Phlegra nitidiventris ( Lucas, 1846 )

Azarkina, Galina N., Pérez-Gómez, Álvaro & Sánchez-García, Iñigo, 2022, Description of a stunning new species of Phlegra Simon, 1876 from southern Spain and redescription of an enigmatic Phlegra species from northern Africa (Araneae: Salticidae), Zootaxa 5162 (5), pp. 557-575 : 565-570

Phlegra nitidiventris ( Lucas, 1846)

Figs 34–61 , 64 , 68

Salticus nitidiventris Lucas, 1846: 138 , plate 5, fig. 10 (Syntypes ♂, Algeria: Philippeville [= Skikda] and d’Hippône [Annaba], MNHN—not examined).

Heliophana nitidiventris: Simon 1864: 333 .

Ictidops nitidiventris: Pavesi 1880: 383 .

Phlegra nitidiventris: Simon, 1876: 127 ; Prószyński 2003: 138, figs 562–563; Logunov 2015: 74; Branco et al. 2019: 243; WSC 2022.

Aelurops sapphirinus Thorell, 1875: 194 (Type ♂, Algeria: Bona [= Annaba], BMNH—not examined), syn. nov.

Phlegra sapphirina: Simon 1876: 127 ; Lessert 1927: 440; Prószyński 1971: 458; WSC 2022.

Material examined. ALGERIA: Wilaya Blida, Chrea , c. 36°25’N, 2°52’E, c. 1500 m a.s.l., leg. R. Bosmans, 23.II.1986 (mountain grassland) 1♂ ( ZMMU, Ta–8184); Wilaya Blida, Atlas Blidéen, Meurdja [=Merdja], c. 36°30’N, 3°09’E, c. 955 m a.s.l., leg. R. Bosmans, 1.IV.1982 (among stones in recent Cedrus plantation) 1♀ ( ZMMU, Ta–8185); Wilaya Tissemsilt, Massif Ouarsenis, Theniet el Had, Djebel Meddad, c. 35°51’N, 1°56’E, top, c. 1780 m a.s.l., leg. R. Bosmans, 4.V.1989 (meadow) 1♀ ( ZMMU, Ta–8186) . Unknown locality with unclear label by E. Simon, 4♀ ( MNHN, 13.905) .

Diagnosis. Males of Phlegra nitidiventrais differ from congeners by having a dorsal shiny scutum on the abdomen surrounded by dense, black, long setae ( Figs 36 , 40 ), similar to that of P. blaugrana sp. nov. ( Figs 2 , 9–10 ) but differs by having uniform blue-black metallic shiny scutum. P. blaugrana sp. nov. has a shield-shaped central patch with parallel Λ-shaped blue-red-blue-red transverse bands. Females of P. nitidiventris are similar to P. blaugrana sp. nov. by body colouration but differ in the shape of the epigynal pocket: relatively small in P. nitidiventris ( Figs 58–59 ) vs. broad and long with three small projections in P. blaugrana sp. nov. ( Figs 29–30 ). Females of P. nitidiventris differ from congeners by spermathecae conformation and horizontal insemination ducts (directed anteriorly in congeners) ( Fig. 60 ).

