Ischnocolus valentinus
Creators: name: Korba, Jan
name: Opatova, Vera
name: Calatayud-Mascarell, Arnau
name: Enguídanos, Alba
name: Bellvert, Adrià
name: Adrián, Silvia
name: Sánchez-Vialas, Alberto
name: Arnedo, Miquel A
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Theraphosidae
Ischnocolus
Ischnocolus valentinus

description: ISCHNOCOLUS VALENTINUS (DUFOUR, 1820)
(FIGS 5A–B, 7, 8, 9A, 10A, 13A, 18A–N, 19A–G, 20A–F)
Mygale valentina Dufour (1820: 101; description of male).
Mygale valenciana: Walckenaer (1837: 228).
Trechona valentina: Thorell (1870: 168).
Ischnocolus holosericus L.Koch, in Ausserer (1871: 186; description of juvenile); Simon (1892: 136, fig. 119); Bacelar (1932: 171); Smith (1990: 129, figs 819–829; description of female).
Ischnocolus triangulifer Ausserer (1871: 186; description of juvenile); Bacelar (1932: 171).
Avicularia andalusiaca Simon (1873: 197, pl. 1, fig. 2; description of male and female); Bacelar (1932: 171, figs. 3–5).
Ischnocolus algericus Thorell (1875: 123, description of male). Simon (1903: 925, figs. 1070–1071, m).
Ischnocolus fuscostriatus Simon (1885: 41; description of male).
Leptopelma cavicola Simon (1889: 396; description of male and female, burrow structure; 1909: 8); Reimoser (1919: 7); Roewer (1942: 222); Bonnet (1957: 2395); Benoit (1964: 414, figs 1, 2; male and female).
Ischnocolus maroccanus Simon (1873: 199; description of male and female).
Ischnocolus numidus Simon (1909: 9; description of male).
Ischnocolus tripolitanus Caporiacco (1937: 57; description of female).
Ischnocolus valentinus: Ausserer (1871: 186); Guadanucci & Wendt (2014: 391; description of male and female); Zonstein (2018: 114; description of male) (synonymy of Nemesia cavicola); Montemor et al. (2020: 89, fig. 9C, D); Tamajón Gómez et al. (2020: 165).
Type material: Type locality Moixent, Valencian Community, Spain. Female neotype deposited at BMNH, examined.
Material examined: Spain: 1♂, 1♀ (CRBAMM000941, CRBAMM000930), province of Cádiz, El Bosque, 36°26 ′ 50 ″ N, 5°22 ′ 19 ″ W, 27.iii.2010 (M. A. Ferrández leg.). 3♀♀ (CRBAMM000965, CRBAMM000966, CRBAMM000967), province of Cádiz, Grazalema, 36°27 ′ 28 ″ N, 5°17 ′ 34 ″ W, 28.iii.2010 (M. A. Ferrández leg.). 1♀ (CRBAMM000948), province of Sevilla, Castaño, 36°33 ′ 58 ″ N, 5°15 ′ 14 ″ W, 27.iii.2010 (M. A. Ferrández leg.). 1♂, 1♀ (CRBAMM 0 0 0 9 8 0, CRBAMM000986), province of Sevila, Coripe, 36°35 ′ 20 ″ N, 5°17 ′ 34 ″ W, 27.iii.2010 (M. A. Ferrández leg.). 1♀ (CRBAMM000141), province of Almería, La Rambla del Aljibe, 37°16 ′ 20 ″ N, 2°02 ′ 24 ″ W, 21.XI.2009 (E. Planas & V. Opatova leg.). 1 juv. (CRBAME000858), province of Málaga, Torcal de Antequera, 36°57 ′ 43 ″ N, 4°31 ′ 06 ″ W, 12.VI.2011 (E. Mora, V. Opatova & P. Sousa leg.). Morocco: 2♀♀, 5 juv. (CRBAMM000386, C R B A M M 0 0 0 3 8 7, C R B A M M 0 0 0 3 8 8 C R B A M M 0 0 0 3 8 9, C R B A M M 0 0 0 3 9 0 CRBAMM000391, CRBAMM000392), province of Azilal, near Ouzoud falls, 31°57 ′ 35 ″ N, 6°46 ′ 05 ″ W, 10.IV.2010 (V. Opatova & M. Arnedo leg.). 2♀♀, 1♂, 3 juv. (CRBAMM000393, CRBAMM000395, C R B A M M 0 0 0 3 9 6, C R B A M M 0 0 0 3 9 8 CRBAMM000399, CRBAMM 000400), province of Azilal, Tilouguite, 32°05 ′ 04 ″ N, 6 °20 ′ 00 ″ W,
