Chalcoscirtus alpicola (L. Koch)

Bruce Cutler, 1990, A revision of the western hemisphere Chalcoscirtus (Araneae: Salticidae), Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 8, pp. 105-108 : 105-107

Chalcoscirtus alpicola (L. Koch) (Figs. 1 -3, 5-12, Map 1)

Euophrys alpicola L. Koch, 1876: 273 , 346-348 (♀), holotype ♀ from “ Funsterthaljoch gegen Niederthai ”, Stubier Alpen .

Euophrys (?) alpicola: Thaler, 1981: 124 , figs. 59, 67, 71 (♂, ♀).

Chalcoscirtus alpicola : Prószyúski, 1987: 13- 14, 7 figs. (♂ ♀).

Icius [Scius as printed was a typographical error] montanus Banks, 1896: 62 (♂).

Chalcoscirtus montanus: Emerton, 1909: 231 , pl. 12, fig. 9 (♂, ♀); Peckham & Peckham, 1909: 587, pl. 43, fig. 6 (♂, ♀).

Diagnosis: The shape of the embolus (Figs. 2-3) and of the female copulatory tubes (Fig. 12) differentiate this species from all other Chalcoscirtus . One male from Saskatchewan (Figs. 8- 10) has a somewhat variant palpus with a smaller tibial apophysis and slightly different embolus. However, the palpi of the other 3 males collected at the same time resemble those of males from other parts of North America. Male from U. S. A.: New Hampshire: Mt Washington, JHE ( MCZ). Total length 2.2. Carapace 1.09 long, 0.80 wide. Eyefield 0.47 long. Eyerow I 0.73 wide, eyerow III 0.72 wide. Diameter median eyes row I 0.22, laterals row I 0.15, row II eyes 0.03, row III eyes 0.12. Distance eyerow II from eyerow I 0.17, eyerow II from eyerow III 0.12. Femur lengths leg I 0.53, II 0.47, III 0.47, IV 0.55. Leg order 4312. Opisthosoma 1.1 long, 0.7 wide. Chelicerae with 2 promarginal teeth, retro- marginal teeth absent. Ventral leg spination: leg I metatarsus 2 serial retrolateral, 2 serial prolateral; tibia 3 small retrolateral: leg II metatarsus as leg I; tibia 1 mid retrolateral. Colour uniformly dark brown with shining carapace and shining opisthosomal scutum. Carapace width in 13 males, mean 0.50, range 0.47- 0.57. Female, same locality as male: Total length 3.0. Carapace 1.30 long, 0.85 wide. Eyefield 0.53 long. Eyerow I 0.80 wide, eyerow III 0.78 wide. Díameter median eyes row I 0.22, laterals row I 0.13, row II eyes 0.03, row III eyes 0.22. Distance eyerow II from eyerow I 0.17, eyerow II from eyerow III 0.13. Femur length leg I 0.60, II 0.50, III 0.60, IV 0.72. Leg order 4312. Opisthosoma 1.7 long, 0.8 wide. Chelicerae as in male. Ventral leg spination: leg I metatarsus as in male; tibia 3 serial retrolateral, 2 serial prolateral, 1 middle, 1 distal: leg II as in male. Colour: carapace as in male, opisthosoma dark brown with faint chevrons, scutum lacking, legs orange-yellow. Carapace width in 8 females, mean 0.50, range 0.40-0.72.

Material examined: CANADA: Saskatchewan: 64 km N of Swift Current , Matador Project, 2 June 1970, P. W. Riegert, shortgrass prairie (4 ♂♂; CNC) ; same locality, 21 June 1971 (3 ♀ ♀, CNC) ; Yukon Territory: 32 km N of Burwash , 139° 25 ’ W, 61° 35 ' N, 9 August 1968, W. Ivie (1 ♂, AMNH) ; nr. km 72 of Dempster Hwy, N. Klondike Rv. , 1100 m, 15 June 1981, D. Maddison, on cobbles among grasses (1 ♂; WM) . U.S.A.: Colorado: Gunnison Co., Cottonwood Pass, Sawatch Mtns , 3700m, 5 July 1961, H. & L. Levi (1 ♂; MCZ) ; New Hampshire: Coos Co., Mt Washington, F. J.H. E. (1 ♂ 1 ♀; MCZ) ; same locality, 11 July 1907, J. H. Emerton (1 ♂, 1 ♀; MCZ) ; Alpine gardens , 1585 m, 14 August 1981, R. M. Reeves, pitfall trap (1 ♂; BC) ; same locality, 28 August 1981 (1 ♂; RMR) ; Utah: Box Elder Co., Kellon Pass , 1615 m [ 29 km W of Snowville ], 16 April 1969, G. E. Knowlton, juniper and grass duff (3 ♀ ♀, CNC) ; Wyoming: Big Horn Co., 10 km E of Shell on Hwy 14, 21 May 1977 , D. Maddison, on rocks in area of many rocks and low shrubby vegetation (1 ♂; WM) ; Yellowstone Natl. Park, Bridge Bay , 110° 27 ’ W, 44° 32 ' N, 20 June 1938, W. Ivie (1 ♂; AMNH) .

It is possible that this species occurs on some of the other high mountains of the northeast and should be looked for on Mt Marcy, New York; Mt Katahdin, Maine; and the Shickshocks, Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec.