Aelurillus deltshevi, Azarkina, Galina N. & Komnenov, Marjan, 2015

Azarkina, Galina N. & Komnenov, Marjan, 2015, Descriptions of two new species of Aelurillus Simon, 1884 (Araneae, Salticidae) from the Mediterranean, with the synonymization of A. steliosi Dobroruka, 2002, ZooKeys 516, pp. 109-122 : 115

Taxon classification Animalia Araneae Salticidae

Aelurillus deltshevi sp. n. Figs 1, 16-17, 20-28

Aelurillus sp. 1: Komnenov 2006: 302

Aelurillus v-insignitus : Lazarov 2005: 151, Tab. 1 (in part).

Type material.

Holotype: ♂ (IZSB) BULGARIA, Blagoevgrad Province, Strouma Valley, 2 km S of Kamenitsa, 170-240 m a.s.l., 41°38'N, 23°09'E, soil traps, 28 September - 2 February 2002, coll. M. Langourov & S. P. Lazarov. Paratypes: MACEDONIA: 1 ♂ (ISEA 000.472) Skopje, Radišani [=Radishani], 42°04'N, 21°27'E, 3 September 1995, coll. M. Komnenov. BULGARIA: 4 ♂ (IZSB) Blagoevgrad Province, Strouma Valley, FM 71, 2 km S of Kamenitsa, 170-240 m a.s.l., 41°37'N, 23°09'E, soil traps, 28 September - 2 February 2002, coll. M. Langourov & S. Lazarov. AZERBAIJAN: 1 ♂ (MMUM) 60 km SW of Baku [= Bakı], Gobustan [=Qobustan], Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, 40°05'N, 49°24'E, 7.05.1989, coll. P. M. Dunin.

Diagnosis.

Aelurillus deltshevi sp. n. belongs to Aelurillus v-insignitus -group and is closely related to Aelurillus alboclypeus sp. n., Aelurillus guecki , Aelurillus steinmetzi and Aelurillus v-insignitus ; it also shares the same colour pattern on the eye field (Fig. 20) with Aelurillus alboclypeus sp. n. (Fig. 2) and Aelurillus guecki ( Metzner 1999: fig. 40 a), but differs from other species of this group which have “V” shape (or its modification) on eye field; the clypeal pattern (a narrow stripe of white hairs under anterior median eyes, Fig. 28), difference in size and shape of the lateral tibial apophysis (Fig. 22, cf. Prószyński 1971: see fig. 18 for Aelurillus v-insignitus ), and in the structure of the embolic division where the embolus and TA are more curved pro- and retro-laterally, and the apical part of TA is simple, without lateral expansions (Figs 24-27), whereas the apical part of TA of Aelurillus v-insignitus is more complicated and laterally expanded, ( Metzner 1999: see fig. 43 f), apical part of TA of Aelurillus alboclypeus sp. n. with small tooth (Fig. 8), apical part of TA of Aelurillus guecki and Aelurillus steinmetzi are pointed apically ( Metzner 1999: figs. 43 h-i) while apical part of TA of Aelurillus deltshevi sp. n. pointed perpendicular to embolus (Fig. 25).

Etymology.

This species is named after Prof. Christo Deltshev, the well-known Bulgarian arachnologist.

Description.

