Titanebo Gertsch, 1933

Muster, Christoph, 2009, The Ebo-like running crab spiders in the Old World (Araneae, Philodromidae), ZooKeys 16 (16), pp. 47-73 : 54

Genus Titanebo Gertsch, 1933

Titanebo Gertsch, 1933: 10-11 .

Ebo (Titanebo) Gertsch, 1933 – Schick 1965: 73-75 (relegated to subgenus level); Sauer and Platnick 1972: 36.

Ebo Keyserling, 1884 – Dondale and Redner 1978: 29-30 (ad part.).

Type species. Titanebo macyi Gertsch, 1933 by original designation.

Material examined. Titanebo albocaudatus ( Schick, 1965) : USA: Texas: 1♁, Abilene, 32° 27’N, 99° 46’W, June 1962, leg. K. W. Haller (AMNH); 1♀, Quemado, 28° 56’N, 100° 37’W, leg. W. J. Gertsch et al. (AMNH). MEXICO: Coahuila: 1♁, La Gloria, 26° 41’N, 101° 22’W, 24 August 1947, leg. W. J. Gertsch (AMNH). Titanebo andreaannae ( Schick, 1965) : USA: Arizona: 1♁, 3♀, Tucson, 32° 15’N, 110° 57’W, leg. O. Bryant (AMNH). Titanebo mexicanus (Banks, 1898) : USA: Arizona: 1♁, 1♀, Welton-Mohawk, 32° 44’N, 113° 46’W, 9 December 1955, leg. V. Roth (AMNH). MEXICO: Chihuahua: 1♁, 4♀, 2 juv. Samalayuca Dunes, 31° 21’N, 106° 28’W, 25 June 1947, leg. W. J. Gertsch (AMNH). Titanebo parabolis ( Schick, 1965) : USA: Utah: 4♁, 6♀, American Fork Canyon, 40° 25’N, 111° 45’W, 12 May 1934, leg. W. Ivie (AMNH) .

Diagnosis. Philodromid spiders with moderately enlarged AME (AME size index 0.054 -0.076) and strongly elongated leg II (Leg II length index 1.4-1.7). Prosoma as wide as long ( Fig. 12 ). Clypeus of intermediate height (Clypeus height index 0.14-0.18, Fig. 8 ). Leg formula 2413 (occasionally 2143, but then leg IV almost as long as leg I). Spination of leg I: femur dorsal 0-1-1, prolateral 0-1-1-[01]; tibia ventral 2-2-0, pro- and retrolateral [01]-1-1, dorsal 0-0-1; metatarsus ventral 2-2-0, pro- and retrolateral [01]-1-1, dorsal 0-[01]. Metatarsus III and IV ventral 2-2-2. Patella of male palp without apophysis, tibia with two well developed apophyses, VTA a colourless lobe in close contact to the heavily sclerotized RTA, tip of RTA pointed and dentated. Embolus curved, its elongated, filiform tip pointing to RTA ( Fig. 3 ). Tegulum without apophysis. Conductor in form of elongate retrolateral groove. Epigyne weakly sclerotized, without atrium or grooves. Vulva ( Fig. 5 ) lateral and anterior of receptacula with long, sclerotised introductory tubes (= bursa copulatrix) on which the glandular heads (=spermathecal organs) sit, thus becoming copulatory ducts in the distal part. Receptacula with glandular mounds (=torus, Fig. 6 ).

Remarks. Titanebo is herewith re-elevated to full genus status; for a justification see remarks on Ebo . Titanebo species from North America were thoroughly revised by Schick (1965) and Sauer and Platnick (1972).

Composition and distribution. The genus comprises 14 Nearctic species: Titanebo albocaudatus ( Schick, 1965) , T. andreaannae ( Schick, 1965) , T. californicus Gertsch, 1933 , T. cantralli ( Sauer & Platnick, 1972) , T. cresotis ( Schick, 1965) , T. dispar ( Schick, 1965) , T. dondalei (Sauer, 1968) , T. macyi Gertsch, 1933 , T. magnificus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942 , T. mexicanus (Banks, 1898) , T. oblongus ( Simon, 1895) , T. parabolis ( Schick, 1965) , T. redneri ( Cokendolpher, 1978) , and T. texanus Gertsch, 1933 . The primary centre of distribution is presumably the desert and shrub region of the southwestern Nearctic ( Schick 1965).

Figures

Figures 7-16. 7, 11 Ebo pepinensis from Utah Lake 8, 12 Titanebo parabolis from Utah 9, 15 Halodromus patellaris, from Monastir 10 Philodromus lepidus from Kebili, Tunisia 13 Halodromus patellidens from Kuwait 14 Halodromus barbarae sp. n. from Cartagena 16 Halodromus gershomi sp. n. from Massawa 7-10 Female clypeus and chelicerae, frontal view 11-16 Female cephalothorax, dorsal view. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

Figures 1-6. 1, 4 Halodromus patellaris from Monastir 2 Ebo pepinensis from Utah Lake 3 Titanebo albocaudatus from Abilene 5-6 Titanebo andreaannae from Tucson 1-3 Left male palp, ventral view 4 Tarsal claws and scopulae 5 Epigyne, dorsal view, showing schematic course of the internal ducts (broken black line) and the demarcation between bursa copulatrix and copulatory ducts (white line) 6 Details of receptacula, showing numerous pores in the torus region.