Hersiliola simoni (O.P.- Cambridge, 1872 )

Marusik, Yuri & Fet, Victor, 2009, A survey of East Palaearctic Hersiliola Thorell, 1870 (Araneae, Hersiliidae), with a description of three new genera, ZooKeys 16 (16), pp. 75-114 : 82-83

Hersiliola simoni (O.P.- Cambridge, 1872)

Figs 4 .2, 5 .2, 6 .2-3

Hersiliada simonii O. P.- Cambridge, 1872: 275, pl. 14, f. 9 (D♁ ♀).

Hersilidia lucasii O. P.- Cambridge, 1876: 562 , pl. 58, f. 5 (D♁ ♀) ( Egypt: Alexandria); synonymized by Levy (2003).

H. lucasi: Wiehle 1960: 470 , f. 15 (♀) (specimen from Egypt).

H. s.: Ribera et al. 1988: 99, f. 2, 5, 9-10 (♁ ♀).

H. s.: Levy 2003: 25, f. 47-56 (♁ ♀, subad.).

H. s.: Rheims and Brescovit 2004: 208, f. 12, 27, 39-42 (♁ ♀). Misidentification; refers to H. macullulata .

H. s.: Rheims et al. 2004: 344, f. 4-6, 24-32 (♁ ♀). Misidentification; refers to H. macullulata .

H. s.: Foord and Dippenaar-Schoeman 2005: 261, f. 3A-G (♁ ♀).

For a full list of references, see Platnick (2009).

Material examined (28 specimens). Types of H. simoni : ISRAEL: Jerusalem, Jericho , holotype ♁, paratypes: 8♀, 6 ♁, 1 subad. ♁, 9 subad.♀ ( HDO, Bottle 400). Additional material: LEBANON: 1♁, 1893, E. Festa coll., P. Pavesi det. ( MIZST Ar. 336) ; 1♁, 1♀ “ H. Simonii, Palästina, leg. 13.09.1931, Wiehle det.” ( SMF 19407/2)” .

Diagnosis. Hersiliola simoni can be recognized by the position of the embolic base (ca. 10:30 hrs), a relatively short embolus forming only one coil, and the shape of epigyne. From H. sternbergsi sp. n., it differs by a flatter palp with a smaller number of loops, a different position of the embolic base, and a different tegular apophysis.

Description. Redescribed in detail by Levy (2003).

Comments. Figures of H. simoni in Rheims and Brescovit (2004) and Rheims et al. (2004) undoubtedly correspond to H. macullulata .

Distribution. Hersiliola simoni was reported widely from Spain, Morocco, Niger, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, although some records are doubtful or incorrect. Records of this species from Cape Verde should, in our opinion, refer to H. versicolor , the only species described and properly recorded from these islands (cf. Rheims et al. 2004). The record and illustrations of H. simoni from Yemen (Rheims et al. 2004) refer, in our opinion, to H. macullulata .

Figures

Figure 4. Retrolateral view of the male palp of Hersiliola macullulata (1), H. simoni (2), H. sternbergsi sp. n. (3), H. esyunini sp. n. (4), Duninia baehrae sp. n. (5), Deltshevia danovi sp. n. (6), D. gromovi sp. n. (7), and Ovtsharenkoia pallida (8). Scale = 0.5 mm.

Figure 5. Prolateral view of the male palp of Hersiliola macullulata (1), H. simoni (2), H. sternbergsi sp. n. (3), H. esyunini sp. n. (4), Duninia baehrae sp. n. (5), Deltshevia danovi sp. n. (6), D. gromovi sp. n. (7), and Ovtsharenkoia pallida (8). Scale = 0.5 mm.

Figure 6. Male palp of Hersiliola macullulata (1), H. simoni (2-3), H. sternbergsi sp. n. (4-5), H. esyunini sp. n. (6-7), Duninia baehrae sp. n. (8), and Ovtsharenkoia pallida (9). 1-2 ventral 3-4, 6 from below 5, 7,‹ from above 8 retrolateral. Scale = 0.5 mm.