Until recently, the daddy longlegs genus, Cryptomaster, was represented by just a single species, C. leviathan, one that hides out in the mountains of southwest Oregon and has remained relatively understudied since its discovery in 1969. Now, a team of researchers at the University of San Diego has discovered another even bigger species in the genus, C. behemoth, according to a university press release.
Although the Cryptomaster daddy longlegs belongs to the very diverse harvestman suborder, the Laniatores, characterized by small legs and a tendency to take cover under logs, stones and leaf litter in tropical and temperate forests, both Cryptomaster daddy longlegs species contain two forms - a small and a large one. However, neither contain enough genetic variation to point to the presence of a separate group.
Using their knowledge of the restrictive geographic regions that Cryptomaster daddy longlegs typically inhabit, the team found that the new C. behemoth species occupies an even more restrictive range but possesses a higher amount of genetic variation.
The first daddy longlegs species received its name due to its massive size compared to others within the family of travunioid daddy longlegs, and now the new behemoth species has received its name after another massive monster from the Book of Job.
"This research highlights the importance of short-range endemic arachnids for understanding biodiversity and further reveals mountainous southern Oregon as a hotspot for endemic animal species," the authors conclude in their paper.
The findings were published in the Jan. 20 issue of ZooKeys.