10.IV.2010 (V. Opatova & M. Arnedo leg.). 1 juv. (CRBAMM000450), province of Fés, Djebel Zalach, 34°06 ′ 23 ″ N, 4°58 ′ 10 ″ W, 12.IV.2010 (V. Opatova & M.Arnedo leg.). 1 juv. (CRBAMM000485), province of Oujda, Ain Sfa, 34°49 ′ 28 ″ N, 2°05 ′ 12 ″ W, 14.IV.2010 (V. Opatova & M. Arnedo leg.). 3 juv. (CRBAMM000564, CRBAMM000565, CRBAMM000566), province of Tetuán, Beni Yder Cherki, 35°23 ′ 08 ″ N, 5°31 ′ 20 ″ W, 17.IV.2010 (V. Opatova, M. Arnedo leg.). 2 juv. (CRBAMM000493, CRBAMM000583), province of Berkane, Beni Snassen, 34°48 ′ 12 ″ N, 2°23 ′ 48 ″ W, 1 4.IV.2 0 1 0 (V. Opatova & M. Arnedo leg.). 1♀ (CRBAMM 000366), province of Al Haouz, Asni, 31°11 ′ 22 ″ N, 8°03 ′ 27 ″ W, 9.IV.2010 (V. Opatova & M. Arnedo leg.). 1♂ (SMNS-Aran-1376), province of Murcia, Mula, 38°03 ′ 41 ″ N, 1°31 ′ 05 ″ W, 2005. 1♂ (CRBA) province of Berkane, Taforalt, Grotte des Pigeons, 34°48 ′ 52 ″ N, 2°24 ′ 10 ″ W, 15.iv.2002 (M. Arnedo & C. Hernando leg.).
Diagnosis: Males can be distinguished from their congeners, except I. jickeli, by bearing only one spine apically along with dense concentration of spines on pro-ventral tibia I (Figs 8, 18B–D). They further differ from all other Ischnocolus species by having straight embolus with narrowing tip (Figs 7, 18J–M). Females differ from their congeners by having spermathecae as wide as long with several (> four) apical lobes (Figs 5A, B, 19F).
Description: A detailed redescription is provided by Guadanucci & Wendt (2014) with male and female reproductive organ drawings and male spine pattern on tibia I. Additional photos and drawings of male bulbus are shown by Zonstein (2018), Tamajón Gómez et al. (2020) and Decae (in: Nentwig et al., 2020).
Distribution: Following our circumscription of I. valentinus to the ‘north’ lineage, the distribution of the species is more restricted than previously thought, as it only includes the Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco (Fig. 13A). The northernmost current localities are near Benidorm, in Alacant, Spain and the southernmost ones are located on the northern slopes of the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Previous studies have suggested the species occurrence extending as far east as Sicily, Tunisia and Libya (Guadanucci & Wendt, 2014). Although the only Sicilian sample included in our phylogeny was recovered within the ‘north’ lineage (i.e. I. valentinus), detailed morphological and molecular analyses of a more thorough specimen sampling in Algeria, Tunisia and Sicily will be required to confirm the status of the easternmost populations.
Natural history: Similar to I. mogadorensis, I. valentinus is an opportunistic species inhabiting natural cavities under and between rocks and tree roots. It usually covers the entrance with a dense, sheet web, sometimes resembling that of a funnelweb spider Macrothele calpeiana Walckenaer, 1805 or some Agelenidae. The burrow entrance can also sometimes resemble that made by I. elongatus, but the web of I. valentinus is less dense and more sheetlike (Fig. 20E, F). The burrow of I. valentinus never forms a proper tube, but continues as an irregular hole connecting one or several natural underground cavities. Habitat preferences range from Mediterranean open grasslands to dense Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) or Barbary thuja (Tetraclinis articulata) forests.
description: Published as part of Korba, Jan, Opatova, Vera, Calatayud-Mascarell, Arnau, Enguídanos, Alba, Bellvert, Adrià, Adrián, Silvia, Sánchez-Vialas, Alberto & Arnedo, Miquel A, 2022, Systematics and phylogeography of western Mediterranean tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae), pp. 845-884 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 196 (2) on pages 866-870, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac042, http://zenodo.org/record/7184518