Taranucnus cf. bihari

Gnelitsa, Valery A., 2016, A new species of the spider genus Taranucnus from Ukraine (Araneae, Linyphiidae), Zootaxa 4103 (1), pp. 87-93 : 91-93

Taranucnus cf. bihari

( Figs 26–33 )

Material: 4♀, Synevir National Nature Park, Zakarpatskaya Region, Ukraine, North slope of Negrovets Mt., 48°30’35.01”N 23°40’37.59”E, sparse growth of spruce, bed of stones, in hollows between stones, 19.VIII.2004, Gnelitsa leg. (VGC); 4♀, Negrovets Mt., 48°30’08.25”N 23°42’15.62”E, stony debris with Pinus mugho , Vaccinium myrtillus and moss, in hollows under stones, 25.VIII.2004, Gnelitsa leg. (VGC); ♀, Dolyshny Shepot village, Vizhnitsa District, Chernovtsy Regin, 47°59’59.60”N 25°16’20.55”E, moist place, Picea , Salix , Acer with Caltha and Marchantia , in moss and detritus, 18.VII.2001, Gnelitsa leg. (VGC).

The females of Taranucnus cf. bihari (male is unknown) differ from both T. bihari and T. carpaticus n. sp. by the epigynum which have neither a cut nor a “mucrone” on the margin of the anterior wall of its cavity ( Figs 26–27, 30–31 ) as well as by the vulva receptacles, which are noticeably not so massive ( Figs. 29, 33 ) than of T. carpaticus n. sp. ( Fig 21 ).

T. bihari in North Romania is known by a single male specimen ( Weiss 1978). At the present time there is not enough evidence to regard the females of T. cf. bihari as those that are closely linked to this male.

The special habitat conditions ( Rozwałka 2010, 2012) lead to fragmentation of the habitat area and facilitate the possible appearance of subspecies in T. bihari or the new species even within the limits of the Ukrainian part of the Carpathians. So I expect the morphological differences of the spiders from the remote North Romanian ( Weiss 1978) and West Romanian ( Fage 1931, Denis 1952) distribution areas ( Fig. 34 ). The question remains whether the described male from North Romania is similar to the male from T. bihari type locality (unknown so far).

Figures

FIGURE 34. Distribution records of Taranucnus bihari (circles), T. cf. bihari (diamonds), T. carpaticus (stars).

FIGURES 26 – 33. Taranucnus cf. bihari epigyna: 26, 30 — dorsal, 27, 31 — ventral-caudal, 28, 32 — dorsal; 29, 33 — vulva. Scale = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 17 – 25. Taranucnus bihari (after Fage, 1931) epigynum: 19 — ventral. Taranucnus carpaticus new species epigynum: 17 — ventral, 18 — ventral-caudal, 20 — dorsal; 21 — vulva; 22 — male sternum, 23 — female sternum; 24 — male abdomen dorsal, 25 — female abdomen dorsal. Scale = 0.1 mm.