Kryptonesticus arenstorffi ( Kulczyński, 1914 ) Pavlek & Ribera, 2017

Pavlek, Martina & Ribera, Carles, 2017, Kryptonesticus deelemanae gen. et sp. nov. (Araneae, Nesticidae), with notes on the Mediterranean cave species, European Journal of Taxonomy 262, pp. 1-27 : 14-16

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2017.262
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:10676882-F6AC-4BC8-A0F1-9C0882EA36C2
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3844375
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/222787B2-FFE3-FF89-FE4F-848A476CFBE2
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Kryptonesticus arenstorffi ( Kulczyński, 1914 )
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

Kryptonesticus arenstorffi ( Kulczyński, 1914) View in CoL comb. nov.

Figs 2C View Fig 2 , 3 View Fig 3 G–I, 4C, 5I–L

Nesticus arenstorffi Kulczyński, 1914: 378 View in CoL , pl. 16, fig. 50.

Nesticus arenstorffi View in CoL – Kratochvíl 1933: 42, 64, pl. 1, fig. 5, pl. 4, figs 34–36. — Le Peru 2011: 361, fig. 620. Ivesia arenstorffi – Lehtinen & Saaristo 1980: 51.

Diagnosis

Proximal part of MA without process on outer edge, inner side of distal part of MA with bulge in middle, edge between proximal and distal part of MA pointed. Tegulum with triangular basal apophysis. Dorsomedian apophysis of paracymbium absent. Posterior epigyne outline wavy, ridge apically bordering lateral depressions well visible. Spermathecae not reaching over vulvar lateral chitinous structures.

Type material

Not examined. The exact position of the type locality is unknown (for details see Distribution).

Material examined

MONTENEGRO: 1 ♂ ( CBSS /AR 3288-1), 1 ♀ ( CBSS /AR 3288-2), Kotorski zaljev, Golodražnica, 31 Mar. 2012, leg. Ana Komerički; 1 ♀ ( CBSS /AR 3641-1), 1 ♀, 3 ♂♂, Cetinje, Cetinjska pećina, 28 Oct. 2015, leg. Martina Pavlek ( CBSS /AR 3641-2).

Redescription

Male (CBSS/AR 3288-1)

Paracymbium with well-developed dorsal and simple ventral process. Basal branch of dorsal process with slightly convex upper rim which ends in the shape of an indistinct minor blunt tooth. Longer apical branch similar to that in K. deelemenae gen. et sp. nov. but more robust, dilated in middle and attenuated towards top ( Figs 2D View Fig 2 , 3H View Fig 3 ). Ventral process broad and round, with transparent middle part and no membranous extension on rim. Dorsomedial apophysis absent ( Fig. 3G View Fig 3 ). Tegulum with inconspicuous groove, low round swelling in apical part ( Fig. 2B View Fig 2 , in apical view in Fig. 3I View Fig 3 ), and with triangular broadbased basal apophysis. Median apophysis well developed, V-shaped, distal arm reaching almost to apical part of tegulum. Outer edge between proximal and distal part pointed, not equally rounded as in K. deelemanae gen. et sp. nov. and K. fagei . Distal part of MA narrowing toward top; top bluntly ended with serrated upper edge. Inner side of distal part of MA with bulge in middle. Embolus, TTA p1 and TTA p2 of TTA similar to those in K. deelemanae gen. et sp. nov. ( Figs 2D View Fig 2 , 3G View Fig 3 ).

Female (CBSS/AR 3641-1)

EPIGYNE. Slightly wider than long. In lateral view not protruding very much ( Fig. 5L View Fig 5 ). Lateral lobes with oval depressions in posterior part, reaching middle of epigyne. Posterior epigyne border made of two semicircular chitinous arches, flanking depressions and coming together in middle, forming a small, pale, inconspicuous convex tubercule. Ridge apically bordering tubercle well visible. Epigyne outline, laterally of semicircular chitinous arches, with shallow notches. In ventral view, chitinous curves through which insemination ducts extend visible on both sides of epigyne ( Figs 4C View Fig 4 , 5 View Fig 5 I–J).

VULVA. Lateral sides of vulva made of compact dark chitinous structures enclosed in firm transparent membrane (lateral pouches). Spermathecae slender, oval-shaped, with shallow constriction in middle, located meso-apically behind dark chitinous lateral structures. Insemination ducts depart at bottom and extend to epigynal base. Two chitinous narrow, horn-like structures protrude from inner sides of dark chitinous lateral structures, in apical direction, to empty middle part of vulva ( Fig. 5K View Fig 5 ).

Distribution

The type locality is Laketićeva pećina near the town of Trebinje in Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Kulczyński 1914). Since the original description, it has not been collected at the type locality and its exact position is at the moment unknown. In the surroundings of the town of Trebinje no cave with such a name is known. The type material is deposited in the National Museum in Prague ( Ružička et al. 2005). The species is also known from Čudna jama near Mostar ( Fage 1931) and from 19 more caves in Montenegro ( Kratochvíl 1933, 1935; Deeleman-Reinhold 1974). Recently, the species has been recorded in three more caves: Cetinjska pećina as reported by Deltshev et al. (2014) and personal observations, Pećina Vojvode Dakovića (pers. obs.) in Montenegro, and from cave Jezero on Sniježnica Mt which is the first record for Croatia (all records from the CBSS collection are listed in Appendix 3 View Appendix 3 ). All localities are marked on the map in Fig. 6B View Fig 6 . In the last 20 years, researchers from CBSS visited many caves around the town of Trebinje, in the Popovo polje region and in other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but recovered no K. arenstorffi . Čudna jama near Mostar is far away from all certain K. arenstorffi localities and we wanted to check that material, deposited in the National Museum in Prague, but unfortunately there are only two subadult males and a juv.enile inside the vial (personal communication with Petr Dolejš, curator of the spider collection) so the taxonomical status of the samples could not be confirmed. We consider that locality dubious. The citation of Serbia in ‘The Spiders of Europe’ ( Nentwig et al. 2016) is erroneous.

Natural history

K. arensorffi specimens were mostly found hanging upside down from the webs, in the entrance part but also deeper in the caves. The temperature in the caves where K. arenstorffi has recently been collected ranges between 5°C and 15°C. Generally, in all caves where K. arenstorffi was recorded no other nesticid species was present, except in Cetinjska pećina in the town of Cetinje in Montenegro. This cave is inhabited by the troglobiotic species Typhlonesticus absoloni as reported by Christa Deeleman-Reinhold (1974), and it has also been collected recently ( Appendix 4 View Appendix 4 ). It is worth noting that in her 1974 paper, Christa Deeleman-Reinhold did not mention the presence of K. arenstorffi . Her collecting trip was in 1972, before Cetinjska pećina was adapted for touristic visits and before a tunnel was dug into the cave from the outside (in the 1980s). The tunnel has surely changed the microclimatic conditions in the cave by introducing a constant air flow, so it could have made some parts of the cave less suitable for the troglobiotic Typhlonesticus absoloni (found only in deeper parts), but more accommodating for the less troglomorphic K. arenstorffi .