Cheiracanthium andamanense ( Tikader, 1977 ) Esyunin & Zamani, 2020

Esyunin, Sergei L. & Zamani, Alireza, 2020, ‘ Conundrum of esoterica’: on the long-forgotten genus Eutittha Thorell, 1878, with new taxonomic considerations in Cheiracanthium C. L. Koch, 1839 (Araneae: Cheiracanthiidae), Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 54 (19 - 20), pp. 1293-1323 : 1314-1317

Cheiracanthium andamanense ( Tikader, 1977) , comb. nov., stat. resurr.

Clubiona andamanensis Tikader, 1977, p. 194 , fig. 19A–C (description of holotype ♀ from INDIA: Middle Andaman , Long Island; B. K. Tikader leg. 17.07.1971) . Majumder and Tikader 1991, p. 27, figs 39–43 (♀).

Cheiracanthium turiae: Deeleman-Reinhold 2001, p. 199 (synonymy of Clubiona andamanensis with Eutittha montana Thorell [now C. turiae Strand , by replacement]; here rejected).

Comments

This species is known on the basis of the holotype collected in Middle Andaman Island ( Tikader 1977) and one female collected in Sumatra. Deeleman-Reinhold (2001, p. 199) synonymised Cl. andamanensis with Cheiracanthium turiae without any discussion. However, C. turiae is reliably known only from males (for details, see comments on C. turiae ). The only female which ‘was taken at the type locality [of C. turiae ], Mt. Singalang in Sumatra’ ( Deeleman-Reinhold 2001, p. 236) was described as Cheiracanthium sp. which was illustrated by Deeleman-Reinhold (2001: figs 294–295). We agree that Cl. andamanensis is extremely close to Cheiracanthium sp. which was illustrated by Deeleman-Reinhold (2001: figs 294–295). The latter species has the same C-shaped anterior margin of the epigynal atrium as Cl. andamanensis vs. a nearly straight anterior margin in C. cf. turiae . We also agree that it ‘is tempting to consider this to be a typical female [of C.] turiae ’ ( Deeleman-Reinhold 2001, p. 236), although this is not definitive at this time. According to that incomprehensible ‘reasoning’ in Deeleman- Reinhold (2001), we propose the validity of Cheiracanthium andamanense ( Tikader, 1977) and regard it as a distinct species.

Cheiracanthium iranicum Esyunin & Zamani , sp.n. Figures 3 (a–f) and 4 http://www.zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:75464666-862F-4691-AC09-7E214326C79F

Type material Holotype ♂ ( ZMMU), IRAN: Ilam Province: Mehran County, July 2015 (A. Zamani).

Etymology The specific epithet refers to the collection locality of the holotype.

Diagnosis

The male of C. iranicum sp. n. is easily distinguishable from all species of the melanostomum species group and is most similar to those of C. adjacensoides and C. melanostomum . The new species is easily distinguished from both species by linear RTA with sickle-shaped apex ( Figures 3 (f) and 4) vs. wavy RTA with a pointed apex in C. adjacensoides and C. melanostomum (see Gravely 1931: fig. 17C; Deeleman-Reinhold 2001: fig. 279; Hu et al. 2019: fig 1c). Furthermore, it can be distinguished from C. melanostomum by the cheliceral teeth: two promarginal and three retromarginal teeth in C. iranicum sp. n. vs. two promarginal and two retromarginal teeth in C. melanostomum , and from C. adjacensoides by the shorter (0.4 times the length of tibia vs. 0.6 times in C. adjacensoides ) and linear RTA with sickle-shaped apex ( Figure 3 (f)) and the lanceolate TA ( Figure 3 (d)) vs. wavy RTA with a pointed apex and lamellar TA with a rounded apex in C. adjacensoides (see Deeleman- Reinhold 2001: figs 278, 279; Hu et al. 2019: fig 1b, c).

Description

Male. Habitus as in Figure 3 (a). Total length 7.0. Carapace 2.3 long, 2.5 wide; reddish brown. Sternum and legs yellow.Chelicerae protruding, 1.8 long, brown; with 2 promarginal teeth and 3 retromarginal teeth. Endites and labium light brown with yellow apex.

The height of the clypeus (0.15 and 0.11 from ALE and AME, respectively) slightly smaller than the diameter of the anterior eyes. Ocular field brown, width of slightly recurved AER 1.31, procurved PER 1.43. Medial eye field slightly elongated trapezoid ( Figure 3 (b)): 0.48 long, 0.57 wide anteriorly and 0.61 posteriorly. Eye sizes (largest diameter) 0.19. Eye interdistances: ALE-PLE touching; AME-ALE separated by their diameter, AME-AME, PME-PME and PME-PLE separated by more than their diameter. AME- ALE 0.19, AME-AME 0.23, PME-PME 0.30, PME-PLE 0.32. Leg formula: I-IV-II-III. Leg measurements: I 15.9 (4.1, 1.5, 4.3, 4.6, 1.6), II 11.4 (3.0, 1.3, 2.8, 3.3, 1.0), III 8.8 (2.4, 1.0, 1.8, 2.6, 1.0), IV 12.4 (3.4, 1.3, 2.9, 4.0, 0.9). Leg spination: Femora I–IV pl 0-1-1, rl 0-1-1; Tibiae I pl

0-1-1, v 2-2-0, II pl 0-0-1, v 2-2-0; III pl 0-1-0, v 2-0-0; IV pl 0-1-1, rl 0-1-1, v 2-0-0; Metatarsi I v 2-1-1; II pl 0-1-0, v 2-1-1; III pl 1-1-2, rl 1-1-2, v 2-1-1; IV pl 1-1-2, rl 1-1-2, v 2-2-1. Tarsi III–IV with dense scopulae; metatarsi I–II, apical part of metatarsi III–IV and tarsi I–II with sparse scopulae.

Abdomen elongate-oval, 3.8 long; yellowish-white, with dark lanceolate bands ( Figure 3a ).

Palp. Tibia short, about 0.8 times shorter than cymbium ( Figures 3 (b) and 4), with short retrolateral tibial apophysis ( Figure 3 (e); about 0.4 times shorter than tibia) distally slightly expanded with a lateral notch at the top ( Figure 3 (f)). Cymbium elongate; cymbial spur (CS, Figure 3 (d)) short (about 0.4 times the length of tibia), slightly curved. Tegulum slightly oval; embolic base in apical-retrolateral position ( Figure 3 (c)); conductor unsclerotized but distinct; tegular apophysis (TA, Figure 3 (d)) lightly sclerotised, lanceolate, difficult to see in the light microscope (cf. Figure 3 (c)).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution Known only from the type locality in Ilam Province, western Iran.

Remarks

Two Cheiracanthium species in Yemen ( C. aden Lotz, 2007b and C. aladanense Lotz, 2007b ) known from females only have an epigyne similar to that of females melanostomum species group. Because both species are very small (4.3 and 3.9, respectively, cf. Lotz 2007b), they are likely not conspecific with the new species described here.

Figures

Figure 3. Cheiracanthium iranicum sp. n., holotype male. (a) Dorsal habitus. (b) Prosoma, frontal view. (c) Right palp, ventral view (mirrored image). (d) Ibid, SEM graph (mirrored image). (e) Tibia of male palp, lateral view. (f) Retrolateral tibial apophysis. Abbreviations:C – conductor, CF – cymbial fold; CS – cymbial spur; E – embolus; EB – embolus base; PTA – prolateral tibial apophysis; RTA – retrolateral tibial apophysis; TA – tegular apophysis. Scale bars: a – 1.0, b – 0.5, c – 0.2, d–f – 0.1 mm.