''Cubanops'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

araneomorph The Araneomorphae (also called the Labidognatha) are an infraorder of spiders. They are distinguishable by chelicerae (fangs) that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action, in contrast to the Mygalomorphae (tarantulas and their cl ...

spiders in the family

Caponiidae Caponiidae is a family of ecribellate haplogyne spiders that are unusual in a number of ways. They differ from other spiders in lacking book lungs and having the posterior median spinnerets anteriorly displaced to form a transverse row with the a ...

first described by A. Sánchez-Ruiz, Norman I. Platnick & N. Dupérré in 2010. These spiders are wandering hunters, generally found at ground level, under stones, in leaf litter or in the soil, and have only been found in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

Description

They are a distinctive group of relatively small spiders, growing from in body length, and are very difficult to find in nature. Although specimens have only been recorded from

the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, and

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

, a few female juvenile specimens sharing the somatic characters of the genus have been taken from

Saint John Parish, Antigua and Barbuda Saint John is a civil parish of Antigua and Barbuda, located on the island of Antigua. It is the most populous parish of Antigua and Barbuda, with a population of 51,737 in 2011, and an estimated population of 56,736 in 2018. The plurality of th ...

, suggesting that ''Cubanops'' probably also occurs in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

as well as the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...

. These spiders have tarsi that are subsegmented as well as a

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek language, Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. Th ...

translucent keel on their anterior metatarsi. They also have a translucent membrane connecting the anterior metatarsi and tarsi similar to those found in ''

Nops Nokian Palloseura (abbreviated NoPS) is a sports club from Nokia, Finland. The men's football first team currently plays in the Kolmonen (Third Division) and their home ground is at the Nokian keskuskenttä. The floorball team plays in the Seco ...

'', '' Orthonops'', and '' Tarsonops''. Species of ''Cubanops'' can be distinguished from species of ''Nops'' by the lack of a dorsally extended inferior claw found in Nops species. They can be distinguished from members of ''Orthonops'' and ''Tarsonops'' by the distinct

chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...

patterns on their

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

, their widened labium, and a bisegmented fourth metatarsi.

Species

it contains twelve species: *'' Cubanops alayoni'' Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba *'' Cubanops andersoni'' Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Bahama Is. *'' Cubanops armasi'' Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba *'' Cubanops bimini'' Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Bahama Is. *'' Cubanops darlingtoni'' (Bryant, 1948) – Hispaniola *'' Cubanops granpiedra'' Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba *'' Cubanops juragua'' Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba *'' Cubanops ludovicorum'' (Alayón, 1976) ( type) – Cuba *'' Cubanops luquillo'' Sánchez-Ruiz, Brescovit & Alayón, 2015 – Puerto Rico *'' Cubanops terueli'' Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba *'' Cubanops tortuguilla'' Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Cuba *'' Cubanops vega'' Sánchez-Ruiz, Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 – Hispaniola

Gallery

File:Cubanops ludovicorum female.jpg, ''Cubanops ludovicorum'' Alayon, female File:Cubanops terueli male female.JPG, ''Cubanops terueli'' Sánchez-Ruiz et al., male and female File:Cubanops tortugilla.JPG, ''Cubanops tortuguilla'' Sánchez-Ruiz et al., female File:Cubanops granpiedra genitalia.jpg, ''Cubanops granpiedra'' Sánchez-Ruiz et al., internal genitalia File:Cubanops granpiedra.jpg, ''Cubanops granpiedra'' Sánchez-Ruiz et al., male palp File:Cubanops darlingtoni dv1.tiff, ''Cubanops darlingtoni'' Bryant, female File:Cubanops darlingtoni sternum.tiff, ''Cubanops darlingtoni'' Bryant, sternum

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2252939 Caponiidae Araneomorphae genera Spiders of the Caribbean