Scirites finitimus, Dupérré, Nadine & Paquin, Pierre, 2007

Dupérré, Nadine & Paquin, Pierre, 2007, Revision of the North American genus Scirites (Araneae, Linyphiidae), Zootaxa 1460, pp. 47-58 : 52-54

Scirites finitimus new species

( Figs 1 , 10–18 )

Type material.— HOLOTYPE: Canada: Ontario: Richmond [45.18N, 75.83W] 1ɗ 26.vi.–11.vii.1978, pitfall, calcareous bog, C.D. Dondale & J.H. Redner ( CNC); ALLOTYPE: 1Ψ, same data as holotype; PARATYPES: Canada: Ontario: Alfred [45.48N, 74.83W] 1Ψ 16.vi.1981, Berlese, humus of tree bases in sphagnum bog, A. Davies ( CNC); Oliver bog, 3km south of Galt [43.31N, 80.28W] 20.–26.v.1987 1ɗ, expanse hollow, D. Blades ( CNC); Richmond [45.18°N, 75.83°W] 4ɗ 1Ψ 26.vi.–11. vii.1978, 5 ɗ 5Ψ 12.vii.– 27. viii.1978, 2 Ψ 28.vii.–22.viii.1978, pitfall, calcareous bog, C.D. Dondale & J.H. Redner ( CNC); North Gower [45°08°N, 75°43°W] 1ɗ 25.v.–15.vi.1978, pitfall, beaver meadow in mixed woods, L. LeSage ( CNC); USA: New York: Tompkins County, McLean Bog [42.55N, 76.29W] 2ɗ 2Ψ 08.v.1919, 1ɗ 30.iv.1930, 1ɗ 06.v.1920, S.C. Crosby & C.R. Bishop ( AMNH); Washington: Stevens County, Little Pend Oreille Natural Area Preserve, North of Coffin Lake [48.594N, 117.550W] 1ɗ 2Ψ 23.vi.1992, sphagnum bog, 951m elevation [3120 feet], R. Crawford ( UWBM).

Diagnosis.— See S. pectinatus .

Description.— Male (n=5): Total length: 1.12–1.27; carapace length: 0.51–0.55; carapace width: 0.44– 0.48; carapace smooth, shiny, light brown to brown, carapace median line suffused with dark grey forming a trident in the eye region, carapace border suffused with dark grey, 2–3 erect setae along midline, cephalic eye region somewhat raised and flat ( Fig. 10 ). Sternum brown, suffused with grey. Chelicerae light brown, promargin with 1 large and 4 small teeth, retromargin with 4 denticles. Cheliceral stridulatory organ not visible. Abdomen uniformly coloured, light to dark grey, densely covered with decumbent hairs. Legs light yellow, tibia I–IV with one dorsal macroseta; metatarsus I with dorsal trichobothrium, Tm I 0.52–0.62, metatarsus I with 7 curved megaspines, Tm IV absent. Palpal tibia rather long and acuminate, bearing a small curved sclerotized apophysis on the ectal side ( Figs 13, 14 ); embolic division rather simple, embolus tip spine-like, tailpiece elongate and projecting basally, tegulum (T) rather large, protegulum with protegular papillae, suprategulum well sclerotized, distal suprategular apophysis (DSA) sclerotized becoming membranous, fundus visible ( Figs 11, 12 ); paracymbium small, bearing 2 short setae ( Fig. 13 ).

Female (n=5): Total length: 1.28–1.44; carapace length: 0.50–0.63; carapace width: 0.44–0.50; carapace coloration as in male, 4–5 erect setae along midline. Coloration of sternum and chelicerae as in male; promargin of chelicerae with 1 large and 4 small teeth, retromargin with 5 denticles. Cheliceral stridulatory organ not visible. Abdomen as in male. Legs coloured as in male, tibia I–IV with one dorsal macroseta; metatarsus I with dorsal trichobothrium, Tm I 0.52–0.60, Tm IV absent. Female epigynal plate well sclerotized, somewhat rectangular ( Fig. 15 ); posterior edge of ventral plate U-shaped covering less than half the dorsal plate; spermathecae rounded situated each side of the junction of ventral plate and dorsal plate ( Figs 15, 16 ); copulatory ducts comma-shaped and well separated ( Figs 16, 17 ).

Distribution.— The species is known from southern Ontario and New York and from one isolated record in Washington ( Fig. 18 ).

Habitat.— All known records but one were collected in sphagnum bogs which suggest that S. finitimus new species may be a bog specialist. The record from the West Coast comes from one of the rare birch bogs found in Washington state (R. Crawford, pers. comm.)

Etymology.— The specific name finitimus , -a, -um, is a rarely used Latin term for neighbouring, related to, resembling, referring to the similitude between the two known species of the genus. Remarks.— The record listed from Washington by Buckle et al. (2001) refers to Scirites finitimus new species.

Figures

FIGURES 1. Scirites. 1, male metatarsus I, lateral view; 2 – 9 Scirites pectinatus 2, male cephalothorax, lateral view, 3, palpus of male, ventral view, 4, expanded male palpus, schematic lateral view, 5, palpus of male, lateral view, 6, palpal tibia of male, dorsal view, 7, epigynum, ventral view, 8, spermathecae, ventral view, 9, spermathecae, dorsal view. 1 – 3, 5 scale bar = 0.1; 4, 6 – 9 scale bar = 0.05. CD copulatory ducts; DP dorsal plate; DSA distal suprategular apophysis; E embolus; FD fertilization ducts; F fundus; MSA marginal suprategular apophysis; P paracymbium; PT protegulum; PTP protegular papillae; PTA pedipalpal tibial apophysis; R radix; S spermathecae; SPT suprategulum; T tegulum; TP tailpiece; VP ventral plate.

FIGURE 18. Localities of Scirites pectinatus and S. finitimus new species in North America. The black star indicates the type locality of S. pectinatus (type specimen lost).

FIGURES 10 – 17. Scirites finitimus new species 10, male cephalothorax, lateral view, 11, palpus of male, ventral view, 12, expanded male palpus, schematic lateral view, 13, palpus of male, lateral view, 14, palpal tibia of male, dorsal view, 15, epigynum, ventral view, 16, spermathecae, ventral view, 17, spermathecae, dorsal view. 10, 12 scale bar = 0.1; 11, 13 – 16 scale bar = 0.05. Abbreviations see Figs 1 – 9.