Evippa arenaria (Audouin, 1826)

Steinpress, Igor Armiach, Alderweireldt, Mark, Cohen, Mira, Chipman, Ariel & Gavish-Regev, Efrat, 2021, Synopsis of the Evippinae (Araneae, Lycosidae) of Israel, with description of a new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 733, pp. 87-124 : 109-111

Evippa arenaria (Audouin, 1826)

Figs 3A , 4B , 5B , 6B , 7B , 8B , 10B , 11B

Lycosa arenaria Audouin, 1826: 367 , pl. 4, fig. 3 (♀, Egypt).

Lycosa festiva Pavesi, 1880: 369 (♀, Tunisia).

Lycosa arenaria – Walckenaer 1837: 329 (♂, Egypt).

Evippa arenaria – Simon 1885: 12 (North Africa); 1898: 354, figs 346–347, 350 (North Africa). — Reimoser 1919: 158 (North Africa, Syria). — Caporiacco 1933: 337 (Lybia); 1936: 91 (Lybia). — Bodenheimer 1937: 242 ( Israel, Palestine). — Roewer 1955: 154 (North Africa, Syria). — Bonnet 1956: 1866. — Alderweireldt 1991: 363, figs 1.3, 2.6 (♂, ♀, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Chad and Egypt).

non Evippa arenaria – Roewer 1959: 175, figs 90a, 91 (♂ ♀, Egypt, Tunisia).

non Evippa arenaria – Denis 1966: 127, fig. 41 (♀, Lybia).

Diagnosis

Recognized by a combination of genital characters. Male palp: Tegular apophysis parallel to cymbium, tip sharp, distally oriented. Subapical process blunt, located near base of TA. Terminal apophysis between tegular apophysis and cymbium ( Figs 6B , 7B , 8B ). Epigyne: atria distinct, kidney shaped; septum wide, constricted proximally ( Figs 10B , 11B ). It is the only Evippinae in Israel to have kidney-shaped atria.

