Trachyzelotes stubbsi Platnick & Murphy, 1984

Chatzaki, Maria, 2010, New data on the least known zelotines (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) of Greece and adjacent regions, Zootaxa 2564, pp. 43-61 : 48-50

Trachyzelotes stubbsi Platnick & Murphy, 1984

Figs 6–12

T. stubbsi Platnick & Murphy, 1984: 9 , Figs 15–16 , (Dm) holotype from Cyprus, Cape Kiti, near Larnaka airport (contra Chatzaki et al., 2003) (not examined).

T. stubbsi: Levy, 1998: 106 , Figs 23–24 (m), from Israel (contra Chatzaki et al., 2003).

T. adriaticus (Caporiacco, 1953) : Chatzaki et al., 2003: 57, Figs 36–37 (mf), from Greece, Antikythira isl. (misidentification).

T. stubbsi: Levy 2009: 26 , Figs 57–58 (Df) from Israel.

Diagnosis: Males of T. stubbsi are distinguished by other congeners by the bifid and turned tibial apophysis of the palpal organ as well as the characteristic hammer-like shape of the prolateral extension of the terminal apophysis. Females are distinguished by the small spermathecae and the long M-shaped median ridge of the epigyne. Females of T. adriaticus and T. stubbsi are inseparable (see details in taxonomic comments).

Identification: Platnick & Murphy, 1984: 9, Figs 15–16 , Levy, 1998: 106, Figs 23–24 , Levy, 2009: 26, Figs 57–58.

Material: GREECE: Antikythira: Potamos village, 700 m west: sparse phrygana on sandy soil close to the village: 10 ɗɗ 3 ΨΨ (27.III.01 to 05.VIII.01) (leg. M. Chatzaki); CYPRUS: Lemesos, Kourio: 6 ɗɗ 4 ΨΨ (27.V.07 to 01.VIII.07); 9 ɗɗ 4 ΨΨ (15.III.08 to 17.V.08); 1 ɗ 1 Ψ (15.III.07 to 27.V.07); 1 ɗ 1 Ψ (13.V.06 to 09.VII.06) [all leg. D. Kaltsas].

Taxonomic comments. This species was first described by Platnick and Murphy (1984) from a male collected in Cyprus. Levy (1998) confirmed its presence in Israel and later found and described the female ( Levy 2009).

Males and females from the Greek island Antikythira fit the descriptions recorded above. Distinctive characters of the species are also present in the newly collected material from Cyprus: the prolateral extension of the terminal apophysis of the palpal organ has a characteristic hammer-like shape (see Figs 6–7 ) and an extra retrolateral process (rp) of the tegular sclerite exists in all populations examined (see also Platnick & Murphy, 1984, p.10, Fig.15 ). Intraspecific variation also occurs in males of this species: in specimens from Antikythira ( Fig. 7 ) the hammer-like extension is less stout compared to those from Cyprus ( Fig. 6 ) and has a more slender base; also specimens from Antikythira are smaller in size than those from Cyprus (see Table 1 ).

Its epigyne however cannot be distinguished from that of the closely related T. adriaticus ( Figs 10–13 ). Levy (2009) argued that the M-shaped median ridge (keels according to Levy) of the epigyne takes up two thirds of the epigynal space (sunken space) as delimited by the anterior margin and that “… the spatial position of the median keels and their lateral expansions ” is the distinctive character of the species as far as females are concerned. Unfortunately he did not give any comparative detail of T. adriaticus which seems to follow the same configuration (compare Figs 10, 12 and 13 ); no consistent differences can be seen between the epigynes of both species in specimens from Cyprus, Antikythira, Crete and Gavdos-Gavdopoula or from the illustrations given by Levy (p.26, Figs 57–58).

Levy also commented on the distribution of the two species on the Greek territory arguing that no females of T. stubbsi could be identified on the Greek islands as deduced by the illustrations of Chatzaki et al. (2003) but instead only females of T. adriaticus were present. However, since Antikythira is a very small island it seems improbable that both species do occur on it sympatrically (males and females were collected at the same traps), especially taking into consideration that the two species are not known to occur on Crete, which is a much larger island. Male and female specimens from Cyprus were also collected sympatrically and the females appear no different from the females of the Greek islands.

Therefore the females of the two species are inseparable in terms of genitalic comparison. Somatic characters are also variable within species so only the presence of males or the evidence from distributional patterns may help to their identification.

In conclusion, T. adriaticus and T. stubbsi are quite similar and intraspecific variation occurs in both for the same characters of males (details of the prolateral extension of the terminal apophysis). However, because the two species also differ in the habitus (size, color) and in the general pattern of the prolateral extension of the terminal apophysis of males (hammer-like in T. stubbsi and pointed in T. adriaticus ) they may be considered as two distinct species.

Distribution. Israel; Cyprus; Greece: Antikythira isl.

Figures

FIGURES 6 – 9. Trachyzelotes stubbsi male. Specimen from Cyprus (6, 8), specimen from Antikythira (7, 9). Ventral view (6 – 7). Retrolateral view (8 – 9). rp = retrolateral process.

FIGURES 10 – 13. Trachyzelotes stubbsi female, specimen from Cyprus (10 – 11), specimen from Antikythira (12). Trachyzelotes adriaticus female, specimen from Crete (13). Epigyne (10, 12, 13). Vulva (11).

FIGURES 14 – 19. Zelotes helicoides n. sp. male (14, 16, 18). Zelotes cingarus male (15, 17, 19). Ventral view (14 – 15); retrolateral view (16 – 17); dorsal view (18 – 19). p = prolateral process, TA = terminal apophysis, EB = embolar basis, EM = embolus, M = median apophysis, X = dorsal extension. (From Chatzaki et al. 2003).

FIGURES 20 – 23. Zelotes helicoides n. sp. female (20 – 21). Zelotes cingarus female (22 – 23). Epigyne (20, 22). Vulva (21, 23). (From Chatzaki et al. 2003).

FIGURE 24. Zelotes helicoides n. sp. SEM photos of ♂ palpal organ: ventral view (A); dorsal view (B); ventral to retrolateral view (C); prolateral view (D); embolar base detail (E); retrolateral view (F). p = prolateral process, TA = terminal apophysis, EB = embolar basis, EM = embolus, M = median apophysis, X = dorsal extension.