Zodarion cf. pusio Simon, 1914

Alioua, Youcef & Bosmans, Robert, 2024, Spiders of arid lands: The Ghardaïa region (Northern Sahara) with seven new records for Algeria, Zootaxa 5497 (3), pp. 301-336 : 330

Zodarion cf. pusio Simon, 1914

Zodarion punicum ; Denis 1937a: 28.

Zodarion pusio ; Bosmans 1997: 274.

For a complete list of taxonomic references, please see the World Spider Catalog (2024).

Although Z. pusio is known to exist in several countries in Europe, the species is reported only from Tunisia in North Africa ( Denis 1937a).

Material examined: BERRIANE: Balouh, hand collecting; 1 ♂, 10.IV.2021; 1 ♀, 24.IV.2021 ; 2 ♀, 30.IV.2021. Sidi Mbarek, hand collecting, 1 ♂, 11.II.2021. EL ATTEUF: Palm grove of El Atteuf, pitfall traps; 1 ♂, 16.II.2015.

Distribution: France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tunisia ( World Spider Catalog 2024).

Comment: We have noticed some differences at the end of the retrolateral apophysis of the male pedipalp in comparison to the description of Bosmans (1997). This result is the subject of a work on the revision of the genus Zodarion in the Maghreb.

Among this study, a total number of 2037 adult spiders grouped into 1065 males and 972 females was identified, they were classified into 21 families, 55 genera, and 70 species.

The family of Gnaphosidae was the richest in species with 20, followed by Salticidae with 12 species. The families of Lycosidae and Theridiidae contained seven species for each of them. The Lyniphiidae is the only family that was represented by four species. Philodromidae with three species. There were two species in each of the Araneidae and Thomisidae families, whereas there was only one species per family in the other families.