Nukuhiva Berland, 1935

Framenau, Volker W. & Lehtinen, Pekka T., 2015, Nukuhiva Berland, 1935 is a troglobitic wolf spider (Araneae: Lycosidae), not a nursery-web spider (Pisauridae), Zootaxa 4028 (1), pp. 129-135 : 130-131

Genus Nukuhiva Berland, 1935

Dolomedes Latreille, 1804 (in part).— Berland, 1933: 68 –69, figs 55–59.

Nukuhiva Berland, 1935: 62 –63. Lehtinen, 1967: 253; Brignoli, 1983: 465 (in Dolomedidae).

Type species. Dolomedes adamsoni Berland, 1933 (original designation and monotypy). The gender of the genus group name was not determined by Berland (Berland, 1935). It refers to Nuku Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. It is here arbitrarily considered feminine, similar to and consistent with many wolf spider genera ending with an ‘-a’.

Diagnosis. Berland (1935) diagnosed Nukuhiva against the pisaurid genus Dolomedes Latreille, 1804 based on the eye pattern, cheliceral dentition, genital characters and the shape of the carapace. Within the context of the current study, a diagnosis of Nukuhiva against a genus from a different family is out of place. However, due to the lack of a phylogenetic framework of Pacific Lycosinae, in particular with reference to the subterranean inhabitants, it is not possible to diagnose the genus, in particular taking the cautionary remarks in our introduction into account not to use troglomorphic adaptations, such as the reduced eyes and pale colouration of Nukuhiva , as genus-level diagnostic characters. The female genitalia of Nukuhiva ( Fig. 2B ) are very similar to Hogna and Trochosa and related genera, and may represent a plesiomorphic state within the Lycosinae ( Murphy et al. 2006). We have therefore decided to maintain the current generic status quo of subterranean Pacific Lycosinae that are now placed in three different genera, Adelocosa , Nukuhiva and Lycosa , pending a comprehensive phylogenetic study, preferably based on both morphology and molecular characters. It is recognised, that in particular Lycosa howarthi bears little resemblance with the type species of the genus Lycosa , L. tarantula (Linnaeus, 1758) , as illustrated in Zyuzin and Logunov (2000).

Description. As for species (see below).

Figures

FIGURE 2 A – C. Male and female genitalia of troglomorphic Pacific wolf spiders. A, Adelocosa anops Gertsch, holotype female, epigyne ventral view; B, Nukuhiva adamsoni Berland, female holotype, epigyne ventral view; C, Lycosa howarthi Gertsch, male holotype, left pedipalp ventral view.