![]() With over 700 adult specimens representing 33 species this was one of my most successful expeditions so far. We collected 22 new species, most of them belonging to the genera Smeringopina and Pholcus. In places like the lowland rainforest near Kribi (below left) and the montane forest near Mbouda (right), pholcids are just everywhere and few other macroscopic animals seem to have similar abundances. |
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One central aim of the entire expedition was the collection
of fresh material of the genus Pholcus,
which was the topic of a worldwide revision (in the meantime publised;
see Huber 2011). Interestingly, Pholcus species in Cameroon are
found in a variety of habitats, and the morphology of each species
nicely reflects its preferred microhabitat. The species below on the
left (Pholcus bamboutos) is at
rest pressed against the bark of trees or against rocks; it
is rather large and dark. The species on the right (top; Pholcus kribi) lives under
dead leaves on the ground; it is tiny and also dark. The third species
shown here (Pholcus debilis)
lives on the underside of green (alive) leaves; it is pale
yellow to greenish. Thus, while pholcids are ubiquitous, they are
usually well camouflaged and it requires a close look to find them.
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