First blind daddy long-legs spiders from Australia and Réunion (Araneae, Pholcidae)

By

Huber, Bernhard A., 1967-
Meng, Guanliang
Clark, Huon L.
Cazanove, Grégory

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

46

Pages

1--19

Subjects

Lava tube , mining borehole , Relict , scrape sample , subterranean , troglomorphism

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.46.105798

 

Abstract

Daddy long-legs spiders are common inhabitants of tropical and subtropical caves around the globe. Numerous species have evolved troglomorphisms, including the loss of body pigments and eyes. Here we describe the first troglomorphic pholcids from Australia and Réunion. Belisana coblynau Huber & Clark, sp. nov. was extracted from mining boreholes in the arid West Australian Pilbara region. It represents a genus that is widespread in tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia, reaching the tropical north and east of Australia. Belisana coblynau is thus presumably a relict whose epigean ancestor lived in the area before the aridification of Australia starting in the early Cenozoic. Buitinga ifrit Huber & Cazanove, sp. nov. was collected in Grotte de La Tortue on Réunion, one of the oldest lava tubes on the island (~300,000 years). Congeneric species are known from East Africa, and the genus does not seem to have reached Madagascar. Since Pholcidae do not balloon, the now extinct epigean ancestor of Buitinga ifrit probably reached the island by highly accidental means (such as rafts or storms).