Agroeca angirasu Zamani & Marusik, 2021

Zamani, Alireza, Fomichev, Alexander A., Naumova, Maria, Kaya, Rahşen S. & Marusik, Yuri M., 2024, New taxonomic and faunistic data on Liocranidae (Arachnida: Araneae) of West Palaearctic), with nine new species of Mesiotelus Simon, 1897, Zootaxa 5519 (2), pp. 190-214 : 192-193

Agroeca angirasu Zamani & Marusik, 2021

Figs 1 , 37–39

Agroeca angirasu Zamani & Marusik, 2021b: 558 , figs 1A–E, 2A–D (♂).

Material. AZERBAIJAN: Astara Dist.: 1♀ ( ZMMU), ca. 10 km W of Astara Vil., Isti-Su, 38°27'N, 48°47'E, on the border with Iran, 25.IV.2001 (leg. Y.M. Marusik) ; Lankaran Dist.: 2♀ ( ZMUT), env. of Aurora Vil., 38°40'N, 48°52'E, 23–28.IV.2001 (leg. Y.M. Marusik) .

Diagnosis. The female of A. angirasu differs from all congeners by having an anterior hood (Ah) (vs. absent). For the male, see Zamani & Marusik (2021b).

Description. Female. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Total length 5.76. Carapace 2.18 long, 1.80 wide. Eye sizes: AME: 0.13, ALE: 0.15, PME: 0.11, PLE: 0.13. Carapace light brown, with dark stripes radiating from fovea. Chelicerae, maxillae, labium and sternum yellowish. Legs slightly lighter than carapace, without annulations. Abdomen greyish-beige, mottled with light brown dots. Spinnerets uniformly light beige. Paired ventral tibial spines: I, II: 6p. Measurements of legs: I: 7.37 (2.07, 0.96, 2.04, 1.42, 0.88), II: 7.01 (1.87, 0.95, 1.70, 1.49, 1.00), III: 6.51 (1.73, 0.81, 1.33, 1.68, 0.96), IV: 9.25 (2.40, 0.92, 2.10, 2.60, 1.23).

Epigyne as in Figs 37–39 ; epigynal plate almost as long as wide; fovea triangular, with distinct anterior hood (Ah); copulatory ducts (Cd) thick, converging, with globular structures (Gs) anteriorly; glands indistinct; receptacles (Re) kidney-shaped, stretched transversally.

Male. See Zamani & Marusik (2021b).

Comments. Although the female described here was not collected with a male, we consider it conspecific with the male holotype of A. angirasu described by Zamani & Marusik (2021b). Both specimens have a similar coloration and ventral spination pattern of tibiae I and II, which is drastically different from congeners (6 pairs in A. angirasu , vs. typically 2 pairs in other species). It is noteworthy that in the description of the holotype of A. angirasu , the measurements of leg segments are erroneously given in the reverse order of what has been noted in the methods section.

The presence of characters not documented in other Agroeca species (i.e., an anterior hood of the fovea, a short embolus tip, and six pairs of ventral tibial spines on legs I and II), suggests that this species is likely misplaced in the genus and may belong to a currently undescribed one.

Distribution. Known from Astara and Lankaran in southeastern Azerbaijan (a new country record; Fig. 75 ) and Golestan Province in northern Iran ( Zamani & Marusik 2021b).

Figures

FIGURE 75. Collection localities of the studied liocranid species. 1—Agroeca angirasu; 2—A. cuprea; 3—A. inopina; 4—A. proxima; 5—Mesiotelus alanyensis sp. nov. (in part, specimens from Antalya); 6—M. bosmansi sp. nov.; 7—M. confusus sp. nov.; 8—M. cyprius; 9—M. damavandicus sp. nov.; 10—M. scopensis; 11—M. kravetsi sp. nov.; 12—M. mediterraneus sp. nov. and M. alanyensis sp. nov. (in part, specimens from Mersin); 13—M. patricki; 14—M. sistanus sp. nov.; 15—M. tadzhikus sp. nov.; 16—M. turanicus sp. nov.; 17—M. kulczynskii; 18—Scotina celans; 19—Sestakovaia annulipes. Some symbols could refer to more than one closely situated locality.

FIGURES 1–6. Dorsal habitus of Agroeca angirasu (1), A. cuprea (2), Mesiotelus alanyensis sp. nov. (3), M. bosmansi sp. nov. (4) and M. confusus sp. nov. (5–6). 1–4, 6—female; 5—male. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURES 35–42. Terminal part of male palp of Scotina celans (35–36) and epigyne of Agroeca angirasu (37–39) and Mesiotelus alanyensis sp. nov. (40–42). 35—retrolateral; 36—ventral; 37, 40—intact, ventral; 38, 41—macerated, ventral; 39, 42—macerated, dorsal. Scale bars: 35–36—0.2 mm; 37–42—0.1 mm. Abbreviations: Ah—anterior hood, Cd—copulatory duct, Gs—globular structures, Re—receptacle, Tr—triangular extension of foveal margin.