Incestophantes australis, Gnelitsa, 2009

Gnelitsa, Valery, 2009, A new species of Incestophantes Tanasevitch, 1992 (Araneae, Linyphiidae) from Ukraine, ZooKeys 16 (16), pp. 309-317 : 310-312

Incestophantes australis sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BEBFC5C6-21AC-4A08-BAD8-89E84238128D

Figs 1 , 2a-c, 3a-d, 4a-d

Material. Holotype. Male, Ukraine, Crimea, Yalta Distr., Cape Martjan reserve , 44°30’N 34°15’E: Quercus pubescens , Juniperus excelsa , Arbutus andrachne , Ruscus ponticus , Hedera taurica , leaf litter, 23.IV.2002, V. Gnelitsa leg. (SSTTU) . – Paratypes [all found in Crimea, Ukraine]: Yalta Distr. , Shaitan Merdven rise, 44°25’N 33°51’E: Quercus pubescens , Carpinus betulus , C. orientalis , Acer , Tilia , Euonimus verrucosa , Juniperus excelsa , Cotinus coggygria , Ruscus, Brachipodium , Hedera , in grass, male, 12.X.2001 ; foot of Kilse-Burun Mt. , 44°24’N 33°50’E, terraced slope, Pinus pallasiana , Juniperus excelsa , Quercus pubescens , Carpinus orientalis , Hedera , Ruscus, Clematis , with Cotinus coggygria , in needle litter and in grass, 8 females 4 males, 14.X.2001 . Alushta Distr. , Demerdji Mountain massif, 44°46’N 34°26’E, Fagus forest, in leaf litter, male, 17.IV.2002 ; SSE slope cereals and motley grass meadow, with sparse Pyrus eleagnifolia , Fraxinus and Rosa , in grass, male, 11.X.2002; meadow, in the grass along the stream, male, 10.X.2002. Yalta , Botkin path, E slope, 44°29’N 34°08’E, Pinus , Quercus pubescens , Carpinus betulus , Swida , Ruscus , Crataegus , needle litter, 2 females 1 male, 17.X.2002 . Pheodosia Distr. , Karadag reserve, 44°55’N 35°14’E, NNW slope of Tumanov ravine, Quercus pubescens , Pinus pallasiana , sparse Fraxinus with Cornus mas , in litter, 16 females 3 males, 25.IV.2003, 13.X.2003 ; Svyataya Mt. slope between North pass and Gyaur-Cheshme spring, Quercus petraea , Acer , Paliurus spina-christi , sparse Fraxinus with Cornus mas , in litter and in grass, male, 20.IV.2003 ; Syuryu-Kaya

Mt. slope, sparse Quercus pubescens , Fraxinus with Cornus mas , in grass, 3 females 3 males, 11.X.2003, all leg. V. Gnelitsa (all preserved in the VGC).

Diagnosis. Male palp: Lamella characteristica ‘Lch’ beneath the distal spire with a wide, rounded keel ‘i’ ( Fig. 2a,b ). Shortened and widened apical part of paracymbium ‘Apc’ ( Fig. 2a ) distally truncate, cf. ‘Apc’ of I. crucifer which is elongate and gradually narrows towards the rounded end ( Fig. 2d ). Paracymbium with elongate lateral process ‘LPc’ ( Fig. 2a ); first terminal apophysis ‘TA1’ of the new species ( Fig. 2b,c ) narrowing towards the end, without parallel sides as in I. crucifer ( Fig. 2e,f ). Thick, long spine on palpal patella gradually tapers to a sharp tip, while this spine in I. crucifer distally widens and then tapers to a point.

Female distinguished by the narrower and elongated distal part of the scape ‘DPS’ ( Fig. 3c ). Because of considerable variation in the shape of the proscapus ‘Ps’ ( Figs 3a , 4 a-d) females are difficult to distinguish.

Description. Male. Total length 2.20; carapace: 1.12 long, 0.91 wide; yellow with thin dark border and median longitudinal stripe; sternum: 0.63 long, 0.62 wide, caudally extended between coxae IV, yellow-gray with slightly darker margin; posterior median eyes 0.6 diameter apart, anterior margin of chelicerae with two medium sized teeth, posterior margin with two tiny teeth at the base of the fang; stridulating files distinct. Abdomen yellow with dorsal pattern of two longitudinal rows of gradually diminishing grey blotches which are drawn together caudally. Legs yellow, femur, tibia and metatarsus all with dark ring, tibia darkened distally; spination: FeI – 1p, TiI – 2d:1p:1r, MtI – 1d; TiII – 2d:1r, MtII – 1d; TiIII – 2d and 2 spines (1p 1r) at the distal end, MtIII – 1d; TiIV – 2d, MtIV – 1d; position of metatarsal trichobothrium: I – 0.19, II – 0.19, III – 0.18.

Palp: see Fig. 2 a-c.

Female. General appearance as in the male. Total length 2.75; carapace 1.06 long, 0.81 wide, yellow with dark gray border and median longitudinal stripe; sternum 0.63 long, 0.59 wide, caudally extended between coxae IV, yellow with slightly darker border; posterior median eyes 0.6 diameter apart; anterior margin of chelicerae with three medium sized teeth, posterior margin with four tiny teeth close together; stridulating files indistinct.

Epigyne: see Fig. 3 a-c; vulva: see Fig. 3d .

Figures

Figure 2. Male palp. Incestophantes australis sp. n.: a lateral aspect b ventral aspect c mesal aspect. I. crucifer: d lateral aspect e ventral aspect f mesal aspect. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Figure 3. Incestophantes australis sp. n., epigyne: a ventral aspect b caudal aspect c dorsal aspect d vulva. I. crucifer, epigyne: e ventral aspect f caudal aspect g aspect h vulva. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Figure 4. Incestophantes australis sp. n., variation of the epigyne (ventral and caudal views) of specimens from a single locality. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Figure1. Distribution of Incestophantes species in Ukraine:filled star – I. australis; filled circle – I.crucifer.