Nadine Dupérré

The Goblin Spider Genera Opopaea and Epectris (Araneae, Oonopidae) in the New World

Abstract Although the type species of the widespread, speciose, and abundant goblin spider genus Opopaea Simon was initially described from St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles, and 15 additional New World taxa have since been assigned to the genus, we hypothesize that Opopaea is not native to the New World, and is represented in America only by introduced species that, although now pantropical in distribution, are of Old World origin. Myrmecoscaphiella Mello-Leitão is placed as a junior synonym of Opopaea, and its type species, M. borgmeyeri Mello-Leitão from Brazil, is newly synonymized with O. concolor (Blackwall), as are also O. devia Gertsch from Texas, O. guaraniana Birabén from Argentina, and O. bandina Chickering from Florida. Opopaea timida Chickering, from Panama, is placed as a junior synonym of the type species, O. deserticola Simon, which is newly recorded from Mexico, Costa Rica, Bermuda, the Bahama Islands, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Barbados, Trinidad, Colombia, and Brazil; O. concolor is newly recorded from Mexico, Costa Rica, the Bahama Islands, Cuba, Jamaica, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Peru, and Hawaii. A third widespread species has most commonly been cited as O. lena Suman, originally described from Hawaii and recently chosen as the type species of the monotypic genus Nale Saaristo and Marusik. Nale is here placed as a junior synonym of Epectris Simon, as its type species is placed as a junior synonym of E. apicalis Simon, described from the Philippines; E. apicalis is newly recorded from Florida, Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, Réunion, Singapore, Borneo, Micronesia, and New Caledonia. Opopaea cupida (Keyserling) is transferred to Marsupopaea Cooke; O. recondita Chickering is transferred to Brignolia Dumitresco and Georgesco. In a supplement, Pelicinus vernalis (Bryant), described from Florida, is also placed as a junior synonym of O. concolor.

The American Goblin Spiders of the New Genus Escaphiella (Araneae, Oonopidae)

Abstract A new genus, Escaphiella, is established for a group of 36 oonopid species found from the United States south to Chile and Argentina. The previously known species had been placed in Scaphiella Simon, and Escaphiella is hypothesized to be the sister group of that genus. Members of the two groups share a laterally extended ventral abdominal scutum and a distinctive female genitalic conformation, but differ in cheliceral shape and setation, female palpal tarsal shape, male and female palpal tarsal setation, embolus form, and posterior respiratory structure. At least seven species of Escaphiella are characterized by the highly unusual occurrence of asymmetry between the right and left male pedipalps. In at least eight species, the right and left posterior median spinnerets are fused into a single median projection, or even lost entirely. Nine specific names are transferred from Scaphiella: S. hespera Chamberlin (chosen as the type species), S. litoris Chamberlin, S. juvenilis (Gertsch and Davis), S. iguala Gertsch and Davis, S. schmidti Reimoser, S. gertschi Chickering, S. itys Simon, S. scutata Chickering, and S. argentina Birabén. Two of those names are newly synonymized: E. juvenilis with E. hespera, and E. scutata with E. itys. The female of E. hespera is described for the first time, and 29 new species are described: E. nye from California and Nevada, E. acapulco, E. colima, E. catemaco, E. tonila, E. chiapa, E. nayarit, E. magna, and E. olivacea from Mexico, E. viquezi from Honduras and Nicaragua, E. tayrona, E. betin, and E. gigantea from Colombia, E. bolivar from Venezuela, E. cidades, E. hesperoides, E. maculosa, E. cachimbo, E. aratau, E. bahia, E. pocone, E. blumenau, and E. morro from Brazil, E. exlineae from Peru, E. peckorum from Argentina, E. ramirezi from Argentina and Uruguay, E. ocoa from Chile, and E. cristobal and E. isabela from the Galapagos Islands.

