Alopecosa azsheganovae Esyunin, 1996

Azarkina, Galina N., Marusik, Yuri M. & Antonenko, Tatyana V., 2015, First description of the male of Alopecosa azsheganovae Esyunin, 1996 (Araneae: Lycosidae), Zootaxa 4033 (2), pp. 265-269 : 266-269

Alopecosa azsheganovae Esyunin, 1996 ( Figs 1–19 )

Alopecosa azsheganovae Esyunin, 1996: 1149 , figs 4.3–4.4 (♀); Esyunin & Tuneva 2012: 269, figs 1A–C, 2 (♀). Alopecosa sp.1: Azarkina & Trilikauskas 2013: 60, figs 36–37 (♀).

Material examined. Paratypes: RUSSIA: 1♀ ( ISEA, 000.139) Chelyabinsk Area, Troitsk District, Troitsk Wildlife Sanctuary, c. 53°56'N, 61°13'E, motley-feather grass steppe, pitfall traps, 14.07.1989 (S.L. Esyunin); 1♀ ( PSU, 6474) same data, 10.07– 24.08.1994 (S.L. Esyunin).

Other material. RUSSIA. Chelyabinsk Area: 4♂ ( PSU, 6476) Ilmenskii Reserve, Demidovskaya Sopka, 55°11'N, 60°15'E, feather-grass-stony steppe, pitfall traps, 22– 30.05.2014 (S.S. Sokolova). Novosibirsk Area: 178♂ 19♀, Zdvinsk District, nr Shirokaya Kur'ya Vill., 54°36–37'N, 78°10–15'E, 2009–2010 (A.N. Bespalov). Altai Republic: 1♀ ( ISEA, 001.6286) Maima Vill., c. 51°58'N, 85°50'E, pebbles, 18.05.1999 (M.V. Burmistrov).

Diagnosis. Alopecosa azsheganovae is most similar to A. kasakhstanica Saveljeva, 1972 and A. psammophila Buchar, 2001 . The male palps differ by the shape of the tegular apophysis – wide in A. azsheganovae ( Figs 2 , 9, 10 ) and relatively narrow in A. kasakhstanica and A. psammophila ( Azarkina & Trilikauskas 2013: figs 21, 31 respectively). Females of A. azsheganovae differ from similar species by having a semicircular epigynal septum, with a thin septal ridge ( Figs 4–5 , 14 ) (anchor-shaped in A. kazakhstanica and A. psammophila ).

Description. Male. Total length 8.2–8.7. Carapace 4.20–4.40 long, 2.95‒3.00 wide. Abdomen 4.0–4.3 long. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.15, ALE 0.05, PME 0.30, PLE 0.25, AME-AME 0.10, AME-ALE 0.07, PME-PME 0.30, PME-PLE 0.40.

Leg measurements: I 9.6 (2.6+1.5+2.0+2.0+1.5); II 9.4 (2.5+1.4+1.9+2.1+1.5); III 9.1 (2.4+1.3+1.8+2.3+1.3); IV 12.7 (3.2+1.4+2.8+3.7+1.6).

Leg spination. I Fe d1-1-1, p0-0-1, r0-1-1; Pt 0; Ti p1-1, r1-1, v2-2 -2ap; Mt p1-1-1ap, r0-1-1ap, v2-2 -2ap. II Fe d1- 1-1, p0-0-1, r0-1-1; Pt p1; Ti p1-1, r1-1, v2-2 -2ap; Mt p1-1-1, r1-1-1, v2-2 -2ap. III Fe d1-1-1, p0-1-1, r1-1-1; Pt p1, r1; Ti d1, p1-1, r1-1, v1-1 -1; Mt d2-2-2ap, v2-2 -2ap. IV Fe d1-1-1ap, p1-1ap, r1ap; Pt p1, r1; Ti d1-1, p1-1, r1-1, v2-2 -2ap; Mt p1-1-2ap, r1-1-2ap, v2-2 -2ap.

