''Cubanops'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
Caribbean araneomorph
The Araneomorphae (also called the Labidognatha) are an infraorder of spiders. They are distinguishable by chelicerae (fangs) that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action, in contrast to the Mygalomorphae (tarantulas and their cl ...
spiders in the family
Caponiidae
Caponiidae is a family of ecribellate haplogyne spiders that are unusual in a number of ways. They differ from other spiders in lacking book lungs and having the posterior median spinnerets anteriorly displaced to form a transverse row with the ...
first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz,
Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010.
These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, in leaf litter or in the soil, and have only been found in the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...
.
Description
They are a distinctive group of relatively small spiders, growing from in body length, and are very difficult to find in nature. Although specimens have only been recorded from
the Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the arc ...
,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, and
Hispaniola
Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and t ...
, a few female juvenile specimens sharing the somatic characters of the genus have been taken from
Saint John Parish, Antigua and Barbuda
Saint John is a civil parish of Antigua and Barbuda, located on the island of Antigua. It is the most populous parish of Antigua and Barbuda, with a population of 51,737 in 2011, and an estimated population of 56,736 in 2018. The plurality of th ...
, suggesting that ''Cubanops'' probably also occurs in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
as well as the
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geology, geologically and biogeography, biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Ric ...
.
These spiders have tarsi that are subsegmented as well as a
ventral
Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...
translucent keel on their anterior metatarsi. They also have a translucent membrane connecting the anterior metatarsi and tarsi similar to those found in ''
Nops
Nokian Palloseura (abbreviated NoPS) is a sports club from Nokia, Finland. The men's football first team currently plays in the Kolmonen (Third Division) and their home ground is at the Nokian keskuskenttä. The floorball team plays in the Sec ...
'', ''
Orthonops
''Orthonops'' is a genus of North American araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae, first described by R. V. Chamberlin in 1924.
Species
it contains 10 species in the southwest United States and Mexico:
*'' Orthonops confuso'' (Galán-S� ...
'', and ''
Tarsonops
''Tarsonops'' is a genus of araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae
Caponiidae is a family of ecribellate haplogyne spiders that are unusual in a number of ways. They differ from other spiders in lacking book lungs and having the posteri ...
''. Species of ''Cubanops'' can be distinguished from species of ''Nops'' by the lack of a dorsally extended inferior claw found in Nops species. They can be distinguished from members of ''Orthonops'' and ''Tarsonops'' by the distinct
chevron patterns on their
carapace
A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the und ...
, their widened
labium, and a bisegmented fourth metatarsi.
Species
it contains twelve species:
*''
Cubanops alayoni
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, ...
''
Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba
*''
Cubanops andersoni
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, ...
''
Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Bahama Is.
*''
Cubanops armasi
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, ...
''
Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba
*''
Cubanops bimini
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, ...
''
Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Bahama Is.
*''
Cubanops darlingtoni
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, ...
''
(Bryant, 1948) – Hispaniola
*''
Cubanops granpiedra
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, ...
''
Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba
*''
Cubanops juragua
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, ...
''
Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba
*''
Cubanops ludovicorum
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, ...
''
(Alayón, 1976) (
type
Type may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc.
* Data type, collection of values used for computations.
* File type
* TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file.
* Ty ...
) – Cuba
*''
Cubanops luquillo
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, ...
''
Sánchez-Ruiz, Brescovit & Alayón, 2015 – Puerto Rico
*''
Cubanops terueli
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, ...
''
Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba
*''
Cubanops tortuguilla
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones ...
''
Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba
*''
Cubanops vega
''Cubanops'' is a genus of Caribbean araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones ...
''
Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Hispaniola
Gallery
File:Cubanops ludovicorum female.jpg, ''Cubanops ludovicorum'' Alayon, female
File:Cubanops terueli male female.JPG, ''Cubanops terueli'' Sánchez-Ruiz et al., male and female
File:Cubanops tortugilla.JPG, ''Cubanops tortuguilla'' Sánchez-Ruiz et al., female
File:Cubanops granpiedra genitalia.jpg, ''Cubanops granpiedra'' Sánchez-Ruiz et al., internal genitalia
File:Cubanops granpiedra.jpg, ''Cubanops granpiedra'' Sánchez-Ruiz et al., male palp
File:Cubanops darlingtoni dv1.tiff, ''Cubanops darlingtoni'' Bryant, female
File:Cubanops darlingtoni sternum.tiff, ''Cubanops darlingtoni'' Bryant, sternum
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2252939
Caponiidae
Araneomorphae genera
Spiders of the Caribbean