Euprosthenops insperatus sp. nov.

Zonstein, Sergei & Marusik, Yuri M., 2021, The first Western Palearctic record of Euprosthenops Pocock (Araneae, Pisauridae), with description of a new species from Israel, ZooKeys 1065, pp. 13-27 : 13

Euprosthenops insperatus sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 2 , 4A-D , 5A, C , 7 , 8

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (SMNH), Israel, Southern District: Arava Valley, Hahal Shezaf 5 km S. Hazeva (Hatseva) Village, 30°43'N, 35°16'E, -120 m (below sea level), 26.03.2006 (S. Zonstein). The spider was collected within the Aqaba-Jordan section of the East African - Syrian rift zone, in a few kilometres to the west from the midline of fault. The holotype specimen is in a relatively good condition, only the left leg III is completely missed being evidently lost prior to sampling and preservation.

Diagnosis.

The sole male of the new species most closely resembles the males of E. australis and E. proximus in a number of similarly shaped structures: the distal tegular apophysis (Dt), the tegular prolateral projection (Pp), the median apophysis (Ma) and the retrolateral tibial apophysis (Ta). Euprosthenops insperatus sp. nov. differs from these similar species in having relatively longer prolateral tegular projection (length of tegulum/length of projection ratio 1.4 to 1.5 vs. 1.6), in the localization of the embolus origin (posteriorly from posterior edge of distal tegular apophysis vs. anteriorly in E. australis ), and in the shape of the distal part of the distal tegular apophysis, as well as by shorter palpal tibia (length/width ratio 1.5 vs. 1.6 to 1.7). Structure of male palp differs in many details from that in E. proximus and E. australis (Figs 2 , 4A-F , 5A, C cf. Figs 3 , 4E-G , 5B, D ). From E. schenkeli , E. pavesii and E. benoiti , where the conspecific males remain unknown, E. insperatus sp. nov. can be distinguished by having a dissimilar dorsal abdominal pattern (Fig. 1B cf. Blandin 1976, figs 2, 3, 8).

Description.

Male. Habitus as in Fig. 1A, B . Total body length 13.75. Color in alcohol: cephalothorax, chelicerae, palps and legs mostly light to medium ginger brown; X-shaped eye group and radial thoracic grooves darkened; eyes encircled with narrow blackish areas; postocular area, chelicerae anteriorly and coxae I-IV ventrally light yellowish brown; maxillae and labium medium brown, sternum medium brown with short longitudinal dark brown band posteriorly; abdomen light brown anterodorsally, other parts of abdomen dark brown; carapace with two wide submarginal bands of adpressed whitish pubescence, abdomen with two similar longitudinal bands dorsally and with two very narrow light grey bands ventrally; all segments of palps and legs I-IV slightly to noticeably darkened proximally and subapically.

Carapace (Fig. 1C ) 5.45 long, 4.21 wide. Clypeus and eye group as in Fig. 1D, F . Clypeus height 0.62. Eye diameters and interdistances: ALE 0.33, AME 0.22, PME 0.36, PLE 0.35, ALE-ALE 1.21, ALE-AME 0.75, AME-AME 0.16, AME-PME 0.33, ALE-PLE 1.64, PME-PME 0.23, PME-PLE 0.45, PLE-PLE 1.27. Cheliceral fang furrow: promargin and reromargin each armed with narrow row of 3 evenly disposed teeth, promargin with smaller uniformly sized and shaped teeth; within unevenly larger teeth of retromarginal row, median tooth largest. Sternum, labium and maxillae as in Fig. 1E . Labium 0.69 long, 0.86 wide. Sternum sharply nonagonal, 2.42 long, 2.43 wide.

Ventral pairs of spines on tibiae I-IV: 4, 4, 3, 4, respectively. Paired claws on tarsi I-IV with 6-7 teeth each.

