Plexippus setipes Karsch, 1879

Prószyński, Jerzy, 2017, Remarks on the genus Plexippus C. L. Koch, 1846 (Araneae: Salticidae), Ecologica Montenegrina 13, pp. 39-69 : 63-64

Plexippus setipes Karsch, 1879

Figures 2G 1-I , 4 L-M, 5M-Q, 6M, 7L1-L3, 9A - E, I - M, R-U Morph “setipes-1” Figs 2G , 4L , 5 O-Q, 9L-M, U; Morph “setipes -2” Figs 4L 1 , 6M, 7L 2 , 9E , 9K-K1,T

Plexippus setipes Karsch, 1879g: 89 [Holotype from Japan, collector Hilgendorf].

Plexippus setipes Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/reference/1387: 364, pl. 9, f. 131, pl. 13, f. 363 (f).

Plexippus setipes Prószyński 1973: 120-122 , f. 61-63 (but not f. 64-66 = P. cf. strandi ).

Plexippus setipes Zabka, 1985: 436 , f. 481-486 (m).

Plexippus setipes Bohdanowicz & Prószyński, 1987: 117 , f. 228-232 (mf) = “ P. setipes -1”).

Plexippus setipes Peng & Li, 2003b: 755 , f. 4A-F (mf) = “P. setipes-2”.

Plexippus setipes Żabka & Gardzińska, 2017: 233 , f. 5A-F, 6A-B (mf).

Material. " Plexippus setipes Karsch 5 2768 Japan " Zool Mus. Berlin, Alcohol Collection 4 females - syntypes.

5 Authenticity of the holotype specimen is confirmed by the name of collector - Franz Martin Hilgendorf who was lecturer at the Imperial Medical Academy Tokyo (1873-1876), later worked in the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. Of the other hand, similarly named specimen from "Chinchoxo" (= Faktory and Stationion of Deutschen Afrikanischen Gesellschaft (1873-1876), in N of Cabinda, Angola), cannot be collected by Hilgendorf and cannot be cannot be conspecific with holotype. Specimens labelled Menemeroides illigeri [unpublished collection name on preparations by Dahl] - (drawn by Prószyński 1973: 120-122, f. 64-66, not Menemerus illigeri Audouin, 1826 ) is Plexippus sp.

Documentation studied. Summary of world's literature provided by "Monograph of Salticidae ( Araneae ) of the World 1995-2016. Part I & 2" by Prószyński (2016 a, b) and current literature.

Remarks. Existing descriptions of P. setipes are incomplete and diagnostic drawings are confusing, depicting apparently three different morphs. I assume that female type specimen of this species ( Figs 7L 1 , 9A , I-J) collected by Hilgendorf in Japan is the only unquestionable female of this species. I hypothesize that female illustrated on Figs 2H , and 9C from Japan may be conspecific because of indistinct median streak on abdomen, therefore matching male may also be P. setipes ( Figs 2H , repeated on 9B). It is characterized by unusual transverse white belt, following red one, in anterior eyefield, occurring also in Vietnamese specimen ( Figs 7L 3 , 9D ). Male palps of these specimens are shown on Figs 9 R-S – (the latter looking somewhat differently). Differences of palps of all three morphs lies in slightly different shapes and proportions, which are not clear cut and may be interpreted in various way, therefore identification of males should be based on color pattern characters, which are, however, imprecisely documented for some specimens.

Distribution. Japan, Vietnam.

Morph P. "setipe s-1" from Japan (by Bösenberg & Strand, 1906, Bohdanowicz & Prószyński, 1987, Ono, Ikeda & Kono, 2009: epigyne) differs from P. setipes by distinctly longer ducts ( Figs 9 L-M), and exaggerated swelling of prolateral edge of embolar basis is moved somewhat more anteriorly ( Figs 4L , 9U ).

Morph P. "setipe s-2" from China differs strikingly from P. setipes by longitudinal median white streak on eyefield in male, not transverse ( Fig. 7L 2 ), length of ducts is intermediate between two remaining morphs ( Figs 9 K-K1), difference of palp shown on figs 4L1 and 9T are rather vague.

Uncertain species from Krasnovodsk and Lenkoran. – see P. strandi (below). Prószyński 1973: 120-122, f. 61-63 illustrated epigyne of two species mounted in permanent slides by F. Dahl and labeled Plexippus setipes , from Lenkoran ( Azerbaijan) and Krasnovodsk ( Turkmenistan), while resembling superficially epigyne of P. setipes , they are much closer to P. strandi by shorter ducts and prominent bulge of armature of pheromone exuding opening. It is not possible to identify them without knowledge of general body appearance and color pattern.

