Aelurillus alboclypeus, Azarkina, Galina N. & Komnenov, Marjan, 2015

Azarkina, Galina N. & Komnenov, Marjan, 2015, Descriptions of two new species of Aelurillus Simon, 1884 (Araneae, Salticidae) from the Mediterranean, with the synonymization of A. steliosi Dobroruka, 2002, ZooKeys 516, pp. 109-122 : 111-113

Taxon classification Animalia Araneae Salticidae

Aelurillus alboclypeus sp. n. Figs 1, 2-13, 14-15

Aelurillus gershomi : Danişman et al. 2012: 215 (misidentification); Coşar et al. 2014: 84 (misidentification).

Type material.

Holotype: ♂ (ISEA 000.287) TURKEY, Antalya Province, 18 km SSE of Elmali, Bey Mt. Range, 6 km WSW of Kızlarsivrisi Mt., 1800-2000 m a.s.l., 36°35'N, 30°03'E, 25 April 2009, coll. R.Yu. Dudko, I.I. Lyubechanskij, A.A. Stekolnikov. Paratypes: TURKEY: 1 ♂ (ISEA 000.286) Ankara Province, Bala District, Revnam Forests, 1392 m a.s.l., 39°40'N, 32°54'E, 29 May 2009, coll. Yu.M. Marusik; 1 ♂ 1 ♀ (ISEA 000.515) Çankırı Province, Ankara-Çankırı Highway, 689 m a.s.l., 40°23'N, 33°34'E, semidesert, 15 September 2010, coll. Yu.M. Marusik; 4 ♂ (ISEA 000.875) Adıyaman Province, Nemrut Mt., 37°58'N, 38°44'E, 14.05.1997 (V. Bryja); 1 ♂ (LM) Kayseri Province, Nigde, Demirkazık, 37°51'N, 35°05'E, 13 June 1993, coll. C. Felton; 1 ♂ (MNHN 12.840) Amasia [=Amasya], 40°39'N, 35°49'E, date unknown, coll. S.L.; 2 ♂ (NHM) Pass vor Alahan, Karaman ü. Mut [=Mersin Province, Alahan Monastery, nr Mut, 36°47'N, 33°21'E], 8 April 1977, coll. H. Nemenz.

Diagnosis.

This species is closely related to Aelurillus v-insignitus and other species of Aelurillus v-insignitus -group (sensu Azarkina 2006), but differs in the male body coloration, viz. Aelurillus alboclypeus sp. n. has a black eye field (Fig. 2) and the abdomen with a few white spots. Aelurillus v-insignitus has a V-shaped figure on the eye field and a broad light stripe on dorsum on the abdomen in both the black and grey forms (see Żabka 1997: figs 25, 38), Aelurillus laniger Logunov & Marusik, 2000 and Aelurillus steinmetzi Metzner, 1999 has a modified V-shaped figure pattern on eye field (see Metzner 1999: fig. 41 a). The clypeus of Aelurillus alboclypeus sp. n. is covered with short dense adpressed white hairs (Figs 5, 14) while Aelurillus v-insignitus has sparse white hairs (Fig. 18). Aelurillus guecki Metzner, 1999 and Aelurillus laniger has long shaggy and short yellow-white hairs on clypeus respective and Aelurillus steinmetzi has light red hairs. Aelurillus alboclypeus sp. n. has dark brown metatarsi and tarsi of leg I and yellow femora, patellae and tibiae (Fig. 15) while Aelurillus v-insignitus has yellow femora and brown to dark brown patellae, tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi (Fig. 19). Aelurillus guecki has red-brown metatarsi and tarsi of leg I, all legs covered with dark brown hairs. Aelurillus laniger has grey femora of leg I ventrally, femora of other legs are brown-grey ventrally. The TA of the embolic division has a small tooth-like process (Figs 7-10) which absent from both forms of Aelurillus v-insignitus ( Żabka 1997: figs 31, 42) and other Aelurillus v-insignitus -group species (see Logunov and Marusik 2000: figs 5-6; Metzner 1999: figs 43 f, h–i). Palpal tibial apophysis both straight and slightly curved dorsally, almost adequate in size (Fig. 4) while palpal tibial apophysis of Aelurillus laniger both straight, ventral apophysis slightly longer (Logunov and Marusik 2000: fig. 4), ventral palpal tibial apophysis curved ventrally, small and dorsal palpal tibial apophysis long and straight in Aelurillus guecki ( Metzner 1999: fig. 40 c), palpal tibial apophysis adequate in size, ventral tibial apophysis slightly curved ventrally and dorsal tibial apophysis straight in Aelurillus steinmetzi ( Metzner 1999: fig. 41 c), palpal tibial apophysis adequate in size, ventral palpal tibial apophysis bended ventrally and dorsal tibial apophysis slightly curved dorsally in Aelurillus v-insignitus ( Metzner 1999: fig. 42 c). Females differ from those of Aelurillus v-insignitus -group by the poorly visible copulatory openings (Fig. 12).

Etymology.

