Garcorops jadis
Encyclopedia
Garcorops jadis is a possibly extinct species
of Wall crab spider
, family Selenopidae, and at present, it is one of four known species in the genus Garcorops. The species is solely known from copal
found on the beach near Sambava
, on the northeast coast of Madagascar
.
specimen. The copal measures 70 x with several diptera
ns, a cockroach
, a mite
and a juvenile araneid spider also included within. The copal is currently housed in the Royal Museum for Central Africa
in Tervuren
, Belgium
. G. jadis was first studied by Jan Bosselaers, with his March 2004 type description being published in the journal Zootaxa
. The specific
name was coined by Jan Bosselaers as a reference to Jadis, the White Witch
from the 1950 children's fantasy novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C. S. Lewis
in reference to the beautiful quality of preservation in the holotype specimen, which seems "enclosed in ice, frozen in time forever". In September 2004 paleoarachnologist Jörg Wunderlich published the description of ?Anyphops cortex, for which he was uncertain of the generic placement. After reviewing the type specimens of both ?Anyphops cortex and Garcorops jadis, David Penney, Hirotsugu Ono & Paul A. Selden determined the two specimens were from the same species belonging to Garcorops. As a result of the name Garcorops jadis being published first, ?Anyphops cortex was declared a junior synonym.
s of Garcorops jadis is more pointed then that of G. madagascar. Due to the preservation of the holotype and only known specimen in copal, it is uncertain as to the age and status of the species. It is possible that Garcorops jadis is an extant species which has not been recovered as live specimens. It is also possible, however, that the species is already extinct.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of Wall crab spider
Wall crab spider
The wall crab spiders , a member of a group of families collectively called crab spiders because of their laterigrade legs. This family consists of about 175 species in four genera, of which Selenops is the best known...
, family Selenopidae, and at present, it is one of four known species in the genus Garcorops. The species is solely known from copal
Copal
Copal is a name given to tree resin that is particularly identified with the aromatic resins used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and other purposes...
found on the beach near Sambava
Sambava
Sambava is a city and commune at the east coast of northern Madagascar. It is the capital of Sambava District and Sava Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 40,000 in 2001 commune census....
, on the northeast coast of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
.
History and classification
Garcorops jadis is known only from one fossil, the holotype. The single, adult male individual is preserved in a clear Hymenaea verrucosa copalCopal
Copal is a name given to tree resin that is particularly identified with the aromatic resins used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and other purposes...
specimen. The copal measures 70 x with several diptera
Diptera
Diptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...
ns, a cockroach
Cockroach
Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...
, a mite
Mite
Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...
and a juvenile araneid spider also included within. The copal is currently housed in the Royal Museum for Central Africa
Royal Museum for Central Africa
The Royal Museum for Central Africa is an ethnographical and natural history museum in Tervuren, just outside Brussels, Belgium. It was first built to show off King Leopold II's Congo Free State for the 1897 World Exhibition. It focuses mainly on Congo, Belgium's former colony...
in Tervuren
Tervuren
Tervuren is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren, Vossem and Moorsel. On January 1, 2006, Tervuren had a total population of 20,636...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. G. jadis was first studied by Jan Bosselaers, with his March 2004 type description being published in the journal Zootaxa
Zootaxa
Zootaxa is a peer-reviewed scientific journal for animal taxonomists. It is published by Magnolia Press . The journal was established by Zhi-Qiang Zhang in 2001 and new issues are published multiple times a week...
. The specific
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
name was coined by Jan Bosselaers as a reference to Jadis, the White Witch
White Witch
Jadis is the main antagonist of The Magician's Nephew and of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in C.S. Lewis' series, The Chronicles of Narnia...
from the 1950 children's fantasy novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Published in 1950 and set circa 1940, it is the first-published book of The Chronicles of Narnia and is the best known book of the series. Although it was written and published first, it is second in the series'...
by C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
in reference to the beautiful quality of preservation in the holotype specimen, which seems "enclosed in ice, frozen in time forever". In September 2004 paleoarachnologist Jörg Wunderlich published the description of ?Anyphops cortex, for which he was uncertain of the generic placement. After reviewing the type specimens of both ?Anyphops cortex and Garcorops jadis, David Penney, Hirotsugu Ono & Paul A. Selden determined the two specimens were from the same species belonging to Garcorops. As a result of the name Garcorops jadis being published first, ?Anyphops cortex was declared a junior synonym.
Description
Garcorops jadis is 6.5 millimetre (0.255905511811024 in) with a carapace that is 3 by. The carapace is a yellow-brown in color with some darker marking still visible and a coating of white hairs while the abdomen is also yellow-brown with some darker markings and pale pointed hairs. The legs are a similar in coloration to the body and show faint dark banded markings. The overall structure and positioning of the eyes indicates placement into the genus Garcorops. Of the extant species of Garcorops, G. jadis is most similar to the endemic G. madagascar. Both species have a well developed cymbial dorsal scopula with long embolus circling the bulbus. However the retrolateral tibial apophysis on the pedipalpPedipalp
Pedipalps , are the second pair of appendages of the prosoma in the subphylum Chelicerata. They are traditionally thought to be homologous with mandibles in Crustacea and insects, although more recent studies Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi), are the second pair of appendages of the...
s of Garcorops jadis is more pointed then that of G. madagascar. Due to the preservation of the holotype and only known specimen in copal, it is uncertain as to the age and status of the species. It is possible that Garcorops jadis is an extant species which has not been recovered as live specimens. It is also possible, however, that the species is already extinct.