Archoleptoneta schusteri Gertsch 1974
Creators: name: Ledford, Joel M.
name: Griswold, Charles E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Leptonetidae
Archoleptoneta
Archoleptoneta schusteri

description: Archoleptoneta schusteri Gertsch, 1974
(Figs. 1, 6–10, 23, 25–26, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43–45, 47–48, 49–56, 76–78, 97–102, 109)
Types. Male holotype from 6 miles Southeast of Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County, California, USA (AMNH, examined).
Other material examined. USA: California: Alameda County: Berkeley, 2.iii.1958, L. M. Smith, 37.87N, 122.26W, 4 females (AMNH); Castro Valley, 24.iii.1941, W. M. Pearce, 37.71N, 122.07W, 1 female (AMNH); Oakland, 30.ii.1953, W. O. Bentinck, 37.77N, 122.21W, 1 female (AMNH); Sinbad Creek, West of Pleasanton, 27.iii.1992, D. Ubick, 37.61N, 121.88W, 1 female (DU); Contra Costa County: 1mi. West Orinda, 12.xii.1953, V. Roth, 37.88N, 122.20W, 1 male, 3 females (AMNH); Mt. Diablo State Park, North Gate Road, 22.ii.1991, D. Ubick, 37.88N, 121.98W, 1 female (DU); Fresno County: 0.3 mi. South Highway 180 along Highway 63, 29.iii.1991, D. Ubick, 36.72N, 119.28W, 3 males, 2 females, 2 juveniles (DU); Marin County: Carson Ridge, 1.i.1961, C. W. O'Brien, 37.96N, 122.63W, 1 male (AMNH); Inverness, xi.1953, V. Roth, 38.083N, 122.83W, 1 female (AMNH); Novato, 7.i.1987, D. Ubick, 38.12N, 122.57W, 1 male, 1 female, 2 juveniles (DU); Novato, Burdell Mountain, 16.iii.1990, D. Ubick and T. S. Briggs, 38.12N, 122.57W, 2 males (DU); Novato, San Marin Drive, 2.i.1986, D. Ubick, 38.12N, 122.57W, 1 male, 3 females (DU); Novato, San Marin Drive, 18.iv.1992, D. Ubick and J. Boutin, 38.12N, 122.57W, 2 males (DU); South Slope of Burdell Mtn., North of Novato, 28.xi.1992, D. Ubick, J. Boutin, C. Griswold, and T. Meikle, 38.12N, 122.57W, 2 males, 8 females, 3 juveniles (CASC); 3mi. NW San Rafael, Terra Linda, 7.iii.1982, D. Ubick and T. S. Briggs, 38.00N, 122.55W, 2 males (DU); Novato, San Marin Drive, 14.iii.1982, D. Ubick, 38.12N, 122.57W, 1 male, 2 females (DU); Novato, San Marin Drive, 7.xii.1985, D. Ubick, 38.12N, 122.57W, 1 male, 3 females (DU); Tiburon, Ring Mtn., 19.iii.1994, D. Ubick, 37.90N, 122.48W, 1 male, 1 female (DU); Monterey County: Coast Ridge Trail, 1.vi.1991, D. Ubick, 35.97N, 121.43W, 1 female (DU); Point Cypress, 4mi. NE of Carmel, 23.ii.1957, G. A. Marsh, 36.56N, 121.82W, 1 female (AMNH); Napa County: 3mi. North Calistoga, 31.xii.1953, G. A. Marsh, R. O. Schuster, and V. Roth, 38.62N, 122.57W, 2 females (AMNH); Mt. St. Helena, 31.xii.1953, G. Marsh, R. Schuster, and V. Roth, 38.66N, 122.63W, 1 female (AMNH); San Benito County: 12.7mi. SE of Pacines on Panoche Rd., 1.xii.1984, D. Ubick, 36.66N, 