Palp and leg measurements as follows:

Male palp (Figs 2 , 4A-D , 5A ). Femur shorter than cymbium, 5 times longer than wide. Tibia slightly longer than patella with retrolateral apophysis (Ta) shorter than tibia’s width. Cymbium 2.35 longer than wide, with long tip (about 0.25 of cymbium length). Subtegulum (St) moderately small and located retrolaterally. Tegulum with prolateral pouch (Tp) and distinct prolateral projection (Pp), height of projection (from base of tegulum to tip of projection) exceeds length of tegular distal apophysis (Dt). Distal apophysis with prolateral hook-shaped tip, anterior prolateral part slanting. Conductor (Co) large and long, weakly sclerotized. Embolus with 2 teeth on anterior loop.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology.

From the Latin adjective of the masculine gender " Euprosthenops insperatus " for “unforeseen”, alluding to the unexpected discovery of a species belonging to the previously paleotropical genus Euprosthenops in Israel.

Ecology.

The holotype was found inside a small patch of shrubs and reeds growing close to a periodically wet riverbed that crosses the extremely arid desert biotopes (Fig. 6 ).

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality (Fig. 7 ). The location of this sole record in relation to the records of other congeners lays far outside the previously known genus range (Fig. 8 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Euprosthenops insperatus sp. nov., holotype male A, B habitus, dorsal and lateral C, E cephalothorax, dorsal and ventral D, F eye group, dorsal and frontal. Scale bars: 5 mm (A); 2 mm (B); 1 mm (C, E, F); 0.5 mm (D).

Figure 2. Euprosthenops insperatus sp. nov., holotype male, structures of left (A, B) and right (C, D) palp A entire palp, retrolateral B palpal tibia and cymbium, dorsal C, D distal palpal tibia and basal embolus close up, retrolateral and ventral. Abbreviations: Co - conductor, Dt - distal tegular process, Ma -- median apophysis, Ta - retrolateral tibial apophysis. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C, D).

Figure 3. Euprosthenops proximus Lessert, 1916, male, structures of left palp A entire palp, retrolateral B-E palpal tibia and cymbium, dorsal, prolateral, ventral and retrolateral. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 4. Euprosthenops insperatus sp. nov., holotype male (A-D) and E. proximus Lessert, 1916, male (E-G), separated copulatory bulb A, E retrolateral B, F retrodorsal C ventral D, G frontal. Small teeth of embolus are indicated with arrows. Abbreviations: Co - conductor, Dt - distal tegular process, El - embolus loop, Em - embolus, Ma - median apophysis, Pp - prolateral projection, St - subtegulum, Tp - prolateral tegular pouch. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 5. Euprosthenops insperatus sp. nov., holotype male (A, C), and males of E. australis Simon, 1898 (B) and E. proximus Lessert, 1916 (D); comparison of copulatory bulbs schematically depicted in the same position. The differences in their structure are indicated with arrows. Abbreviations: Co - conductor, Dt - distal tegular process, Em - embolus, Ma -- median apophysis, Pp - prolateral projection.

Figure 6. Surroundings of Nahal Shezaf, the type locality of Euprosthenops insperatus sp. nov. (A-D).

Figure 7. Euprosthenops insperatus sp. nov., distribution record.

Figure 8. Distribution of Euprosthenops spp. Records of Afrotropical congeners are presented as circles (localities) and quadrangles (country records) according to numbers: 1 E. australis Simon, 1898 2 E. bayaonianus (Brito Capello, 1867) 3 E. proximus maximus Blandin, 1976 4 E. wuehlischi Roewer, 1955 5 E. biguttatus Roewer, 1955 6 E. proximus proximus Lessert, 1916 7 E. pavesii Lessert, 1928 8 E. schenkeli (Roewer, 1955) 9 E. benoiti Blandin, 1976. Records of Asian E. ellioti (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877) and E. insperatus sp. nov. are indicated as triangles (? means questionable record) and diamond, respectively.