Agelescape Levy, 1996

Zamani, Alireza & Marusik, Yuri M., 2020, A review of Agelenini (Araneae: Agelenidae: Ageleninae) of Iran and Tajikistan, with descriptions of four new genera, Arachnology 18 (4), pp. 368-386 : 371

Agelescape Levy, 1996

Agelescape Levy 1996: 88 ; Guseinov, Marusik & Koponen 2005: 155.

Type species: Agelena livida Simon, 1875 by original designation.

Remarks: Agelescape has only been taxonomically considered in the two publications mentioned above. Levy (1996: 88) diagnosed the genus as having an epigynal scape and by “the particular configuration of the male palpal sclerite”. Guseinov, Marusik & Koponen (2005) mentioned a character that allowed the separation of Agelescape from Agelena : the number of retrolateral tibial apophyses, one in Agelescape and two in Agelena ; however, both of these genera are poorly delimited and encompass species that are quite different from their generotypes.

Additionally, comparison of A. gideoni Levy, 1996 and species occurring in the Caucasus to A. livida , the type species, revealed differences in the number of bulbal sclerites of the palps and the presence/absence of tubular ducts of the epigynes ( Guseinov, Marusik & Koponen 2005); however, these differences do not occur between A. livida and A. afFnis. Thus, we split Agelescape into two genera, with A. livida and A. afFnis remaining, and others placed in Persiscape gen. n.

Diagnosis: Males of Agelescape differ from all other Old World Agelenini (except for Benoitia Lehtinen, 1967 ) by having a long, filamentous embolus (> tegulum length), and a long (> tegulum length), gradually tapering, straight conductor ( v. embolus not filamentous, with a distinct base, and a twisted conductor) ( Figs. 4 A–B, 5A–B, 6D). Age- lescape males differ from those of Benoitia by the straight conductor. Females differ from other Old World Agelenini by having distinct tubular ducts ( v. absent in other genera) and lack of globular receptacles ( v. present in other genera) ( Fig. 8 D–E, G).

Remarks: Levy (1996) indicated that Agelescape has 3–4 prolateral teeth and 2–4 retrolateral teeth on the chelicera. Based on our material, in the two species remaining in the genus there are 3 prolateral and 3–4 retrolateral teeth.

Included species: A. livida and A. afFnis.

Distribution: From the Iberian Peninsula to Israel ( Fig. 15A ).

Figures

Fig. 4: Bulb, ventral view. A, B Agelescape cf. livida, from Israel;C Asiascape parthica sp. n.; D Gorbiscape gorbachevi sp. n.; E G. agelenoides. A after Levy (1996), E after de Blauwe (1980), both with modification. Scale bar = 0.2 mm

Fig. 8: Epigynes.A Agelescape livida, from Israel, ventral view; B same, posterior view; C same, anterior view;D same, dorsal view of macerated specimen; E same, dorsal view of unmacerated specimen;F A. afFnis, from Israel, ventral view; G same, dorsal view of macerated specimen;H same, posterior view. Scale bars = 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: Ac = anterior loop of copulatory duct, Sc = epigynal scape.

Fig. 15: Distribution maps. A Agelescape afFnis, A. livida, and Persiscape caucasica; B P. caspica sp. n., P. ecbatana sp. n., P. nassirkhanii sp. n., P. levyi, P. zagrosensis sp. n., Asiascape parthica sp. n., Persilena sengleti sp. n., and Gorbiscape gorbachevi sp. n.; C Persiscape gideoni.