Cepheia Simon 1894

LOPARDO, LARA & HORMIGA, GUSTAVO, 2007, On the Synaphrid Spider Cepheia longiseta (Simon 1881) (Araneae, Synaphridae), American Museum Novitates 3575, pp. 1-20 : 3

Cepheia Simon 1894

Cepheia Simon 1894: 589 . Type species by original designation and monotypy: Theonoe longiseta Simon 1881: 132 .

Cepheia, Simon, 1926: 312 , 314–315; Brignoli, 1970: 1410– 1412; Forster and Platnick, 1977: 2; Brignoli, 1980: 730; Wunderlich, 1980: 266; Thaler, 1993: 99; Marusik and Lehtinen, 2003: 151; Schütt, 2003: 134, 137.

DIAGNOSIS: Cepheia can be distinguished from other synaphrid genera by the following combination of features: carapace rounded, as long as wide, with the clypeal area protruding in dorsal view ( figs. 3, 4 , 9); tarsal organ flat ( figs. 26, 27 ); two AC gland spigots on PMS ( figs. 34, 35 ); one CY spigot in females on PLS ( fig. 36 ); one (possibly chemosensory) seta in both sexes located on the side of distal PLS segment ( figs. 36, 37 ); male palp enormous (in lateral view, almost as large as prosoma, fig. 2 ), compressed ( figs. 2, 6 , 44, 47); cymbium long and narrow ( figs. 46–49), with tarsal organ distal, flat, opening teardropshaped ( fig. 54 ); small membranous cuticular protuberances interspersed on distal area of conductor ( figs. 2 , 42, 50 ); one dorsal tegular pointed apophysis ( figs. 39, 45, 49); female copulatory ducts initially coiled posteriorly in one loop ( fig. 40 ), then wrapping around spermathecae in four loops ( figs. 40, 41 , 59), and epigynum slightly sclerotized, with a medial depression bearing the copulatory openings ( fig. 57).

NATURAL HISTORY: Cepheia longiseta has been collected from coastal dry regions and near the shore, for example, in dry grasses ( Simon, 1926); 100 m of the sea beach, under Ammophila ( Wunderlich, 1980) ; and in dry hillsides of prevailing porphyry rocks habitats, dry lawns, and seam areas ( Thaler and Noflatscher, 1990). No information is available on its web architecture.

DISTRIBUTION: Cepheia longiseta : West Mediterranean Region: southern France ( Simon, 1881, 1894, 1926; Denis, 1933a; Brignoli, 1970), northern Italy ( Bertkau, 1890; Thaler and Noflatscher, 1990), southern Spain ( Wunderlich, 1980; Thaler and Noflatscher, 1990; Lopardo et al., 2007), southern Austria ( Thaler, 1993), southern Portugal, and the Baleares Islands ( Lopardo et al., 2007) (see geographic distribution map in Lopardo et al., 2007, fig. 1 ).

Figures

Figs. 1–8. Cepheia longiseta (Simon 1881), paralectotypes (MNHN-AR 1059). 1, 3, 5, 7, Female cephalothorax. 2, 4, 6, 8, Male cephalothorax. 1, 2, Lateral view; 3, 4, dorsal view; 5, 6, ventral view; 7, 8, frontal view.

Figs. 22–27. Cepheia longiseta (Simon 1881), paralectotypes (MNHN-AR 1059). 22, Right leg I, female, tarsus-metatarsus joint, dorsal view; 23, right leg III, male, tarsus and metatarsus, retrolateral view; 24, right leg IV, female, tarsal tip, showing no pseudosegmentation, dorsal view; 25, right leg I, female, metatarsus, trichobothrial base, dorsal view; 26, tarsus, dorsal view, arrow to tarsal organ; 27, same, detail of tarsal organ. Abbreviations: mt, metatarsus; ta, tarsus.

Figs. 32–37. Cepheia longiseta (Simon 1881), paralectotypes (MNHN-AR 1059). Spinnerets. 32, 33, Anterior lateral spinnerets. 32, Female, right ALS; 33, male, left ALS; 34, 35, Posterior median spinnerets. 34, Female, left PMS; 35, male, right PMS; 36, 37, Posterior lateral spinnerets. 36, Female, left PLS; 37, male, right PLS. Abbreviations: AC, aciniform gland spigot; AG, aggregate gland spigot; CY, cylindrical gland spigot; FL, flagelliform gland spigot; MAP, major ampullate gland spigot; n, nubbin; PI, piriform gland spigot; t, tartipore.

Figs. 50–55. Cepheia longiseta (Simon 1881), paralectotypes (MNHN-AR 1059). 50–54, Male right palp (inverted images), details. 50, Detail of conductor, showing membranous cusps, and conductor ridge where embolus fits, prolateral view; 51, embolar base, prolateral view; 52, detail of conductor apophysis and palpal tibia; 53, detail of retrolateral paracymbium (detail of fig. 47); 54, detail cymbial tarsal organ, apical view; 55, detail of epiandrous spigots (two) on epigastric furrow, arrow to one epiandrous spigot. Abbreviations: C, conductor; Cap, apophysis of conductor; CB, cymbium; E, embolus; EB, embolar base; P, paracymbium; Ti, tibia.

Figs. 40, 41. Cepheia longiseta (Simon 1881), paralectotypes (MNHN-AR 1059). Epigynum, cleared. 40, Ventral view; 41, dorsal view. Scale bar: 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: CD, copulatory duct; FD, fertilization duct; S, spermatheca.