A new species and new records of Hentzia (Araneae: Salticidae: Dendryphantinae) from the United States
Author
David B. Richman
text
The Journal of Arachnology
2010
38
73
78
journal article
Hentzia palmarum
(Hentz 1831)
Figs. 11–15
In the process of comparing this species to specimens of
Hentzia alamosa
new species
from Big Bend Ranch State Park, Presidio County, Texas, several new records were discovered. For a description of this species see Richman (1989, pp. 296– 302, figs. 16–27).
New Records.
—
USA
:
Texas
:
1 male
,
4 females
,
Edwards County
,
near Rock Springs
(
30°0 1ʹ29ʺN
,
100°12ʹ21ʺW
),
January 1994
;
3 females
,
Mason County
,
near Mason
(ca
30°44ʹ56ʺN
,
99°13ʹ50ʺW
),
January 1994
;
1 male
,
5 females
,
Zavala County
,
near Nueces
(ca
28°47ʹ18ʺN
,
99°49ʹ0 9ʺW
),
January 1994
. All specimens were taken from irrigation tubes in pecan orchards by
J. W. Stewart
. All specimens deposited in
TAMUIC
.
Figures 9–17.—
Hentzia
species. 9, 10.
Hentzia alamosa
new species
, female paratype epigyna, ventral views; 9. From Cuevas Amarillas, Big Bend State Park, Presidio County, Texas; 10. From Ojito Adentro, Big Bend State Park, Presidio County, Texas. 11–15.
Hentzia palmarum
(Hentz)
female epigyna, ventral views; 11. From Archbold Biological Station, Highland County, Florida; 12. From Madina County, Texas; 13. From Travis County, Texas; 14. From Zavala County, Texas; 15. From Edwards County, Texas. 16.
Hentzia fimbriata
female epigynum, ventral view, near Sycamore Canyon, Santa Cruz County, Arizona. 17.
Hentzia alamosa
new species
male chelicerae, male allotype (paratype), from Cuevas Amarillas, Big Bend State Park, Presidio County, Texas. Note two acute promarginal teeth and one acute retromarginal tooth, similar to that of male
Hentzia palmarum
, but with the proximal teeth nearly in line. All epigynal photos to same scale; both bars = 0.2 mm.
Discussion.
—The scattered distribution of most
Hentzia
species in the western United States and Mexico, usually in riparian areas, suggests speciation events by the founder effect, with a few individuals being accidentally introduced (perhaps by storms) to isolated favorable habitats. The other possibility may be isolation of populations of more widely spread species (such as
H. palmarum
or
H. fimbriata
) in refugia because of desert expansion, followed by subsequent speciation events. The presence of
Hentzia fimbriata
in Sycamore Canyon is an exception to the isolated populations in other parts of the southwesten USA and northwestern Mexico, as this species is widespread in Mexico. It is likely that its distribution follows the Sierra Madre and the watersheds of Mexican rivers draining into the Gulf of California. Sycamore Canyon, which drains into the Rio Altar in the Rio de la Concepcion drainage in Sonora, and where the U.S. specimens of
H. fimbriata
have been collected, is unusual in the variety of jumping spiders found there that are primarily associated with other geographical ranges. These include
Zygoballus rufipes
Peckham & Peckham 1885
(Mexico and eastern United States),
Phidippus tux
Pinter 1970
(central Mexico), and
Sarinda hentzi
(Peckham & Peckham 1892)
(eastern United States) (all collected by the author). Because of the similar morphological features, future research on the genus
Hentzia
should include mitochondrial DNA analysis of as many species as possible in order to clear up the actual phylogenetic source and relationships of these species, especially in the
palmarum
species group. This is unfortunately beyond the scope of this paper and would require collection of fresh material from Cuba and Mexico, as well as the USA, even if limited to the
palmarum
group.