Fedotovia feti, Fomichev, Alexander A. & Marusik, Yuri M., 2015

Fomichev, Alexander A. & Marusik, Yuri M., 2015, A survey of East Palaearctic Gnaphosidae (Araneae). 4. A review of Fedotovia Charitonov, 1946, Zootaxa 3948 (1), pp. 93-108 : 100-101

Fedotovia feti sp. n.

Figs 16‒18 , 24‒25 , 48‒55 , 60‒63 , Map 1

F. uzbekistanica: Ovtsharenko & Platnick 1991: 104 (♀ from Mongolia misidentified).

Types: MONGOLIA: Ömnögovi Aimag: holotype ♂ (ZMMU) and paratypes 3♂, 1♀ (ZMMU) Noyon Somon, Noyon uul (Mts.), 43°01.73’N 102°05.90’E, 1700 m, 30‒ 31.05.1997 (Yu.M. Marusik); 1♂, 4♀ (NHMB 809) Sevrej ul Gebirge, 10 km SW von Somon Sevrej, 1600 m, 17.VI.1967. Vorberge von Sevrej ul, sehr öde Hochwüste, mit Schotterpanzer und Kies bedeckter Boden. Unter Steinen geeinzelt (Z. Kaszab); Govi-Altai Aimag: 1♂, 2♀ (NHMB 582) Gobi Altaj Gebirge 9 km S von Somon Beger, 1600 m, 26.VI.1966. Am nordlich exponierten flachen Berghang (am “beel”), am Öden, am Steinboden, unter Steinen geeinzelt (Z. Kaszab).

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honour of our friend, scorpionologist Victor Fet ( Marshall University, Huntington, USA).

Diagnosis. The new species is most closely related to F. uzbekistanica , from which it can be distinguished by the larger body size, longer and thinner legs in both sexes and smaller posterior median eyes in females. The male palp of these species differs by size (larger in new species) and straight retrolateral margin of cymbium in F. uzbekistanica (strongly concave in new species, cf. Figs 24, 26 ). From F. mikhailovi sp. n. it differs by the shortened and curved tibial apophysis. Females differ from congeners by the wider posterior part of epigynal fovea, as well as by length and thickness of insemination ducts (see Table 1 ).

Description. Male (holotype). Total length 8.6. Carapace: 3.9 long, 2.95 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.13, ALE 0.2, PME 0.14, PLE 0.19, AME‒AME 0.1, AME‒ALE 0.04, PME‒PME 0.07, PME‒PLE 0.2, ALE‒PLE 0.26; MOQ length 0.49, front width 0.33, back width 0.37. Coloration: Carapace, chelicerae, labium, maxillae and sternum light brown. Cheliceral promargin with 2 teeth, retromargin with 5 teeth. Legs yellow. Opisthosoma dorsally yellow-grey, ventrally cream-colored. Large specimens much darker. Spinnerets yellow. Tibia I length/width ratio 4.9. Spination as in Table 2 .

Leg measurements

Palp as in Figs 16‒18 , 24 . Cymbium with concave retrolateral margin ( Fig. 24 ); tibial apophysis thick and relatively short (shorter than tibia), bent in mid-half; distal part of median apophysis strongly bent; embolus about 6.6 long (about 1.5 times longer than carapace).

Female. Total length 10.3. Carapace: 4.3 long, 3.3 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.14, ALE 0.23, PME 0.17, PLE 0.2, AME‒AME 0.11, AME‒ALE 0.07, PME‒PME 0.07, PME‒PLE 0.21, ALE‒PLE 0.27; MOQ length 0.53, front width 0.36, back width 0.41. Coloration: Carapace light brown. Chelicerae brown. Promargin with 2 teeth, retromargin with 5‒6 teeth. Labium, maxillae and sternum brown. Legs yellow, but metatarsi and tarsi of I and II legs light brown. Opisthosoma cream-colored. Spinnerets yellow. Large specimens much darker. Tibia I length/width ratio 4.0. Spination as in Table 2 .

Leg measurements

Epigyne as in Figs 25 , 60‒63 ; epigynal fovea looks like as an elongated rectangle.

Size variation. Males (n = 6) vary from 8.6 to 10 in body length, carapace 3.9–4.8 long and 2.95–3.8 wide. Females (n = 7) vary from 9 to 11.7 in body length, carapace 3.25–4.85 long and 2.65–3.8 wide.

Distribution. Southwestern Mongolia.

Comments. In addition to morphological differences indicating that F. feti sp. n. is a separate species, there is another evidence supporting the status of this Mongolian population. The Mongolian ( F. feti sp. n.) and Central Asian ( F. uzbekistanica ) populations are separated by Tien Shan and Pamir-Alai Mountains reaching at height 7000 and 5000 m, respectively. Since all Fedotovia species inhabit deserts, high mountains are an insurmountable obstacle for the dispersal of desert (= eremic) species. Similar pattern of distribution of related eremic species are known in other group of spiders, for example in Yllenus Simon, 1868 (Salticidae) ( Logunov & Marusik 2003) or Evippa Simon, 1882 (Lycosidae) (Marusik et al. 2003), and also in insects, for example in the carpenter-moths ( Cossidae ) ( Yakovlev & Dubatolov 2013).

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 21. Male palp of Fedotovia mikhailovi sp. n. (13 – 15), F. feti sp. n. (16 – 18) and F. uzbekistanica (19 – 21). 13, 16, 19 ventral; 14, 17, 20 retrolateral, 15, 18, 21 prolateral. Scale = 0.2 mm if not otherwise indicated. Abbreviations: Eb embolic base; Ll proximal embolic loop; Ma median apophysis; Pr triangular protrusion of tegulum; Sp strong spine; St subtegulum.

FIGURES 22 – 28. Size differences of copulatory organs of Fedotovia mikhailovi sp. n. (22 – 23), F. feti sp. n. (24 – 25), F. uzbekistanica (26 – 27) and F. mongolica (28). 22, 24, 26 palp dorsal (same scale); 23, 25, 27 – 28 epigyne ventral (same scale). Scale = 0.2 mm if not otherwise indicated. Abbreviations: Ll proximal embolic loop, Sp strong spine.

FIGURES 40 – 55. Habitus, chelicerae and prosoma of Fedotovia uzbekistanica (40 – 47) and F. feti sp. n. (48 – 55). 40 – 43, 48 – 51 female; 44 ‒ 47, 52 ‒ 55 male. 40, 44, 48, 52 habitus, dorsal; 41, 45, 50, 54 chelicera, mesal; 42, 46, 51, 55 chelicera, posterior; 43, 47, 49, 53 anterior part of prosoma, dorsal. Scale = 0.2 mm if not otherwise indicated.

FIGURES 56 – 63. Epigyne of Fedotovia uzbekistanica (56 ‒ 59), F. feti sp. n. (60 ‒ 63). 56, 60 intact, ventral; 57, 61, 59 after maceration, ventral; 58, 62 – 63 after maceration, dorsal. Scale = 0.2 mm if not otherwise indicated. Abbreviations: Ap anterior part of the insemination ducts, Gl gland, Re receptacle, Tp basal part of the insemination ducts.