Tetragnatha gracilis ( Bryant, 1923 ),

Dimitrov, Dimitar, Álvarez-Padilla, Fernando & Hormiga, Gustavo, 2008, Until dirt do us apart: On the unremarkable palp morphology of the spider Sternospina concretipalpis Schmidt & Krause, 1993, with comments on the genus Prionolaema Simon, 1894 (Araneae, Tetrag, Zootaxa 1698, pp. 49-56: 55

Tetragnatha gracilis ( Bryant, 1923)  Edit new combination

( Fig. 3 A –G; Fig. 4 A –C)

Prionolaema gracilis Bryant, 1923: 11  Edit , pl. 1, f. 3

T. earmra Levi, 1981: 294  Edit , f. 35–45, pl. 5 c. New synonymy

Types. Prionolaema gracilis  Edit : four syntypes from Antigua and Barbuda, Antigua, University of Iowa Expedition vi. 1918 ( MCZ 21481, examined). Tetragnatha earmra  Edit : male holotype from USA, Florida, Dade Co., Everglades Natl. Park, Earmra  Edit , SE Island. 28.i. 1973, ( MCZ 21149, examined).

Justification of the transfer: Detailed examination of syntypes of P. gracilis  Edit ( Fig. 3 A –G) suggests that these animals belong to the genus Tetragnatha  Edit . Further comparison of male palpal morphology ( Fig. 3 A –C) with drawings and the type material of T. earmra  Edit confirmed that these specimens belong to the same species. The female genital morphology is also as in T. earmra  Edit ( Fig. 4 A –C). Based on these observations we consider the transfer of P. gracilis  Edit fully justified. The species T. earmra  Edit should be regarded as a junior synonym of P. gracilis  Edit .

Despite its relatively smaller chelicerae, compared to other Tetragnatha  Edit species, all other characters clearly place this species in the genus Tetragnatha  Edit . Not surprisingly, Bryant (1923) was uncertain of the generic placement of gracilis  Edit : “I am not quite satisfied as to the generic position of this species.” The finding of T. gracilis  Edit on the island of Antigua broadens southward the known distribution of this species, which before this study was known only from Florida.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Tetragnatha gracilis (Bryant, 1923), male (syntype). A, left palp, ventral. B, retrolateral. C, prolateral. D, chelicerae, frontal view. E, habitus, dorsal. F, ventral. G, lateral. Scale bars 0.2.

FIGURE 4. Tetragnatha gracilis (Bryant, 1923), female (syntype). A, B, vulva dorsal. C, vulva, schematic drawing in dorsal view. Scale bars: B, 0.5; C, 0.1.