Harpactea sturanyi ( Nosek, 1905 )

Dimitrov, Dragomir, Deltshev, Christo & Lazarov, Stoian, 2019, Description of Harpactea popovi sp. n. from Bulgaria with further taxonomic notes on related species (Araneae, Dysderidae), Zootaxa 4568 (3), pp. 593-596 : 596-599

Harpactea sturanyi ( Nosek, 1905)

Figs. 10–17, 19–23, 24.

Harpactes sturanyi Nosek, 1905: 124 . Holotype ♂ from Serai–Dagh (1620 m), Konya, 1903, Penther leg (NMW). Examined.

Harpactes sturanyi Drensky, 1936: 14 .

Harpactes sturanyi Drensky, 1938: 97 .

Harpactea camenarum Brignoli, 1977: 938 . Holotype ♂ from Larissa, 20.11.1974, A. Vignai leg. (MCSNV). Examined. syn. n.

Harpactea camenarum Dunin, 1992: 69

Harpactea lyciae Brignoli, 1978: 469 . Not examined. syn. n.

Harpactea sturanyi Brignoli, 1978: 466

Harpactea sturanyi Le Peru, 2011 : 282.

Material examined: 1♂, 1♀ Antalya, Korkuteli , 28.04.1973, P. Brignoli & A. Vignai leg. ( MHNG) ; 1♂, 1♀ Antalya, near Elmail, Bey Mountain , alt. 1350–1600, leg Stekolnikov & Lyubenchanski ( ISEA)

Diagnosis: The species is closely related to H. ice and H. popovi sp. n. but can be distinguished from these species by the overall shape of the bulb, wider in its basal part in H. sturanyi (Figs 10, 13, 16) than in H. ice (Figs 12, 15, 18) and H. popovi ( Figs 4–5, 7–8 ). The apical part of the bulb is similar to H. ice , but the accessory apophysis is approximately as long as the conductor in H. suranyi , while it is longer and curved at the end in H. ice . The female resembles H. colchidis Brignoli, 1978 , but it differs by the shorter anterior arch in H. colchidis ( Brignoli 1978) ( Figs 21, 22 ).

Description: Male (based on all examined material): Measurements: total length, 5.45–6.90; carapace: length, 2.35–3.00, width, 1.65–2.25; chelicerae: length, 0.83, width, 0.38; sternum: length, 1.58–1.80, width, 0.98–1.30; abdomen: length, 2.95–3.68, width, 1.50. Coloration: carapace yellow-brown, sternum yellowish, lighter than the carapace. Chelicerae the same color as carapace. Legs the same color as sternum. The coloration of the legs of the holotype of H. camenarum is a little more intense than the material of H. sturanyi from Korkuteli, Anthalia. Chelicerae on the dorsal side covered with small tubercules bearing fine hairs. Cheliceral promargin with 2 teeth. Cheliceral retromargin with 2 teeth, proximal one situated between the teeth of anterior margin. Sternum connected with the carapace with chitinuous strips between the coxae. Eyes: AE spaced ¼ of their diameter. The other eyes almost touching. Abdomen whitish, covered with fine short hairs. Leg chaetotaxy and measurements given in Tables 3 and 4.

Palp (Figs 10–17): Bulb with irregular pear-like shape, wider at its base and narrowing twoards the apical part, ending with a lamella-like extension bearing the embolus, conductor and the accessory apophysis. Embolus slightly curved, perpendicular to the lamellar extension. Conductor with a small tubercle on the dorsal side. In the holotype of H. camenarum the tubercle is thinner, hardly visible on the pictures, but with the same shape. Accessory apophysis almost equal in size to the conductor.

Female: Measurements: Total length, 5.65; carapace: length, 2.35, width, 1.65; chelicerae: length, 1.00, width, 0.35; sternum: length, 1.50, width, 1.05; abdomen: length, 3.15, width, 1.75. Coloration as in male. Leg chaetotaxy and measurements are given in Tables 5 and 6.

Vulva: Anterior arch slightly concave on both sides, on the top, near the spermatheca. Posterior diverticulum entirely membranous ( Figs. 19–23 ).

Distribution: Greece, Georgia, Turkey ( Fig 24).

Comments: Nosek (1905) described Harpactea sturanyi from Serai-Dagh (1620m), Konya, Turkey. Drensky (1936) recorded it from Rezovo, Strandzha mountain, Bulgaria, and cited his first record again in a subsequent paper ( Drensky, 1938). Later, Brignoli (1978) recorded the species from Haci Akif, Beysehir, Konya (near the type locality), and from Anthalya, Turkey, from where he further described H. lyciae syn. n. based on a single female. As the picture of the female vulva of H. lyciae syn. n. ( Fig 23 ) fits well within the range showed by H. sturanyi , we propose that H. lyciae is a junior synonym of the latter species. In the same paper Brignoli (1978) questioned Drensky’s record (1938) and stated that the figure of the male palp in Drensky’s paper was actually redrawn from Nosek (1905). One year before ( Brignoli, 1977) had described H. camenarum n. syn. from near Larissa, Greece without discussing its diagnostic differences with H. sturanyi . The description is based on a single specimen. Although the red coloration of the legs of the holotype of H. camenarum n. syn. is a little more intense, the overall shape of the bulb, and the shape of the embolus, conductor and accessory apophysis are identical to those of H. sturanyi , which casts some doubts on the validity of H. camenarum . The most recent record of H. sturanyi is from Dunin (1992), who recorded it from Adzharia, near Batumi, Georgia (as H. camenarum n. syn.) and provided an illustration of the male palp.

During our revision, we could not locate the material of Drensky’s records (1936, 1938). However, we agree with Brignoli that Drensky’s pictures were most likely redrawn from the species’ original description ( Nosek, 1905) and therefore his record from Bulgaria should be considered as doubtful. Moreover, all confirmed records of H. sturanyi are located between 800–1200 m. alt. while Rezovo (the locality recorded by Drensky 1936, 1938) lies close to the Black Sea cost. Because of the aforementioned, we prefer to exclude H. sturanyi from the current Bulgarian checklist.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Harpactea popovi sp. n., male holotype. 1. Habitus, dorsal view; 2. Eyes; 3. Habitus, ventral view; 4, 5, 7, 8. Male palp, left, prolateral and retrolateral view; 6, 9. Detail of tip anterior. Scale lines: 1.2 –1, 3; 0.8–2; 0.2–4–9.

FIGURES 19–23. Harpactea sturanyi (Antalya, Korkuteli). 19, 21—Vulva, ventral view; 20, 22 Vulva, dorsal view; H. lyciae. 23. Vulva, ventral view (redrawn from Brignoli 1978). Scale: 0.2 mm.