Neoanagraphis, Gertsch & Mulaik, 1936

Vetter, Richard S., 2001, Revision Of The Spider Genus Neoanagraphis (Araneae, Liocranidae), The Journal of Arachnology 29 (1), pp. 1-10 : 2-3

Neoanagraphis Gertsch & Mulaik 1936

Figures 1 , 10

Neoanagraphis Gertsch & Mulaik 1936: 11 (Gnaphosidae) ; Gertsch 1941: 19 ( Clubionidae ); Comstock 1948: 327 ( Gnaphosidae ); Roewer 1955: 559 ( Clubionidae, Liocraninae, Liocraneae ); Bonnet 1958: 3046 ( Drassidae ); Lehtinen 1967: 251 ( Clubionidae sensu str.); Brignoli 1983: 549 ( Clubionidae, Clubioninae ); Platnick 1993: 605 ( Clubionidae ); Platnick 1998: 701 ( Clubionidae )

Type species. — Neoanagraphis chamberlini Gertsch & Mulaik 1936 by original designation.

Diagnosis.—Whether one considers Neoanagraphis spiders in the broad sense of all the genera formerly housed in the Clubionidae or in the Liocranidae , they can be distinguished from other North American genera in either family by the long tarsal claws on legs III and IV that appear almost devoid of teeth.

Description.—Small to medium-sized spiders, with no bodily pigmentation. Coloration of few live specimens examined similar to those preserved in alcohol: cephalothorax uniformly pale orange to tan-orange, darkening anteriorly, width about 2/3 of length, widest at legs II-III, males slightly wider than females, covered with thin, white hairs with scattered, dark, anteriorly or medially directed setae. Longitudinal row of single, anteriorly-directed setae between eyes and thoracic furrow. Eyes subequal surrounded by black rings. AER recurved in dorsal view, slightly procurved in anterior view, eyes separated by less than eye diameter. AME dull but not black, all others luminescent. PER straight to slightly recurved in dorsal view, procurved in anterior view, PLE separated from PME by eye diameter, PME slightly farther from each other. PER slightly longer than AER with PLE extended laterally just beyond ALE. Clypeus about height of eye diameter. Undivided chilum. Conspicuous longitudinal thoracic furrow. Chelicerae dusky orange, darker than cephalothorax. Teeth: 3 promargin, 2 retromargin, latter separated by 3X width of tooth base. Conspicuous boss. Endites quadrate, labium slightly wider than long. Sternum slightly longer than wide, sometimes darker than legs. Coxa similar in color to legs. Pre-coxal triangles lacking. Trochanters notched, III and IV deeply so. Legs similar in color to cephalothorax with heavy spination. Leg IV longest, about 15-40% longer than legs I-III which are all subequal in length with minute plumose or feathery hairs. Tarsi lacking claw tufts, dense with white scopulae, sometimes appearing flexible in preserved specimens. Tarsal claws of posterior legs extremely long with few teeth at base, almost hidden ( Fig. 1 ). Tarsal claws of anterior legs shorter, looking more typical. Trichobothria on tarsi and metatarsi of varying lengths, some very long. Spination pattern virtually non-varying for dorsal femora and ventral metatarsi; retrolateral surfaces show greatest variation (patterns that differ between genders/species listed separately un­ der species descriptions). Some spines rest intermediate between two surfaces; these were consistently assigned to one surface although they readily could have been assigned to another. Patterns that were most consistent between both sexes and both species are: femora: I, II p0-1-1 or 0-1-1-1; I—IV dl-1-1; tibiae: III pl-1-1, dl-0-1, v2-2 -2, IV pl-1-1, dl-0-1, v2-2 -2; metatarsi: I v2-2 -0, II v2-2 -0, III pl-1-0-2, rl-1-0-2, v2-2 -2, IV pl-1-0-2, dl-1-0, rl-1-0-2, v2-2 -2. Abdomen uniformly cream to tan, in rare instances brown, with scattered dark setae, no conspicuous markings, many long setae on anterior surface, oval in shape, width about 2/3 of length in well-preserved specimens. Occasionally heart can be seen through dorsal integument. In gross examination, ALS occasionally very long appearing gnaphosoid in character in preserved specimens otherwise appearing short and conical. Embolus of male palp dorsally projecting on apical-most portion of tegulum, membranous conductor dorsal to embolus. Median apophysis on retrolateral surface of tegulum above midline, translucent, elongate and concave. Epigynum with median plate, posteriorly-directed spines lateral where epigynal plate originates anteriorly. Anterior epigynal openings sometimes not readily visible. In dorsal view, epigynum with two simple oval spermathecae, each with duct arching anteriolaterally to small rotund structure (bursa copulatrix?).

