The pholcid spiders of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (Araneae: Pholcidae)

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 1185-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willis J. Gertsch ◽  
Stewart B. Peck

The 12 known species of the family Pholcidae in the Galápagos Islands are diagnosed, illustrated, and assigned to six genera as follows: Coryssocnemis conica Banks (for which a lectotype is designated), known from many islands; Coryssocnemis insularis Banks (for which a lectotype is designated), known from five islands; Coryssocnemis jarmila new species, a troglobite from Santa Cruz Island; Coryssocnemis floreana new species, a troglobite from Floreana Island; Hedypsilus culicinus Simon (for which a lectotype is designated), from Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal islands; Hedypsilus modicus new species, from San Cristóbal and Santiago islands (Modisimops Mello-Leitão is a NEW SYNONYM of Hedypsilus); Modisimus solus new species, from Santa Cruz Island; Pholcophora bella new species, from Santa Cruz Island; Pholcophora baerti new species, from Santa Fe and Pinta; Anopsicus banksi (Gertsch) from Floreana Island; Metagonia bellavista new species, a troglobite from Santa Cruz Island; and Metagonia reederi new species, a troglobite from Isabela Island. All are endemic to the islands, except H. culicinus, which is probably introduced. A stridulatory apparatus is reported on females of the genus Coryssocnemis for the first time. The troglobitic species of Coryssocnemis may have originated by parapatric speciation processes; the troglobitic species of Metagonia are relicts. In the troglobites the female epigynal characters are more differentiated than male palpal characters. A minimum of eight ancestral colonizations founded the Galápagos pholcid fauna.

Oryx ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cruz Márquez ◽  
David A. Wiedenfeld ◽  
Sandra Landázuri ◽  
Juan Chávez

AbstractAlthough the killing of giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands has been prohibited since 1933, poaching of tortoises still occurs. Personnel of the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station regularly survey populations of tortoises throughout the archipelago and report all dead tortoises found. For the 10-year period 1995–2004 the field personnel reported evidence of 190 giant tortoises killed, primarily on the southern portion of Isabela Island. For the first 6 years the number of tortoises found killed was <15 per year, but since 2001 the number killed has increased dramatically, with 49 tortoises poached in 2004. During the same 10 years the number of tortoises found dead from natural causes was 131. Many of these deaths can be attributed to events associated with the 1997–1998 El Niño or with outbreaks of disease on Santa Cruz Island in 1996 and 1999. The results indicate that poaching exceeds natural mortality, and is a significant factor affecting these long-lived and slow-reproducing animals. Environmental education efforts in the human population of southern Isabela appear to have had little effect. Because tortoise poaching takes place at a small number of sites, effective enforcement at those sites could reduce killing of tortoises.


1987 ◽  
Vol 119 (10) ◽  
pp. 881-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stewart B. Peck ◽  
William A. Shear

AbstractTheridion strepitus sp. nov. is described from lava tube caves from Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador. It is the only species known in this worldwide genus that is eyeless and it is the only Galápagos species that has stridulatory picks on the male abdomen. The stridulatory apparatus demonstrates that the species is not a descendant from the other Theridion species known in the Galápagos, but is probably a relict of a lineage now extinct there in epigean habitats.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5012 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-71
Author(s):  
CARINA SIM-SMITH ◽  
CLEVELAND HICKMAN, JR ◽  
MICHELLE KELLY

Twenty-five new species of shallow-water sponges are described from the Galápagos Islands, a province of Ecuador in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Sponges were photographed in situ and collected by SCUBA divers between 2001 and 2004. New species include: Acanthancora equiformis sp. nov., Acanthella saladinorum sp. nov., Cacospongia hermanorum sp. nov., Cinachyrella solis sp. nov., Ciocalypta bustamanti sp. nov., Clathria (Microciona) stellata sp. nov., Clathrina andreusi sp. nov., Craniella lissi sp. nov., Dragmacidon raeae sp. nov., Dragmacidon hendersoni sp. nov., Haliclona (Haliclona) clairae sp. nov., Haliclona (Haliclona) dianae sp. nov., Haliclona (Reniera) oberi sp. nov., Haliclona (Soestella) spuma sp. nov., Haliclona (Soestella) roslynae sp. nov., Hemimycale harlequinus sp. nov., Hemimycale nathani sp. nov., Higginsia johannae sp. nov., Neopetrosia eructans sp. nov., Leucilla agitata sp. nov., Penares angeli sp. nov., Prosuberites vansoesti sp. nov., Suberea esmerelda sp. nov., Tethya annona sp. nov. and Tethya sorbetus sp. nov. In addition, three species have been recorded for the first time from the Galápagos Islands: Chalinula cf. molitba (De Laubenfels, 1949), Chelonaplysilla violacea (Von Lendenfeld, 1883) and Tedania (Tedania) tropicalis Aguilar-Camacho, Carballo & Cruz-Barraza, 2018. This paper represents a significant contribution to our knowledge of the Porifera of the Galápagos Islands.


