Zaitunia afghana ( Roewer, 1962 )

Sergei Zonstein & Yuri M. Marusik, 2016, A revision of the spider genus Zaitunia (Araneae, Filistatidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 214, pp. 1-97 : 31-33

Zaitunia afghana ( Roewer, 1962)

Fig. 14

Filistata afghana Roewer, 1962: 12 (♀). Note: figs 6 and 9 labeled as F. afghana refer to Z. huberi sp. nov.

Zaitunia afghana – Zonstein et al. 2013: 69 (transfer from Filistata ).

Diagnosis

Zaitunia afghana can easily be distinguished from other species of the group, except Z. brignoliana sp. nov., by having the receptacles subdivided apically and with a distinct stem (the receptacles are undivided in most other species and a stem is lacking; in Z. brignoliana sp. nov., the subdivided receptacles are wider – cf. Fig. 16 D–F).

Material examined

Holotype

AFGHANISTAN: ♀, Helmand Province, Tchehel Dokhteran Cave, Kouh-Ghoramban, nearTchongoulak, Nawzad district , about 75 km N of Gereshk, c. 32º24' N, 64º30' E, 1300 m, 17 Apr. 1957, K. Lindberg ( ZMLS L57/3752, A.206; examined). Almost all legs except left legs I and IV are partially missing in the holotype . Paratype of F. afghana actually belongs to Z. huberi sp. nov.

Description

Female

HABITUS. See Fig. 14 A–B, D.

BODY LENGTH. 6.20.

COLOUR. Whole body and legs light brownish-yellow, carapace with darker brown clypeus (however, with lighter yellow median stripe), long but narrow median spot dilated anteriorly; eye tubercle and narrow bands along carapace margins dark brown; chelicerae with narrow median brownish stripes; palpal and leg femora with narrow and incomplete light brown fasciae; abdomen without dorsal pattern.

CARAPACE ( Fig. 14 C). 2.52 long, 1.90 wide.

EYES. AME 0.09, ALE 0.21, PLE 0.18, PME 0.17, AME–AME 0.04.

ENDOGYNE ( Fig. 14 G–K). Receptacles with distinct stem and dumbbell-shaped transversal head. Pores cover only the head. Heads separated by distance of twice their diameters.

LEG MEASUREMENTS.

	Femur	Patella	Tibia	Metatarsus	Tarsus	Total
Palp	1.55	0.63	0.89	―	0.98	4.05
I	3.29	0.95	3.23	2.74	1.65	11.86
II	2.52	0.86	―	―	―	―
III	1.88	0.80	―	―	―	―
IV	2.78	0.93	2.07	2.00	1.13	8.91

Male

Unknown.

Remarks

During the present study, we found that Roewer (1962) erroneously assigned two different species of Zaitunia , almost indistinguishable from each other by habitus, to the type series. Hence, we redescribe the holotype, but the paratype of Filistata afghana , previously redescribed by Zonstein et al. (2013), is considered to represent a new species, Z. huberi sp. nov., listed and described below.

Ecology

According to the label data, the holotype was collected in a cave; other information is not available.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 47 ).

Figures

Fig. 14. Somatic characters and endogyne of Zaitunia afghana (Roewer, 1962), holotype, ♀. A – B. Habitus, dorsal and ventral. C. Prosoma, dorsal. D. Habitus, lateral. E – F. Calamistrum from above and lateral. G – I, K. Endogyne, dorsal. J. Right receptacle, dorsal. Scale bars: A, D = 1.0 mm; B – C = 0.5 mm; E – G, I = 0.2 mm; H = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 16. Zaitunia alexandri Brignoli, 1982 (A – B) and Z. brignoliana sp. nov. (C – F), holotype; ♀♀, habitus and structure of endogyne. — A – B, D, F. Endogyne, dorsal. C. Habitus, dorsal. E. Left receptacle, dorsal. Scale bars: A, F = 0.2 mm; C = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 47. Distribution of Zaitunia persica species group.