Alopecosa kovblyuki Nadolny & Ponomarev

Nadolny, Anton A., Ponomarev, Alexandr V. & Dvadnenko, Konstantin V., 2012, A new wolf spider species in the genus Alopecosa Simon, 1885 (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Eastern Europe, Zootaxa 3484, pp. 83-88 : 83-86

Alopecosa kovblyuki Nadolny & Ponomarev , sp. nov.

Figures 1–14 .

Type material: Holotype 1 3 ( ZMMU) RUSSIA, Rostov area, Ust-Donetsk Distr., Razdorskaya Village, Pukhlyakovskie Sklony, 47°31'18''N 40°36'37''E, 7– 14.04.2004 (A.V. Ponomarev).

Paratypes: RUSSIA. Rostov area: 1 3 (CP- 25.11.29 /2), Rostov-on-Don, Shchepkinskiy Forestry, 47°20'N 39°45'E, May 2010 (V.V. Alexandrov). Ust-Donetsk Distr., Razdorskaya Village, 47°32'30''N 40°38'50''E: 1 3 ( ZMMU), valley edge, Caragana frutex , 17– 26.04.2010 (A.V. Ponomarev); 1 3 (CP- 25.11.29 /1), valley edge, Caragana frutex , 17– 26.04 .2010 (A.V. Ponomarev). UKRAINE. Crimea, Dzhankoy Distr.: 14 3 7 ƤƤ (TNU-SO1/1, SO5, SO6/1, SO11, SO14/1, SO26/3, SO27/3, SO28/2, SO45/2, SO46/2, SO49/2, SO56/5, SO58/3, SO66/3, SO70), environs of Solenoe Ozero Village, 45°53'N 34°27'E, hand collected and pitfall traps, 21.10.2008, 12.03– 22.10.2009 (A.A. Nadolny); 8 3 3 ƤƤ ( ZMMU), 6.5 km N Solenoe Ozero Village, 45°56'35''N 34°27'06.7''E, Phragmites australis & Carex sp. on the mollusks' shells bar, pitfall traps, 26.03-9.04.2009 (A.A. Nadolny). Razdol'noe Distr.: 1 3 (TNU), 9 km

N Razdol'noe, environs of Portovoe Village, Lebyazh'i Islands branch of Crimean State Nature Reserve, 45°51'17''N 33°29'40''E, 19.04.2012 (A.A. Nadolny). Kherson area, Genichesk Distr.: 5 3 5 ƤƤ (TNU-2804/3, 2812/2, 2814/1, 2819/1, 2887/9, 2894/2, 2903/4), environs of Genichesk, 46°10'N 34°48'E, Arabatskaya Strelka, hand collected and pitfall traps, 31.05– 26.11.2010 (N.A. Stasyuk). Mykolaiv area, Pervomaysk Distr.: 3 ƤƤ (TNU), Myhiya Village, 48°02'N 30°57'E, dry meadow, 7.05–8.06.2007 (N.Yu. Polchaninova). Poltava area, Novosanzharskiy Distr.: 2 3 3 ƤƤ (TNU), Sokolova Balka Village, 49°12'N 34°37'E, southern slope with ruderal vegetation, 27.04– 14.06.2011 (I.P. Lezhenina).

Comparative material. Alopecosa beckeri (Thorell, 1875) : UKRAINE. Crimea: see material in Nadolny & Kovblyuk (2010). Alopecosa taeniopus (Kulczynski, 1895) : RUSSIA. Astrachan' area: 7 ƤƤ (CP), 230 km NW Astrachan', Bogdinsko-Baskunchakskiy Reserve, 13– 17.07.2002, 7– 10.06.2005 (E.A. Belosludtsev & A.S. Tilli). Belgorod area: 2 3 (CP), Kustovoe Village, 17.10.1998 (A.V. Ponomarev). Rostov area: 1 3 (CP-25.11.5/34), Razdorskaya Village, Pukhlyakovskie Sklony, 23.03.2004 (A.V. Ponomarev); 4 3 1 Ƥ (CP), Don River delta, 12 km N Azov, 9– 16.04.2008 (P.P. Ivliev). UKRAINE. Crimea: see material in Nadolny & Kovblyuk (2010).

Etymology. The species name is a patronym in honour of our friend and colleague, Mykola M. Kovblyuk (Simferopol, Ukraine).

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to A. beckeri , A. mariae (Dahl, 1908) and A. taeniopus . Males can be distinguished from these species by a rounded projection on the tegulum ( Figs 2–3 , 13 ). In addition, the shape of tegular (=median) apophysis ( Figs 2–6 , 13–14 ) and synembolus ( Figs 7–8 ) is also distinct. Females of the new species and A. mariae clearly differ from A. beckeri ( Nadolny & Kovblyuk 2010: figs 23, 27) and A. taeniopus ( Nadolny & Kovblyuk 2010: figs 25, 29) by the presence of two anterior epigynal pockets ( Figs 9–11 ; Buchar & Thaler, 2004: figs 5–6). Females of A. kovblyuki sp. nov. and A. mariae differ in the shape of the epigynal septum and the spermathecal reservoirs. The epigynal septum of A. kovblyuki sp. nov. is highly variable ( Figs 9–11 ), therefore females of the new species and A. mariae are difficult to distinguish.

