Eusparassus letourneuxi ( Simon, 1874 )

Moradmand, Majid, 2013, The stone huntsman spider genus Eusparassus (Araneae: Sparassidae): systematics and zoogeography with revision of the African and Arabian species, Zootaxa 3675 (1), pp. 1-108 : 39-42

Eusparassus letourneuxi ( Simon, 1874)

Figs 22–23 , 49e–f , 61e–f

Sparassus letourneuxi Simon, 1874: 252–253 , pl. 5, fig. 8 (description of male, syntypes from Algeria: Constantine Prov., and around Algiers, not located in MNHN, presumably lost). Levy 1989: 137, figs. 24–26 (illustration of female). Neotype designated here.

Eusparassus letourneuxi (Simon) . Strand 1908b: 19 (transfer); Denis 1938: 388; Denis 1947: 50, Pl. 2, fig. 13 (description of female).

Eusparassus dufouri kabylianus Denis, 1937: 1050 (description of male and female) [synonymy by Denis 1938].

Type material: Neotype: female, ALGERIA: Wilaya de Tizi Ouzou: Kabylie region: Yakouren [N 36° 44', E 4° 27'], [label: Eus. letourneuxi E.S., Kabilia, Yakouren, C.M. 1905] ( MNHN 22629 ).

Other material examined. ALGERIA: 2♀♀, with same data as for neotype ( MNHN). Wilaya de Blida: 1♂, 1♀, Atlas Blidéen, Djebel Ferroukha, Gellaï, 1350 m, pitfalls in planted Cedrus forest, 20 June 1987 – 9 May 1988, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB). Wilaya de Tizi Ouzou: 2♀♀, Tala Guilef, 1550–2000 m, litter in old, open Cedrus forest, 29 April 1984, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB); 1♀, Massif du Djurdjura, Col de Tizi N’Kouillal, 1700 m, among stones in montane grassland, 22 October 1982, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB); 1♂, Massif du Djurdjura, Tala Guilef, 1420 m, pitfall in grassland in Cedrus forest, 20 June 1993, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB); Wilaya de Bejaia: 1♀, Oued Daas, 15 m, beach near river mouth, 22 May 1988, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB). Wilaya de M’sila: 1♀, Djebel Maadid, 1500 m, Quercus ilex forest, 9 March 1990, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB); Wilaya de Boumerdes: 1♂, entre Toulmout et Keddara, 500 m, 27 April 1989, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB). Wilaya de Tissemsslit: 2♂, Theniet El Had, around Djebel Meddad, 1780 m, 19 February 1988, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB); 1♂, Theniet-el-Had, Djebel Meddad, 1450 m, stones mixed Cerdrus atlanticus and Querqus faginea forest, 18 May 1988, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB). Wilaya de Bouira: 1♂, Massif du Djurdjura, Tikjda, 1450 m, among stones around Hotel, 17 September 1987, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB).

Diagnosis. Resembles E. barbarus in having a short ET but differs by having a slimmer ET ( Fig. 22c ) and dRTA directed distad ( Figs 22a, b ); female epigyne with unique MS semicircular ( Figs 23a, f ) [see also diagnosis for dufouri species group above].

Description. Male (ranges: n=7, single measurement: MM 195):

Measurements. Medium sized. Total length 15.6–17.8, prosoma length 7.1–8.3, prosoma width 6.3–6.7, anterior width of prosoma 3.3–3.8, opisthosoma length 8.5–9.5, opisthosoma width 5.0–5.5. Eye diameters: AME 0.45, ALE 0.35, PME 0.32, PLE 0.38; eye interdistances: AME-AME 0.26, AME-ALE 0.12, PME-PME 0.38, PME-PLE 0.55, AME-PME 0.34, ALE-PLE 0.28, clypeus height at AME 0.25, clypeus height at ALE 0.38.

Chelicerae. Chelicerae as in females.

Legs. Leg formula: II IV I III. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 8.9 [2.5, 1.3, 1.5, 3.6], I 31.9 [8.6, 3.3, 8.0, 9.0, 3.1], II 34.2 [9.4, 3.2, 8.9, 9.7, 3.0], III 29.2 [8.5, 3.2, 7.1, 7.6, 2.8], IV 32.5 [9.1, 3.1, 8.0, 9.3, 3.0].

Spination. Palp 131, 101, 1111; Legs: Femur I 323 (4)/324, II–III 324/424, IV 322/422/423; Patella I– IV 001 / 101; Tibia I–IV 2224; Metatarsus I– III 1014 /2024, IV 3036.

Palp. As in diagnosis with cymbium nearly twice as long as tibia, dRTA sickle-shaped and vRTA not developed ( Figs 22a, b ); ET shortened distally but robust proximally ( Fig. 22c ).