Description. Male. Total length 6.70. Carapace 3.20 long, 2.25 width. Abdomen 3.50 long, 2.35 width. Ocular area 1.05 long, 1.45 wide anteriorly, 1.50 wide posteriorly. Cheliceral length 0.95. Clypeal height 0.50. Hight at PLE 1.15. Diameter of AME 0.45. Length of leg segments: I 1.70 + 1.00 + 1.10 + 0.70 + 0.55 (5.05). II 1.70 + 1.00 + 1.00 + 0.70 + 0.55 (4.95). III. 1.90 + 0.85 + 0.90 + 1.20 + 0.55 (5.40). IV 2.15 + 1.20 + 1.40 + 1.70 + 0.85 (7.30). Leg setation: I: Fm d 0-1-1-3, Tb pr 1-1, v 2-2-2 ap, Mt v 2-2 ap. II: Fm d 0-1-1-3, Tb pr 1-1, v 2-2-2 ap, Mt pr 1-1, v 2-2 ap; III: Fm d 0-1-2-4, Pt pr & rt 1, Tb d 1-0-0, pr & rt 1-1-1, v 1-0-2 ap, Mt d 1-1-0, pr & rt 1-0-2 ap, v 0-1- 1-2 ap. IV: Fm d 0-1-1-4, Pt pr & rt 1, Tb d 1-0-0, pr & rt 1-1-1-1, v 2-0-2 ap, Mt d 1-1-0, pr 1-1-2 ap, rt 1-0-2 ap, v 1-1-2 ap. Colouration (In alcohol, Figs 40–45 ). Carapace dark brown, with black ocular area, covered with short, dark brown setae. Ocular area with broad, transverse band of white setae just behind first eye row. Thoracic part of carapace steeply sloping. Clypeus dark brown, covered with long, sparse, transparent white setae, with row of long, sparse, brown setae. Cheeks dark brown, covered with sparse, short, transparent, white setae, dense below ALEs. Chelicerae orange-brown, covered with long, sparse whitish setae. Sternum dark brown, covered with sparse white setae. Labium and endites brown, pale apically. Abdomen with black shiny scutum dorsally, surrounded by dense, black, long setae. Venter brown, covered with short white setae. Book lung covers brown. Spinnerets dark brown. Femora I and II brown, with two broad longitudinal dark brown stripes. Patellae, tibiae, metatarsi, and tarsi I and II dark brown, patellae and tibiae with longitudinal yellow band ventrally. Legs III and IV dark brown. Palpal structure as in Figs 46–53 : femur and patella brown. Femur covered with sparse brown setae, patella covered with brown setae basally and white setae apically. Tibia and cymbium yellow, covered with white setae. Tibia with two retrolateral apophyses: dorsal one a short triangle, pointed apically, ventral one a long triangle, pointed prolaterally. Embolic division inverted comma shaped, contains two sclerites apically — embolus and terminal apophysis — connected to each other by a membrane, partly membranous at base prolaterally.

Female. Total length 9.10. Carapace 3.40–3.80 long, 2.45–2.75 width. Abdomen 5.30 long, 3.80 width. Ocular area 1.10–1.30 long, 1.55–1.80 wide anteriorly, 1.65–1.80 wide posteriorly. Cheliceral length 1.10. Clypeal height 0.35. Hight at PLE 1.45–1.60. Diameter of AME 0.45. Length of leg segments (big female, Ta–8185): I 1.60 + 1.10 + 1.10 + 0.70 + 0.60 (5.10). II 1.60 + 1.05 + 0.95 + 0.70 + 0.55 (4.85). III. 2.00 + 1.10 + 1.10 + 1.20 + 0.70 (6.10). IV 2.10 + 1.20 + 1.60 + 1.90 + 0.75 (7.55). Leg setation: I: Fm d 0-1-1-3, Tb v 2-2-2 ap, Mt v 2-2 ap. II: Fm d 0-1- 1-3, Tb pr 0-1, v 1-1-2 ap, Mt 2-2 ap; III: Fm d 0-1-2-4, Pt pr & rt 1, Tb d 1-0-0, pr & rt 1-1-1, v 2-2 ap, Mt d 1-1-0, pr & rt 1-0-2 ap, v 2-0-2 ap. IV: Fm d 0-1-1-4 (big female) or 0-1-1-3 (small female), Pt pr & rt 1, Tb d 1-0-0, pr & rt 1-1-1-1, v 1-0-2 ap, Mt d 1-1-0, pr 1-1-2 ap, rt 1-0-2 ap, v 1-1-0-2 ap. Colouration (In alcohol, Figs 54–57 ). Carapace dark brown, ocular area with short, transverse whitish band behind PLEs connected to two whitish longitudinal bands running from ALEs to the end of carapace; with short brown or brown and white setae between the bands. Clypeus and cheeks dark brown, clypeus covered with short, whitish setae and one row of long, brown setae. Chelicerae dark brown, covered with sparse, white and brownish setae. Sternum brown. Labium and endites dark brown, pale apically. Abdomen grey-brown ventrally, brown dorsally, with two narrow longitudinal dark brown bands, with six to seven pairs of white spots on the band. Book lung covers grey-yellow. Spinnerets brown. All legs brown, tinged with dark brown, with dark brown semi-rings and patches, covered with brown and yellowish white setae. Palpal femur dark brown, remaining parts brown-yellow. Epigyne and vulva as in Figs 58–61 : epigynal plate with two oval copulatory openings medially; basal part of epigynal plate slightly covers epigastric furrow, with broad epigynal pocket. Insemination ducts short, wide, horizontal, spermathecae short and tube-shaped, swollen at origin. Fertilization ducts between copulatory openings.