The species is named for its "face coloration": Aelurillus alboclypeus sp. n. has white dense hairs on the clypeus.

Description.

Male (holotype (small) and paratype (large) from Demirkazık): Carapace 2.00-3.10 long, 1.60-2.10 wide, 1.00-1.80 high at PLE. Ocular area 0.95-1.10 long, 1.25-1.60 wide anteriorly and 1.20-1.55 wide posteriorly. Diameter of AME 0.30-0.40. Abdomen 1.90-2.50 long, 1.70-2.10 wide. Cheliceral length 0.65-1.00. Clypeal height 0.25-0.30. Length of leg segments: I 1.3+0.9+0.8+0.5+0.6; II 1.4+0.9+0.8+0.6+0.5; III 2.0+0.9+1.0+1.0+0.8; IV 1.9+0.9+1.2+1.5+0.8. Leg spination: I: Fm d 1 –1– 5; Pt pr 1; Tb pr 1 –1– 1, v 1 –1– 2 ap; Mt pr and rt 1-1, v 2-2 ap. II: Fm d 1 –2– 5; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb d 1 –0– 0, pr 1 –1– 1, v 1 –1– 2 ap; Mt pr and rt 1-1, v 2-2 ap. III: Fm d 1 –3– 5; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb d 1 –0– 0, pr and rt 1 –1–1– 1, v 1 –0– 2 ap; Mt d 1 –1– 0, pr and rt 1 –0– 2, v 1 –1– 2 ap. IV: Fm d 1 –2– 5; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb d 1 –0– 0, pr and rt 1 –1–1– 1, v 2 –0– 2 ap; Mt d 1 –1– 0, pr 1 –1– 2, rt 1 –0– 2, v 1 –1– 2 ap. Coloration. Carapace dark brown, with black eye field, covered with dark brown to black adpressed scales. Carapace with two thick white stripes dorsally (Fig. 2) and covered with white hairs laterally. Clypeus with short dense white adpressed hairs (Figs 5, 14). Chelicerae dark brown. Abdomen yellow-gray, dorsum black, with an indistinct white longitudinal stripe (Fig. 2) and 5-6 pairs of white indistinct spots in the posterior part of abdomen. Legs yellow-brown. Femur I and II with two yellowish dorsal stripes. Femur I covered prolaterally with dense yellow hairs. Legs III and IV brown. Patella and tibia I and II yellow, covered with short and thin long hairs. Metatarsi and tarsi I and II dark brown (Fig. 15). Palpal femur brown, with a ventral knob, covered dorsally with long white dense hairs. Palpal patella and tibia yellow, with white hairs. Cymbium brown, covered with dark brown hairs. Palpal structure as in Figs 3-4, 7-10.

Female (from Çankırı Prov.): Carapace 2.30 long, 1.30 wide, 1.20 high at PLE. Ocular area 1.00 long, 1.35 wide anteriorly and 1.30 wide posteriorly. Diameter of AME 0.40. Abdomen 2.20 long, 1.40 wide. Cheliceral length 0.70. Clypeal height 0.30. Length of leg segments: I 1.0+0.7+0.7+0.5+0.5; II 1.0+0.7+0.7+0.5+0.45; III 1.7+0.9+0.9+1.0+0.65; IV 1.55+0.7+0.85+1.2+0.7. Leg spination: I: Fm d 1 –1– 4; Tb pr 1-1, v 1 –1– 2 ap; Mt pr and rt 1-1, v 2-2 ap. II: Fm d 1 –2– 4; Tb pr 1-1, v 1 –1– 2 ap; Mt pr and rt 1-1, v 2-2 ap. III: Fm d 1 –2– 4; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb d 1 –0– 0, pr and rt 1 –1– 1, v 1 –0– 2 ap; Mt d 1 –1– 0, pr 1 –0– 2, rt 1 –1– 2, v 1 –1– 2 ap. IV: Fm d 1 –1– 2; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb d 1 –0– 0, pr and rt 1 –1– 1, v 2 –0– 2 ap; Mt d 1 –1– 0, pr 1 –1– 2, rt 1 –0– 2, v 1 –1– 2 ap. Coloration. Carapace dark brown with black ocular area, covered with white scales. Sternum dark brown covered with white hairs. Clypeus dark brown covered with white hairs, cheeks dark brown with two strips formatted by dense white hairs. Abdomen grayish-yellow, dorsum dark brown with mixed yellowish-white hair pattern. Book-lungs are grayish-yellow, spinnerets are yellowish-grey. All legs and palps are yellow. Legs with dark brown patches and semi-rings. Structure of spigyne and spermathecae as in Figs 11-13.

Distribution.

Turkey (Fig. 1).

Comments.

First author re-examined Aelurillus material from Danişman et al. 2012 and Coşar et al. 2014 (except Aelurillus luctuosus ) kindly provided by Tarık Danişman in 2013 ( Aelurillus material is the same in both papers). All Aelurillus gershomi belongs to new species, Aelurillus alboclypeus sp. n.