Material examined

ISRAEL – Coastal Plain • 1 ♀; Ben Zakkay; [31.86° N, 34.71° E]; 23 May 1973; faunistics course leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16502 • 1 ♀; Holon ; [31.999° N, 34.788° E]; 20 Jul. 2017; I. Armiach Steinpress leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16509 • 1 ♀; Miqwe Yisra’el ; [32.02° N, 34.77° E]; 11 Apr. 1938; A. Shulov leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16076 • 1 ♀; Nahal Soreq (” Nahr Rubin ”); [31.94° N, 34.72° E]; 10 Apr. 1962; P. Amitai leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16075 • 1 ♀ with eggs; Nizzanim ; [31.75° N, 34.62° E]; 29 Sep. 1946; A. Shulov leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16084 • 2 ♀♀; Nizzanim ; [31.75° N, 34.62° E]; 29 Sep. 1946; A. Shulov leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16085 to 16086 • 1 ♂; Nizzanim ; 31.7432° N, 34.6249° E; 14 Jul. 2015; B. Shacham leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16056 • 1 ♀; Nizzanim sands; 31.7265° N, 34.6059° E; 6 Jul. 2017; B. Shacham leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16507 • 1 ♂; Nizzanim sands [31.7259° N, 34.6064° E]; 6 Jul. 2017; B. Shacham leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16548 • 1 juv.; Palmahim ; [31.91° N, 34.72° E]; 17 Oct. 2014; B. Shacham leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16061 • 1 ♀; Ziqim sands ; [31.61° N, 34.51° E]; 20 Jul. 2019; B. Shacham leg.; HUJ INV- Ar 20313 . – Negev • 1 ♀; Ashalim ; 30.9856° N, 34.6865° E; 6 Aug. 2015; HUJ INV-Ar 16058 • 1 ♂; Be’er Mash’abbim ; [31.01° N, 34.76° E]; 15 Jul. 1990; Y. Ayal leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16093 • 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; 18 Sep. 1990; Y. Lubin leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16095 • 1 ♂; Be’er Mash’abbim ; [31.01° N, 34.76° E]; 30 Apr. 1993; Y. Lubin leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16094 • 1 ♀; Be’er Sheva road to Mizpe Ramon; [31.09° N, 34.82° E]; 24 Mar. 1954; A. Shulov leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16067 • 1 ♂; Bor Mashash ; [31.07° N, 34.84° E]; 5 Feb. 1970; faunistics course leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16064 • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; 5 Feb. 1970; faunistics course leg.; sands; HUJ INV-Ar 16069 • 1 ♀ with eggs; same locality as for preceding; 5 Feb. 1970; faunistics course leg.; sands; HUJ INV-Ar 16073 • 1 ♂; Hatira Ridge ; [30.93° N, 35.04° E]; 20 Jun. 1991; Y. Lubin leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16099 • 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; 23 Oct. 1991; Y. Lubin leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16098 • 1 ♀; Holot Agur ; [30.97° N, 34.40° E]; 26 Feb. 2013; I. Renan leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16057 • 1 ♀ with egg; Makhtesh Ramon ; [30.59° N, 34.83° E]; 25 Apr. 1954; A. Shulov leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16079 • 2 ♀♀; Mamshit ; [31.02° N, 35.06° E]; 24 Mar. 1954; A. Shulov leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16065 , 16077 • 1 ♀; Mamshit ; [31.02° N, 35.06° E]; 15 Jun. 1973; Gershoni leg.; HUJ 16066 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 16070 • 1 ♀; Mamshit ; [31.02° N, 35.06° E]; 5 Jul. 2015; A. Uzan leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16506 • 1 ♀; Mishor Yamin ; [31.00° N, 35.10° E]; 11 May 2014; Y. Zvik leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16060 • 1 ♂; Mizpe Ramon ; [30.60° N, 34.80° E]; 9 Apr. 2015; HUJ INV-Ar 16505 • ♀; Nahal Ashan ; [31.28° N, 34.74° E]; 10 May 2016; B. Shacham leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16062 • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; 30 Apr. 2018; B. Shacham leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16549 to 16550 • 1 ♀; Nahal Hatira ; [30.93° N, 35.03° E]; 21 Aug. 1990; Y. Ayal leg.; HUJ INV- Ar 16097 • 1 ♀; Nahal Sekher ; [31.09° N, 34.82° E]; 22 May 1958; A. Shulov leg.; sands; HUJ INV-Ar 16087 • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; 15 Apr. 1969; faunistics course leg.; sands; HUJ INV-Ar 16068 • 1 ♀ with eggs; same locality as for preceding; 23 May 1972; M. Pener leg.; sands; HUJ INV-Ar 16072 • 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; 29 May 1980; M. Pener leg.; sands; HUJ INV-Ar 16092 • 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; 3 Jun. 1980; faunistics course leg.; sands; HUJ INV-Ar 16096 • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; 11 Apr. 1991; Y. Lubin leg.; sands; HUJ INV-Ar 16501 • 1 ♀; Nahal Sekher ; 31.091° N, 34.8121° E; 18 Apr. 2015; B. Shacham leg.; Subadult; sands; HUJ INV-Ar 16063 • 1 ♀ with eggs; Nahal Sekher ; 31.107° N, 34.8193° E; 6 Apr. 2017; B. Shacham leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16503 • 1 ♀; Nahal Sekher ; 31.1046° N, 34.8228° E; 6 Apr. 2017; B. Shacham leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16504 • 1 ♀; Nahal Sekher ; [31.09° N, 34.82° E]; 24 Mar. 2018; B. Shacham leg.; sands; HUJ INV-Ar 16552 • 1 ♀; Retamim ; [31.05° N, 34.68° E]; 22 Mar. 2018; S. Aharon leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16553 • 1 subadult ♀; Sede Boqer ; [30.85° N, 34.78° E]; 14 Mar. 2016; T. Mei–Dan leg.; molted to maturity in lab; HUJ INV-Ar 16089 • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Sede Zin ; [30.85° N, 34.77° E]; 22 Jul. 1993; Y. Lubin leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16090 to 16091 • 1 ♀; Yeroham ; [30.98° N, 34.90° E]; 5 Apr. 1954; A. Shulov leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16078 • 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; 30 May 1957; M. Pener leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16088 • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; 24 Apr. 2014; I. Armiach Steinpress leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16059 • 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; 10 Apr. 2019; Y. Zvik leg.; HUJ INV-Ar INVAr 20319 • 1 ♀; Ze’elim ; [31.17° N, 34.55° E]; 9 Apr. 1967; P. Amitai leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16071 • 2 ♀♀ with egg-sac; same locality as for preceding; 9 Apr. 1967; P. Amitai leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16080 to 16081 • 2 ♀♀; same locality as for preceding; 9 Apr. 1967; P. Amitai leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16082 to 16083 • 2 ♀♀; Ze’elim ; [31.176° N, 34.556° E]; 21 Jul. 2015; I. Armiach Steinpress leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16054 to 16055 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; 23 Jul. 2015; I. Armiach Steinpress leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16045 to 16046 .

