Scytodes arwa Rheims, Brescovit & van Harten, 2006

Zamani, Alireza, Stockmann, Mark, Magalhaes, Ivan L. F. & Rheims, Cristina A., 2022, New taxonomic considerations in the spitting spider family Scytodidae (Arachnida: Araneae), Zootaxa 5092 (2), pp. 151-175 : 153-155

Scytodes arwa Rheims, Brescovit & van Harten, 2006

Figs 1A–D , 2A–C , 3A–J

Scytodes arwa Rheims, Brescovit & van Harten, 2006: 163 , figs 6–11 (♂ holotype from YEMEN, [Hajjah] near Hajjah [15°41'N 43°36'E], 10 July 2001, A. van Harten leg., deposited in IBSP 35570, examined).

Scytodes makeda Rheims, Brescovit & van Harten, 2006: 164 , figs 12–14 (♀ holotype from YEMEN, [Hajjah], Manakhah [15°05'N 43°42'E], 1500 m, under outer leafsheet of banana, 28 August 2001, A. van Harten leg., deposited in IBSP 35583, examined; ♀ paratype from OMAN, Qarhat Mu’ammar [21°38'N 59°18'E], 130 m, 23 February 1986, deposited in NHMB, examined). Syn. n.

Additional material examined. YEMEN: Abyan: 1♀, Al Kowd [Al Kawd, 13°05'N 45°21'E], 15 May 2000, A. van Harten leg. ( IBSP 35581 ) ; Lahij: 1♀, Lahij [13°03'N 44°52'E], 24 March 1998, A. van Harten leg. ( IBSP 35580 ) ; Socotra Archipelago: 1♀, Socotra Island [12°27'N 53°49'E], Steroh Cave , 17 February 2000, W. Wranik leg. ( IBSP 35582 ) ; IRAN: Hormozgan: 1♂, Hormuz Island (27°02'42.0"N 56°29'35.0"E), 11 m, January 2014, A. Zamani & A. Kazemi leg. ( JAZM) ; 2♀, same locality and data as previous specimen ( JAZM) .

Diagnosis. Males of S. arwa resemble those of S. kumonga and S. univittata Simon, 1882 ( Brescovit & Rheims 2000 : figs 11–20) in having a double row of strong spines on the ventral face of femur I; males of S. arwa and S. univittata also possess a single row of prolateral spines on metatarsus III ( Fig. 1D ). They are distinguished from the latter species (and from the rest of the species occurring in the region) by having two parallel rows of small spines on femur IV ( Fig. 1C ), and by the palp with long embolus and large, trapezoid, hyaline, prolateral extension on the apical part of the embolus ( Fig. 3G–H ; Rheims et al. 2006: figs 7–8) (vs. embolus shorter and prolateral extension spade-shaped in S. kumonga , and prolateral extension sclerotized, short and rounded in S. univittata ). Females differ from S. kumonga and S. univittata in having bean-shaped spermathecae with U-shaped ducts (vs. tubular with straight ducts in S. kumonga and small and rounded in S. univittata ) and posterior plate straight with pair of slender, sclerotized lateral areas (vs. shorter and rounded lateral areas in S. univittata and S. kumonga ) ( Fig. 3J ; Rheims et al. 2006: fig. 14).

Synonymy. Rheims et al. (2006) described S. arwa based on a single male collected in the vicinities of Hajjah, northwestern Yemen, and S. makeda based on two female specimens collected in Manakhah, western Yemen, and Qarhat Mu’ammar, eastern Oman. The authors considered the distance between collecting sites, as well as differences in size and color pattern ( Fig. 3A–B ) as evidence of them belonging to different species. Nevertheless, sexually dimorphic color patterns are observed in several other Scytodidae species (e.g. Scytodes fusca Walckenaer, 1837 and Dictis striatipes L. Koch, 1872 ), and Zamani (2014) reported males and females of these species, clearly within the same size range ( Fig. 2A–C ), collected only a few meters apart in Hormuz Island in the Persian Gulf. Thus, based on the above mentioned facts, we consider S. makeda syn. n. to be a junior synonym of S. arwa .

Description. See Rheims et al. 2006: 163 (♂, S. arwa ) and 164 (♀, S. makeda ).

Distribution. Yemen, Oman and southern Iran ( Fig. 14 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–D Scytodes arwa Rheims Brescovit & van Harten.A (IBSP 35581, female), leg III, tarsus, claws, prolateral view (arrow points to inferior claw); B–D (IBSP 35570, male, holotype) B leg I, femur, ventral view; C leg IV, femur, ventral view; D leg III, metatarsus, prolateral view; E–F Dictis striatipes L. Koch (IBSP 35569, female) E leg I, tarsus, claws, prolateral view; F leg III, tarsus, claws, prolateral view.

FIGURE 2. Scytodes arwa Rheims, Brescovit & van Harten, live specimens (JAZM).A–B male; C female. Photos: A, B by A. Mohajeran, C by A. Zamani.

FIGURE 3. Scytodes arwa Rheims, Brescovit & van Harten. A, G–H (IBSP 35570, male, holotype); B (IBSP 35582, female); E–F (IBSP 35581, female); I–J (IBSP 35583, female, holotype of S. makeda Rheims, Brescovit & van Harten syn. n.). A–B habitus, dorsal view (A male, B female); C–F tarsal claws, prolateral view (C male, leg I, D male, leg III, E female, leg I, F female, leg III, arrows point to inferior claw); G–H male, left palp (G prolateral view, H retrolateral view); I–J female genitalia (I ventral view; J vulva, dorsal view). Scale bars: A–B = 2 mm; C–J = 0.5 mm. AP = anterior plate; DR = dorsal receptacle; F = fovea; OS = outer spermathecae; PP = posterior plate; PR = positioning ridge.

FIGURE 14. Distribution map of Scytodes arwa (red circles) and Scytodes kumonga (green/yellow triangles). Yellow symbols refer to doubtful records from the United Arab Emirates.