1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 2260-2274 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Shear ◽  
Stewart B. Peck

Thirteen centiped species and one symphylan are reported from the Galápagos Islands. Hanseniella caldaria (Hansen) is the first symphylan reported from the Galápagos Islands. Among the centipeds, Hemiscolopendra galapagosa Chamberlin is a new synonym of Scolopendra galapagoensis Bollman and should be deleted from the Galápagos list. Cormocephalus andinus Kraepelin, its probable junior synonym C. carolus Chamberlin, and Nannopodellus purpurascens Chamberlin, previously reported from the Galápagos Islands, were not in any collections made from 1974 to the present and may be extinct on the islands. Lamyctes coeculus (Brölemann), Lamyctes fulvicornis Meinert, and Newportia monticola Pocock are new records, and first appear in collections made in 1974. Two new species, Pectiniunguis krausi and Pachymerium perdrai, are described. The former had been misidentified previously as Pectiniunguis albermarlensis Chamberlin. While Pectiniunguis albemarlensis and Scolopendra galapagoensis may be Galápagos endemics, lack of knowledge about the centiped fauna of source areas precludes definitive statements.


2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Guerrero ◽  
P. Pozo ◽  
S. Chamorro ◽  
A. Guezou ◽  
C. E. Buddenhagen

We recorded 502 introduced plant species during an inventory of all 2 334 private properties in Puerto Ayora, the largest town on Santa Cruz Island and the Galapagos Islands (population > 10,000) which accounts for about half of the Galapagos population. A third of these species were new records for the Galapagos Islands, 73% were found only in cultivation, 18% were naturalized and not cultivated (in Puerto Ayora), and 9% were found in cultivation and naturalized (escaped). Seventeen species previously known to occur only in cultivation in Galapagos are now considered escaped. A number of species known to be naturalized in the humid highlands of Santa Cruz do not appear to be able to reproduce in Puerto Ayora?s drier climate. To determine which introduced species should be a priority for control or eradication, the potential invasiveness of each species was assessed based on their distribution and behavior in Galapagos and elsewhere. At least 13 species were considered potentially serious invaders that could be feasible to eradicate.


2003 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Forrest ◽  
Terry Wheeler

AbstractThirteen species of Chloropidae are recorded from the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Seven new species are described: Diplotoxa loma sp. n. (subfamily Chloropinae); Conioscinella empheria sp. n.; Gaurax gethosyne sp. n.; Hippelates alyscus sp. n.; Liohippelates baptipalpis sp. n.; Olcella anaclasta sp. n.; Olcella lupina sp. n. (subfamily Oscinellinae). Another species in the genus Apallates is apparently undescribed, but there is insufficient information to justify a formal description. Monochaetoscinella anonyma is recorded for the first time from the archipelago. Four species previously recorded from the archipelago were also identified: Cadrema pallida; Conioscinella galapagensis; Elachiptera cultrata; Liohippelates galapagensis. Previously published Galápagos records of Liohippelates pusio apparently refer to L. galapagensis. A key to the Galápagos species of Chloropidae is given. Geographic affinities of the Galápagos chloropid fauna are similar to those of other Diptera from the archipelago, with few pantropical species, some species also found in the northern Neotropical and southern Nearctic regions, and endemic species apparently with Neotropical sister groups.


1995 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Cook ◽  
H.F. Howden ◽  
S.B. Peck

AbstractThe endemic Galápagos’ genus Neoryctes Arrow has had a confused nomenclatorial and taxonomic history. Evaluation of morphological variation in the 41 specimens now available confirms the distinctiveness of the genus and establishes the existence of four species, each restricted to a single island. The original Darwin specimen, named Oryctes galapagoensis by G.R. Waterhouse in 1845, is shown to be from Isla Santiago. Two other names are valid: N. linelli Mutchler for the population on San Cristobal and N. moreti Dechambre for the one on Santa Cruz. The population on Floreana is named as a new species, N. williamsi. Neoryctes most likely originated from a Pentodontini dynastine ancestor from lowland South or Central America. The ancestor first dispersed to Isla San Cristobal, one of the oldest islands. It is hypothesized that before hindwing reduction occurred, which is now characteristic of all members of the genus, individuals from San Cristobal spread to the other islands. Subsequently, possibly during periods of Pleistocene aridity, each population became restricted to its present range in the moist highland zone of an individual island.


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