Mesiotelus scopensis Drensky, 1935

Elverici, Özkütük & Kunt, 2013, Two New Liocranid Species Records From Turkey (Araneae: Liocranidae), Munis Entomology & Zoology 8 (1), pp. 305-308 : 306

Mesiotelus scopensis Drensky, 1935

( Figs. 6-11 )

M. cyprius s.; Drensky, 1935: 106, f. 5 (original description of female). M. cyprius s.; Hadjissarantos, 1940: 96, f. 32a-b (original description of male). M. skopensis ; Bosmans et al., 2009: 34, f. 29-33 (male & female; elevated to species level, lapsus).

Material examined Specimens collected at night in active searching of the ground or collected under rocks in olive gardens; 2 females Muğla Province, Milas District, Kıyıkışlacık Village (37°16'38.80"N; 27°33'47.97"E), 20.11.2010, leg. M. Elverici 1 male 5 females same locality, 4.03.2011, leg. M. Elverici 2 females same locality, 10.04.2011, leg. M. Elverici | Specimens acquired from pitfall trap surveys in olive gardens; 3 females Muğla Province, Marmaris District, Kıyıkışlacık Village (37°16'38.80"N; 27°33'47.97"E), 29.5.2010 - 29. 6. 2010, leg. M. Elverici 2 females same locality, 0 1.10.2010 - 20.11.2010, leg. M. Elverici 2 males 1 female same locality, 20.11.2010 - 4.3.2011, leg. M. Elverici 3 males 2 females same locality, 4.3.2011 - 9.4.2011, leg. M. Elverici .

General distribution: Greece, Bulgaria and Macedonia (Platnick, 2012)

Comments: Mesiotelus is represented by 15 described species, mostly known from the Mediterranean region and its peripheries; although there are representatives distributed from the Canaries to China along the southern part of the Palearctic region. The taxonomic validity of the only known species from Kenya, Mesiotelus pococki Caporiacco, 1949 is uncertain. This problem was first raised by Marusik & Guseinov (2003). After examining the female genitalia of M. pococki from illustrations and description provided by Caporiacco (1949), it is evident that the epigyne structure is simple and pentangular, well sclerotized at the margins and compressed in the middle; and thus inconsistent with the epigyne structure typical of the genus Mesiotelus . Moreover, Bosmans et al. (2009) have stressed the necessity of a generic revision. Other species of the genus already known from Turkey are M. annulipes (Kulczyński, 1897) and M. tenuissimus (L.Koch, 1866) .

Figures

Figures 6 - 11. Mesiotelus scopensis Drensky, 1935: 6 Male, habitus 7 Female, habitus 8 Male palp, ventral view 9 Ditto, retrolateral view 10 Epigyne, ventral view 11 Ditto, dorsal view Scale lines: 6, 7 0.25 mm 8 - 11 0.1 mm.