The Goblin Spider Genera Stenoonops and Australoonops (Araneae, Oonopidae), with Notes on Related Taxa

Abstract The goblin spider genus Stenoonops Simon is relimited to include those spineless oonopids with a soft abdomen but a well-sclerotized cephalothorax, elevated and pointed sternal extensions separated by distinct grooves, and a dorsal, distal clump of short setae on the male and female palpal tarsi. Most of the 19 species currently assigned to Stenoonops belong elsewhere; the 14 misplaced species include members of six other genera. As relimited, Stenoonops comprises 23 species and is circum-Caribbean in distribution. The Mediterranean type species of Oonopinus Simon, O. angustatus (Simon), is poorly known, but none of the New World taxa that have been placed in Oonopinus are actually congeneric with O. angustatus. Oonopinus pretiosus Bryant is transferred to Stenoonops; O. centralis Gertsch and O. modestus Chickering are transferred to Theotima (Ochyroceratidae). The genus Scaphioides Bryant is removed from the synonymy of Stenoonops; S. minutus Chamberlin and Ivie from Florida, S. reductus (Bryant) and S. nitens Bryant from the Virgin Islands, S. cletus Chickering and S. hoffi Chickering from Jamaica, S. phonetus Chickering and S. econotus Chickering from Puerto Rico, and S. halatus Chickering from Antigua are transferred from Stenoonops to Scaphioides. Members of two other genera resemble those of Stenoonops but lack distinct grooves between the sternal projections. In the new genus Longoonops, also circum-Caribbean, the posterior median eyes are elongated and color patterns often occur on the abdomen or legs; Stenoonops padiscus Chickering, from Jamaica, is transferred to Longoonops. In Australoonops Hewitt, the seam between the male palpal bulb and cymbium has been lost; females of the type species, A. granulatus Hewitt from South Africa, are described for the first time. New species are described in all three genera, including 17 species of Stenoonops (S. peckorum from Florida, S. alazan and S. cabo from Mexico, S. belmopan from Belize, S. murphyorum from Costa Rica, S. canita from Panama, S. tayrona and S. kochalkai from Colombia and Venezuela, S. bimini from the Bahama Islands, S. mandeville from Jamaica, S. jara from Hispaniola, S. luquillo from Puerto Rico, S.saintjohn, S. tortola, and S. exgord from the Virgin Islands, S. saba from Saba Island, and S. simla from Trinidad), three species of Longoonops (L. bicolor from Nicaragua and Costa Rica, L. chickeringi from Panama, and L. gorda from the Virgin Islands), and two species of Australoonops (A. skaife and A. haddadi from South Africa and Mozambique).

The Andean Goblin Spiders of the New Genus Scaphidysderina (Araneae, Oonopidae), with Notes on Dysderina

ABSTRACT Dysderina Simon is one of the largest of the classical genera of goblin spiders, containing numerous species that have been associated only because they are heavily scutate gamasomorphines with long, paired spines on the ventral surface of the anterior tibiae and metatarsi. The Old World species that have been assigned to the genus are wildly misplaced, and the New World fauna constitutes a complex of over 225 species belonging to at least nine genera. The northern Andes house a highly diverse fauna, both of Dysderina itself and of closely related genera. The new genus Scaphidysderina is established for one of those related but distinct Andean groups, characterized by a crenulated sternum and by the reduction or loss of the dorsal abdominal scutum in females. Seventeen new species are described from Peru (S. manu, S. pagoreni, S. scutata, S. cajamarca), Ecuador (S. tayos, S. loja, S. molleturo, S. tapiai, S. pinocchio, S. palenque, S. tandapi, S. napo, S. baerti, S. cotopaxi, S. andersoni), and Colombia (S. hormigai, S. iguaque). Males of several species show remarkable modifications of the chilum and chelicerae; the chilum is sometimes enlarged to form a conspicuous snout, and the cheli cerae often bear a heavily sclerotized, dorsally directed spine, A second new genus, Costarina, is established to contain the most commonly encountered species that have been misplaced in Dysderina; Dysderina plena O. P.-Cambridge, from Mexico, is chosen as the type species, and 1.5 additional taxa, all described from Central America by Chickering, are transferred from Dysderina to Costarina: D. abdita, D. belinda, D. concinna, D. dura, D. humphreyi, D. improvisa, D. intempina, D. meridina, D. obtina, D. poteria, D. recondita, D. riigida, D. seclusa, D. silvatica, and D. watina.

