Agyneta watertoni, Dupérré, Nadine, 2013

Dupérré, Nadine, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the spider genera Agyneta and Tennesseellum (Araneae, Linyphiidae) of North America north of Mexico with a study of the embolic division within Micronetinae sensu Saaristo & Tanasevitch 1996, Zootaxa 3674 (1), pp. 1-189 : 37-38

Agyneta watertoni new species

Figs 104–107 , map 1

Type material: Male holotype from Canada, Alberta, Waterton Lakes National Park, Granite Chief Mountain Hwy, 4500ft., 14–28.vi.1980, interception trap, J.M. Campbell ( CNC). EXAMINED.

Etymology: The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality, Waterton Lakes National Park, in Alberta, Canada.

Diagnosis: Males are diagnosed from all Agyneta by the curved posterior pocket of the paracymbium, creating a large cover ( Fig. 104 ). From A. protrudens by the presence of a conical cymbial ventral tubercle ( Fig. 105 ).

Description: Male: Total length 1.57; carapace length 0.74, width 0.54.

CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace dark brown, shiny, finely reticulate; suffused with dark gray along margin, radiating lines; trident mark present. Sternum dark brown strongly suffused with dark gray. Clypeus height 4. Chelicerae dark brown, excavated; seta-tipped tubercles absent; promargin two teeth, retromargin one denticle, both margins without projections near base of fang. Cheliceral stridulatory organ ~65 striae, narrowly spaced throughout. ABDOMEN: Uniformly dark gray. LEGS: Orange; leg I total length: 2.03; leg III total length: 1.65; Tm I: 0.71, Tm IV: present. GENITALIA: Palpal retrolateral tibial apophysis rounded, smooth; dorsal tibial apophysis rounded, slightly rugose; one retrolateral and one dorsal trichobothria ( Fig. 104 ). Cymbium triangular; glabrous depression present ( Fig. 104 ); dorsal cymbial tubercle absent; ventral cymbial tubercle smooth and conical; prolateral notch shallow ( Fig. 105 ). Paracymbium apical pocket short, anterior pocket curved making a large cover, posterior pocket long and curved, creating a large cover ( Fig. 104 ). Embolus tip pointed, straight; basal flange wide, pointed; Fickert’s gland elongated, set basally; ventral lamella transparent, rounded, somewhat rugose; thumb reaching below the embolus proper ( Fig. 106 ). Embolus proper set apically, ventral part wider ( Fig. 106 ). Anterior terminal apophysis narrow with hardly any protrusions; posterior terminal apophysis curved and rounded; lamella characteristica large, strongly serrated ( Fig. 107 ).

Female: Unknown.

Other material examined: CANADA: Alberta: Waterton Lakes National Park, 07.vi.1980, F.I.T., 13, H. Teskey ( CNC).

Distribution: Canada, southwestern Alberta.

The rurestris group includes nine species, A. rurestris ( C.L. Koch 1836) , A. jacksoni ( Braendegaard 1937) , A. nigripes ( Simon 1884) , A. maritima ( Emerton 1919) , A. dynica Saaristo & Koponen 1998 , A. yukona n. sp., A. mollis ( O. Pickard-Cambridge 1871) , A. simplex ( Emerton 1926) and A. uta ( Chamberlin 1920) . The group occurs in the Old world, and in northern North America with a western species A. uta and a widely distributed species A. simplex .

This group consists of very closely related species ( A. rurestris , A. jacksoni , A. nigripes , A. maritima , A. dynica ) the male embolus and the female epigynum are very similar and sometimes difficult to distinguish. A. mollis , A. simplex and A. uta , are also closely related, in these species the anterior pocket of the male paracymbium is deeply curved and reaches the apical part of the paracymbium, the females have similar epigynum, with a short median part of scape.

There is one unique characters that unites this group, the striated posterior terminal apophysis of the radical disvion. The group can be characterized by this combination of characters; abdomen uniformly colored, absence of the Tm IV. The male palp has two retrolateral tibial trichobothria; the embolus proper is set on a horizontal ridge that reaches the embolus tip; Fickert’s gland absent; the ventral lamella is always present; the thumb reaches well below the embolus proper. Females are characterized by their deep pit hook depression in A. rurestris , A. jacksoni , A. nigripes , A. maritima , A. dynica and shallow pit hook depression in A. yukona , A. mollis , A. simplex and A. uta .

Figures

FIGURES 104 – 107. Agyneta watertoni n. sp. 104 – 107, Male. 104. Palp, retrolateral view. 105. Palp, prolateral view. 106. Embolus, prolateral view. 107. Radical division, retrolateral view.