Type Material

 

            Holotype: “Male holotype in a house in the pinyon pine-juniper association north of Silver City, New Mexico, March 9, 1972, M. H. Muma, and female allotype in the pinyon pine-juniper association north of Silver City, New Mexico, May 2, 1972, M. H. Muma, both deposited in FSCA” (Muma & Brookhart, 1988, p. 14).

 

            Measurements: “Males (11) somewhat variable in size; CP varies from 9.5-12.3 (mean 10.7). Legs long; A/CP varies from 5.9-7.22 (mean 6.7). Fondal notches nearly equal in length and width; length/width ratio varies from 0.8-1.3 (mean 1.0) (fig. 34)” (Muma & Brookhart, 1988, p. 14).

“Females (12) are quite variable in size. CP varies from 9.0-13.3 (mean 11.5). Legs short; A/CP varies from 4.9-5.6 (mean 5.2)” (Muma & Brookhart, 1988, p. 14).

            

            Operculum Description: “Females distinguished by pale coloration, abruptly tapered anterior lobes of the opercula, the anteriorly convex and posteriorly concave lateral margins of posterior opercular notch and wide bowed vulvular opening” (Muma & Brookhart, 1988, p. 14). “Opercula with anterior lobes lobate, dentate or uniformly tapered mesally; opercular notches occupying 30-43% of opercula (mean 37) (figs. 31-32)” (Muma & Brookhart, 1988, p. 14).

            

            Chelicerae Description: “Males distinguished by striking cheliceral profile, pale coloration, short fondal notch and long slender legs. Ventral notch of movable cheliceral finger very distinct in lateral view. Species with shortest fondal notch of any species of series. Dorsal process of fixed cheliceral finger peaked over basal half of fondal notch” (Muma & Brookhart, 1988, p. 14). “Males have small to medium sized mesal tooth on movable cheliceral finger; mode small” (Muma & Brookhart, 1988, p. 14)

 

Diagnosis: “This species has no known close relatives within the group and series. It is nearly as small as bantaibut differs from that species in proportions of the male fondal notch, number of male ctenidia, profile of male chelicerae, and form of female opercula. There are indications that this species hybridizes occasionally with bajadae. Specimens with combined characteristics of the two species are collected. The two species appear to be sympatric in certain areas; but norrisi (n. sp. #1 Muma, 1979), lives primarily in pinyon-juniper plant association and matures in March (new records), April and May, whereas bajadae (n. sp. #2 Muma, 1979) lives primarily in grassland communities and matures in May, June, and July. Our records show that norrisi was 4 times as abundant as bajadaein pinyon-juniper associations, whereas in most arid grassland associations bajadae was 4 to 5 times as abundant as norrisi. Only at the Lordsburg population study plot, a grassland association, was the population of norrisi nearly ½ that of bajadae. This, as stated by Muma (1979), may have been the result of the location of the plot, adjacent to the Burro Mountains. The phenomenon was probably intensified by large populations of norrisi during 1974, 1975, and 1976. All suspected hybrids were collected during May and June of those years” (Muma & Brookhart, 1988, p. 15).

 

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