Agraecina lineata (Simon)

Bosmans, Robert, 1999, The genera Agroeca, Agraecina, Apostenus and Scotina in the Maghreb countries (Araneae: Liocranidae), Bulletin Di L' Institut Royal Des Sciences Naturelles De Belgique Entomologie 69, pp. 25-34 : 29-30

Agraecina lineata (Simon)

( Figs 17-20 )

Agroeca lineata Simon 1878: 308 (descr. female).

Agraecina lineata Simon 1932: 939 , 970 (descr. male, non female); Grimm 1986: 14.

Diagnosis: Males are easily distinguished from other liocranids from the Maghreb by the strongly pointed tibial apophysis and median apophysis of the bulb; females have an epigyne with elongate median septum, without other chitinisations.

Remarks: Simon (1878) described Agraecina lineata from a juvenile or subadult female from Corsica. He described the male and female in 1932, and the species was said to occur in continental France, Corsica, Algeria and Morocco. Simon’s Fig.ure of the female epigyne is incorrect, as also indicated by Grimm (1986). The same author presented recent Fig.ures of the male palp, epigyne and vulva have never been illustrated.

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Description:

Measurements: Male: Total length 4.4-6.0; carapace 1.97-2.82 long, 1.64-2.21 wide. Female: Total length 8,0; carapace 2.72 long, 2.21 wide.

Colour: Carapace yellowish brown with grey margin and anastomosing, radiating stripes; legs yellowish brown, not annulated; abdomen pale grey with wide median and narrower lateral longitudinal grey stripes, converging to the back.

Palp ( Figs. 17-18 ): Tibial apophysis strongly pointed, gradually narrowing, oblique to the axe of the segment: median apophysis gently curved, distal 2/3 linear and pointed; embolus straight, needle-like.

Epigyne ( Fig. 19 ): With hardly defined, short median septum in the anterior half, in the postero-median half with gently curved spermathecae visible in transparency.

Vulva ( Fig. 20 ): Anterior to the septum with two poaches, preceding long and straight copulation ducts

Material examined:

Algeria - Boumerdes: Reghaia , 5m, 2 males in pitfalls in marsh with tamarisk, 13.VI.1988, and 1 male 1 female, 30.IX.1988, R. B o sm a n s leg. ( CRB) .

- Tizi Ouzou: forêt de Mizrana , 300m, 1 female, stones in grassland, 26.I.1990, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB) .

Spain - Malaga: Benyanina N. , 1 male in pitfalls in coastal dunes, 1.IV. 1999, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB) .

Distribution: Algeria, Morocco, France (Alpes maritimes, Bouches du Rhone, Bretagne, Corse, Loire atlantique, Loire inférieure, Morbihan), Italy (Umbria), Spain (new record). In Algeria we collected the species mainly in salt marshes, once more to the interior in grassland.

Figures

Figs. 17 - 20 — Agraecina lineata (Simon). - 17. Male palp, lateral view; - 18. Idem, ventral view; - 19. Epigyne, ventral view; - 20. Vulva, ventral view. Figs. 21 - 24 — Agraecina hodna n. sp. - 21. Male palp, lateral view; - 22. Idem, ventral view; - 23. Epigyne, ventral view; - 24. Vulva, ventral view.