Uralophantes ponticus, Gnelitsa, 2022

Gnelitsa, V. A., 2022, A New Uralophantes From The South Ukraine (Araneae, Linyphiidae, Ipaeinae), Zoodiversity 56 (1), pp. 21-28 : 22-27

Uralophantes ponticus , sp. n. ( figs 1, 2 , 5, 6, 8–16, 21–23, 25, 29)

Etymology. The species name is derived from its type locality on the shore of Black Sea (Greek Πόντος Εύξεινος).

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to U. troitskensis differing by the male palp parts and female epigynum as summarized in table 3.

Description. Male: carapace 0.84 long, 0.64 wide, yellow with no dark pattern dorsally. Posterior median eyes are separated 0.8 their diameter. Sternum 0.42 long and 0.42 wide extended between coxae IV, knobbly near the margin, yellow and brown-yellow to the border. Chelicera outer margin with two – three teeth, rare margin with three small teeth close together; stridulating striae are distinctive visible laterally. Legs spination: FeI — 1l; TiI — 2d:1p:1r; TiII — 2d:1p; TiIII — 2d;TiIV — 2d; MtI-IV — 1d;

embolic division from inside; U. ponticus sp. n.: 10 — embolic Figs 7, 8. U. ponticus sp. n. embolic division division from the first anterior apophysis (radix partially refrom inside: 7 — ventral-apical; 8 — ventral. moved); 11 — embolus from the median membrane; 12 — em- Scale 0.1 mm. bolus from the embolus proper. Scale 0.1 mm.

Figs 16–23. Epigynum: U. ponticus sp. n.: 16 — ventral; 25 — female abdomen dorsal; 26 — female abdo- 17 — caudal; 18 — dorsal; 19 — lateral; U. troitskensis men lateral (Kherson Region), epigynum lateral (after Esyunin, 1992): 20 — ventral; 21 — caudal; 22 — (Penza Region); U. troitskensis (after Esyunin, 1992): dorsal; 23 — lateral. Scale 0.1 mm. 28 — female abdomen lateral. Scale 0.1 mm.

Abdomen yellow with grey transverse separated strips.

Palp as in figs 1–4 , 7, 8, 10–15. Paracymbium ( figs 1, 2 ) consists of three parts: proximal (PP), middle (MP) and apical (AP). The proximal part (PP) is with almost parallel sides, its proximal moiety somewhat curved ahead bears few long spines. The middle part (MP) is widened dorso-ventrally with convex upper side and rounded lower edge, narrowed apical part (AP) curved upwards.

Radix (R) is a large triangle sclerite with the first angle directed backwards, the second angle tends forward toward cymbiun, the third one extends into radical lamella (RL) figs 3, 4 , 7, 8, 13, 14. The frontal edge of radix bears a finger-shaped appendix (RFA) figs 3, 4 , 13–15 . The robust tooth is placed between appendix of the radical frontal edge (RFA) and the radical lamella (RL) figs 3, 4 .

Radical lamella (RL) consists of long narrow branch divided at the apex curved down gradually and the short wide branch with a rounded end part oriented opposite the long one figs 1, 2 .

Forward of the radix the first anterior apophysis (AA1) is located figs 3, 4 , 7, 8, 10, 13–15. The apophysis on its wide and flattened base is provided with a basal hook (BH) figs 3, 4 , 13, 14 .

Distally AA1 splits into large main branch (MB) figs 3, 4 , 6, 7, 14, 15 (former “MA” of Esyunin (1992)) and the small secondary branch (SB) figs 2 , 5, 6, 8, 9, 12 (former “E” of Esyunin (1992)). Flattened first, then main branch (MB) gradually becomes narrowed trough taped distally. AA1 secondary (lower) piece (SB) is covered partially with moderate size sclerite — second anterior apophysis (AA2) figs 3, 4 , 13–15 . Membrane (AM1) is visible at the inner side of the AA1 base figs 7, 8, 10.

