Halocosa, Azarkina & Trilikauskas, 2019

Azarkina, Galina N. & Trilikauskas, Laimonas A., 2019, Halocosa gen. n., a new genus of Lycosidae (Araneae) from the Palaearctic, with a redescription of H. cereipes (L. Koch, 1878), Zootaxa 4629 (4), pp. 555-570 : 556-557

Halocosa gen. n.

Type species. Lycosa cereipes L. Koch, 1878

Etymology. The generic name refers to saline habitats of members of the new genus, a derivate of the Latinized Greek word “ halo —“salt”, and “- cosa ” a common ending of Lycosidae genera. Gender masculine.

Diagnosis. Halocosa gen. n. belongs to the subfamily Lycosinae Sundevall, 1833 (sensu Zyuzin 1985). It differs from other genera of this subfamily in the following characters: (1) tegular apophysis triangular, narrowing apically, its apical part is bifurcated and has a groove (it seems that TgA is rolled up—Figs 3, 5); (2) TgA is situated retrolatero-ventrally, Ɔ-shaped (as seen from retrolateral view of left palp—Figs 3, 27, 29, 31); (3) synembolus is connected with terminal apophysis by a membrane ( Figs 8 , 37–39 ); (4) spermathecae with long, tube-shaped accessory glands widening apically ( Fig 49 ); (5) septum and septal pedicel wide, epigyne apically with a wide epigynal atrium, which is bordered laterally by epigynal “wings” ( Fig. 41 ); and (6) the upper part of the copulatory ducts swollen, forming a loop ( Fig. 49 ).

Description. Medium to large spiders, with body length ranging from 6.40 to 9.80 mm in males and 8.40 to 12.60 mm in females. Sexes are similar in general body shape and coloration. Carapace low, without a transverse depression that is typical of Evippa (cf. Figs 13 , arrowed and 17 for Evippa jocquei Alderweireldt, 1991 and H. cereipes respectivelly). Carapace coloration of Halocosa gen. n. is similar to that of some Arctosa species (e.g. Lugetti & Tongiorgi 1965, fig. I.1 and Fig. 9 ): pars thoracica medially with a butterfly-shaped patch and a Wshaped yellow patch in distal part of pars cephalica ( Fig. 15 ).

Eyes in three rows. The second row as wide as the first one, AME 1.5 times as big as ALE ( Fig. 16 ); in Evippa the second eye row is wider than the first one, and AME twice as big as ALE ( Fig. 12 ); in Arctosa the width of the first and second eye rows is identical, and AME=ALE ( Fig. 10 ).

Tibia I with 6 (3 pairs) ventral spines, metatarsus I with 5 ventral spines, tarsal claws of legs I–II of usual length, with eight teeth, those of legs III–IV long, with 10 teeth and long pretarsal hairs, tarsus without pseudo-articulation ( Fig. 18 ). In Evippa , the number of ventral spines on tibia I—10 (5 pairs) or more, tarsal claws long, with numerous teeth (from 7 in E. brevicymbium to 14 in E. jocquei ), tarsus with pseudo-articulation ( Alderweireldt 1991, p. 360, fig. 3, and Fig. 14 ).

Embolic division with terminal apophysis (Ta) and synembolus (Se) connected by a membrane, embolus long and thin, embolic base is situated latero-medially ( Figs 6–8 , 37–39 ); while in Evippa, Ta and Se are not connected by a membrane and embolic base is situated meso-apically ( Figs 19, 22 ). Epigynal septum and septal pedicel wide, epigyne apically with a wide epigynal atrium ( Fig. 41 ). The upper part of copulatory ducts swollen, forming a loop, spermathecae with long accessory glands widening apically ( Fig. 49 ).

Composition. Halogosa gen. n. consists of three species, of which only H. cereipes comb. n. is known from both sexes. Two Pardosa species ( P. hatanensis and P. jartica ) described from Inner Mongolia ( China) are here transferred to Halocosa . Although we failed to obtain and re-examine their type series, based on the original descriptions and illustrations (see Urita, Tang et Song 1993, figs 1–2), both species belong to the newly erected genus Halocosa gen. n., based on general view of palp and shape of TgA in males, and shape of epigyne and spermathecae with long, tube-shaped accessory glands in females. The two species, H. hatanensis comb.n. and H. jartica comb. n., remain known only from male and female, respectively. H. jartica comb.n. is highly likely to represent the female of H. hatanensis comb.n., and the name H. jartica comb.n. could be synonymised with H. hatanensis comb. n. A formal synonymy is postponed until the type and additional material on both names have been (re)examined (to date we have been unable to borrow the types).

Distribution. Azerbaijan ( Marusik et al. 2003); South Ukraine ( Polchaninova 2001, 2012; Polchaninova & Prokopenko 2005, 2011, 2013, 2019); southern regions of European Russia ( Ponomarev 2002, 2010; Ponomarev & Tsvetkov 2004; Ponomarev et al. 2008; Kuzmin 2014; Ponomarev & Abdurakhmanov 2014; Ponomarev & Prishutova 2017); steppe zone of south of Western Siberia ( Fyodorov & Trilikauskas 2013; Mordkovich et al. 2015; Azarkina et al. 2018: 84), Kazakhstan ( Bragina 2012; Ponomarev & Bragina 2015; Ponomarev et al. 2017); Turkmenistan (L. Koch 1878); Tajikistan; China (Inner Mongolia) ( Urita, Tang et Song 1993, sub. Pardosa hatanensis and P. jartica ) (Figure 72).

Habitats. The species occurs on (tidal) salt marshes along sea/lake shores, where spiders live in burrows made in sandy soil (Figs 68–71).

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Halocosa cereipes comb. n. 1. male left palp, ventral view (ISEA, 001.7980); 2. bulbus, ventral view; 3. ditto, retrolateral view; 4. epigyne, ventral view (ISEA, 001.7980); 5. tegular apophysis, retrolateral view; 6.Apex of embolus, ventral view; 7. embolic division, ventral view; 8. ditto, ventro-apical view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 32–40. Halocosa cereipes comb. n. 32–36. male left palp, ventral view (32–33 ISEA 001.8186 and ISEA 001.8185, 34 ISEA 001.8303, 34–35 ISEA 001.8188 and ISEA 001.8189); 37–39. terminal part with embolus, ventral view (37 neotype ZMB/Arach49123, 38 ISEA, 001.8187, 39 ISEA, 001.7984); 40. bulbus, apical view (ISEA, 001.7979). Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 41–49. Halocosa cereipes comb. n. 41, 43. epigyne, ventral view (ISEA, 001.7983 and PSU, 7668); 42, 44–46. vulva, dorsal view (42, 45–46 ISEA, 001.7983, 44 PSU, 7668); 47–48. scheme of insemination duct; 49. vulva, lateral view (ISEA, 001.7980). Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 9–18. Arctosa leopardus (9–10), Evippa jocquei (11-14) and Halocosa cereipes comb. n. (15–18) 9, 11, 15 male carapace, dorsal view; 10, 12, 16 male “face”; 13, 17 male carapace, lateral view; 14, 18 male first leg, retrolateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURES 19–25. Evippa jocquei 19. male left palp, ventral view; 20. ditto, retrolateral view; 21. tegular apophysis, retrolateral view; 22. terminal part with embolus, ventral view; 23. epigyne, ventral view; 24. vulva, dorsal view; 25. scheme of insemination duct. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.