PALESTINE – Gaza strip • ♀; Jabaliya; [31.52° N, 34.48° E]; 10 Jul. 1972; M. Timtpulson leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 16074 .

Natural history

Adults of Evippa arenaria were collected from February through October, and egg-sacs are recorded from February to September ( Table 3 ). Both nocturnal and diurnal activity were observed. Evippa arenaria is the most mesophilic species of the four Evippa species found in Israel. It is found in sand and loess substrate throughout the semi-arid and arid parts of the Negev ( Figs 15B , 16 ). It is also found in the Mediterranean climate zone, along the coastal dune strip ( Figs 15D , 16 ). In the northern edge of its distribution in Israel and Palestine, E. arenaria is a strict psammophile, found only on exposed sand, but in the Negev desert it appears to be more generalist in its edaphic preferences, and is even found on somewhat rocky hillsides.

Distribution

Algeria, Tunisia, Lybia, Chad and Egypt ( Alderweireldt 1991); Israel, Palestine; the report from Syria ( Reimoser, 1919) is doubtful.

Records

Israel: Negev (Ashalim, Be’er Mash’abbim, Bor Mashash Sands, Hatira Ridge, Holot Agur, Makhtesh Ramon, Mamshit, Mishor Yamin, Nahal Ashan, Nahal Sekher (Sands), Sede Boqer, Sede Zin, Yeroham, Ze’elim), Coastal Plain (Ben Zakkay, Miqwe Yisra’el, Nizzanim, Nahal Soreq (Wadi Rubin), Palmahim). Palestine: Gaza (Jabalyia) ( Fig. 16 ).

Remarks

Despite extensive sampling in the Negev in all seasons, no adult E. arenaria were collected from November to January. This may be due to seasonal changes in activity (see Discussion).

Figures

Fig. 3. ♀♀, live specimens. A. Evippa arenaria (Audouin, 1826) (Ze’elim, 21 Jul. 2015), dorsal view. B. E. praelongipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871) (Nahal Ashalim, 13 Apr. 2018), dorsal view. C. E. onager Simon, 1895 sensu Šternbergs 1979 (HUJ INV-Ar 20314, Biq’at ’Uvda (’Uvda valley), 13 Mar. 2018), dorsal view. D. E. onager (HUJ INV-Ar 20314, Biq’at ’Uvda (’Uvda valley), 13 Mar. 2018), frontal view. Photos by I. Armiach Steinpress.

Fig. 4. ♂♂, habitus. A. Evippa amitaii sp. nov. (HUJ INV-Ar 16051). B. E. arenaria (Audouin, 1826) (HUJ INV-Ar 16508). C. E. onager Simon, 1895 sensu Šternbergs 1979 (HUJ INV-Ar 20316). D. E. praelongipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871) (HUJ INV-Ar 16041). E. Evippomma simoni Alderweireldt, 1992 (HUJ INV-Ar 16049). Scale bars = 10 mm. Photos by A. Uzan.

