David Penney
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ARTÍCULO: NEW EXTANT AND FOSSIL DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SPIDER RECORDS, WITH TWO NEW SYNONYMIES AND COMMENTS ON TAPHONOMIC BIAS OF AMBER PRESERVATION David Penney Abstract: A collection of 23 identifiable extant spider species from the Dominican Republic revealed eight (= 35%) new species records for the country and five (= 22%) for the island of Hispaniola. The collection includes the first record of the family Prodidomidae from Hispaniola. Phantyna guanica (Gertsch, 1946) is identified as a junior synonym of Emblyna altamira (Gertsch & Davis, 1942) (Dictynidae) and Ceraticelus solitarius Bryant, 1948 is identified as a junior synonym of C. paludigenus Crosby & Bishop, 1925 (Linyphiidae). Such a large proportion of new records in such a small sample demonstrates that the extant spider fauna of the Dominican Republic is poorly known ARTÍCULO: and is worthy of further investigation, particularly in light of its potential for quantifying New extant and fossil Dominican bias associated with the amber-preserved fauna. New records of fossil spider species Republic spider records, with two preserved in Miocene amber are provided. The taphonomic bias towards a significantly new synonymies and comments higher number of male compared to female spiders as inclusions in Dominican Republic on taphonomic bias of amber amber is a genuine phenomenon. preservation Key words: Arachnida, Araneae, Dictynidae, Linyphiidae, Miocene, palaeontology, taphonomy, taxonomy, Hispaniola. David Penney Taxonomy: Department of Earth Sciences Emblyna altamira (Gertsch & Davis, 1942) The University of Manchester = Phantyna guanica (Gertsch, 1946) new synonymy Oxford Road Ceraticelus paludigenus Crosby & Bishop, 1925 Manchester M13 9PL = Ceraticelus solitarius Bryant, 1948 new synonymy U.K. [email protected] Nuevos registros de arañas fósiles y vivientes de República Dominicana, con Telephone: 0161 275 3807 dos nueva sinonimias y comentarios sobre preferencias tafonómicas en la Fax: 0161 275 3947 preservación del ámbar Resumen: Revista Ibérica de Aracnología Una colección de 23 especies identificables de arañas vivientes de la República ISSN: 1576 - 9518. Dominicana reveló ocho (=35%) nuevos registros de especies para el país y cinco Dep. Legal: Z-2656-2000. (=22%) para la isla Hispaniola. La colección incluye el primer registro de la familia Vol. 9, 30-VI-2004 Prodidomidae para Hispaniola. Phantyna guanica (Gertsch, 1946) es propuesta como Sección: Artículos y Notas. sinónimo de Emblyna altamira (Gertsch & Davis, 1942) (Dictynidae) y Ceraticelus Pp: 183–190. solitarius Bryant, 1948 de C. paludigenus Crosby & Bishop, 1925 (Linyphiidae). La alta proporción de nuevos registros en una muestra tan pequeña demuestra que la fauna de arañas vivientes de la República Dominicana es pobremente conocida y merecedora de Edita: más investigación, particularmente en vista de su potencial relación con la fauna Grupo Ibérico de Aracnología preservada en ámbar. Se proveen nuevos registros de especies de arañas fósiles. (GIA) Desde el punto de vista tafonómico el número de arañas macho es significativamente Grupo de trabajo en Aracnología alto comparado con hembras en las inclusiones en el ámbar dominicano, lo que de la Sociedad Entomológica constituye un fenómeno genuino. Aragonesa (SEA) Palabras clave: Arachnida, Araneae, Dictynidae, Linyphiidae, Mioceno, palaeontología, Avda. Radio Juventud, 37 tafonomía, taxonomía, Hispaniola. 50012 Zaragoza (ESPAÑA) Taxonomía: Tef. 976 324415 Emblyna altamira (Gertsch & Davis, 1942) Fax. 976 535697 = Phantyna guanica (Gertsch, 1946) nueva sinonimia C-elect.: [email protected] Ceraticelus paludigenus Crosby & Bishop, 1925 Director: A. Melic = Ceraticelus solitarius Bryant, 1948 nueva sinonimia Información sobre suscripción, índices, resúmenes de artículos on line, normas de publicación, etc. en: Introduction Indice, resúmenes, abstracts vols. Penney & Pérez-Gelabert (2002) reviewed the current knowledge of Hispaniolan publicados: (=Dominican Republic and Haiti) araneology and provided a checklist of known http://entomologia.rediris.es/sea/ Recent spiders (296 species in 40 families) and Miocene spiders preserved in publicaciones/ria/index.htm Dominican Republic amber (145 species in 35 families). Here I present additional Página web GIA: new spider records for the Dominican Republic and some amendments to the list of http://entomologia.rediris.es/gia Penney & Pérez-Gelabert (2002). All extant spiders were collected by the author on Página web SEA: a trip to the Dominican Republic in March and April 2003. The fossil spiders in http://entomologia.rediris.es/sea Dominican Republic amber held in the collections of the Museo del Ámbar Dominicano, Puerto Plata were also studied. Taphonomic bias associated with preservation in amber is discussed. 