Zodarion beroni Komnenov & Chatzaki

Marjan Komnenov, Eva Pitta, Konstantina Zografou & Maria Chatzaki, 2016, Discovering the still unexplored arachnofauna of the National Park of Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli, NE Greece: a taxonomic review with description of new species, Zootaxa 4096 (1), pp. 1-66 : 41-43

Zodarion beroni Komnenov & Chatzaki sp. n.

Figs 97–111

Type material. Holotype: male ( NHMC, FC 12159), Dadia National Park, low maqui, Site, 5, 03– 27.07.2011, leg. K. Zografou. Paratypes: 1 ♀ ( NHMC, FC 12159, used for description), same data as holotype; Site 5 (c: 2 ♂), Site 8 (a: 1 ♂), Site 12 (a: 1 ♂), Site 14 (b: 1 ♂).

Etymology. This species is named in honor of the colleague and good friend of the first author, the prominent zoologist, Dr Petar Beron ( Bulgaria). Noun in genitive case.

Diagnosis. Zodarion beroni sp. n. is one of the smallest species of the thoni group, closely related to its members, namely, Zodarion thoni , Z. granulatum , Z. nigrifemur and Z. reticulatum . The new species differs from Z. thoni , Z. nigrifemur and Z. reticulatum by its smaller body length (2.03–2.2 in new species vs 2.9–4.2 in Z. thoni , 3.8–6.2 in Z. nigrifemur and 5.0– 6.6 in Z. reticulatum ). Males of Z. beroni sp. n. differ from Z. granulatum by the asymmetrically bi-concave tip of the embolus (convex in Z. granulatum ), females by the shape of spermathecae.

FIGURES 97–107. Zodarion beroni sp. n. male holotype (97, 99, 101, 105–107) and female paratype (98, 100, 102, 103–104). 97–98 habitus, dorsal view; 99–100 same, ventral view; 101–102 same, lateral view; 103 epigyne, ventral view; 104 vulva, dorsal view; 105 palp, ventral view showing embolus taken in front of median apophysis; 106 same, ventral view showing natural position of the embolus behind the median apophysis; 107 same, retrolateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (97–102); 0.2 mm (103–107).

Description. Male (holotype). Total length 2.03; carapace 0.95 long, 0.68 wide, with a few small bristles, some longer ones in ocular area. Abdomen 1.08 long, 0.7 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.09, ALE 0.07, PME 0.06, PLE 0.06, AME-AME 0.03, AME-ALE 0.02, ALE-PLE 0.02, PME-PME 0.13, PME-PLE 0.04; MOQ: 0.2 long, 0.18 anterior width, 0.25 posterior width. Coloration and habitus as in Figs 97, 99, 101. Chelicerae and carapace orange, area around AME darkened; legs and sternum yellowish orange. Carapace with several erect hairs on the front and median line behind PME; thoracic part densely granulated. Abdomen oval; dorsum almost completely covered with smooth, shiny dark-brown scutum; venter whitish, in front of spinnerets provided with row of 10 setae. Palp as in Figs 105–109. Tibia with finger-like apophysis, with black, upright pointed tip; median apophysis very large, with large triangular prolateral process; embolus semi-circular, curving over apical part of bulb, tip of embolus asymmetrically bi-concave (Nike-like shaped), terminally pointed.

Female (paratype). Total length 2.2; carapace 1.0 long, 0.6 wide. Abdomen 1.2 long, 0.8 wide. Coloration and habitus (Figs 98, 100, 102) as for male except: abdomen dorsally dark sepia, without scutum. Epigyne as in Figs 103, 110. Dark silhouettes of spermathecae visible through integument; copulatory orifices right in the middle of the atrium. Vulva as in Figs 104, 111. Spermathecal tubes stand parallel to each other.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in NE-Greece ( Fig. 1 ).

Chorotype. Probably Greek endemic.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map of the study area with sampling sites indicated on the largest zoom.