scale bars, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Hahnia pusilla from Police nad Metují, Czechia (A–E). Hahniharmia picta from Lednice, Czechia (F–K). Iberina difficilis from Horní Planá, Czechia (L–O). A, F, L—♀ carapace, profile. B, G, M—♀ carapace, dorsal view. C, H, N—♂ palpal patella. D, I—♂ palpal tibia. E, J—♂ bulbus. The outline of transparent median apophysis (ma) in H. pusilla is marked by a hair line. O—♂ palpal femur. K—♀ epigynum. Scale bars, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Male palpal tibia. A—I. mazarredoi from S. Roque de Riomiera, Spain. B—Iberina microphthalma from Raná, Czechia. C—I. candida from Radotín, Czechia. D—I. montana from Hüls bei Krefeld, Germany. E—I. difficilis from Horní Planá, Czechia. Scale bars, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Male palp. A—Iberina mazarredoi from S. Roque de Riomiera, Spain. B—I. microphthalma from Raná, Czechia. C—I. candida from Pretzfeld, Germany. D—I. montana from Hüls bei Krefeld, Germany. E—I. difficilis from Horní Planá, Czechia. Scale bars, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 5. Female vulva. A—Iberina mazarredoi from Galzames, Spain. B—I. microphthalma from Jenišovice-Mravín, Czechia. C—I. candida from Streitberg, Germany. D—I. montana from Hüls bei Krefeld, Germany. E—I. difficilis from Horní Planá, Czechia. Scale bars, 0.1 mm.