Drassodex drescoi, Hervé, Christophe, Roberts, Michael J. & Murphy, John A., 2009

Hervé, Christophe, Roberts, Michael J. & Murphy, John A., 2009, A taxonomic revision of the genus Drassodex Murphy, 2007 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), Zootaxa 2171, pp. 1-28 : 15-17

Drassodex drescoi sp. nov.

Figs 24–27 , 18–19 ( D. aff. drescoi )

Drassodes heeri Simon, 1914: 133 , 207, figs 219–222 (in part, fig. 222).

Type material: Holotype: female, Italia, Piemonte, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Parco Naturale Alpe Veglia- Devero, Salarioli, Aug. 13, 1959, E. Dresco, Dresco collection ( MNHN AR 14598).

Paratypes: 2 Ƥ and 13, same data as holotype ( MNHN AR 14599).

Other material examined. FRANCE. Mixed tube: “ Alpes, Pyrénées-Orientales ” and “ Tré-La-Tête (août 1913)”, 12 Ƥ and 6 #, Simon collection n° 23825 ( MNHN AR 9167). Savoie: 1 Ƥ, Col de l’Iseran, 2600–3200 m, Jul. 1936, Marceron ( MNHN AR 9168). ITALIA. Piemonte: Verbano Cusio Ossola, in and around Parco Naturale Alpe Veglia-Devero, E. Dresco, Dresco collection ( MNHN): 5 Ƥ and 1 3, Alpe Veglia (n° 22), Aug. 1956; 7 Ƥ and 1 3, Veglia, Aug. 3, 1959; 9 Ƥ, Valgrande di Vallè, Aug. 5, 1959; 3 Ƥ and 2 3, Forca d’Aurona, Aug. 14, 1959; 1 Ƥ, Gr. d’Aurona (n° 80); 2 Ƥ and 1 3 juvenile Lagi di Avino (n° 19); 5 Ƥ and 3 3, Lagi di Avino (n° 22); 1 Ƥ juvenile, Rebbio (“îlot rocheux sous Rebbio”), 2600 m, Aug. 1948; 1 3, Mottiscia, Aug. 17, 1959; 1 Ƥ juvenile, (“névé de”) Mottiscia (n° 15), 1956; 4 Ƥ, Solcio (“haut du Vallon de Solcio”), 2500 m, Aug. 2, 1959; 1 Ƥ subadult, Pian Cucco, Aug. 4, 1959; 4 Ƥ and 1 3, Caldaie, Aug. 15, 1960.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to the late French arachnologist Edouard Dresco, who collected the main part of the examined material belonging to this species.

Diagnosis. D. drescoi sp. nov. can be distinguished from the relatives D. heeri and D. simoni sp. nov. by the shape of the RTA, having a long and slightly curved superior prong ( Fig. 27 ), longer than the moderately sharped inferior prong, the long and narrowed embolar coil tip ( Fig. 26 ), and the piriform shape of the large epigynal atrium and without anterior tongue ( Fig. 24 ).

Description. Male dimensions (paratype): total length 13.46. Carapace 4.88 long, 3.69 wide. Leg I: femur 4.33, patella 2.38, tibia 4.16, metatarsus 3.58, tarsus 1.93, total 16.38. Leg II: femur 3.93, patella 2.14, tibia 3.37, metatarsus 3.04, tarsus 1.75, total 14.23. Leg III: femur 3.57, patella 1.88, tibia 2.76, metatarsus 2.76, tarsus 1.67, total 12.64. Leg IV: femur 4.47, patella 2.06, tibia 3.86, metatarsus 3.98, tarsus 1.89, total 16.26. Leg spination: femora: I, II d1-1-0; IV p0-0-1; tibiae: II v1 p-2-1p(0); III, IV p1-1-1; III v2-2 -2, r1-1-1(1-1); IV r1-1-1-1; metatarsi: III, IV v2-2 -2; III r1-3(2)-2. RTA bifid, superior prong, long and scarcely curved, clearly longer than inferior prong, which is rather sharp ( Fig. 27 ); median apophysis pointing inwards; embolar coil twice looped, spiralling upwards along one axis, without terminal apophysis, and swollen before its long narrowed tip ( Fig. 26 ).

