Lapsias Simon

Maddison, Wayne P., 2012, Five new species of lapsiine jumping spiders from Ecuador (Araneae: Salticidae), Zootaxa 3424, pp. 51-65 : 52

Genus Lapsias Simon

The four described species of Lapsias ( Simon, 1900, 1901; Galiano, 1963; Platnick, 2011) share a relatively short embolus that arises distally on the prolateral side, a delicate hook-like median apophysis, an elongate tegulum, small PME's, and body proportions typical of most salticids (i.e. a reasonably high carapace and short legs). These features distinguish Lapsias from Thrandina (which has large PME's and an expanded median apophyses), Galianora (which has a round and rotated tegulum with adpressed embolus) and Soesiladeepakius (which is flatter-bodied and whose median apophysis is fused to the tegulum or perhaps absent). However, all of the listed features of Lapsias are arguably plesiomorphies or widespread enough to be uninformative. For instance, the median apophyses of G. s a c h a Maddison and the Old World hisponines are also delicate hooks. Although the described Lapsias species are quite similar to one another in palpi and body form, as yet no clear synapomorphies have been proposed for the genus.

Because of the lack of definition of Lapsias , I place three new species there with some hesitation. Lapsias lorax has proposed synapomorphies with two of the Lapsias species, L. tovarensis Simon and the type species L. estebanensis Simon (see below). While Lapsias could have been restricted to include just those three species, this would leave L. ciliatus Simon and L. cyrboides Simon without a place. The other two new species are difficult to place. L. canandea is quite distinctive, having a flattened body, a long embolus and a long hook-like conductor. It shares a delicate hook-like median apophysis with Lapsias , and it has no features that would link it to any of the other lapsiine genera. L. guamani is of unclear relationships, known only from a single female. While new genera could have been erected for L. canandea and L. guamani , it seems more prudent to expand an existing mess ( Lapsias ) rather than generate more nomenclatorial clutter, at least until the relationships are understood. With L. canandea added to Lapsias , the genus can be characterized by the hook-like median apophysis and lack of a round bulb with adpressed embolus.