Description. Holotype: total length 9.0; carapace 4.4 long, 3.2 wide. Median light brown band on carapace widening in anterior part, and reaches the border of the carapace at the level of posterior lateral eyes. Dark brown areas on each side of median band. Carapace with broad white marginal bands. Eye area black. Chelicerae dark brown. Cheliceral claw with hillock on proximal part. Sternum light brown, covered with black setae. Legs and pedipalps light brown. Pedipalpal tibia more than twice as long as wide. Median band with grey lanceolate spot; series of spots on the dorsal abdomen; median band bordered with brown band. Sides of abdomen yellow. Ventral abdomen with grey spot. Tibiae spination: I, II – pl 1-1, rl 1-1, v 2-2 -2(a); III, IV – d 1-1, pl 1-1, rl 1-1, v 2-2 -2(a). Paratypes (TNU-2814/1), measurements (male/female): total length 8.0 / 9.4; carapace 3.8 / 4.2 long, 2.7 / 2.9 wide. Length of pedipalp segments (male/female): femur 1.4 / 1.4, patella 0.8 / 0.8, tibia 0.7 / 0.7, tarsus 1.3 / 1.2.

Length of leg segments (male/female):

Male pedipalp: tegulum with rounded projection on ventral side, retrolateral side of tegular apophysis curved ventrally, embolus flat and wide, synembolus claw-like, distal part of embolus and synembolus hiden behind tegular apophysis ( Figs 2–8 , 13–14 ); epigyne with two anterior pockets, septum flat, width of septum more than 1.5 times length, spermatheca spherical ( Figs 9–12 ).

Variation. Males (n = 11): carapace 3.6–4.4 long and 2.6–3.2 wide. Tegular apophysis shape variable ( Figs 5–6 ). Females (n = 10): carapace 4.1–4.6 long, 2.9–3.2 wide. Epigyne shape variable ( Figs 9–11 ). The grey spot on the ventral side of abdomen can be absent.

Phenology. Males and females have been found from March to November, with peak activity in April. Females with egg sacs were found in May. Alopecosa kovblyuki sp. nov. and A. taeniopus occur sympatrically and have a similar phenology ( Fig. 16 ).

Habitats. Most of specimens were collected in grasslands (steppe; meadows with Artemisia & Limonium ; meadows with Phragmites & Carex ; Salicornia & Halocnemum on the silt). A few specimens were collected in plantations of various deciduous trees.

Distribution. Ukraine (Mykolaiv area, Crimea, Kherson area, Poltava area), Russia (Rostov area). Collection records of A. kovblyuki sp. nov. are shown on Fig. 17 .

Remarks. Alopecosa kovblyuki sp. nov. has similarities with other Alopecosa species. However, the structure of the pedipalp and epigyne differs from the type species of the genus, A. fabrilis . The correct placement of A. kovblyuki sp. nov. can only be resolved when Alopecosa is revised.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Comparative phenology of Alopecosa kovblyuki sp. nov. and A. taeniopus based on specimens collected by pitfall traps in the environs of Solenoe Ozero Village, Crimea during 2009.

FIGURE 17. Localities of Alopecosa kovblyuki sp. nov. (squares) in Ukraine and Russia.

FIGURES 1 – 12. Habitus and copulatory organs of Alopecosa kovblyuki sp. nov. from Ukraine (2 – 5, 7 – 8 — TNU 2819 / 1; 5, 9, 12 — TNU 2814 / 1; 10 — TNU SO 70; 11 — TNU SO 49 / 2). 1 — male in natural habitat (Crimea, Lebyazh'i Islands); 2 — male pedipalp, ventral; 3 — male pedipalp, prolatero-ventral; 4 — bulbus, retrolateral; 5 – 6 — tegular (= median) apophysis, ventral (variation); 7 — embolic division, ventral; 8 — embolic division, prolatero-caudal; 9 – 11 — epigyne, ventral (variation); 12 — epigyne, dorsal. Abbreviations: AEP — anterior epigynal pocket; E — embolus; ED — embolic division; S — epigynal septum; Se — synembolus; TgA — tegular (= median) apophysis. Arrow indicates projection of tegulum. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 13 – 15. Male copulatory organs of Alopecosa kovblyuki sp. nov. and A. taeniopus from Russia (13 — ZMMU; 14 — CP 25.11.29 / 1) and A. taeniopus (15 — CP 25.11.5 / 34) from Russia. 13 — bulbus, ventral; 14 – 15 — bulbus, ventral (a little on front). Abbreviations: ED — embolic division; TgA — tegular (= median) apophysis. Arrow indicates projection of tegulum. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.