Psammitis abuliensis, Seropian & Mumladze, 2024

Seropian, Armen & Mumladze, Levan, 2024, A new Psammitis species (Araneae, Thomisidae) from an extinct volcano in Georgia with reevaluation of the generic position of Xysticus marmoratus Thorell, 1875, Caucasiana 3, pp. 119-126 : 119-126

Psammitis abuliensis sp. nov.

Figs 1–5

Type material.

Holotype: ♂ ( CaBOL-ID 1012781 ): Georgia: Samtskhe-Javakheti, Akhalkalaki municipality, Didi Abuli Mt. ; N 41.4380 °, E 43.6462 °; 3267 m a. s. l., under rocks; 12 September 2018; leg. L. Mumladze . Paratype: 1 ♂ ( CaBOL-ID 1012780 ): same collecting data . Both specimens are deposited in the scientific collections of Ilia State University, Georgia, Tbilisi.

Diagnosis.

The new species resembles P. sabulosus (Hahn, 1832) that occurs in Georgia ( Thaler 1981: figs 52, 57; Jantscher 2002: figs 5–6) and P. demirsoyi ( Demir, Topçu & Türkes, 2006) from Turkey ( Demir et al. 2006: figs 1–2, 5–7). The males of the new species can be distinguished from those of P. sabulosus by having a bow tie-shaped very short and broad embolus tip (vs. long and thin), a longer basal embolus, and a larger tutacular apophysis. From the males of P. demirsoyi , those of P. abuliensis sp. n. can be distinguished by the presence of a large tutacular apophysis (vs. absence) and a bow tie-shaped very short and broad embolus tip (vs. differently shaped longer and thinner) (Figs 3 , 5 ).

Description.

Male (holotype / paratype). Total length: 6.90 / 6.85; Carapace: 3.41 / 3.39 long, 3.35 / 3.35 wide; Abdomen: 3.80 / 3.85 long, 3.30 / 3.32 wide; Clypeal height: 0.35 / 0.34; Clypeus with 15 long and robust bristles; Cheliceral length: 1.15 / 1.15; AME: 0.11 / 0.11; ALE: 0.20 / 0.20; PME: 0.11 / 0.11; PLE: 0.14 / 0.14. Color and pattern as shown in Figs 4–5 . Sternum yellow, with irregular dark spots. Leg coloration: Fe and Pa I – IV dark brown (Fe and Pa III – IV apically lightened), Ti, Mt, and Ta I – IV dark yellow (Ti I – II basally darkened). Leg measurements and spination as in Tables 2 and 3 .

Female unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective referring to the type locality of the new species in Akhalkalaki municipality.

Habitat. Two males of the new species were obtained by hand collecting under the small stones on a mountaintop (Figs 6–7 ).

Distribution. Known from the type locality only.

Barcoding results. Two identical barcodes were obtained from the specimens with CaBOL-IDs 1012780 and 1012781 ( BOLD: AFP 6894) with the nearest neighbor in the BOLD Systems P. ninnii from Spain with a private status (p - distance 6.3 %).

Figures

Figures 1–5. Psammitis abuliensis sp. nov., male (1 holotype, dorsal habitus 2 paratype, dorsal habitus 3 left palp, ventral view 4 ditto, retrolateral view 5 tip of embolus, rotated). Scale bars: 2 mm (1–2); 0.2 mm (3–4); 0.1 mm (5).

Figures 6–7. Type locality of Psammitis abuliensis sp. nov. in Georgia, Didi Abuli Mt. (6 – sampling area; 7 – sampling plot).