Harpactea arnedoi, Kunt, Kadir Bogac, Elverici, Mert, Oezkuetuek, Recep Sulhi & Yagmur, Ersen Aydin, 2011

Kunt, Kadir Bogac, Elverici, Mert, Oezkuetuek, Recep Sulhi & Yagmur, Ersen Aydin, 2011, Two new species of Harpactea (Araneae, Dysderidae) from Turkey, ZooKeys 145, pp. 129-141 : 130-131

Harpactea arnedoi sp. n. Figs 28

Material examined.

Holotype ♂ (AUZM), Turkey, Gaziantep Province, Kuşçubeli Pass [37°6'50.20"N; 36°36'34.20"E], 13.XI.2010, under leaf litter, leg. E.A. Yağmur. Paratypes 1 ♀, 1 ♂ (AUZM); 2 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂, 9 juveniles (cKBK & SMF), same data as holotype.

Derivatio nominis.

The new species is dedicated to the Spanish arachnologist, Dr. Miquel Arnedo (Barcelona University, Barcelona, Spain), who has made important contributions to the taxonomy of the family Dysderidae .

Diagnosis.

Harpactea arnedoi sp. n. differs from all other Harpactea species in the structure of the copulatory organs. However, the general morphology of the male palp resembles that of Harpactea zoiai Gasparo, 1999 known from Greece (see Gasparo 1999). The male of Harpactea arnedoi sp. n. differs in having an uneven spherical shape of the palpal bulb; the region between the bulb and the distal continuation is elongated and has a funnel-like appearance; the embolus is shorter, hook-like and bends downwards towards the tip. The vulva is apparent and characterized by a peripherally sclerotized posterior diverticulumand folded distal expansion.

Notes.

While describing Harpactea arnedoi sp. n., it was difficult to decide whether it would be best assigned to Harpactea or to Stalagtia . By the characteristic structure of the male copulatory organ (globular tegulum, long embolus, poorly developed conductor), the new species is similar to members of Stalagtia . However, the male palp possesses a poorly developed conductor (Fig. 4), and the female copulatory organs are similar to those of Harpactea species in having a short posterior diverticulum and anterior spermathecae. Thus, we feel the new species is correctly placed in Harpactea . Further evidence in support of this generic placement is the absence of ventral spines on the anterior tibiae and metatarsi in the new species, particularly as Deeleman-Reinhold (1993) stated that their presence was diagnostic of Stalagtia . However, the only known Turkish species of Stalagtia , Stalagtia thaleriana Chatzaki & Arnedo, 2006, does not possess ventral spines on the anterior tibiae and metatarsi, as was mentioned earlier by Chatzaki and Arnedo (2006) and Kunt et al. (2009).

Description.

Measurements: [Holotype ♂ / Paratype ♀]: AL 2.26 / 2.50; CL 1.75 / 1.73; CWmax 1.45 / 1.35; CWmin 0.63 / 0.65; AMEd 0.10 / 0.11; PLEd 0.09 / 0.09; PMEd 0.08 / 0.08; ChF 0.37 / 0.38; ChG 0.18 / 0.19; ChL 0.62 / 0.64 mm. Leg measurements are given in Table 1.

MALE: Small sized spider. Carapace greenish - light brown, with smooth surface and distinct fovea. AME, PLE and PME closely grouped; AME separated. Sternum, labium, gnathocoxae and chelicerae light brown. Sternum dark brown laterally, with thin, long hair near margins. Cheliceral groove with four teeth: retromargin with two tiny teeth; promargin with two strong teeth, largest tooth closest to base of the cheliceral groove (Fig. 2). Top of the labium and gnathocoxae with short, strong hair, sparsely distributed. Abdomen greyish-light brown, with short, thin blackish hair over the entire surface. Legs yellowish-light brown with sparse blackish setae. Ventral surface of coxae with long, thin, black sparse hair. Leg IV> Leg I> Leg II> Leg III. Tarsi with three claws. Tarsi III and IV with fine scopulae. Legs III and IV with fine metatarsal scopulae covering slightly less than the distal half of the segment (ventral surface only). Prolateral part of coxae III and IV with 1 spine. Dorsal parts of femora, tibiae and metatarsi with spines. Number of spines can vary among individuals. Detailed leg spination of Harpactea arnedoi sp. n. is given in Table 2.

Palpal tarsus of the male covered with thin and elongated setae. Tegulum yellow, lighter than the legs. Bulb almost spherical. The anteroventral region of the bulb has a chitinized edge. Between bulb and distal appendages there is a neck-shaped transition region (Figs 3-5). This region is lightly chitinized and dusky in patches. From the base of the embolus, conductor and accessory apophysis have dark brown tips. Embolus is slender and cylindrical up to its hook-like tip and it is not so heavily sclerotized. At the periphery it is membranous and projects downwards, parallel to the palpal tibia. Conductor and accessory apophysis are developed at the end of the neck-shaped transition region, on the opposite tips of an ear-shaped structure. Both are triangular in shape, whereas the accessory apophysis is longer and jagged (Fig. 6). The relative positions of the distal appendages are most easily seen at a 90 degree angle in ventral view. Embolus separated from conductor and accessory apophysis by a broad base, at first it follows the course of the conductor, but later bends with a sharp curve and accompanies the accessory apophysis.

FEMALE: No differences found between male and female, in terms of body colour and morphology. Vulva sclerotized almost uniformly. Distal crest long and butt-ended at the tip. Distal expansion of spermatheca convoluted. Rod-shaped part of the anterior spermatheca short and cylindrical. Basal transverse part of the anterior spermatheca separates from rod-shaped part laterally at an acute angle and forms a triangular shape. Anterior basal arc lies linearly through the centre and periphery, but widens at the edges. Transverse bar short and crescent-shaped with tips turned downwards. Posterior diverticulum shaped as a membranous sac and is sclerotized at the periphery (Figs 7, 8).

Ecology.

Specimens were collected in Kuşçubeli Pass, located in the Amanos Mountains, from habitats covered by Turkish Pine ( Pinus brutia ) and scrub type oak forests ( Quercus infectoria ). A variety of herbaceous plants and low shrubs such as Ruscus aculeatus are also widely represented in those forests. Sampling was done by sifting leaf litter during the early winter.

Distribution.

Harpactea arnedoi sp. n. is known from thetype locality only.