Iberian Solifugid

Gluvia dorsalis is a solifuge, a carnivorous arachnid. The species was originally described as the "galeode dorsale"; Galeodes dorsalis, possessing a length of "d'un demi-pouce" and found in the southernmost part of Spain. It was the only valid species of its genus for over 200 years, until Gluvia brunnea was described in 2024. The two species can be distinguished by color, with G. dorsalis possessing yellow areas on its palps and legs, while G. brunnea has a completely brown dorsal region. G. dorsalis' eyes are very close-set, being "as small as half the length of the eyes". The species also lacks a hypertrophied seta ("hair") on the coxa (first leg segment) present on G. brunnea. Further diagnostic characters are exclusive to the adult males, being characters of the flagellum, mucron of the fixed finger, and most notably, a skirt-like row of bristles on the ventral part of the fourth tergite of the opisthosoma ("abdomen"). The species displays some sexual dimorphism; males have narrower propeltidia, wider malleoli, and dense spines on the sclerotized (hardest) parts of their body, while females are larger-bodied.

The species' sex ratio is highly skewed towards females. Reproduction occurs at the beginning of summer; they are seasonal breeders. On average, they lay their eggs 11 days after mating, laying a clutch of 47–163 eggs in a burrow, with the females dying around a week after laying. The eggs hatch around 60 days after being laid in a laboratory setting; it is presumed that they developed twice as fast in the wild due to higher ambient temperatures. G. dorsalis is thought to be a biennial species, overwintering a few times before maturing, with a longevity of ~700 days.

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