Harpactea Bristowe, 1939

Chatzaki, Maria & Arnedo, Miquel A., 2006, Taxonomic revision of the epigean representatives of the spider subfamily Harpacteinae (Araneae: Dysderidae) on the island of Crete, Zootaxa 1169, pp. 1-32 : 9-17

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.2645543
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DC87A1-FFBD-FFC9-FEA0-F8B7838DC670
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Harpactea Bristowe, 1939
status

Treatment

Genus Harpactea Bristowe, 1939 View in CoL View at ENA

Harpactea catholica ( Brignoli, 1984) View in CoL

( Figs 2–12 View FIGURE 2–6 View FIGURES 7–12 , 40 View FIGURE 40–42 )

Minotauria catholica Brignoli 1984: 287 , fig. 14 (female). Holotype female from Katholico cave (= Aghios Ioannis), nr. Gouvernetou Monastery , Akrotiri peninsula, Chania, Crete; 10 Aug. 1974; coll. V. Sbordoni; According to the original description, this specimen is stored in Brignoli’s own collection at Aquila. Not examined.

Harpactea catholica View in CoL . DeelemanReinhold 1993: 129, figs. 46–51 (male, female).

Material examined

Chania: Site 12 (a 6 ♂♂; b 2 ♂♂; c 1 ♂ 1 ♀; e 1 ♀ [MHNG]; f 1 ♀; g 1 ♀; h 2 ♂♂ 1 ♀); Site 14 (c 1 ♂ 3 ♀♀; f 1 ♂ 1 ♀; g 2 ♂♂ 1 ♀); Site 15 (a 1 ♂ [MHNG]; d 1 ♂); Site 16 (b 1 ♂; c 1 ♀; e 1 ♂); Site 19 (a 1 ♀; d 2 ♂♂; e 2 ♂♂; f 3 ♂♂); Site 20 (a 1 ♂); Rethymno: Site 21 (b 1 ♂).

Diagnosis

Differs from all other Harpactea by the presence of ventral spines in the anterior tibiae and metatarsi. Male bulb is distinguished from other Cretan Harpacteinae by the presence of a welldeveloped accessory apophysis and conductor (absent in S. thaleriana n. sp.); a thick, transverse embolus (not present in H. coccifera ) and a fingerlike conductor projected in opposite direction to the embolus (not present in H. cressa ). Vulva differs from the former species by inverted Yshaped spermatheca, which is easily visible through the cuticle in ventral view. The spermatheca does not show a recognizable distal keellike apophysis.

Description

MALE. Medium to large sized ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 ). Carapace with smooth surface, reddish light brown, scarce hairs. AME larger than PLE and PLE larger than PME. AME separated by 0.5 their diameter. Labium length two times its width, with hairy whitish upper part. Sternum yellow with hairs on the periphery.

Chelicerae with setiferous granulations along their whole dorsal surface. Retromargin with one tiny tooth on the base of the groove and a larger one on its middle part ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 2–6 ). Promargin with two teerth of equal size (larger than those at retromargin), close to each other. Basal tooth of retromargin located in the interspace of the two promarginal teeth or close to the proximal one.

Abdomen light grey to yellow, long and slender. Light hairs equally distributed along the whole abdomen. All segments of legs yellow. Leg spination presents great variability. In some specimens spines are numerous, especially in Fe III and IV (see Table 2 View TABLE 2 ). Leg measurements (see Table 3 View TABLE 3 ).

mm).

Male bulb ( Figs 2 View FIGURE 2–6 , 7–12 View FIGURES 7–12 ): Tibia of equal size as tarsus or shorter, curved, following the shape of the tegulum. Tarsus triangular in lateral view, forming a conical tip on the base of the tegulum. All segments hairy. Femur with spiny hairs on its apical part. Tegulum pearshaped with comparatively small embolar division.

Female. All characters as described for male. Vulva ( Figs 4–6 View FIGURE 2–6 ): Membranous posterior diverticulum, reduced to a roundshaped small sac with wrinkles close to the transversal bar, perhaps suffocated because of osmotic phenomena after preservation in ethylene glycol and in 70% alcohol.

Ecology

Found in Pinus , Cupressus and Quercus forests of western Crete, from 500m to 1200m altitude. Active from March to April and from September to November, although adult specimens were also found in December. Possible activity peak in early spring.

Distribution Known only from western Crete.