Female (n=9):

Measurements. Neotype: Total length: 18.8, prosoma length 7.4, prosoma width 6.3, anterior width of prosoma 3.8, opisthosoma length 11.2, opisthosoma width 7.0. Eye diameters: AME 0.50, ALE 0.34, PME 0.35, PLE 0.41; Eye interdistances: AME-AME 0.28, AME-ALE 0.13, PME-PME 0.43, PME-PLE 0.51, AME-PME 0.31, ALE- PLE 0.28, clypeus AME 0.37, clypeus ALE 0.41. AME largest and ALE smallest ( Fig. 23d ).

Chelicerae. Chelicerae with 2 anterior and 3 or 5 posterior teeth, cheliceral furrow lacking intermarginal denticles; one bristle at distal end of cheliceral basal segment ( Fig. 23e ).

Legs. Leg formula: IV II I III. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 8.3 [2.4, 1.4, 1.6, 2.9], I 25.3 [7.1, 3.5, 6.0, 6.6, 2.1], II 25.0 [7.2, 3.2, 6.1, 6.3, 2.2], III 23.6 [7.3, 3.1, 5.5, 5.6, 2.1], IV 26.3 [7.8, 3.0, 6.2, 7.1, 2.2].

Spination. Palp 131, 101, 1111, 1013; Legs: Femur I 224 /324, II–III 123/424, IV 421/422; Patella I–IV 000/ 101; Tibia I– II 0004 /2024, III–IV 2024; Metatarsus I– III 1014 /1024/2024, IV 3036.

Epigyne/vulva. As in diagnosis with EF approximately quadrangulate in shape ( Figs 23a, f ); MS partially ( Fig. 23a ) to fully sclerotized ( Fig. 23f ); MS dorsally with a sclerotized strip ( Fig. 23b ); vulva equipped with a glandular process (GP) ( Fig. 23c ).

Colouration [in ethanol]. Yellowish brown or reddish brown, dorsal opisthosoma dark brown with small series of yellow chevrons, legs (tibia and femur) clearly banded ( Fig. 49e ); ventral opisthosoma with V-shaped dark marking in which the mark is not filled with dark colour but is only outlined as “V” with especially the inner lines bold ( Fig. 49f ).

Remarks. The type specimens were collected from Northern Algeria in Constantine Province and around the capital city Algiers ( Simon 1874: 253). Unfortunately, the type series could not be located in MNHN neither could the other male specimens identified by Simon. Exceptionally, in this species, females are easily recognized by the shape of the MS of epigyne. Several different tubes containing E. letourneuxi females and juveniles were found in MNHN. Among them a female collected near to the original type locality from Kabylie: Yakouren was selected and designated as neotype to clarify the species identity and reduce taxonomic problems in distinguishing this species from closely similar species in nearby regions of Western Algeria ( E. oraniensis ), Eastern Algeria ( E. barbarus ) and Southern Tunisia ( E. syrticus ). The designated neotype was identified by Simon as E. letourneuxi as clearly indicated by his abbreviation “E.S” on the label, confirming that the specimen is correctly identified to E. letourneuxi . Several sympatric male and female from different localities were used to describe the male.

Known geographical distribution and habitat. North-Eastern Algeria in the Atlas Mountains, inhabiting stony areas of mountainous grassland, Cedar and Oak forests.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Eusparassus letourneuxi (Simon, 1874), male from Algeria: Djebel Ferroukha (CRB). (a) left palp, ventral; (b) left palp, retrolateral; (c) embolus tip and conductor, ventral.

FIGURE 23. Eusparassus letourneuxi (Simon, 1874), neotype female from Algeria: Yakouren (MNHN). (a) epigyne, ventral; (b) vulva, dorsal; (c) left vulva, anterio-dorso-lateral; (d) eye arrangement, dorsal; (e) right chelicera, ventral; (f) variation in epigyne, ventral.

FIGURE 49. Habitus of species of the dufouri group. (a–b) Eusparassus atlanticus Simon, 1909 stat. nov., syntype female; (c– d) Eusparassus fritschi (Koch, 1873) stat. rev., syntype female; (e–f) Eusparassus letourneuxi (Simon, 1874), female. (a, c, e) dorsal, (b, d, f) ventral.

FIGURE 61. Eusparassus dufouri group. (a–b) Eusparassus barbarus (Lucas, 1846); (c–d) Eusparassus fritschi (Koch, 1873) stat. rev.; (e–f) Eusparassus letourneuxi (Simon, 1874). (a, c, e) left male palps, ventral; (b, d, f) epigynes, dorsal.