Halodromus patellaris ( Wunderlich, 1987 )

Muster, Christoph, 2009, The Ebo-like running crab spiders in the Old World (Araneae, Philodromidae), ZooKeys 16 (16), pp. 47-73 : 64-66

Halodromus patellaris ( Wunderlich, 1987)

Figs 1, 4 , 9, 15 , 29-32

Ebo patellaris Wunderlich, 1987: 261-262 , figs 679-680 (description male, holotype not examined).

Ebo eremus Levy, 1999: 188 , figs 22-23 (description female). Syn. n. – Levy 2007: 19 , figs 47-48.

Material examined. CANARY ISLANDS: Lanzarote: 1♁, 2♀, Playa Famara, dunes, 29° 67’N, 13° 33’W, March, leg. J. Wunderlich ( CJW) . TUNISIA: Kairouan: 2♀, salt vegetation 12 km E Kairouan, 35° 40’N, 10° 9’E, 26 April 2007, leg. C. Muster ( CM) . Monastir: 12♁, 10♀, 2 juv., salt marsh near Monastir Airport , 35° 45’N, 10° 47’E, 27 April 2007, leg. C. Muster ( CM) .

Diagnosis. Males are characterized by the triangular shape of the patellar apophysis and the small, narrow PTA ( Figs 29-30 ), females by the parallel anterior guide pockets ( Fig. 31 ).

Description. Measurements. Largest species of the genus. Male (n=5): total length 3.26 (2.9-3.7), CL 1.54 (1.45-1.7), CW 1.62 (1.55-1.75), ClyH 0.28 (0.24- 0.34), OL 1.88 (1.55-2.2), OW 1.47 (1.15-1.7). Leg I 7.08 (6.55-7.55) [1.98, 0.67, 1.94, 1.53, 0.96], FemII 2.91 (2.75-3.0). Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.11, PME 0.08, AME–AME 0.13, AME–ALE 0.052, PME–PME 0.23, PME–PLE 0.14, ALE–PME 0.16. Pedipalp: PFem 0.69 (0.64-0.75), PPat 0.26 (0.24-0.27), PatApo 0.18 (0.14-0.20), PTib 0.27 (0.24-0.28), CyL 0.71 (0.68-0.74), CyW 0.41 (0.38- 0.44). AME size index: 0.07 (0.067 -0.074). PME interdistance index: 1.63 (1.5-1.81). Clypeus height index: 0.17 (0.16-0.21). Leg II length index: 1.48 (1.45-1.53).

Female (n = 5): total length 3.16 (2.9-3.5), CL 1.27 (1.05-1.45), CW 1.4 (1.15-1.6), ClyH 0.23 (0.18-0.27), OL 2.09 (1.8-2.3), OW 1.87 (1.6-2.1). Leg I 5.16 (4.2-5.9) [1.56, 0.55, 1.35, 1.05, 0.65], FemII 2.29 (1.95-2.6). Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.11, PME 0.07, AME–AME 0.1, AME–ALE 0.04, PME–PME 0.2, PME–PML 0.11, ALE– PME 0.12. AME size index: 0.076 (0.067 -0.087). PME interdistance index: 1.81 (1.65- 1.97). Clypeus height index: 0.16 (0.15-0.18). LegII length index: 1.47 (1.39-1.56).

Colour. Dorsal shield of prosoma ( Fig. 15 ) brown with bright orange-brown median band that extends to posterior margin, allatal stripes discontinuous, metadiscus a whitish V-sign, mesodiscus with characteristic pattern. Clypeus with a rectangular beige area ( Fig. 9 ), chelicerae brown with black spots. Sternum whitish with dots and brown patches at the margin. Legs orange-brown, intensely mottled and with double annula-

tions at femora, threefold annulations at tibiae and single, weak annulations at metatarsi. Opisthosoma densely covered with whitish pubescence, interspersed with dark setulae. Dorsum grey with conspicuous black cardiac mark, flanks darkish, in posterior half with four to five chevrons and two lateral dark patches. Venter greyish marbled.

Pedipalp ( Figs 1 , 29-30 ). Patellar apophysis relatively short, less than two thirds the length of tibia, in ventral view narrow, in lateral view triangular, with small but distinct bulge at basis of ventral margin. Tibia with broad, rounded RTA. Cymbial tip short, less than one fifth of CyL, broadly rounded. Cymbium length (CyL) 0.68-0.74, width (CyW) 0.38-0.44, ratio CyL/cephalothorax width 0.44-0.46. Subtegulum visible in ventral view. PTA a small narrow hook, directed retrolaterally, its tip pointing in ventral direction. Sperm duct forming an elongate, asymmetric loop in retrolateral half of tegulum, opening in 8:30 o’clock position. Conductor partly hidden behind embolus, in ventral view visible at retrolateral side of embolus. Embolus clearly divided in basal and distal embolus. Basal embolus with prolateral-distal bulge and curved keel at ventral side. Distal embolus stout, curved to retrolateral side.

Epigyne-vulva ( Figs 31-32 ). Epigyne wider than long. Median septum almost quadrangular, epigynal sutures short. Epigynal grooves covered by lateral plates. Posterior guide pockets small, anterior guide pockets prominent, heavily sclerotized, with almost parallel slits, extending anteriorly far beyond receptacula. Receptacula at epigastric furrow, separated from each other by their diameter. Glandular heads in innerdistal position, with short ducts pointing in lateral-distal direction.

Remarks. Due to the serious illness of Dr Gershom Levy I failed to receive the type series of Ebo eremus Levy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for examination. However, the species was sufficiently characterized by Levy (1999, 2007) to propose synonymy with Halodromus patellaris (Wunderlich) .

Distribution and habitat. The species is known from the eastern Canary Islands Fuerteventura ( Wunderlich 1987, 1992) and Lanzarote, from the Negev desert in southern Israel ( Levy 1999, 2007), and from Tunisia ( Fig. 37 ). All specimens from Israel were taken using pitfall traps. The specimens from Tunisia were beaten from prostrate halophytic shrubs in saline habitats at both coastal and inland sites. They were perfectly camouflaged in the dense vegetation.

Figures

Figure 37. Distribution of Halodromus species.

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.

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 29-32. Halodromus patellaris from Monastir. 29-30 Left male palp (29 ventral, 30 retrolateral) 31 Epigyne, ventral 32 Vulva, dorsal. Scale line = 0.1 mm.