The Goblin Spider Genus Heteroonops (Araneae, Oonopidae), With Notes on Oonops

Abstract The goblin spider genus Heteroonops is relimited to include those soft-bodied oonopids with anteriorly situated, posteriorly directed projections on the endites of males, and elongated, highly spinose pedipalps in females, and is hypothesized to be natively circum-Caribbean. The type species, H. spinimanus (Simon), has attained a pantropical distribution, has been known only from females, and has therefore been hypothesized to be parthenogenetic. Although the species may have some parthenogenetic populations, males have apparently been collected together with females twice, once in the Seychelle Islands and once in Florida. We therefore place Matyotia tetraspinosus Saaristo (a monotypic genus and species established for that Seychelle specimen) as the male (and hence a junior synonym) of H. spinimanus; Oonopinus hunus Suman, described from Hawaii, is also newly synonymized with H. spinimanus, which is newly recorded from Mexico, the Bahama Islands, Colombia, Madeira, Madagascar, the Marquesas Islands, the Cook Islands, Pitcairn Island, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Queensland. Four specific names are transferred to Heteroonops: Oonops singulus Gertsch and Davis (from Mexico), O. validus Bryant (from Hispaniola), O. castellus Chickering (from the Virgin Islands), and O. delegenus Chickering (from Puerto Rico); H. delegenus is placed as a junior synonym of H. castellus, and the female of H. validus is described for the first time. Ten new species are described: H. murphyorum from Costa Rica, H. andros from the Bahama Islands, H. spinigata from Jamaica, H. vega, H. iviei, and H. castelloides from Hispaniola, H. toro from Puerto Rico, H. croix from the Virgin Islands, H. saba from Saba and Montserrat, and H. macaque from Dominica. Because the status of Heteroonops as a genus separate from Oonops Templeton has been questioned, we present a redescription of the familys type species, Oonops pulcher Templeton, based on topotypical specimens from Scotland; it is unlikely that any of the plethora of New World species that have been assigned to Oonops are actually congeneric with O. pulcher.

The Goblin Spider Genus Scaphiella (Araneae, Oonopidae)

Abstract The goblin spider genus Scaphiella Simon is characterized by several unique characters, including peculiarly shaped macrosetae found medially on the chelicerae and basally on the palpal tarsi of both sexes. The genus is restricted to the New World tropics, except for one species collected in far southern Florida; as revised here, the group comprises 61 species, all of which have small distribution ranges and 49 of which are newly described: S. longkey from Florida; S. campeche, S. tuxtla, S. palenque, S. cocona, and S. palmillas from southern Mexico; S. cayo from Belize; S. mico from Guatemala; S. ceiba, S. lancetilla, and S. muralla from Honduras; S. bopal from Nicaragua; S. vito, S. hitoy, S. virgen, and S. osa from Costa Rica; S. antonio, S. altamira, and S. hone from Costa Rica and Panama; S. bocas and S. almirante from Panama; S. bonda, S. meta, and S. vicencio from Colombia; S. pich, S. napo, S. tena, S. incha, and S. chone from Ecuador; S. pago from Peru; S. manaus, S. irmaos, S. capim, S. penna, and S. murici from Brazil; S. kartabo from Guyana; S. miranda, S. guatopo, S. tigre, S. gracia, S. cata, S. valencia, S. icabaru, and S. ayacucho from Venezuela; S. guiria from Venezuela and Trinidad; S. arima from Trinidad; S. etang from Guadeloupe; S. saba from Saba; and S. buck from St. Croix.

The Andean Goblin Spiders of the New Genera Niarchos and Scaphios (Araneae, Oonopidae)