Natural history. Lucas (1846) mentioned that males of this species occurred in March and November in cool, dark places covered with grass.

Distribution. Portugal, Algeria, Tunisia ( Logunov 2015; Metzner 2022; WSC 2022).

Comments. Thorell (1875) described P. sapphirina (♂) using the following characters: “ Cephalothorace nigro, fascia transversa albida oculos anticos tangenti; palpis luteis, basi late nigris… abdomine supra cyaneo, nitidissimo, in lateribus et infra nigro ” [Cephalothorax black, with transverse white band near anterior eye row; palps yellow, black basally… abdomen dark blue dorsally, shiny, black laterally and ventrally], along with the type locality, Bona [= Annaba], Algeria. This description and locality are similar to P. nitidiventris and allowed us to conclude that the name P. sapphirina is a junior synonym of P. nitidiventris .

It seems that Prószyńsky (2003) mismatched the male and female of Phlegra nitidiventris and provided a figure of the epigyne of another Phlegra species which we were unable to identify (cf. Figs 58–59 and Prószyńsky 2003: fig. 563).

Figures

FIGURE 68. Distribution of Phlegra blaugrana sp. nov. and P. nitidiventris.

FIGURES 34–39. General appearances of Phlegra nitidiventris: 34–36 Male; 37–38 Female; 39 Precopulation position. Pho- tographs: S. Khemis.

FIGURES 40–45. Phlegra nitidiventris: 40 Male habitus, dorsal view; 41 Same, ventral view; 42 Same, lateral view; 43 Same, frontal view; 44 Same, latero-frontal view; 45 Male leg I, ventral view. Scales: 1 mm.

FIGURES 46–53. Phlegra nitidiventris: 46 Male palp, ventral view; 47 Same, retrolateral view; 48 Tibial apophysis and basal part of cymbium, ventro-retrolateral view; 49 Same, dorsal view; 50–53 Embolic division: 50 Retrolateral view; 51 Prolateral view; 52 Dorsal view; 53 Ventral view. Scales: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 54–57. Phlegra nitidiventris: 54 Female habitus, dorsal view; 55 Same, ventral view; 56 Same, lateral view; 57 Same, frontal view. Scales: 1 mm.

FIGURES 58–61. Phlegra nitidiventris: 58–59 Female epigyne, ventral view; 60 Vulva, dorsal view; 61 Diagrammatic course of the insemination ducts. Scales: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 62–64. Habitats: 62–63 Phlegra blaugrana sp. nov., type locality in Spain; 64 Phlegra nitidiventris in Kabylia, Algeria.

FIGURES 1–3. General appearances of Phlegra blaugrana sp. nov.: 1, 2 Male; 3 Female.

FIGURES 9–15. Phlegra blaugrana sp. nov.: 9–10 Male habitus, dorsal view: 9 Specimen from alcohol; 10 Living specimen; 11 Same, ventral view; 12 Same, lateral view; 13 Same, frontal view; 14 Male leg I, ventral view; 15 Same, prolatral view. Scales: 1 mm.

FIGURES 29–33. Phlegra blaugrana sp. nov.: 29–30 Female epigyne, ventral view; 31 Diagrammatic course of the insemina- tion ducts; 32–33 Vulva, dorsal view. Scales: 0.1 mm.