Hogna ferox (Lucas, 1838)

Zonstein, Sergei, Marusik, Yuri & Omelko, Mikhail, 2015, A survey of spider taxa new to Israel (Arachnida: Araneae), Zoology in the Middle East 61 (4), pp. 372-385 : 377

Hogna ferox (Lucas, 1838) ( Figures 2h‒i )

Tarentula iaffa Strand, 1913: 161 (holotype ♀ from "Jaffa-Rehoboth"(SMF 2232-138), examined). Syn. n.

Geolycosa iaffa: Roewer, 1955: 241

Hogna ferox: Wunderlich 1992: 458, f. 716‒719 (♂♀)

For a complete synonym listing and references, see World Spider Catalog (2015).

Material (only selected localities are shown). ISRAEL: Eastern Galilee: Lake Kinneret, Degania , 26.iv.2010 (L. Friedman & C. Drees) – 1♂ ( TAU) ; Northern Negev: HaBesor , 2.viii.2010 (L. Friedman & C. Drees) – 4♂, 3♀ ( TAU) .

Comments. This species was previously known from across nearly the entire Mediterranean (Canary Islands, Iberian Peninsula, Malta to Western Egypt). A comparison of recently collected material with the holotype of Tarentula iaffa described from “Jaffa- Rehoboth” ( Jaffa now is part of Tel Aviv), as well as male specimens from Israel with figures of Hogna ferox reveals that the two names should be synonymised. The record of H. ferox from Israel is the easternmost in the entire range, although species may occur in other countries in the Middle East.

Figures

Figure 2. Habitus and copulatory organs of Agroeca parva (a ‒ f), Pardosa aenigmatica (g, from Azerbaijan) and Hogna ferox (h ‒ i, holotype of Tarentula iaffa). Scale = 0.2 mm if not otherwise indicated. – a. male habitus, dorsal; b ‒ c. male palp, ventral and retrolateral; d, i. female habitus, dorsal; e. epigyne, dorsal; f ‒ h. epigyne, ventral. Scale = 0.2 mm if not otherwise indicated.