Abstract A new genus, Niarchos, is established for a group of 22 new species from the Andean regions of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Although the males of most of these species are obviously gamasomorphines, with a well-developed dorsal abdominal scutum, that scutum is reduced, in the males of two species, to just a narrow, sclerotized, longitudinal strip that covers only the cardiac area and is fused anteriorly to the epigastric scutum. Females of all species, in contrast, show no trace whatever of a dorsal abdominal scutum, have only short and lightly sclerotized epigastric and postepigastric scuta, and could therefore easily be misidentified as oonopines. Four species groups are recognized within the genus, each characterized by a distinctive form of male palp; the four groups are united by the presence of a triangular, posteriorly directed anterior projection on the male endites as well as by the sexual dimorphism in scutum morphology, reduced posterior eyes, and an unusual leg spination pattern (with spines absent on the anterior legs and present only as slightly enlarged but darkened macrosetae on tibiae, and sometimes metatarsi, III and/or IV). The cotopaxi group includes eight species, six from western Ecuador (N. cotopaxi, N. barragani, N. keili, N. baehrae, N. tapiai, and N. elicioi) and two from southwestern Colombia (N. wygodzinskyi and N. florezi); males of this group are united by a unique retroventral projection on the male palpal bulb. The scutatus group includes seven species from eastern Ecuador (N. scutatus, N. ramirezi, N. bonaldoi, N. vegai, N. santosi, N. michaliki, and N. ligiae); males of this group are united by an embolar base bent at a right angle at about half its length. The loja group includes two species from southern Ecuador and northern Peru (N. loja and N. foreroi) in which the embolus is elongated. The palenque group includes two species from western Ecuador (N. palenque and N. facundoi) in which the distal portion of the embolus is short and translucent. Three Ecuadorean species known only from females (N. grismadoi, N. matiasi, and N. rheimsae) are left unplaced, but apparently represent at least one additional, relatively widespread species group. A second new genus, Scaphios, is described for a group of seven new species from Ecuador (S. yanayacu, S. napo, S. cayambe, S. wagra, S. jatun, S. orellana, and S. puyo), plus one species from southwestern Colombia (S. planada), that resemble those of Niarchos in dorsal scutum morphology and leg spination, but have fully developed posterior eyes, a laterally directed anterior projection on the male endites, and a subdistally originating, sinuous embolus. Males of S. orellana also have reduced dorsal and postepigastric abdominal scuta, but (unlike the Niarchos males with reduced scuta) the dorsal scutum is separate from the epigastric scutum. A shared pattern of sexual dimorphism in ventral pedicel sclerite morphology suggests that Niarchos and Scaphios are sister groups.

The Andean Goblin Spiders of the New Genera Paradysderina and Semidysderina (Araneae, Oonopidae)

Abstract A new genus, Paradysderina, is established for a speciose group of Andean goblin spiders belonging to the Dysderina complex. Members of Paradysderina resemble those of Scaphidysderina Platnick and Dupérré in having the dorsal abdominal scutum of females either greatly reduced or entirely absent, but lack the highly crenulated sternum characteristic of Scaphidysderina and have instead a distinctively flattened, rugose sternal surface. Males of various species of Paradysderina show a wide range of remarkable autapomorphies, including projections at the sides of the clypeus and various kinds of excavations and projections on or between the chelicerae. Several species share the highly unusual occurrence of asymmetry between the left and right male pedipalps; in some species the asymmetry involves the size of the palpal bulb, but in those and other cases, the embolus structure also differs consistently between the two sides, to such an extent that if the left and right palps were studied in isolation, they would be considered to belong to different species. Dysderina globosa (Keyserling) from Colombia and D. montana (Keyserling) from Peru are transferred to Paradysderina, and their males are described for the first time. A total of 52 new species are described, including 26 from Peru (P. watrousi, P. consuelo, P. excavata, P. silvae, P. malkini, P. maldonado, P. asymmetrica, P. apurimac, P. convencion, P. macho, P. tambopata, P. schizo, P. wygodzinskyi, P. newtoni, P. thayerae, P. carpish, P. rothae, P. tabaconas, P. sauce, P. piura, P. tambo, P. fatima, P. bagua, P. yasua, P. loreto, and P. pithecia), 15 from Ecuador (P. zamora, P. lostayos, P. puyo, P. hermani, P. yanayacu, P. baehrae, P. righty, P. centro, P. fusiscuta, P. lefty, P. vlad, P. yasuni, P. dracula, P. pecki, and P. sucumbios), and 11 from Colombia (P. imir, P. pinzoni, P. leticia, P. pira, P. vaupes, P. huila, P. chingaza, P. boyaca, P. carrizal, P. monstrosa, and P. chinacota); P. loreto is also recorded from far western Amazonas, Brazil. A second new genus, Semidysderina, is established for species that share with Scaphidysderina and Paradysderina the absence of a dorsal scutum in females and a spinneret scutum in both sexes, but differ in having a groove connecting the posterior spiracles. Six new species of Semidysderina are described from Colombia (S. lagila, S. kochalkai, S. donachui, S. marta, S. mulleri, and S. sturmi). At least four of these species, from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, are remarkable for the retention of a distinct seam between the male palpal cymbium and bulb.

