Harpactea parthica Brignoli, 1980

Zamani, Alireza, Marusik, Yuri M. & Koponen, Seppo, 2017, First description of the male of the easternmost Harpactea species, H. parthica (Araneae: Dysderidae), Zootaxa 4238 (2), pp. 258-262 : 258-261

Harpactea parthica Brignoli, 1980 Figs 1‒12

Harpactea parthica Brignoli 1980: 96 , f. 1 (♀); Dunin 1989: 866 (distribution record).

Material examined. Holotype ♀ ( MSNV), Iran, Khorasan Prov. (now Golestan Prov.), Dowlat Abad , ca 90 km on the road between Gorgan and Bojnurd, 18.07.1975 (M. Di Rao) ; 2♂ 1♀ 1juv ( ZUCT), Iran: Mazandaran Prov.: Sari , 36°27'16"N 53°04'27"E, 0 4.2016 (A. Zamani) ; 1♀ ( ZMUT), Iran, Mazandaran Prov.: Karesang , in subtropical forest, 16.09.1971 (P. Lehtinen, K. Kavon).

Diagnosis. Judging from the shape of the embolus and conductor, this species belongs to the caucasia -group sensu Dunin (1992) and is most similar to H. azerbajdzhanica and H. achsuensis . Harpactea parthica differs from H. achsuensis by the larger size of specimens of the former (carapace 1.75 versus 1.43 in males, 1.85‒1.87 versus 1.72‒1.75 in females). In males, the shape of the base of the embolus differs between the three species: relatively angular in H. parthica ( Figs 7‒8 ) versus variously rounded in H. azerbajdzhanica ( Figs 13‒14 ) (differences indicated by arrows). Females of H. parthica differ significantly from females of both sibling species in the morphology of their "spermatheca": relatively thin and with a rounded anterior tip in H. parthica ( Figs 4‒6 ) versus thicker and with an abruptly truncated tip in H. azerbajdzhanica ( Fig. 15 ) and H. achsuensis ( Fig 18 ).

Description. Male. Total length 4.30. Carapace 1.75 long, 1.35 wide, 0.62 high. Sternum 1.05 long, 0.85 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.10, PLE 0.10, PME 0.08, ALE-ALE 0.04. Carapace light chocolate brown, slightly darker in the cephalic area and margins, smooth, covered with sparsely distributed short dark hairs ( Fig. 2 ). Sternum, labium, gnathocoxae, chelicerae light brownish, margins of sternum dark brownish. Sternum covered with thin, sparsely distributed dark brown setae at the edges, but absent in the center. Abdomen yellowish, covered with fine brown hairs. Legs light yellowish brown. Spination: legs I‒II: femur 2p; leg III: coxa 1r, femur 1d, 2p, patella 1p, tibia 1d, 3p, 2r, 2- 2v, metatarsus 8; leg IV coxa 2r, femur 3d, tibia 2d, 3p, 3r, 5v, metatarsus 13.

Palp as in Figs 7‒12 ; bulb droplet shaped; base of embolic division wider than base of the bulb; embolic division with distinct embolus (Em) and conductor (Cd); conductor almost straight, longer than wide; embolus without spine, with 3 bends, basal bend obtuse.

Palp and leg lengths: palp 1.92 (0.75 0.35 0.42–0.40), I 5.63 (1.62 0.92 1.37 1.27 0.45), II 4.97 (1.40 0.85 1.15 1.17 0.40), III 4.01 (1.15 0.57 0.82 1.10 0.37), IV 5.74 (1.65 0.75 1.27 1.62 0.45).

Female. Total length 5.57. Carapace 1.87 long, 1.47 wide, 0.70 high. Sternum 1.10 long, 0.90 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.17, PLE 0.17, PME 0.15, ALE-ALE 0.05. Somatic characters as in male. Spination: leg I: femur 2p; leg II: femur 1p; leg III: femur 1d, 1p; patella 1p, tibia 3p, 2r, 4v, metatarsus 8; leg: IV coxa 1r, femur 4d, tibia 1d, 3p, 3r, 5v, metatarsus 13.

Palp and leg lengths: palp 1.96 (0.72 0.37 0.40 - 0.47); I 4.79 (1.45 0.90 1.22 0.80 0.42); II 4.76 (1.35 0.82 1.12 1.07 0.40); III 3.81 (1.12 0.57 0.80 0.97 0.35); IV 5.76 (1.62 0.77 1.35 1.60 0.42). Vulva as in Figs 4‒6 : anterior spermatheca as long as wide; column (Co) gradually tapering, tip slightly widened and rounded, pouch (Po, sinus) terminating in anterior half of Co, its blind end about as wide as base.

Distribution. This species is known from Golestan ( Brignoli 1980) and Mazandaran (current study) provinces of Iran and the western part of Turkmenistan ( Dunin 1989). The Turkmenistan record is rather far from Golestan ( Fig. 19 ); that specimen was not illustrated and it is possible that it was misidentified and belongs to an undescribed species, and we were not able to study that material, as it was not found in Dunin's collection kept in the Zoological Museum of Moscow University (Mikhailov, personal communication). Two other species of Harpactea , H. babori (Nosek, 1905) and H. dobati Alicata, 1974 , reported from Mazandaran Province by Ghahari & Tabari (2012) are most likely misidentified specimens of H. parthica . Harpactea babori and H. dobati are known from western Turkey and the former occurs in Bulgaria and Greece as well (WSC 2016). Unfortunately, we were not able to locate and study these specimens.

Figures

FIGURE 19. Geographic records of Harpactea parthica. Solid circles refer to material examined, square refers to the doubtful record from Turkmenistan and open circles refer to records of H. babori and H. dobati that most likely belong to H. parthica.

FIGURES 1 ‒ 6. Habitus and endogyne of Harpactea parthica. 1 female holotype, dorsal; 2 male, dorsal; 3 female from Mazandaran, dorsal; 4 endogyne of the holotype, dorsal; 5 ‒ 6 endogyne of specimen from Mazandaran, dorsal. Abbreviations: Co column of anterior spermatheca; Po pouch of anterior spermatheca.

FIGURES 7 ‒ 18. Male palp and endogyne of Harpactea parthica (7 ‒ 12), H. azerbajdzhanica (13 ‒ 15) and H. achsuensis (16 ‒ 18). 7, 13, 16 bulb, retrolateral; 7, 13, 16 bulb, prolateral; 9 terminal part of palp, dorsal; 10 bulb, frontal; 11 bulb, subventral; 12 bulb, ventro-prolateral; 14, 17, 15, 18 endogyne, dorsal. Figs 13 ‒ 18) after Dunin (1991) reproduced with permission of Zoologicheskiĭ Zhurnal. Abbreviations: Bt basal turn; Cd conductor; Em embolus; Po pouch.