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Spintharus berniesandersi

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Species of arachnid

Spintharus berniesandersi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Theridiidae
Genus: Spintharus
Species: S. berniesandersi
Binomial name
Spintharus berniesandersi
Agnarsson & Sargeant, 2018

Spintharus berniesandersi is a species of Spintharus ("smiley-faced spiders") in the family Theridiidae. It is endemic to Cuba. It was described in 2018 by Ingi Agnarsson [nl] and Lily Sargeant of the University of Vermont in a revision of the genus by Agnarsson and colleagues. S. berniesandersi was discovered alongside 14 other species of smiley-faced spiders. This revision is in contrast to Herbert Walter Levi's taxonomy, which considered it to be intraspecific variation within Spintharus flavidus.

Distribution

The specimens mentioned in the original species description all came from Cuba. The holotype was collected in Mensura-Piloto National Park, near Mayarí, Holguín Province. Additional specimens were collected from El Yunque Mountain, near Baracoa, Guantánamo Province and Gran Piedra, Santiago de Cuba Province.

Description

The species has a lemon-yellow colour and the female abdomen lacks humps and is nearly oval. On the spider's back is an ornate pattern halfway between a distorted smiley face and grimace.

Measurements

The male's total length is 2.47–2.66 mm, with a cephalothorax length of 0.74–0.98 mm and femur I length of 1.23–1.90 mm. The female's total length is 2.89–2.40 mm, with a cephalothorax length of 0.91–0.80 mm and a femur I length of 1.75–1.44 mm.

Genetics

Part of the diagnosis of S. berniesandersi includes the combination of four specific mitochondrial DNA nucleotide substitutions.

Etymology

The specific name honors Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, whom the authors describe as "a tireless fighter for human rights and equality, and environmentally aware social democracy". Due to its name, this species received media attention.

See also

References

  1. World Spider Catalog (2018). "Spintharus berniesandersi Agnarsson & Sargeant, 2018". World Spider Catalog. 19.0. Bern: Natural History Museum. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  2. ^ Agnarsson, Ingi; Van Patten, Chloe; Sargeant, Lily; Chomitz, Ben; Dziki, Austin; Binford, Greta J. (2018). "A radiation of the ornate Caribbean 'smiley-faced spiders', with descriptions of 15 new species (Araneae: Theridiidae, Spintharus)" (PDF). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 182 (4): 772. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx056. S2CID 89651018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-02-11.
  3. Levi, Herbert W. (1954). "The Spider Genera Episinus and Spintharus from North America, Central America and the West Indies (Araneæ: Theridiidæ)". Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 62 (2): 65–90. JSTOR 25005540.
  4. Levi, Herbert W. (1963). "The American Spider Genera Spintharus and Thwaitesia (Araneae: Theridiidae)". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 70 (4): 223–234. doi:10.1155/1963/54690.
  5. Guarino, Ben (26 September 2017). "Meet Bernie Sanders's new namesake: A spider from Cuba". Washington Post.
  6. Lewis, Rachel (26 September 2017). "Meet the New Spider Species Named After Bernie Sanders". Time. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  7. Klepper, Jordan; Miller, Stuart; Noah, Trevor. "September 26, 2017: Neal Katyal". The Opposition with Jordan Klepper. Season 1. Episode 2. Comedy Central. Scientists have named a new species of spider after Bernie Sanders, and I can only assume its webs try to cover everybody.

External links

Taxon identifiers
Spintharus berniesandersi
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