Female dimensions (holotype): total length 12.02. Carapace 5.62 long, 4.27 wide. Leg I: femur 4.19, patella 2.37, tibia 3.63, metatarsus 3.21, tarsus 1.92, total 15.32. Leg II: femur 4.11, patella 2.28, tibia 3.39, metatarsus 3.12, tarsus 1.85, total 14.75. Leg III: femur 3.82, patella 2.04, tibia 2.91, metatarsus 2.98, tarsus 1.77, total 13.52. Leg IV: femur 4.77, patella 2.28, tibia 4.11, metatarsus 4.35, tarsus 2.06, total 17.57. Leg spination: femora: I, II d1-1-0; I p0-1(0)-1; IV p0-0-1; tibiae: I v1 p-2-1p(0); II v1 p(0)-2-1p; III, IV p1-1-1; III v2-2 -2, r1-1-1(1-1); IV r1-1-1-1; metatarsi: III, IV v2-2 -2; III r1-3(2)-2. Atrium large, scarcely higher than wide to wider than high (0.50–0.66 wide, 0.45–0.58 high, ratio 0.86–1.34) with lateral margins slightly curved and converging to a rectangular truncated anterior arch ( Fig. 24 ); copulatory openings narrow, clearly separated; membranous coils looped more than twice, with internal contour followed by columnar coiled ducts ( Fig. 25 ).

Remarks. Three of the twelve females included in the vial n° MNHN AR 9167 (“Alpes, Pyrénées- Orientales” and “Tré-La-Tête (août 1913)”, also labelled “ Drassodes prolixus ”, not described by Simon), show slight differences in the shape of the epigynal atrium which is subcircular ( Fig. 18 ) rather than piriform ( Fig. 24 ); we have not found other differences in somatic or internal genitalic characters ( Figs 19 , 25 ).

Considering the other material examined, in particular the couples collected in and around the Parco Naturale Alpe Veglia-Devero, in Italia, we did not have any doubt how to associate the males with the corresponding females belonging to the piriform-shaped type. As the vial n° MNHN AR 9167 contains specimens collected in at least three different localities, we cannot associate these three females as a morph of D. drescoi , but at the same time we cannot consider them to be a separate species. We then decided to determine them as D. aff. drescoi , while waiting for new material.

Distribution. North-western Alps.

Figures

FIGURES 20 – 27. 20 – 23 Drassodex simoni sp. nov. (Ledoux collection, after Murphy 2007: figs p. 235). 20 – 21 epigyne (20 ventral view, 21 dorsal view); 22 – 23 left male palp (22 ventral view, 23 retrolateral view). 24 – 27 Drassodex drescoi sp. nov. (24 – 25 Dresco collection, MNHN AR 14598, holotype; 26 – 27 MNHN AR 9167). 24 – 25 epigyne (24 ventral view, 25 dorsal view); 26 – 27 left male palp (26 ventral view, 27 retrolateral view).

FIGURES 10 – 19. 10 – 15 Drassodex heeri (Pavesi, 1873) (10 – 13 SMF 22517 / 3; 14 – 15 MNHN AR 9166). 10 – 11, 14 – 15 epigyne (10, 14 ventral view; 11, 15 dorsal view); 12 – 13 left male palp (12 ventral view, 13 retrolateral view). 16 – 17 Drassodex simoni sp. nov. (MNHN ARM 034 a, holotype). 16 – 17 epigyne (16 ventral view, 17 dorsal view). 18 – 19 Drassodex aff. drescoi (MNHN AR 9167). 18 – 19 epigyne (18 ventral view, 19 dorsal view). (A = atrium; AA = anterior arch; B = bursa; CD = coiled duct; CO = copulatory opening; EC = embolar coil; FLS = flattened lanceolate structure; IP = inferior prong of the RTA; MA = median apophysis; MC = membranous coil; S = socket; SP = superior prong of the RTA).