Paracedicus Fet, 1993

Levy, Gershom, 2007, Calommata (Atypidae) and new spider species (Araneae) from Israel, Zootaxa 1551, pp. 1-30 : 7-8

Paracedicus Fet, 1993

Paracedicus Fet, 1993: 74 , subgenus; type-species by original designation: Cedicus ephthalitus Fet, 1993 ; elevated to genus rank by Marusik & Guseinov (2003).

Diagnosis. Robust, medium-sized spiders, 4.8–8.5 mm body length. Generally rather similar to Cedicus in somatic features: body shape, eye sizes and their arrangement, cheliceral dentition, large colulus and order of leg lengths. The two genera can be separated by genitalic characters. The shape of the male palpal embolus differs distinctly in the two genera, in addition Paracedicus bears a large median apophysis (sensu Fet 1993), absent in Cedicus . From Cedicoides and Cedicus it differs by the absence of a marked tegular apophysis (sensu Fet; “terminal apophysis” sensu Marusik & Guseinov 2003). The epigynal plates of the females of all three genera resemble each other closely but can be separated by the different shapes of the inner spermathecae.

Comments. Following Fet’s (1993) revision of Cedicus taxa, I ranked only Charitonov’s (1946) subgenus Cedicoides as a separate genus alongside Cedicus ( Levy 1996) . Reviewing, however, the new species described below, I accede also to Fet’s (1993) distinction of his Paracedicus . Paracedicus is known so far by three species distributed in Azerbaijan and Turkmenia. Its occurrence in Israel is a marked extension of its range of distribution. The two new species described below differ markedly in size from each other; their drawings, nevertheless, were made to the same scale.