Lygromma anops
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| Lygromma anops Peck & Shear, 1987 |
Lygromma anops is one of only three known eyless spiders in the superfamily Gnaphosoidea, and one of only two known troglobites (cave species). It is found in lava caves on Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos.
The species has no eyes, as the species name anops implies.
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 3.4mm.
L. anops seems to be closely related with L. senoculatum, L. valencianum and L. huberti from Venezuela.
Lygromma gertschi, a blind, cave-inhabiting species from Jamaica is not a close relative of L. anops.
[edit] References
- Peck, S.B. & Shear, W.A. (1987). A new blind cavernicolous Lygromma (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) from the Galápagos Islands. Can. Ent. 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. PDF