Habitus and pattern as in Figs 16, 17 . Carapace brown, with wide, light marginal bands and median band. Lateral band dark brown. Abdomen light brown, with wide median band and thinner lateral brown bands. Heart mark indistinct. Venter grey-brown, with dense, short white setae and sparse dark brown short bristles ( Fig. 17 ). Book lung plates and spinnerets yellow-brown to brown. Legs brown, covered with short, dark brown hairs, metatarsi and tarsi of all legs yellow-brown. Palpal femur, tibia and cymbium brown, patella brownish yellow, covered with short, dark brown setae and long, dark brown bristles. Palp as in Figs 2–3 , 9–13 . Cymbium without claw ( Figs 2 , 9 ), tip approximately 1/2 bulbus height. Tegular apophysis with terminal triangular (at anterior view) ventral outgrowth ( Fig. 11 ). Embolus without laminar extension ( Fig. 12 ).

Female (Paratypes). Total length 9.2–10.2. Carapace 4.5–4.7 long, 3.1–3.5 wide. Abdomen 4.70–5.50 long. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.17, ALE 0.12, PME 0.30, PLE 0.30, AME-AME 0.12, AME-ALE 0.07, PME-PME 0.37, PME-PLE 0.50.

Leg measurements: I 9.9 (2.9+1.5+2.1+1.9+1.5); II 9.4 (2.7+1.4+2.0+1.9+1.4); III 9.0 (2.6+1.3+1.7+2.2+1.2); IV 12.9 (3.5+1.5+2.7+3.4+1.8).

Leg spination. I Fe d1-1-1, p0-0-1, r0-1-1; Pt 0; Ti p1-0, v2-2 -2ap; Mt p0-1-1ap, r0-0-1ap, v2-2 -2ap. II Fe d1-1-1, p0-1-1, r1-1-1; Pt p1; Ti p1-1, v2-2 -2ap; Mt p1-1-1ap, r0-0-1ap, v2-2 -2ap. III Fe d1-1-1, p0-1-1ap, r1-1-1; Pt p1, r1; Ti d1-1, p1-1, r1-1, v2-2 -2ap; Mt p1-1-2ap, r1-1-2ap, v2-2 -2ap. IV Fe d1-1-1, p1-0-1, r0-0-1; Pt p1, r1; Ti d1-1, p1-1, r1-1, v2-2 -2ap; Mt p1-1-2ap, r1-1-2ap, v2-2 -2ap.

Habitus and pattern as in Figs 18, 19 , nearly identical to the male. Heart mark distinct. Epigyne covered with white setae and brown bristles, as in Figs 19 . Septum large, semicircular, covering 2/3 of fovea, stem thin: apical pocket width variable, with two separate chambers ( Figs 4, 5 , 14 ). Each receptacle with two subequally sized heads: ventral and dorsal ( Figs 6–8 , 15 ).

Habitat. Steppe and meadow steppe.

Comments. Based on the shape of the copulatory organs, A. azsheganovae can be placed in the fabrilis -group (see Lugetti & Tongiorgi 1969, p. 4).

Distribution. West Siberian nemoral range, from South Ural to NW part of Atlai Republic ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution records of Alopecosa azsheganovae.

FIGURES 2 – 8. Alopecosa azsheganovae. 2, 3 male left palp, ventral and retrolateral; 4, 5 epigyne, ventral; 6 – 8 ditto, dorsal. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 9 – 15. Alopecosa azsheganovae. 9 male left palp, ventral; 10, 11 bulb, ventral and apical; 12 embolic division, ventral; 13 bulb, prolateral-apical; 14 epigyne, ventral; 15 ditto, dorsal. Scale bars: 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: ApB apical bump; Co conductor; Em embolus; RlB retrolateral bump; TA terminal apophysis; TgA tegular apophysis; VB ventral bump.

FIGURES 16 – 19. Alopecosa azsheganovae. 16, 17 male habitus, dorsal and ventral; 18, 19 female habitus, dorsal and ventral. Scale bars: 1 mm.