Emblyna zherikhini ( Marusik 1988 ) Marusik, 1988

Omelko, Mikhail M., 2011, First description of the female of Emblyna zherikhini (Marusik 1988) comb. n. (Araneae: Dictynidae), Zootaxa 3132, pp. 64-67 : 64-66

Emblyna zherikhini ( Marusik 1988) comb. n.

Figs 1–11

Dictyna ? zherikhini Marusik 1988: 1474 , figs 2.8–10 (male). Dictyna zherikhini: Marusik et al. 1993: 71 .

Emblyna zherikhini: Marusik et al. 1992: 137 ; Mikhailov 1996: 113; Mikhailov 1997: 151; Marusik 2005a: 190; Marusik 2005b: 266.

Material examined: 2 males, 2 females, 2 juv. ( ZMMU), Krasnoyarsk Province, down flow of Kotui River, 71º24’N 103ºE, ca. 30 m altitude, VI.–VII.2010 (O.A. Khrulyova).

Note. The species is transferred to Emblyna because the embolus has a modified (thick) tip, and in the female the vulva is complex (not V-shaped shaped as in Dictyna ). The trichobothrial formula (one trichobothrium on the metatarsus) in this species is like that seen in Dictyna .

Redescription. Male. Total length 2.38. Carapace 1.13 long, 0.87 wide. Carapace dark brown, cephalic part higher than thoracic ( Fig. 9 ). Abdomen with poorly developed pattern: dark median band surrounded by lighter bands, sides and venter of abdomen black ( Figs 9, 11 ). Front of chelicerae concave in lateral view ( Fig. 9 ), inner margin concave in frontal view ( Fig. 10 ). Legs uniformly coloured. Metatarsi with 1 trichobothrium.

Palp as in Figs 2–3 . Tibia with long dorsal apophysis which is longer than tibial diameter ( Fig. 3 ). Base of embolus with almost straight seminal duct, embolus starts at about 6.30 o’clock (on left palp); embolus thick, not tapering, its width is equal near the base and the tip, down arm of conductor short, oriented retrolaterally ( Fig. 2 ).

Description. Female. Total length 2.38. Carapace 0.95 long, 0.75 wide. Lighter than male ( Fig. 1 ). Carapace brown without pattern. Legs and abdomen light-brown. Abdomen without distinct pattern (maybe due to poor preservation), median band and sides brownish, lateral light bands whitish due to guanine. Epigyne as in Figs 4–8 , with two circular openings and poorly visible lateral sulci distant from the openings. Sulci became visible after maceration. Openings are invisible on intact epigyne, but visible on dissected and macerated epigyne. Opening leads to wide, weakly sclerotized wrinkled cavities running first anteriorly, than turning into thin weakly sclerotised diverging tubes. Receptacula large with wrinkled surface, receptacula spaced, not touching each other.

Leg length in female/male

Fe Pt Ti Mt Ta Total I 0.86/0.93 0.29/0.29 0.64/0.79 0.57/0.61 0.43/0.43 2.79/3.05 II 0.74/0.71 0.29/0.29 0.53/0.59 0.51/0.57 0.40/0.37 2.47/2.53 III 0.63/0.67 0.29/0.27 0.39/0.43 0.43/0.43 0.31/0.31 2.05/2.11 IV 0.79/0.71 0.29/0.29 0.50/0.54 0.57/0.57 0.36/0.34 2.51/2.45

Comments. Males from Taimyr are slightly larger than specimens from East Siberia (1.8–2.2 body length, 0.9 carapace length; cf. Marusik 1988). The vulva of E. zherikhini is rather different from those of Dictyna and Ajmonia Lehtinen 1967 . Both these genera have small receptacula and a large, transparent sac (cf. Marusik & Fritzen 2011) which is absent in E. zherikhini and E. borealis (O. Pickard-Cambridge 1877) .

Distribution. The species was described on the basis of two males from the northen part of Khabarovsk Province and the upper reaches of the Kolyma River. Later it was reported from the Lena River locality ( Marusik et al. 1993). All known localities of E. zherikhini are shown on Fig. 12.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 11. Emblyna zherikhini. 1, 11 Female (1) and male (11), habitus, dorsal. 2 – 3 Male palp (2 ventral, 3 retrolateral). 4, 6 – 7 Epigyne, ventral view. 5, 8 Epigyne, dorsal view. 9 – 10 Male, habitus (9 lateral, 10 frontal). [4 – 6, 8 Epigyne after maceration in KOH. 4 – 8 Epigyne photographed in two females; 4 – 5, 7 – 8 Female # 1, 6 Female # 2, ventrocaudal view]. Scale: 1, 11: 0.5 mm; 2 – 10: 0.2 mm. Abbreviation: Su — epigynal sulci.