Natural history. — Neoanagraphis spiders have been collected in an unidentified mammal burrow ( Ryckman & Lee 1956), in a tarantula (. Aphonopelma sp.) burrow and in a kangaroo rat mound; but otherwise, little is known of their natural history. Several collection labels mention that the spiders were found on sand dunes or in washes; one male was live-collected as it crawled around a sandy wash around midnight, at 4 °C. They have been collected often at elevations of 900-1950 m; however, some were taken from below sea level near the Salton Sea to 200 m in Mexico and western Arizona. Jung and Roth (1974) listed it as being found in Zone 1 of their study which is characterized by limestone foothills, alluvial plains and valleys of the Chiracahua Mountains from 4000-5000 feet (1200-1500 m).

Only a few live specimens were captured during the course of this study. A female was maintained for>8 mon. She fed on Drosophila flies and small crickets but ignored mosquitoes, larval waxmoth ( Galleria mellonella ) and a spider (. Drassyllus insularis Banks 1900).

Genitalic variation.—In this study, approximately 24 mature females of each species were available for examination. Despite fewer females relative to males, females showed greater genitalic variation. In both species, the epigyna are covered with hairs which obscure some of its minute features. The epigynal plate in N. chamberlini varied in length such that it could extend past the posterior edge of the underlying spermathecae or sometimes would just barely reach the posterior edge. Additionally, although the plate was usually V-shaped, the width of the plate varied from narrow to wide, and sometimes was rounded on the posterior edge ( Fig. 5 ) similar to N. pearcei . The plate in N. pearcei was comparatively less variable in length, width and its rounded, U-shaped posterior edge ( Fig. 8 ), however, at least one specimen had a Vshaped plate reminiscent of N. chamberlini . The lateral spurs were rather consistent in size within each species (conspicuous in N. chamberlini , minute in N. pearcei ) and for the few specimens examined here that is a good diagnostic feature to be used in concert with other features such as anterior tibial spination. Yet they did vary from spike-like to that of an equilateral triangle and could be slightly different in form on the right and left sides of the same spider.

About half of the females of each species were dissected to inspect the dorsal view of the genitalia, leaving the other females intact for future researchers. There are no consistent internal characters that allow species separation. The small anterior rotund structures (bursa copulatrix?) for both species may lie directly on top of the spermathecae or extend laterally ( Fig. 9 ). Likewise, the duct running to it may be thin or thick, and at an acute or obtuse angle of curvature. Possibly with great­ er numbers of spiders in the future, diagnostic internal features may become apparent.

In contrast, the males were very consistent in their palpal features with little marked variation in characters except for differences due to aberrations caused by preservatives which expanded the palp or changed the relative orientation of the structures.

Figures

Figure 1. — Leg IV tarsus of Neoanagraphis showing the long, nearly unarmed claw.

Figure 9. — Schematic drawings of the dorsal view of female Neoanagraphis genitalia. The top figure is the most common configuration of paired structures for both species. The remaining four figures show the variation among individuals with only one side drawn.

Figure 10. — Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Distribution of Neoanagraphis chamberlini (o) and N. pearcei (•).

Figures 2 - 5. — Neoanagraphis chamberlini Gertsch & Mulaik. 2. Male left palp, ventral view; 3. Same, retrolateral view (scale = 0.25 mm); 4. Epigynum, ventral view, hairs removed from ventral surface (scale = 0.1 mm); 5. Schematic drawings of epigyna showing variation of epigynal plate and its position relative to the spermathecae. “ e ” = dorsally-directed embolus, additional arrows point to dorsal process of retrolateral tibial apophysis.

Figures 6 - 8. — Neoanagraphis pearcei Gertsch. 6. Male left palp, ventral view; 7. Same, retrolateral view (scale = 0.25 mm); 8. Epigynum, ventral view, hairs removed from ventral surface (scale = 0.1 mm), “ e ” = dorsally-directed embolus, additional arrows point to dorsal process of retrolateral tibial apophysis.