Harpactea coccifera Brignoli, 1984 View in CoL

( Figs 13–20 View FIGURES 13–16 View FIGURES 17–20 , 40 View FIGURE 40–42 )

Harpactea coccifera Brignoli, 1984: 283 View in CoL , figs. 1–3 (male). Holotype male from Gorge nr. Sfaka, rd. SitiaIraklion , Crete; in soil under Quercus coccifera View in CoL ; 13 Mar 1979; coll. B. Hauser; stored at MHNG (Kri78/19); examined.

Material examined

Additional material examined. Chania: Site 9 (a 4 ♂♂ 4 ♀♀; b 2 ♂♂; c 2 ♀♀); Site 10 (a 6 ♂♂); Site 12 (h 1 ♂); Site 13 (a 1 ♂); Site 14 (c 1 ♂); Site 19 (a 10 ♂♂ 11 ♀♀; b 1 ♂; f 1 ♂ 1 ♀); Site 20 (a; b 1 ♂; c 1 ♂; e 1 ♂); Rethymno: Site 24 (a 1 ♀; b 2 ♀♀; c 3 ♀♀); Site 26 (a 1 ♂); Site 29 (b 2 ♀♀; c 1 ♂); Site 31 (a 2 ♀♀); Irakleio: Site 38 (b 6 ♂♂); Site 40 (a 1 ♂); Lasithi: Site 44 (b 1 ♂ 1 ♀ [ MHNG]) ; Site 47 (a 1 ♂); Site 49 (a 1 ♂; b 4 ♂♂); Site 50 (a 5 ♂♂).

Comparative material examined. Harpactea villehardouini Brignoli, 1979 : Peloponnisos, Mt. Panachaiko, under Abies cephalonica (1♂ Holotype, MHNG: The76/ 3); Peloponnisos, Mt. Panachaiko, close to Kastritsi (1♂ MHNG: Kri78/2).

Diagnosis

Only representative of the “ hombergi ” group on Crete. Thin, subapical embolus, conductor and accessory apophysis massive, sheetlike, projected in the same direction as embolus. Long spermatheca with thin tip, small ovalshaped posterior diverticulum. Differs from similar H. nausicaae Brignoli, 1976 , from Epirus and the Ionian Islands, by embolus, conductor and accessory apophysis transverse to tegulum axis (parallel to tegulum in H. nausicaae ) and from Peloponnesian H. villehardouini Brignoli, 1979 by embolus and conductor being at the same plane (embolus making a loop at its distal part clearly above the end of the conductor in H. villehardouini ) and by the relative size of the embolic division (larger and with more pronounced turning of the embolus in H. villehardouini ).

Description

MALE. Medium sized ( Table 4 View TABLE 4 ). Carapace with smooth surface, brown, scarce hairs only at cephalic part. Apparent longitudinal fovea. Cephalic part elevated compared with thoracic part. All eyes closely connected, forming an oval circle. PME smaller than the remaining eyes, AME larger. Labium very long, longer than twice its width, with hairy whitish upper part. Sternum yellow with hairs on the periphery.

Chelicerae with setiferous granulations along their whole dorsal surface. Retromargin with one tooth on the base of the groove and another one of equal size on its middle part ( Fig. 14 View FIGURES 13–16 ). Promargin with two teeth close to each other, but not as close as in other congeners. Basal tooth of the retromargin located in the interspace of the two at the promargin, or almost at the level of the proximalmost tooth of the promargin.

Abdomen light grey, very slender. Light hairs densely distributed along the whole abdomen. All segments of legs yellow. Leg spination and measurements (see Tables 5 View TABLE 5 and 6 View TABLE 6 ).

Male bulb ( Figs 13 View FIGURES 13–16 , 17–20 View FIGURES 17–20 ): Tibia longer than tarsus, straight. Conical tip of tarsus less projected than in other species. Tegulum longer than wide, cylindrical. Embolus with broad base, abruptly turning to the opposite direction of its base and finishing in a long and thin tip. Conductor projected in the same direction as embolus, wide, sclerotized. Massive, sheetlike, membranous accessory apophysis.

Female. All characters as described for male. Vulva ( Figs 15–16 View FIGURES 13–16 ): Long and slender, sclerotized spermatheca broadening at its middle and finishing in a pointed tip, encircled in a transparent membrane. In profile, the upper part of this sclerotization is enlarged. Anterior arc with thin lateral edges. Transversal bar indistinguishable. Small, ovalshaped posterior diverticulum.

Ecology

Found in phrygana close to the sea and in maquis forests ( Pinus , Cupressus and Quercus ) reaching altitudes up to 1600m. Mostly active from March to May and from October to November, although adult specimens were also found in July. Possible activity peak in April. H. coccifera appears to have a longer period of activity than H. catholica .

Distribution Scarce presence throughout Crete.