121.05W, 1 male, 2 females (DU); San Francisco County: Potrero Hill, 18.i.1990, D. Ubick, 37.75N, 122.39W, 1 male (DU); Potrero Hill, 23.xii.1988, T. S. Briggs, 37.75N, 122.39W, 1 female (DU); San Mateo County: Belmont, 5.iii.1961, R. O. Schuster, 37.51N, 122.29W, 1 female (AMNH); Canada College, 23.x.1988, T. S. Briggs, 37.44N, 122.26W, 2 females (DU); Edgewood Park, 2.i.1987, D. Ubick, 37.47N, 122.28W, 1 female, 2 juveniles (DU); Edgewood Park, 24.xii.1987, D. Ubick, 37.47N, 122.28W, 1 male (DU); Polhemus Rd., 2.i.1983, D. Ubick, 37.52N, 122.34W, 3 females (DU); San Bruno Mountain, 1.iii.1992, D. Ubick, 37.68N, 122.43W, 1 female (DU); San Bruno Mountain, 18.i.1992, D. Ubick, 37.68N, 122.43W, 1 female (DU); Sharp Park, 29.iii.1960, S. F. Bailey, 37.63N, 122.47W, 1 male (AMNH); Jasper Ridge Biological Reserve, 30.xii.1988, D. Ubick, 37.40N, 122.24W, 3 females, 2 juveniles (DU); Santa Clara County: Henry Coe State Park, 31.iii.1989, D. Ubick, 37.21N, 121.51W, 1 female (DU); Mt. Madonna, 2.i.1954, R. Burdick, 37.01N, 121.70W, 1 male, 6 females (AMNH); San Antonio Valley Rd., 7.iv.1991, D. Ubick, 37.35N, 121.54W, 1 female (DU); Santa Teresa County Park, South end, serpentine grassland, 10.ii.1989, 37.21N, 121.78W, D. Ubick, 1 female (DU); Shaeirn Ranch, 5.2mi. North Bell Station, 10.ii.1991, D. Ubick, W. Rauscher, 37.11N, 121.31W, 6 females (DU); Stevens Creek, 2.vi.1957, R. O. Schuster, 37.27N, 122.07W, 2 males, 6 females (AMNH); Stevens Creek, 27.vii.1957, G. A. Marsh, 37.27N, 122.07W, 1 female (AMNH); Santa Cruz County: 9.5mi. NE of Soquel, 31.xii.1956, S. M. Fidel, 37.11N, 121.95W, 6 males, 1 female, 8 juveniles (AMNH); Ben Lomond, 21.vi.1953, C. D. MacNeill, 37.07N, 122.08W, 1 male (AMNH); Santa Boulder Creek, 22.i.1955, Burdick and Wasbauer, 37.13N, 122.12W, 1 female (AMNH); Cave Gulch, 18.vi.1984, D. Ubick, 36.99N, 122.07W, 1 female (DU); Shasta County: outside Potter Creek Cave, 8.vi.1995, D. Ubick, 40.78N, 122.28W, 1 female (DU); Sonoma County: 1.5mi. East Healdsburg, 29.iii.1981, D. Ubick, 38.62N, 122.83W, 1 female (DU); Mark West Springs, 31.xii.1953, Roth, Schuster, and Marsh, 38.54N, 122.72W, 1 female (AMNH); Tulare County: Bacon Hill, 24.iii.1991, D. Ubick, T. Briggs, and W. Rauscher, 36.45N, 119.18W, 1 male (DU); Sequoia/ Kings Cyn. National Park, Clough Cave, 27.iv.2004, J. Krejca, P. Sprouse, S. Fryer, D. Ubick, P. Paquin, 36.35N, 118.76W, 2 females (CASC).
Diagnosis. Separated from Archoleptoneta gertschi sp. nov. by having males with an embolus that runs the length of the tarsus (Figs. 76, 98) and an apically pointed median sclerite (Figs. 98, 101). Females with elongate spermathecae on narrow bases, approximately three times as long as wide (Fig. 109).
Description. Male (holotype).
