Evalba, Prószyński, 2018

Prószyński, Jerzy, 2018, Review of genera Evarcha and Nigorella, with comments on Emertonius, Padilothorax, Stagetillus, and description of five new genera and two new species (Araneae: Salticidae) *, Ecologica Montenegrina 16, pp. 130-179 : 148-149

Gen. Evalba gen. n. (8 species)

Figures 1 R-V, 3M-N, 9.

Type species. Evarcha albaria (L. Koch, 1878)

Etymology. Name is created as arbitrary combination of letters coined of words Ev -[archa] indicating relation to Evarcha , and alba -[ria]. Assumed grammar gender feminine.

Documentation studied. Summary of world's literature provided by"Monograph of Salticidae ( Araneae ) of the World 1995-2016" Prószyński (2016a, b) and current literature.

Diagnosis. Key characters are shown on Fig. 1 R-V, on comparative background of remaining four genera shown on Figs 1 A-Q.

Description. Spider resembling Evarcha s. s. by body shape ( Fig. 3 M-N), but with different genital organs. Bulbus irregularly oval, posteriorly with narrowing horizontal protuberance, anteriorly with prominent tegular apophysis near embolus, fleshy and more, or less, triangular ( Fig. 1R , 9 ). Tibial apophysis triple branched in the type species, stretching more or less horizontally, with sclerotized teeth along edges ( Figs 1 R-T, 9). Female: epigyne strongly sclerotized, sculptured, instead of membranous "window", having a pair of sclerotized grooves anteriorly ( Fig. 1U ), spermathecae heavily sclerotized, consist of several thick walled chambers, developed somewhat perpendicularly to epigynal plate ( Fig. 1V ).

Remarks. Figure 9 presents comparison of diagnostic drawings of known species, but it is not certain whether some of these are not just variants, misidentified due to different drawing techniques of authors.The only certain species seems to be E. albaria , which has also relatively good drawing of epigyne and spermathecae ( Fig. 1 R-S, 9). Confirmation of good species status of remaining forms depends from further research, at least on epigyne and spermathecae diversity. Three specie are tentatively moved out to the genus Nigorella : Evarcha hunanensis ( Fig. 18C ) and E. orientalis from China and E. petrae from Thailandia - male of the latter differing by tibial apophysis stretched diagonally, forked at the tip, and by embolus area complicated by a sort of plate under embolus ( Fig. 18J ), it presumably should be moved to a new, own genus.

Composition (diagnostic documentation indicated in brackets). Evalba albaria (L. Koch, 1878) , comb. n., ( Fig. 3M , 9A ), Evalba coreana (Seo, 1988) , comb. n., ( Fig.9D ), Evalba fasciata (Seo, 1988) , comb. n. ( Figure 9B ), Evalba hunanensis (Peng, Xie & Kim, 1993) , comb. n. ( Fig. 9G ), Evalba orientalis (Song et al., 1999) ( Figure 9H ), Evalba paralbaria (Peng, Xie, Xiao 1993) ( Fig. 9E ), Evalba selenaria (Suguro & Yahata, 2012) , comb. n., (Ryukyu Isls.) ( Fig. 3N , 9C ), Evalba wulingensis (Peng, Xie & Kim, 1993) , comb. n. ( Fig. 9F ). [ATTENTION: all names are new combinations].

SOURCES: A - Bohdanowicz, Proszynski 1987: 53-55, ff. 27-34, B - Peng X., Xie L., Xiao X. 1993 Hunan Normal University Press. 44: 69-70, ff. 196-198, C - Suguro & Yahata, 2013 Acta arachnologica. Tokyo 61(1): 1-4, f 1-9, D - Song et al., 1999: 510, figs 293L-M, 294E., E - Peng , Xie , Xiao 1993: Hunan Normal University Press , 71-73, ff. 203-210, F - Song et al. 1999: The Spiders of China, 511, figs 296 J. All ©copyrights are retained by the original authors and copyright holders, used here by their courtesy .

Figures

Figure 1-I. For figure caption see under Figure 1-II.

Figure 3. Color pattern and body shape of Evaneg gen. n., Evacin gen. n. & Evalba gen. n. A - Evaneg negevensis, B- C - Evaneg praeclara, D1 - Evaneg sp. n. - from Israel, Shoam area (35 km east of Tel Aviv), D - Evaneg seyun, E-G - supposedly Evacin flavocincta [= E - F - Evacin flavocincta (from Brunei)], G - Maevia flavocincta C. L. Koch, 1846 (holotype from Bintang Is), G1 - Evacin flavocincta (Vietnam, by Zabka)], H - Evacin cf. infrastriata, J - Evacin cf. cancellata? Sigiriya Hotel, Sri Lanka, on shady, wetter exterior walls, K - Evacin striolata, L -Evawes longula, M - Evalba albaria, N - Evalba selenaria (Ryukyu Is.).

Figure 9-I. For figure caption see under Figure 9-II.

Figure 18. Diversity of Chinese and Thai Evarcha species tentatively placed into Nigorella. A - Nigorella hirticeps - original drawing by Song & Chai 1992, B – N. hirticeps by Yin et al., 2012, possibly = N. hunanensis[?], C - N. hunanensis, D - N. hirticeps: by Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999, E - N. hirticeps: by Zha & Zhang, 2014, F-H – N. contortospinosa, I – N. sichuanensis, J - N.[?] petrae (Prószyński, 1992) - from Thailand.