Libitioides albolineata ( Sørensen, 1884 ), Kury & Medrano, 2023

Kury, Adriano B. & Medrano, Miguel, 2023, Once upon a time in America: recognition of the species of Libitioides from USA, with comments on other American Cosmetidae (Opiliones, Laniatores), European Journal of Taxonomy 875 (1), pp. 101-141 : 125-128

Libitioides albolineata ( Sørensen, 1884)

Figs 14‒16

Cosmetus albolineatus Sørensen, 1884: 592 [senior subjective synonym of Libitioides ornata Roewer 1912 by Roewer (1912: 15), with inverted precedence].

Metacynorta denticus Walker, 1928: 158 , fig. 23. Syn. nov.

Cynorta albolineata – Weed 1893: 295, pl. 6 figs 1–2.

Denticynorta dentica – Roewer 1947: 10.

Libitioides albolineatus – Moritz 1971: 190.

Vonones dentica – Cokendolpher & Jones 1991: 86.

Denticynorta denticus – Kury & Alonso-Zarazaga 2011: 50.

Libitioides albolineata – Medrano et al. 2021: 26, fig. 4H (nom. rest., comb. rest., mandatory inflection of epithet to match feminine gender).

Diagnosis

Libitioides albolineata differs from the other species of Libitioides by the following characters: short legs (femur IV shorter than or equal to DS length), small rounded tubercles in area III (instead of spines), abdomen dorsally round without coda and yellow spots of DS with backbone and ribs (frequently fragmented) and may have lateral clouds. General color of body and appendages uniform brown or rarely light yellowish brown.

Type data

Syntypes of Cosmetus albolineatus

USA • 1 ♂; Louisiana, New Orleans; Krøyer leg; ZMB 8393 (examined) • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; ZMUC (not examined) .

Holotype of Metacynorta denticus

USA • ♀; Ohio, Clear Creek; whereabouts unknown (not examined).

Records

There are numerous records in the literature, mostly misidentified as Libitioides sayi .

Distribution ( Figs 7–11 )

The species occurs in the Gulf Coastal Plain, the Interior Plateaus and Appalachians. The distribution comprises USA states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia. WWF Terrestrial Ecoregions: Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests (NA0402), Appalachian/Blue Ridge forests (NA0403), Central U.S. hardwood forests (NA0404), Mississippi lowland forests (NA0409), Southeastern mixed forests (NA0413), Middle Atlantic coastal forests (NA0517), Piney wood forests (NA0523), Southeastern conifer forests (NA0529, only the westernmost part, state of Mississippi), Western Gulf coastal grasslands (NA0701) and Central forest–grasslands transition zone (NA0804).

Figures

Fig. 14. Libitioides albolineata (Sørensen, 1884), ♂ (USNMENT 01538062) from Palmyra, Virginia. a. Dorsal view of body. b. Left femur and trochanter IV, dorsal view. c. Left metatarsus and tarsomeres of leg I, lateral view. d. Left chelicera dorsal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 15. Libitioides albolineata (Sørensen, 1884) (USNMENT 0153862) from Palmyra, Virginia. a. Male, habitus, dorsal view. b. Same, sinistrolateral view. c. Same, frontal view. d. Same, ventral view. e. Same, panoramic, dorsal view. f. Female, habitus, dorsal view (USNMENT 0153862). Scale bars: a–c = 1 mm; d–f = 2 mm.

Fig. 16. Libitioides albolineata (Sørensen, 1884) (USNMENT 0153862) from Palmyra, Virginia, distal part of penis. a. Dorsal view. b. Ventral view.c. Dextrolateral view. d. Detail of glans, dextrolateral view. e. Apical view. Scale bars: a–c = 50 μm; d = 20 μm; e = 40 μm.

Fig. 7. Southeastern USA, showing the contrasting occurrences of prevailing body color backgrounds in the four morphs B/C/D/E of Libitioides Roewer, 1912.

Fig. 8. Southeastern USA, showing the contrasting conformations of the chevron in the four morphs B/C/D/E of Libitioides Roewer, 1912.

Fig. 9. Southeastern USA, showing the contrasting conformations of the backbone in the four morphs B/C/D/E of Libitioides Roewer, 1912.

Fig. 10. Southeastern USA, showing the contrasting conformations of the omega stripe in the four morphs B/C/D/E of Libitioides Roewer, 1912.

Fig. 11. Southeastern USA, showing the contrasting conformations of the ribs in the four morphs B/C/ D/E of Libitioides Roewer, 1912.