''Lygromma anops'' is one of only three known eyeless spiders in the superfamily
Gnaphosoidea, and one of only two known
troglobite
A troglobite (or, formally, troglobiont) is an animal species, or population of a species, strictly bound to underground habitats, such as caves. These are separate from species that mainly live in above-ground habitats but are also able to live u ...
s (cave species). It is found in
lava
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...
caves on
Isla Santa Cruz,
Galápagos.
It is possible that ''L. anops'', like many inhabitants of lava caves, colonizes new caves through interconnecting cracks and crevices, and that these small spaces are in reality its main habitat.
Males reach a body length of about 3.4 mm.
''L. anops'' seems to be closely related with ''
L. senoculatum'', ''
L. valencianum'' and ''
L. huberti'' from
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
.
''
Lygromma gertschi'', a blind, cave-inhabiting species from
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
is not a close relative of ''L. anops''.
References
* Peck, S.B. & Shear, W.A. (1987). A new blind cavernicolous ''Lygromma'' (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) from the Galápagos Islands. ''Can. Entomol.'' 119:105-108.
* Shear, W.A. & Peck, S.B. (1992). Male of the blind cave gnaphosoid ''Lygromma anops'' (Araneae, Gnaphosoidea, Prodidomidae) from Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. ''Journal of Arachnology'' 20:69-71
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Prodidominae
Endemic fauna of the Galápagos Islands
Spiders of South America
Cave spiders
Spiders described in 1987
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