Agroeca annulipes Simon, 1878

Bosmans, Robert, 1999, The genera Agroeca, Agraecina, Apostenus and Scotina in the Maghreb countries (Araneae: Liocranidae), Bulletin Di L' Institut Royal Des Sciences Naturelles De Belgique Entomologie 69, pp. 25-34 : 25-27

Agroeca annulipes Simon, 1878

( Figs 1-4 )

Agroeca annulipes Simon 1878: 304 (descr. female); Simon 1932: 972 (descr. female, non male); Canard 1989: 28.

Agroeca liocranoides Denis 1956: 198 (descr. female) (N. Syn.).

Type material: Holotype female of A. annulipes from France, Corsica, without further locality ( MNHNP 26419 ); examined .

Diagnosis: Closely related to A. maghrebensis n. sp. in colour and spination, but easily distinguished in the male by the gently curved apophysis on the palpal tibia, in the female by the epigyne with the median depression being

much wider anteriorly than posteriorly and by the oblique copulation ducts.

Remarks: Simon (1878) described the species for a female from Corsica. I consider the only female from that locality present in the MNHNP as the holotype. In my material from the Maghreb, conspecific females were rather frequently collected, often together with males, and I am definitely sure they match. I redescribe here the female, and describe the male for the first time. In 1932, Simon described what he thought to be the male of A. annulipes , but this is in fact a new species, also present in our collection. Simon’s specimen is not available (absent in the MNHNP), but his Fig.ure of the male palp with dorsal denticle on the tibia allows clear identification. It is described below as a new species, closely related to A. annulipes but easily distinguished by palps and epigyne.

In 1956, Denis described a female from Morocco as Agroeca liocranoides . I could not trace the type material. His Fig.ure of the epigyne shows the same oblique, clearly separated copulation ducts as in A. annulipes , considered here as an important diagnostic character to separate it from related species. I therefore consider A. liocranoides Denis. 1956 a junior synonym o f A. annulipes Simon, 1878 .

Description:

Measurements: Male: Total length 3.8-5.1; carapace 2 02-2.44 long, 1.44-1.96 wide. Female: Total length 5.4- 6. 4; carapace 2.44-2.72 long, 1.84-2.26 wide.

Colour: Carapace with median yellowish brown, longitudinal stripe, laterally mottled dark brown, pale specimens with submarginal yellowish brown stripe; legs: Fe dark olive brown, with narrow, discontinuous yellowish brown stripes, Pa and Ti olive brown, Mt and Ta yellowish brown, in Mt I-II suffused with olive brown; abdomen dorsally with olive grey stripe with postero-median dark grey chevrons. Female: carapace as in male; legs yellowish brown, Fe distinctly annulated with dark olive brown; abdomen dorsally dark brown, laterally mottled with dark grey; venter pale yellowish brown.

Legs: Ti I-II with two pair of ventral spines, Mt I-II with three pair of ventral spines.

Palp ( Figs. 1-2 ): Tibia with bluntly pointed apophysis, slightly curved upwards; median apophysis with broad base, distally with small pointed tooth; embolic part with small distal indentation.

Epigyne ( Fig. 3 ): Relatively small compared to other Agroeca species; much longer than wide, with elongate, posteriorly rounded median depression, nearly touching epigastric furrow, depression in anterior half with narrow median septum; depression often filled with secretions (“ copulation marks”).

Vulva ( Fig. 4 ): Copulation ducts oblique, not touching in middle; spermathecae rounded, wider than ducts.

Material examined and citations:

France - Corsica: La Porta, Muro, Vizzavona, Bastelica ( Simon 1878, 1932).

Spain - Cadiz: Tarifa , 1 female, III.1991, P. Poot leg. ( CPP) .

- Malaga: Alozaina N., 200m, 1 male in litter in small Quercus suber forest , 9.IV.1999, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB) .

Italy - Sardinia: Sassari ( Simon 1932 ).

Algeria - Alger: without further locality ( Simon 1932) ; El Harrach, 25m, 1 female in garden, 30.I.1985, and 2 males, 31.X.1985, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB) .

- Bouira: E. Bechloul, Oued Zaiana , 400m, 1 female in tamarisk litter, 28.IV.1988, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB) .

- Boumerdes: Rhegaia , 1 male in pitfalls in coastal marsh, 7.XI.1987, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB) .

- Chleff: Damous, 5m, 1 female in Pistacia lentisca maquis, 17.IV. 1987, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB) ; S. Tenes, gorges de l’Oued Allala , 1 female, stones, 6.V.1989, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB) .

- Saida: without further locality ( Simon 1932).

- Tipasa: Bou Haroun , 30m, 1 female, stones in grassland, 21.I.1987, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB) ; Douaouda, Oued Mazafran , 50m, 24 males 10 females, pitfalls in Populus alba forest, 16.XII.86 - 26.II.1988, and 4 males 1 female in pitfalls in Olea maquis, 30.X.1988, R. Bosmans leg. (1 male 1 female in MNHNP, 1 male 1 female in IRSNB, rest in CRB) ; between Staoueli and Bouchaoui , 70m, 1female, stones in rough grassland, 3.I.1987, R. Bosmans leg. ( CRB) .

- Tissemsilt: Djebel Ouarsenis ( Simon 1932).

- Tlemcen: Nemours ( Simon 1932).

Morocco - Aïn Sebaa ( Denis 1956).

Distribution-. Corsica ( Simon, 1878, 1932; Canard, 1989), Sardinia ( Simon 1932), Morocco ( Denis 1956) and Algeria ( Simon 1932); cited here also for the first time from Spain.

Ecology. Exclusively occurring at low altitudes near the coast. Adult mainly in winter. Males were only collected in November, females from November to May.

Figures

Figs. 1 - 4 — Agroeca annulipes Simon. - I. Male palp, lateral view; - 2. Idem, ventral view; - 3. Epigyne, ventral view; - 4. Vulva, ventral view. Figs. 5 - 8 — Agroeca maghrebensis n. sp. - 5. Male palp, lateral view; - 6. Idem, ventral view; - 7. Epigyne, ventral view; - 8. Vulva, ventral view.