First anterior apophysis, AA1 wide appendix at the base, BH with rounded end (fig. 6) pointed hook like appendix at the base, BH (figs 3, 4, 13, 14)

AA2 lateral outgrowth is situated at the side of BH figs 3, 4 , 13, 14 . The main part of AA2 covers the base of the embolus proper (EP) figs 13, 14 . Bare noticeable narrow membrane (AM2) grows from the base of AA2 fig. 15 .

Oval shape Fickert’s gland is visible between RFA and tooth of the radix ( figs 3, 4 ) at the place of the radix from which median membrane (MM) originates figs 7, 8, 10, 11.

Complex embolus consists of basal sclerite (BS), lateral lobe (LL), embolus proper (EP) and posterior appendix (PA) figs 11, 12 . Widened basal sclerite (BS) partially prolates distally figs 11, 12 . Lateral lobe (LL) flattened and rounded at the end figs 9–12 arises from the side of BS fig. 12 . Posterior appendix (PA) figs 7, 8, 10–12 resembles radical tailpiece ( Hormiga, 2000) goes opposite to claw shape elongated embolus proper (EP) figs 7, 8, 10–12.

Female: total length 1.78. Carapace 0.83 long, 0.62 wide, pale brown-yellow with slightly darker margin. Posterior median eyes bordered with black are separated by their diameter. Sternum 0.48 long and 0.43 wide, yellow-gray gradually darkened to the border. Chelicera outer margin with three teeth: two large and a small one, rear margin with four teeth diminished distally, stridulating striae as in male. Legs spination: FeI — 1l, TiI — 2d:1p:1r, TiII — 2d:1p, TiIII — 2d, TiIV — 2d, MtI-IV — 1d; position of metatarsal trichobothrium: I — 0.18, II — 0.20, III — 0.21, no trichobothrium on MtIV. Length of leg joints ( table 2).

Abdomen yellow with the pattern of gray separate transverse stripes merged at the sides of abdomen fig. 25 .

Epigynum as in figs 16–19, 26, 27; vulva as in fig. 24 . Median beam (BE after Saaristo, 2007) of the epigynum is reduced so the fertilization grooves (FG) start close to the caudal edge of the ventral plate (VP) fig. 24 . Ventral plate (VP) is short and robust figs 26, 27 .

Elongated posterior median plate (PMP) is straight figs 19, 26, 27. The dorsal (DF) and ventral (VF) flanks are noticeable figs 16, 18, 19, 24.

Biology. The species prefer meadows especially near the freshwater lakes and reservoirs (author’s data), yet sporadically can be caught in grass of forb steppe and in patch forests with birch ( Polchaninova, Prokopenko, 2013, 2017).

D i s t r i b u t i o n. The species is known from the Steppe and Wood-and-Steppe zones of the Eastern European plain fig. 29 .

Comments: U. troitskensis Esyunin, 1992 from Chornomorsky Biosphere Reserve: Ukraine: Kherson Region, Hola Pristan District, 5 km North wards Ivanivka village ( Polchaninova, 2012) referes to U. ponticus sp. n.

Figures

Figs 1–4. U. ponticus sp. n. male palp lateral: 1 — Kherson Figs 5, 6. U. troitskensis (after Esyunin, 1992): Region; 2 — Penza Region; ventral: 3 — Kherson Region; 5 — male palp lateral; 6 — embolic division 4 — Penza Region. Scale 0.1 mm. ventral. Scale 0.1 mm.

Figs 13–15. U. ponticus sp. n. male palp: mesal: 13 — Kherson Region; 14 — Penza Region; 15 — apical. Scale 0.1 mm.

Figs 9–12. U. troitskensis (after Esyunin, 1992) male palp: 9 —

Figs 24–28. U. ponticus sp. n.: 24 — vulva ventral;

Fig. 29. Distribution data: U. ponticus sp. n. — solid triangle; U. troitskensis Esyunin, 1992 — solid circle (data confirmed); open circle (data need to be confirmed).