Zaitunia afghana ( Roewer, 1962 )

Sergei Zonstein & Yuri M. Marusik, 2016, A revision of the spider genus Zaitunia (Araneae, Filistatidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 214, pp. 1-97 : 31-33

Zaitunia afghana ( Roewer, 1962)

Fig. 14

Filistata afghana Roewer, 1962: 12 (♀). Note: figs 6 and 9 labeled as F. afghana refer to Z. huberi sp. nov.

Zaitunia afghana – Zonstein et al. 2013: 69 (transfer from Filistata ).

Diagnosis

Zaitunia afghana can easily be distinguished from other species of the group, except Z. brignoliana sp. nov., by having the receptacles subdivided apically and with a distinct stem (the receptacles are undivided in most other species and a stem is lacking; in Z. brignoliana sp. nov., the subdivided receptacles are wider – cf. Fig. 16 D–F).

Material examined

Holotype

AFGHANISTAN: ♀, Helmand Province, Tchehel Dokhteran Cave , Kouh-Ghoramban, nearTchongoulak, Nawzad district, about 75 km N of Gereshk, c. 32º24' N, 64º30' E, 1300 m, 17 Apr. 1957, K. Lindberg ( ZMLS L57/3752, A.206; examined) . Almost all legs except left legs I and IV are partially missing in the holotype. Paratype of F. afghana actually belongs to Z. huberi sp. nov.

Description

Female

HABITUS. See Fig. 14 A–B, D.

BODY LENGTH. 6.20.

COLOUR. Whole body and legs light brownish-yellow, carapace with darker brown clypeus (however, with lighter yellow median stripe), long but narrow median spot dilated anteriorly; eye tubercle and narrow bands along carapace margins dark brown; chelicerae with narrow median brownish stripes; palpal and leg femora with narrow and incomplete light brown fasciae; abdomen without dorsal pattern.

CARAPACE ( Fig. 14 C). 2.52 long, 1.90 wide.

EYES. AME 0.09, ALE 0.21, PLE 0.18, PME 0.17, AME–AME 0.04.

ENDOGYNE ( Fig. 14 G–K). Receptacles with distinct stem and dumbbell-shaped transversal head. Pores cover only the head. Heads separated by distance of twice their diameters.

LEG MEASUREMENTS.

	Femur	Patella	Tibia	Metatarsus	Tarsus	Total
Palp	1.55	0.63	0.89	―	0.98	4.05
I	3.29	0.95	3.23	2.74	1.65	11.86
II	2.52	0.86	―	―	―	―
III	1.88	0.80	―	―	―	―
IV	2.78	0.93	2.07	2.00	1.13	8.91

Male

Unknown.

Remarks

During the present study, we found that Roewer (1962) erroneously assigned two different species of Zaitunia , almost indistinguishable from each other by habitus, to the type series. Hence, we redescribe the holotype, but the paratype of Filistata afghana , previously redescribed by Zonstein et al. (2013), is considered to represent a new species, Z. huberi sp. nov., listed and described below.

Ecology

According to the label data, the holotype was collected in a cave; other information is not available.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 47 ).

Figures

Fig. 14. Somatic characters and endogyne of Zaitunia afghana (Roewer, 1962), holotype, ♀. A – B. Habitus, dorsal and ventral. C. Prosoma, dorsal. D. Habitus, lateral. E – F. Calamistrum from above and lateral. G – I, K. Endogyne, dorsal. J. Right receptacle, dorsal. Scale bars: A, D = 1.0 mm; B – C = 0.5 mm; E – G, I = 0.2 mm; H = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 16. Zaitunia alexandri Brignoli, 1982 (A – B) and Z. brignoliana sp. nov. (C – F), holotype; ♀♀, habitus and structure of endogyne. — A – B, D, F. Endogyne, dorsal. C. Habitus, dorsal. E. Left receptacle, dorsal. Scale bars: A, F = 0.2 mm; C = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 47. Distribution of Zaitunia persica species group.