184 D. Penney Repository abbreviations: AMNH, American Mu- blackish area surrounding the eyes (Fig. 1B). Sternum seum of Natural History; AMPP; Museo del Ámbar same colour as carapace but with a darker margin (Fig. Dominicano, Puerto Plata; MCZ, Museum of Compara- 1A), legs pale yellowish. Abdomen a creamy off-white tive Zoology, Harvard; all other specimens are deposi- colour without a dorsal scutum, but with four slightly ted in the Natural History Museum, London (NHM); † sclerotized and clearly visible orange sigillae (Fig. 1B), indicates a fossil species. ventrally with a pale sclerite close to the spinnerets which are a dark colour (Fig. 1A–B), and also with a New records and amendments small orange sclerite just posterior to the epigyne (Fig. 1A–B). Structure of epigyne as in Figs 1–2. Family DIPLURIDAE COMMENTS: This is a new species record for Hispanio- †Masteria sexoculata (Wunderlich, 1988) la. One female was collected on 11 April 2003 using a COMMENTS: This species was listed under the genus sweep-net on low vegetation in marshland at Boca †Microsteria Wunderlich, 1988 by Penney& Pérez- Nueva Village, approximately 14 km east of Puerto Gelabert (2002). However, this genus was synonymized Plata, along the main road from Puerto Plata to the with Masteria by Raven (2000). airport. The specimen is described and figured here as the original figure of the epigyne by Crosby & Bishop, Family FILISTATIDAE 1925 is unsatisfactory by modern standards. †Misionella didicostae Penney, 2004 The correct identification of this specimen to this COMMENTS: The holotype and only known specimen is species was confirmed by the collection of an additio- a mature male (AMPP 220) preserved in Miocene nal, identical female with a mature male, from vegeta- Dominican Republic amber. This is the only described tion in Puerto Plata (Feb 2004; specimens also in fossil from this family and is the only known record of NHM). The male of this species is distinct in having an the Miocene–Recent genus Misionella from Hispaniola. anterior cephalic lobe extending far in front of the posterior lobe, and as high as the latter, and in having a Family PHOLCIDAE semi-transparent scoop-like structure on the tibial Micropholcus fauroti (Simon, 1887) apophysis (Crosby & Bishop, 1925: figs 88–90). Bryant COMMENTS: This is a new species record for Hispanio- (1948) described C. solitarius from a single female la. Two females were collected from the ceiling inside collected from Valle Nuevo, Cordillera Central, Domi- Hotel Maison Gautreaux, C/Félix Mariano Luberes, nican Republic; no further records of this species have Santo Domingo on 9 April 2003, and one male and two been reported and there are no other specimens with the females were collected inside a house in Puerto Plata on holotype or elsewhere in the MCZ collections (L. 11 April 2003. Leibensperg, pers. comm. 2004). Bryant (1948: fig. 68) only figured the epigyne, but her figure bears very little Family OECOBIIDAE resemblance to the true structure, as observed in the holotype (Fig. 1C–D), which resembles very closely the Oecobius concinnus Simon, 1893a epigyne of C. paludigenus (e.g., Crosby & Bishop, COMMENTS: A new record for the Dominican Republic, 1925: fig. 91). The ducts observed in the new female previously recorded from Haiti. This spider is very specimens collected by the author vary slightly from common on walls of buildings and is also found on tree those of Bryant’s holotype in that they are not so trunks. acutely bent. However, given the conformation of the Family THERIDIIDAE male pedipalp in the newly collected specimen to that of C. paludigenus, it can be assumed that the slight diffe- †Dipoenata yolandae Wunderlich, 1988 rence in the epigyne structure represents natural varia- COMMENTS: Listed as D. yolande [a lapsus calami] by tion. Thus, C. solitarius Bryant, 1948 is a junior syno- Penney & Pérez-Gelabert (2002). nym of C. paludigenus Crosby & Bishop, 1925. Theridion melanostictum O. P.-Cambridge, 1876 COMMENTS: This is a new species record for Hispanio- Family TETRAGNATHIDAE la. The specimen is a mature female and was collected Leucauge venusta (Walckenaer, 1842) on 26 March 2003 by hand, from a wall of a building COMMENTS: A new record for the Dominican Republic, along the main coastal road in Puerto Plata. previously recorded from Haiti. A male and female were collected on 31 March, 2003 from Isabella de Family LINYPHIIDAE Torres, Puerto Plata, in low vegetation. Ceraticelus paludigenus Crosby & Bishop, 1925 Tetragnatha pallescens F. O. P.-Cambridge, 1903 Ceraticelus solitarius Bryant, 1948 new synonymy COMMENTS: A new record for the Dominican Republic, Figures 1–2 previously recorded from Haiti. A male and female DESCRIPTION OF NEWLY COLLECTED FEMALE: