In May 2024 I
visited Andalusia in order to get some fresh material of the two Holocnemus
species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, H. cornutus and H. hispanicus. Holocnemus cornutus has long been
thought to range into Northern Africa, but there are small
morphological differences between European and African specimens, and
Northern African specimens are currently classified as a different
species, H. reini (Huber 2022). Fresh
material is necessary to test this species boundary using molecular
data.  A large part of Andalusia seems to be covered by olive tree and other monocultures, but inbetween there are plenty of beautiful spots, such as the Torcal Mountains near Antequera (above). In such natural areas, the two endemic Holocnemus species are mostly abundant and easy to find. Below are photos of H. caudatus (top) and H. hispanicus (bottom).   Once in Andalusia, a visit of the magnificent Mezquita is of course obligatory. I thank my wife Kathrin for accompanying me on this trip. |