Ctenus cladarus, Jager, 2012

Jäger, Peter, 2012, Asian species of the genera Anahita Karsch 1879, Ctenus Walckenaer 1805 and Amauropelma Raven, Stumkat & Gray 2001 (Arachnida: Araneae: Ctenidae), Zootaxa 3429 (1), pp. 1-63 : 13

Ctenus Walckenaer 1805

This genus is distributed worldwide ( Platnick 2012). In total, 362 species (76 % of Ctenidae ) have been described in the genus originally from Australia, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Subsequently 83 species have been transferred to other genera, 41 species have been synonymised, and one is considered a nomen dubium. Thus, 237 species (50 %) are currently listed in this genus. Brescovit & Simo (2007) proposed a restricted diagnosis in which only South American representatives were congeneric with the type species C. dubius Walckenaer 1805 . A small apophysis at the base of the embolus and two oval protruding lobes in epigynes were given as putative synapomorphies for the genus ( Brescovit & Simo 2007; followed by Polotow & Brescovit 2012). However, Silva- Dávila (2003) recognised this “membranous tegular process” in Cycloctenus , Ctenus, Zorodictyna , Enoploctenus and Asthenoctenus . In all Ctenus species described here such membranous structures are present. In C. cladarus spec. nov., it is developed as a distinct and solid apophysis, in others like C. bayeri spec. nov. or C. theodorianum spec. nov. it is reduced to a indistinct membranous seam. It remains unclear whether these structures are homologous with the structure mentioned in Brescovit & Simo (2007). New Ctenus species have been described since the new diagnosis by Brescovit & Simo (2007), e.g. from Vietnam ( Ono 2010: C. saci ), or are still listed in this genus ( Yoshida 2009: C. yaeyamensis ). A revision of Asian representatives Ctenus is beyond the scope of this paper and therefore the species described below are placed tentatively in this genus according to the wider definition as used in Peck (1981), Ono (2010), Benoit (1978, 1979) and Steyn et al. (2003). To avoid describing synonyms, types from neighbouring regions as well as all relevant literature including particular illustrations were checked.