Male (Paratype, from Bulgaria): Carapace 2.8 long, 2.0 wide, 1.6 high at PLE. Ocular area 1.1 long, 1.55 wide anteriorly and 1.55 wide posteriorly. Diameter of AME 0.45. Abdomen 1.3 long, 1.2 wide. Cheliceral length 1.0. Clypeal height 0.3. Length of leg segments: I 1.4+0.7+0.9+0.65+0.55; II 1.5+0.9+0.9+0.6+0.6; III 1.9+0.9+1.4+1.3+0.65; IV 1.9+0.8+1.3+1.5+0.8. Leg spination: I: Fm d 1 –1– 5; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb pr 1-2, v 1 –1– 2 ap; Mt pr and rt 1-1, v 2-2 ap. II: Fm d 1 –2– 5; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb pr 1 –1– 1, v 1 –1– 2 ap; Mt pr and rt 1-1, v 2-2 ap. III: Fm d 1 –3– 5; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb d 1 –0– 0, pr and rt 1 –1–1– 1, v 1 –0– 2 ap; Mt d 1 –1– 0, pr and rt 1 –0– 2, v 1 –1– 2 ap. IV: Fm d 1 –2– 5; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb d 1 –0– 0, pr and rt 1 –1–1– 1, v 1 –0– 2 ap; Mt d 1 –1– 0, pr 1 –1– 2, rt 1 –0– 2, v 1 –1– 2 ap. Coloration: Carapace dark brown, with black eye field, covered with adpressed white scales, more densely on its sides. Carapace with two dorsal longitudinal white stripes. Eye field covered with black shining scales, with no colour pattern (Fig. 20). Clypeus, cheeks and chelicerae brown to dark brown (Fig. 16). Clypeus and cheeks densely covered with white hairs (especially beneath anterior median eyes) (Fig. 28). Hairs around eyes laterally and ventrally white, dorsally black. Abdomen yellow-gray, dorsum dark brown, with thin white hairs. Legs brownish yellow. Metatarsus and tarsus I yellow-brown (Fig. 17). Palps yellow, covered with white hairs, cymbium brown-yellow, covered with brown hairs. Palpal femur with a ventral knob (Fig. 23). Palpal structure as in Figs 21-22, 24-27.

Remarks.

Aelurillus deltshevi sp. n. was hitherto identified as Aelurillus v-insignitus . There are two subspecies of Aelurillus v-insignitus , Aelurillus v-insignitus morulus (Simon, 1937) from France, and Aelurillus v-insignitus obsoletus ( Kulczyński in Chyzer and Kulczyński 1891) from Hungary. Simon (1937: p. 1267) commented that in southern France Aelurillus v-insignitus morulus would occur together with Aelurillus v-insignitus . This species is a local form and can be distinguished from Aelurillus v-insignitus by the abdomen and femur coloration (see p. 1227). Kulczyński (1891: p. 30) stated that Aelurillus v-insignitus and Aelurillus v-insignitus obsoletus were similar in the body colouration, but that of the eye field in Aelurillus v-insignitus obsoletus was not adequately visible ("areae huius pictura parum definita"). One of us (GA) tried to find the holotypes of both Simon’s and Kulczyński’s species but failed. It is most likely that they were lost. Aelurillus deltshevi sp. n., described here, has the black eye field, without a “V” pattern. According to Kulczyński’s picture (1891: plate 1, figs 4 a–b), the tibial apophysis is typical of Aelurillus v-insignitus . The TA in Aelurillus deltshevi sp. n. is different as the dorso-lateral branch of the TA in these species is not higher than in Aelurillus v-insignitus , and the ventro-lateral branch of the TA is less curved (Figs 24-27). Prószyński (1971) described two forms of Aelurillus v-insignitus , “black” and “grey”. Both these forms have visible “V” pattern on the eye field ( Prószyński 1971: figs 8-10) and a high dorso-lateral tibial apophysis ( Prószyński 1971: figs 13, 16, 18-21). The terminal apophyses of the “black” and “grey” forms are also different from those of Aelurillus deltshevi sp. n. ( Żabka 1997: figs 30-31, 41-42). However, all of them can easily be separated from Aelurillus deltshevi sp. n. by the carapace and clypeal colouration, also by the structure of the embolic division and the shape of the tibial apophysis.

Distribution.

Macedonia, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan (Fig. 1).

Comments.

Aelurillus deltshevi sp. n. occurs in Macedonia and Bulgaria at the elevations below 500 m a.s.l., while Aelurillus v-insignitus has been recorded from the elevations above 500 m a.s.l..