Synaphosus shirin Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994

Russell-Smith, Anthony, 2017, New species and new records of ground spiders (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Cyprus, Zootaxa 4329 (3), pp. 237-255 : 248-250

Synaphosus shirin Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994

Figs 29–34

Synaphosus shirin Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994: 23 , Figs 82̅83. Female holotype from IRAN, 8 km E Qasre-Shirin, Kermanshahan , leg. J. Neal (15.IV.1964), deposited at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.

Diagnosis. Males of the genus Synaphosus can be distinguished by the combined presence of a preening brush on Mt III, elongated superior claws on Ta IV, long filiform embolus supported by large membranous conductor, short tibial apophysis and, in some cases, a patellar apophysis of male palp (e.g. S. trichopus Roewer, 1928 ). Females are distinguished by anterior atrial epigynal pockets and long and twisted copulatory ducts. S. shirin is known only from the female (see Figs 33 ̄34) and may be distinguished from its congeners by the shape of its anterior atrial pockets, the kidney-like spermathecae and the glandular heads on the anterior coils of the copulatory ducts. The newly described male is distinguished by the dorsal tibial apophysis on the palp, additional to the retrolateral one, not present in any other congener.

Material examined. 1 ♂ 5 ♀♀, Cyprus, Agridi , near Dali, in field, spring 2008 ; 1 ♂, same location, V.2011, all leg. D. McCowan ; 1 ♂, Cyprus, Lympia Dam , Lympia, in grass tussocks, 9.V.2013, leg. A. Russell-Smith ; 3 ♀♀, Cyprus, Agios Sozomenos , near Dali, in dry grassland, 30.IV.2007 leg. R. Snazell.

Description of the male. Small brown spiders, abdomen dark grey to brown. Measurements: TL 3.147; CL 1.342; CW 1.008; AL 1.638. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.052, PME 0.095, PLE 0.069, ALE 0.089 AME- AME 0.048, AME-ALE almost touching, PME-PME (min/max) 0.022/0.04, PME-PLE 0.032. Distance between AME almost their own diameter. PER procurved to straight, AER straight to slightly procurved. Chelicera promargin armed with 2-3 teeth and retromargin with 1 tiny denticle. Labium 0.226 long, 0.174 wide at its base. Sternum 0.879 long, 0.665 wide. Cephalothorax with marginally widening thoracic region and small fovea in posterior third of its length. Scutum long, covering about Ḣ of abdominal dorsal surface and with parallel sides (almost rectangular). Legs same colour as body except for Fe/Pa/Ti of leg I which are darker brown. Legs size are I>IV>II>III. Leg spination: Leg I: Fe 1-2d Mt 4v; Leg II: Ti 4v Mt 4v; Leg III: Fe 4d Pa 1rl Ti/Mt spinose; Leg IV: Fe 3d Ti/Mt spinose. Palp ( Figs 29–32 ). Two tibial apophyses present, one retrolateral small, with rounded end ( Figs 30, 32 ) and one dorsal ( Figs 30 ̄32). Retrolateral patellar apophysis tapering to pointed tip ( Figs 30, 32 ). Embolus filiform and long, starting from retrolateral base of tegulum with small prolaterally directed pointed process and denticulated surface. It then encircles the tegulum and reaches its middle at retrolateral side. Most of its lateral parts are hidden by a widely expanded conductor with a translucent flange which forms a retrolateral sclerotized fold that fully covers the tip of the embolus ( Figs 29 ̄30). Median apophysis (?) very small and hardly sclerotized (see also comments).

Comments. According to Ovtsharenko et al. (1994), the species is closest to S. minimus (Caporiacco, 1936) and S. neali Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994 . We would suggest S. khashm Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994 is also a close morphological relative (see Figs 84̄ 85 in Ovtsharenko et al., 1994). Despite their resemblance, the three species differ in the relative positions of their distinctive characters. It should be also noted that in our specimen no posterior epigynal margins are evident (compare Fig. 33 of present study with Fig. 82 of Ovtsharenko et al., 1994). Males of S. shirin differ from S. neali and S. minimus by the prolaterally directed pointed process at the base of the embolus which is smaller (almost indistinct) and by the presence of a dorsal tibial apophysis on the palp, additional to the retrolateral one. In the original description of the genus, Platnick and Shadab (1980) mentioned the presence of a “membranous conductor” and of a “folded median apophysis” in which “the long embolus is distally supported in the resting position”. Ovtsharenko et al. (1994) repeated this palpal configuration (“Palp with embolus … lying in groove of conductor … base of conductor expanded into enlarged, translucent flange…median apophysis folded”). Interestingly, in those two descriptions there is some confusion: if Platnick and Shadab (1980) are followed, then the structure Pc of our Figs 29 ¯30 is the folded median apophysis; if Ovtsharenko et al. (1994) are followed, then the same structure is part of the conductor and it is not explained where the folded median apophysis is located. As further noted by Marusik & Fomichev (2016), the median apophysis is never indicated in the figures of the above papers, while investigation from SEM figures lead the authors to conclude that the genus Synaphosus is diagnosed by the absence of median apophysis (among other characteristics). In the case of S. shirin , a small weakly sclerotized projection is evident at the retrolateral side of the tegulum; we indicate it as MA(?), since it does not fully conform to what is known as median apophysis in other genera (see Zakharov & Ovtcharenko, 2011). Following Marusik and Fomichev (2016), this species belongs to the gracillimus group.

Distribution. Iran, Cyprus.

Figures

FIGURES 29 – 32. Synaphosus shirin Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994 male left palp. 29. Ventral view. 30. Retrolateral view. 31. Prolateral view. 32. Dorsal view. MA (?): median apophysis Pc: retrolateral sclerotized fold of conductor.

FIGURES 33 – 34. Synaphosus shirin Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994. 33. Epigyne. 34. Vulva. The darted line indicates the direction of coils of the copulatory ducts.