Plexippus strandi Spassky, 1939

Prószyński, Jerzy, 2017, Remarks on the genus Plexippus C. L. Koch, 1846 (Araneae: Salticidae), Ecologica Montenegrina 13, pp. 39-69 : 66

Plexippus strandi Spassky, 1939

Figures 4H, K , 5 I-I1, K-K1, 6E-F, 7D, E, 9F-H, N-P, V-W

Plexippus strandi Spassky, 1939b: 299 , f. 1-2 (Dmf).

Plexippus strandi Andreeva, 1969: 90 , f. 2 (mf).

Plexippus strandi Prószyński, 1976: 156 , f. 281 (m)

Plexippus coccineus Nenilin, 1985a: 132 (not documented synonymy!).

Plexippus coccineus Wesolowska, 1996: 36 , f. 25A-C, 26A-C (mf) = P. strandi Spassky, 1939 syn. n.

Plexippus coccineus Metzner, 1999: 136 , f. 100a-j (mf) (female epigyne copied from Wesolowska (1996: 36, f. 26A-C) = P. strandi from Turkmenistan, male palp and body belong to different species).

Plexippus setipes Prószyński 1973: 120-122 , f. 64-66 only (= P. cf. strandi )).

Documentation studied. Summary of world's literature provided by "Monograph of Salticidae ( Araneae ) of the World 1995-2016. Part I & 2" by Prószyński (2016 a, b) and current literature.

Diagnosis. Unique character separating male P. strandi from all remaining species is dark (black?) and thick transverse belt in anterior abdomen, immediately behind anterior white area, separated posteriorly by light transverse belt at beginning of light median streak ( Fig 9 F-H). Female has similar abdominal pattern. Male has also a pair of dark spots on thoracal slope. Other characters are less clear cut - excessive prolateral swelling of embolar basis seems to be bigger and somewhat more anterior, embolus is shorter and thinner ( Figs 9 V-W) but that is comparable with several other Plexippus , a result of slight change of proportions. Epigyne ( Fig. 9O , 6 E-F) has centrally located pocket and relatively short ducts, with bulging armature of pheromone exuding opening, but it resembles variety of similarly developed structures in related species, the constancy of that character has not been checked.

Uncertain species from Krasnovodsk and Lenkoran. Prószyński 1971: 120-122, f. 61-63 illustrated epigyne of two specimens of Plexippus “ setipes ”, found in Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, mounted in permanent slides by F. Dahl, l from Lenkoran ( Azerbaijan) and Krasnovodsk ( Turkmenistan). These are resembling superficially epigyne of P. setipes , but are much closer to P. strandi by shorter ducts and prominent bulge of armature of pheromone exuding opening ( Figs. 5 K-K1 and 9P). These are classified provisionally as P. cf. strandi because final identification without knowing habitus appearance of specimens is not possible.

Distribution. Described from Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, its occurrence in Greece is mistake due to substitution of redrawn Turkmenistan specimen epigyne into plate illustrating Greek species ( Metzner (1999: 136, f. 100a-j, see Figs 5 I-I1) however matching male has entirely different abdominal color pattern ( Fig. 7D ).

Figures

Figure 4a. Diagnostic characters of species of Plexippus. A - Plexippus paykulli (Audouin, 1826) (palp 1/3 larger than remaining species), B - P. gershomi sp. n., C - P. sp. [devorans?? - unlabeled specimen in O. Pickard-Cambridge collection, from a jar with specimens from Palestine], D - P. bhutani Zabka, 1990, D1 - P. minor Wesolowska & van Harten, 2010, E- P. petersi (Karsch, 1878), F - P. tectonicus Prószyński, 2003, G - Plexippus yinae Peng X., Li S., 2003 = P. tectonicus [?], H - Plexippus strandi Spassky, 1939 - from Turkmenistan, K - P. strandi Spassky, 1939, K1 - P. dushanbinus (Andreeva, 1969), L - P. setipes-1 Karsch, 1879, L1 - "P. setipes-2" Peng & Li, 2003, [another palp, hypothetically matching holotype of P. setipes - see Figs 9R-S], M - P. setipes.

Figure 7. Body pattern diversity in Plexippus. A - Plexippus tectonicus Prószyński, 2003, - body and palpal "flag", B - P. gershomi sp. n. - body and palpal "flag, C - P. "coccineus"[?] by Metzner, D - P. strandi Sspassky, 1939 male and female abdomen by Wesołowska, E - P. strandi Spassky, 1939 - male abdomen by Adreeva, F - P. dushanbinus - male body and female abdomen by Andreeva, G - P. similis - female abdomen by Wesołowska, H-I - P. kondarensis (Charitonov, 1951) - body of male by Charitonov and by Logunov & Rakov, J - P. bhutani Zabka, 1990 - male and female, K - P. pokharae Zabka, 19, L - P. yinae Peng & Li, 2003 =[?] P. tectonicus Prószyński, 2003, L1 - P. setipes Karsch 1879 - type from Japan, Prószyński, 1973: 120, f. 61, L2 - P. setipes-2 Peng & Li, 2003, L3 - P. setipes from Vietnam, M - P. paykulli (Audouin, 1826), N - P. baro Wesolowska & Tomasiewicz, 2008, O - P. robustus (Bösenberg & Lenz, 1895), P - P. [?] rubroclypeatus (Lessert, 1927), Q - P. [?] stridulator Pocock, 1899.

Figure 9. Graphic definition of three morphs of Plexippus setipes (A-E, I-M, R-U5O-P), as well as P. strandi (F-H, N-P, V-W) and P.gershomi sp. n. (Q-Q1). A - P. setipes - holotype, from Japan, B, C - P. setipes, from Japan, D - P. setipes, from Vietnam, E - P. setipes-2, from China, F-G - P. strandi, male and female, H - P. strandi - male, I-J - P. setipes - holotype, from Japan, K-K1 - P. setipes-2 - from China, L-M - P. setipes-1- from Japan, N - P. strandi - syntype, O - P. strandi - from Turkmenistan, P - P. cf. setipes from Lenkoran, Q-Q1 - P. gershomi sp. n., R - P. setipes from Vietnam, S - P. setipes from Japan, T - P. setipes-2 - from China, U - P. setipes-1 from Japan, V - P. strandi - syntype, W - P. strandi - from Turkmenistan.