Total length 1.36. Specimen yellow- orange; missing left leg II and patella- tarsus of legs III & IV.
Carapace 0.55 long, 0.48 wide, height at fovea 0.23 x carapace width; clypeus 0.08 high, chelicerae 0.23 long. Ocular area 0.04 long, 0.06 wide. Sternum 0.4 long, 0.35 wide; labium 0.03 long, 0.09 wide; palpal coxae 0.19 long, 0.11 wide.
Legs covered with fine setae. Leg formula IV, I, II, III. Measurements (Femur + Patella + Tibia + Metatarsus + Tarsus = [Total]): I: 0.76 + 0.21 + 0.20 + 0.58 + 0.40 = [2.15]; II: 0.64 + 0.20 + 0.53 + 0.47 + 0.28 = [2.12]; III: 0.58 + 0.18 + 0.46 + 0.43 + 0.34 = [1.99]; IV: 0.76 + 0.18 + 0.69 + 0.52 + 0.38 = [2.53]; pedipalpus: 0.32 + 0.08 + 0.15 + 0.29 = [0.84]. Femur I 1.58 x carapace width, palpal femur 0.66 x carapace width.
Palpal bulb 0.17 long, 0.13 wide; embolus sinuous and extending to the tip of the tarsus. Prolateral sclerite straight, produced to a blunt point apically; median sclerite with a slight retrolateral bend and tapering to a fine point; retrolateral sclerite tapering to a fine point.
Abdomen pale, without pattern, 0.81 long, 0.50 wide.
Variation (n = 8). Total length 1.23–1.77; carapace length 1.15–1.23 x carapace width; OAL 0.50–0.66 x OAW; length femur I 1.58–1.90 x carapace width, palpal femur 0.59–0.67 x carapace width. Embolus straight (Fig. 98) to sinuous (Fig. 76).
Female (Soquel).
Total length 1.45. Coloration and markings identical to male.
Carapace 0.60 long, 0.48 wide, height at fovea 1.4 × carapace width; clypeus 0.09 high, chelicerae 0.24 long. Ocular area 0.40 long, 0.70 wide. Sternum as long as wide; labium 0.03 long, 0.08 wide; palpal coxae 0.18 long, 0.06 wide.
Leg measurements (Femur + Patella + Tibia + Metatarsus + Tarsus = [Total]): I: 0.73 + 0.21 + 0.65 + 0.55 + 0.39 = [2.53]; II: 0.61 + 0.18 + 0.55 + 0.47 + 0.35 = [2.16]; III: 0.58 + 0.19 + 0.47 + 0.44 + 0.32 = [2.0]; IV: 0.73 + 0.19 + 0.69 + 0.50 + 0.37 = [2.48]; pedipalpus: 0.23 + 0.11 + 0.16 + 0.24 = [0.74]. Femur I 1.5 × carapace width, palpal femur 0.47 × carapace width.
Abdomen 0.85 long, 0.73 wide. Spermathecae longer than wide and with narrow bases (Fig. 109).
Variation (n = 5). Total length 1.45–1.82; carapace length 1.20–1.27 × carapace width; OAL 0.57–0.67 × OAW; length femur I 1.50–1.72 × carapace width, palpal femur 0.42–0.61 × carapace width.
Distribution. Widespread in California (Fig.115) from Sonoma County south to Monterey County and east to Fresno County.
Natural history. Archoleptoneta schusteri occurs in a variety of habitats but are most commonly encountered under moist stones and leaf litter. Several populations in the Bay Area are abundant on serpentine soils. The eggsac is a flattened disc, which contains 4– 6 eggs, adhered to the bottom of stones. Specimens maintained in captivity produced minimal silk and cribellate carding behavior has not been observed.
description: Published as part of Ledford, Joel M. & Griswold, Charles E., 2010, A study of the subfamily Archoleptonetinae (Araneae, Leptonetidae) with a review of the morphology and relationships for the Leptonetidae, pp. 1-32 in Zootaxa 2391 on pages 11-13, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.193866