Halorates alascensis, (BANKS, 1900)

Lin, Shou-Wang, Lopardo, Lara & Uhl, Gabriele, 2022, Evolution of nuptial-gift-related male prosomal structures: taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of the genus Oedothorax (Araneae: Linyphiidae: Erigoninae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 195, pp. 417-584 : 535

HALORATES ALASCENSIS ( BANKS, 1900)

Gongylidium alascensis Banks, 1900: 479 , pl. 29, fig. 3 (Dmf).

Oedothorax alascensis Crosby, 1905: 310 .

Halorates alascensis Buckle et al., 2001: 122 .

Halorates alascensis Paquin & Dupérré, 2003: 109 , figs 1099–1101 (mf).

Type material: USA: Alaska, City and Borough of Wrangell, Berg Bay (56°36’ N, 132°00’70’’ W), three individuals (gender not specified in Banks, 1900) ( National Museum of Natural History ( NMNH), not examined) .

Diagnosis:

Males: This species can be identified by the thick, distally pointed, distal-retrolaterally oriented palpal tibial apophysis, and the slender, long radical process on the ventral side of the copulatory bulb (figs 1099, 1100 in Paquin & Dupérré, 2003).

Females: Can be distinguished from congeners by the more posteriorly extended parts of the epigyne lateral to the copulatory openings (fig. 1101 in Paquin & Dupérré, 2003).

Distribution: Alaska.

Remarks: Buckle et al. (2001) examined the types of Oedothorax alascensis in NMNH and found them identical with Collinsia clypiella ( Chamberlin, 1920) and Collinsia stylifera ( Chamberlin, 1949) . The synonymization of Collinsia and Halorates was proposed by Millidge (1977) based on similarities in their palpal structure, but it was rejected by Eskov (1990) based on differences in their chaetotaxy and palpal features. Buckle et al. (2001), however, found that the differences cited by Eskov (1990) did not hold for the type species of these two genera, and that the difference in chaetotaxy was not greater than found within a number of currently accepted genera. Based on these reasons, Buckle et al. (2001) accepted Collinsia as a junior synonym of Halorates . In addition, based on the synapomorphies proposed for the re-delimited Oedothorax in the present study, and the differences in the pedipalp of Oedothorax alascensis depicted in figure 3 in Banks (1900), this species does seemingly not belong to Oedothorax . Therefore, we accept the transfer of this species to Halorates by Buckle et al. (2001).