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Opilio canestrinii
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Specimen that has not fed for a longer period of time (hence the small
opisthosoma).
Specimen photographed in Göttingen (Niedersachsen, Germany) on
July 13, 2008.
Original description
Thorell, 1876
Synonyms
Opilio
parietinus Canestrini, 1875 (a misidentification)
Phalangium parietinum Cecconi, 1898 (a misidentification)
Phalangium canestrinii Thorell, 1876
Opilio canestrinii (Thorell, 1876)
Phalangium canestrini Rizzardi, 1898 (unjustified emendation)
Opilio canestrini (Rizzardi, 1898) (unjustified emendation)
Phalangium segmentatum Simon, 1879
Opilio zangherii Spoek, 1962
Opilio aspromontanus Gruber, 1965
Opilio ravennae Martens, 1978 (a misidentification)
This species has a very complicated synonymy history (summarized in
Gruber, 1984) which is caused by taxonomically illegal acts,
misidentifications and unclear species delimitations. Opilio
canestrinii is closely related to Opilio transversalis (from Greece,
the Balcans and northern Italy) and is sometimes confused or
synonymized with this species. I therefore also give a synonymy of
Opilio transversalis below, although this species has not yet been
recorded from Germany.
Synonymy
of Opilio transversalis:
Opilio transversalis Roewer, 1956
Opilio ravennae Spoek, 1962
Distribution
Originally restricted to Malta, Sicily and southern
Italy, but has spread north in recent times. Details about the timing
of the spreading and the mode (human-aided?) are unclear. The exact
distribution in Central Europe is unclear as well. In Germany the
species is known from several places scattered all across the country
except for the northern parts. Whether this scattered distribution is
real or an artefact caused by incomplete sampling and recording is
unclear.
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This page has been
updated on December 18, 2008
This site is online since May 31, 2005
Copyright © by Nikola-Michael Prpic. All rights reserved.
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