The Goblin Spider Genus Pescennina (Araneae, Oonopidae)

ABSTRACT The goblin spider genus Pescennina Simon has been known only from females of its type species from Venezuela, whereas the more recently described genus Marsupopaea Cooke has been known only from males taken in Colombia. Discovery of the missing sexes, in both cases, indicates that these spiders belong to the Scaphiella complex; males have dorsal abdominal scuta that are absent in females. The presence, in the males of both type species, of a terminal, coiled embolus that can be held in an excavated “pouch” at the anterior edge of the sternum and is matched by coiled anterior ducts in the female genitalia, suggests that these taxa are congeneric. Marsupopaea is therefore newly synonymized with Pescennina, and its type species, M. sturmi Cooke, is placed as a junior synonym of P. cupida (Keyserling). Species of Pescennina occur widely in North, Central, and South America; many are apparently ant mimics, with color patterns (and sometimes a constricted abdomen) that enhance their antlike appearance. Although most of the species seem to be ground dwelling, with the extremely narrow geographic ranges typical of goblin spiders, at least four species inhabit the forest canopy, and at least one of those species is much more widespread. Males of the type species, P. epularis Simon, and females of P. cupida (Keyserling) are described for the first time; 16 new species are described: P. iviei, P. gertschi, P. sumidero, and P. ibarrai from Mexico; P. murphyorum from Nicaragua and Costa Rica; P. viquezi from Costa Rica; P. laselva from Costa Rica and Panama; P. fusca from Panama; P. arborea from Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador; P. magdalena and P. sasaima from Colombia; P. orellana from Ecuador; P. piura and P. loreto from Peru; P. grismadoi from Bolivia; and P. otti from southern Brazil.

The Goblin Spider Genus Brignolia (Araneae, Oonopidae)

Abstract Males of the goblin spider genus Brignolia Dumitresco and Georgesco have palps that are heavily sclerotized, resembling those found in males of the genus Ischnothyreus Simon. Nevertheless, these palps have the dorsal depression (“fenestra”) previously considered synapomorphic for the genus Opopaea Simon (plus its likely synonym Epectris Simon), and the female genitalia also correspond closely to those of Opopaea species, with the addition of a posterior tube. Brignolia males lack the inflated and subbasally connected palpal patella characteristic of Opopaea (plus Epectris), and Brignolia is therefore hypothesized to represent the sister group of those taxa. The generic names Lisna Saaristo and Aridella Saaristo, each based on a single species from the Seychelle Islands, are newly synonymized with Brignolia. The type species, B. cubana Dumitresco and Georgesco, has attained a pantropical distribution, and has at least three earlier names; Xestaspis parumpunctata Simon from Sierra Leone, Gamasomorpha perplexa Bryant from the Virgin Islands, and B. recondita (Chickering) from Panama are each placed as senior synonyms of B. cubana. Opopaea ambigua Simon, from Sri Lanka, is transferred to Brignolia. A total of 26 new species are described. Two are from the New World (B. dasysterna from Florida, and B. cobre from Florida and the West Indies), but most are from southern Asia and the Indopacific region: B. sinharaja and B. ratnapura from Sri Lanka, B. rothorum, B. cardamom, B. kumily, B. valparai, B. kaikatty, B. nilgiri, B. kodaik, B. jog, and B. karnataka from southern India, B. bengal, B. sukna, B. assam, and B. ankhu from northern India and Nepal, B. mapha, B. suthep, B. diablo, and B. chumphae from Thailand, B. schwendingeri from Vietnam, B. palawan from the Philippines, and B. gading, B. elongata, and B. kapit from Borneo.