Figures

Figure 1. Modern standard of taxonomic documentation of a species of Salticidae (on example of Plexippus petersi (Karsch, 1878, male A-F and female A1-F1), as befitting in 2017. It consists of precise diagnostic drawings of palps - E-F, epigyne and internal structure of epigyne E1-F1, repeated also as color photograph (to reduce inadequacies resulting from subjective interpretation by an artist) - D-D1, color photographs of unchanged habitus of specimens of both sexes (dorsal, frontal and ventral views, missing lateral view) A-C1. The size of individual illustrations permits clear perception of diagnostic characters.

Figure 2a. Color pattern and body shape of species of Plexippus.A-D - Plexippus paykulli (Audouin, 1826) males, E-F - P. paykulli female - dorsal & frontal view, epigyne, G - P. setipes-1, H-I - P. setipes Karsch, 1879, Japan, epigyne (no data), J - P. petersi (Karsch, 1878) Kenya, K-L - P. petersi Queensland female and epigyne.

Figure 3. Color pattern and body shape of species of Plexippus. A-D - Plexippus clemens (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) - Egypt, E-F - Plexippus clemens -Turkey, ventral view of epigyne (uncleared soft tissues embedding spermathecae and ducts hamper perception of details of structures!), G-H - Plexippus clemens - India.

Figure 4a. Diagnostic characters of species of Plexippus. A - Plexippus paykulli (Audouin, 1826) (palp 1/3 larger than remaining species), B - P. gershomi sp. n., C - P. sp. [devorans?? - unlabeled specimen in O. Pickard-Cambridge collection, from a jar with specimens from Palestine], D - P. bhutani Zabka, 1990, D1 - P. minor Wesolowska & van Harten, 2010, E- P. petersi (Karsch, 1878), F - P. tectonicus Prószyński, 2003, G - Plexippus yinae Peng X., Li S., 2003 = P. tectonicus [?], H - Plexippus strandi Spassky, 1939 - from Turkmenistan, K - P. strandi Spassky, 1939, K1 - P. dushanbinus (Andreeva, 1969), L - P. setipes-1 Karsch, 1879, L1 - "P. setipes-2" Peng & Li, 2003, [another palp, hypothetically matching holotype of P. setipes - see Figs 9R-S], M - P. setipes.

Figure 7. Body pattern diversity in Plexippus. A - Plexippus tectonicus Prószyński, 2003, - body and palpal "flag", B - P. gershomi sp. n. - body and palpal "flag, C - P. "coccineus"[?] by Metzner, D - P. strandi Sspassky, 1939 male and female abdomen by Wesołowska, E - P. strandi Spassky, 1939 - male abdomen by Adreeva, F - P. dushanbinus - male body and female abdomen by Andreeva, G - P. similis - female abdomen by Wesołowska, H-I - P. kondarensis (Charitonov, 1951) - body of male by Charitonov and by Logunov & Rakov, J - P. bhutani Zabka, 1990 - male and female, K - P. pokharae Zabka, 19, L - P. yinae Peng & Li, 2003 =[?] P. tectonicus Prószyński, 2003, L1 - P. setipes Karsch 1879 - type from Japan, Prószyński, 1973: 120, f. 61, L2 - P. setipes-2 Peng & Li, 2003, L3 - P. setipes from Vietnam, M - P. paykulli (Audouin, 1826), N - P. baro Wesolowska & Tomasiewicz, 2008, O - P. robustus (Bösenberg & Lenz, 1895), P - P. [?] rubroclypeatus (Lessert, 1927), Q - P. [?] stridulator Pocock, 1899.

Figure 9. Graphic definition of three morphs of Plexippus setipes (A-E, I-M, R-U5O-P), as well as P. strandi (F-H, N-P, V-W) and P.gershomi sp. n. (Q-Q1). A - P. setipes - holotype, from Japan, B, C - P. setipes, from Japan, D - P. setipes, from Vietnam, E - P. setipes-2, from China, F-G - P. strandi, male and female, H - P. strandi - male, I-J - P. setipes - holotype, from Japan, K-K1 - P. setipes-2 - from China, L-M - P. setipes-1- from Japan, N - P. strandi - syntype, O - P. strandi - from Turkmenistan, P - P. cf. setipes from Lenkoran, Q-Q1 - P. gershomi sp. n., R - P. setipes from Vietnam, S - P. setipes from Japan, T - P. setipes-2 - from China, U - P. setipes-1 from Japan, V - P. strandi - syntype, W - P. strandi - from Turkmenistan.