Fig. 5. ♀♀, habitus. A. Evippa amitaii sp. nov. (HUJ INV-Ar 16048). B. E. arenaria (Audouin, 1826) (HUJ INV-Ar 16507). C. E. onager Simon, 1895 sensu Šternbergs 1979 (HUJ INV-Ar 16510). D. E. praelongipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871) (HUJ INV-Ar 16044). E. Evippomma simoni Alderweireldt, 1992 (HUJ INV-Ar 16544). Scale bars = 10 mm. Photos by A. Uzan.

Fig. 6. ♂♂, left palp, ventral view. A. Evippa amitaii sp. nov. (HUJ INV-Ar 16051). B. E. arenaria (Audouin, 1826) (HUJ INV-Ar 16508). C. E. onager Simon, 1895 sensu Šternbergs 1979 (HUJ INV-Ar 16510). D. E. praelongipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871) (HUJ INV-Ar 16531). E. Evippomma simoni Alderweireldt, 1992 (HUJ INV-Ar 16538). Scale bars = 0.5 mm. Photos by I. Armiach Steinpress.

Fig. 7. ♂♂, left palp, retrolateral view. A. Evippa amitaii sp. nov. (HUJ INV-Ar 16051). B. E. arenaria (Audouin, 1826) (HUJ INV-Ar 16508). C. E. onager Simon, 1895 sensu Šternbergs 1979 (HUJ INV-Ar 16510). D. E. praelongipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871) (HUJ INV-Ar 16531). E. Evippomma simoni Alderweireldt, 1992 (HUJ INV-Ar 16538). Scale bars = 0.5 mm. Photos by I. Armiach Steinpress.

Fig. 8. ♂♂, left palp, prolateral view. A. Evippa amitaii sp. nov. (HUJ INV-Ar 16051). B. E. arenaria (Audouin, 1826) (HUJ INV-Ar 16508). C. E. onager Simon, 1895 sensu Šternbergs 1979 (HUJ INV-Ar 16510). D. E. praelongipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871) (HUJ INV-Ar 16531). E. Evippomma simoni Alderweireldt, 1992 (HUJ INV-Ar 16538). Scale bars = 0.5 mm. Photos by I. Armiach Steinpress.

Fig. 10. ♀♀, genitalia, ventral view. A. Evippa amitaii sp. nov. (HUJ INV-Ar 16053). B. E. arenaria (Audouin, 1826) (HUJ INV-Ar 16058). C. E. onager Simon, 1895 sensu Šternbergs 1979 (HUJ INV-Ar 20314). D. E. praelongipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871) (HUJ INV-Ar 16521). E. Evippomma simoni Alderweireldt, 1992 (HUJ INV-Ar 16543). Scale bars = 0.5 mm. Photos by I. Armiach Steinpress.

Fig. 11. ♀♀, genitalia, dorsal view. A. Evippa amitaii sp. nov. (HUJ INV-Ar 16053). B. E. arenaria (Audouin, 1826) (HUJ INV-Ar 16058). C. E. onager Simon, 1895 sensu Šternbergs 1979 (HUJ INV-Ar 20314). D. E. praelongipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871) (HUJ INV-Ar 16521). E. Evippomma simoni Alderweireldt, 1992 (HUJ INV-Ar 16543). Scale bars = 0.5 mm. Photos by I. Armiach Steinpress.

Fig. 15. Typical habitats of Evippinae in Israel. A. Nahal Ashalim, Dead Sea area, stream bed in hyperarid climate. B. Mamshit, central Negev, sandy loess plain in arid climate. C. Biq’at ‘Uvda (‘Uvda valley), southern Negev, stream bed with cracked soil in hyperarid climate. D. Palmahim, Coastal Plain, dunes in Mediterranean climate. Photos by I. Armiach Steinpress.

Fig. 16. Recorded distribution of Evippinae in Israel and Palestine: - Evippa amitaii sp. nov., - Evippa arenaria (Audouin, 1826), - E. onager Simon, 1895 sensu Šternbergs 1979, - E. praelongipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871), - Evippomma simoni Alderweireldt, 1992. Dune areas marked by grainy background. Isohyets marking average annual precipitation.