Raveniola Zonstein, 1987

Zonstein, Sergei, Kunt, Kadir B. & Yağmur, Ersen A., 2018, A revision of the spider genus Raveniola (Araneae, Nemesiidae). I. Species from Western Asia, European Journal of Taxonomy 399, pp. 1-93 : 5-7

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2018.399
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E836E138-D6E2-4F62-B4B3-CE2E073F2B24
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5980273
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B9B44C-5673-0C21-51BD-86DFFAAC4AB2
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Raveniola Zonstein, 1987
status

Treatment

Raveniola Zonstein, 1987 View in CoL

Raveniola Zonstein, 1987: 1014 .

Raveniola View in CoL – Zonstein & Marusik 2012: 74. — Li & Zonstein 2015: 3.

Type species

Brachythele virgata Simon, 1891 , by original designation.

Emended diagnosis

Raveniola and Sinopesa share two (sometimes three) retroventral megaspines located sequentially on tibia I in males (the unique position among male nemesiids) and the paired spermathecae in females, each carrying two individual receptacular heads; within these taxa the PMS are reduced in size (lost entirely in some species) and the maxillary serrula and preening combs are absent. Raveniola is currently known to differ from Sinopesa by a noticeably longer and denser leg scopula (vs a short and rare scopula in Sinopesa ), and by a developed leg and carapace setation. The male palpal organ is moderate in size in Raveniola but appears to be enlarged (with respect to the entire male palp) in Sinopesa .

Morphological peculiarities of Western Asian congeners

HABITUS ( Figs 43–58 View Figs43–51 View Figs 52–58 ). The studied spiders are mostly small or medium-sized nemesiids with a carapace length of 2–10 mm.

PROSOMA. Carapace broad-oval and hirsute, with cephalic part slightly to noticeably higher than thoracic part. Eye tubercle predominantly low in males and females (best developed in Raveniola hyrcanica ). Cheliceral mound and rastellum absent (see Fig. 1 View Figs 1–6 ). In males chelicerae with a small, softened, pale area probably corresponding to a vestigial or poorly-developed intercheliceral male tumescence and located in the well-developed cavity on the ventral cheliceral surface ( Figs 59–60 View Figs 59–67 ). Sternal sigilla medium-sized to small, broad-oval, submarginal (see Figs 62–64 View Figs 59–67 ). Maxillae with few to numerous maxillary cuspules confined to probasal edge. Serrula absent, but cuticle near the anterior maxillary edge has remnants of scales ( Figs 2–3 View Figs 1–6 ).

STRUCTURES OF LEGS I–IV. Male tibia and metatarsus I as shown in Figs 129–144 View Figs129–132 View Figs 133–136 View Figs 137–140 View Figs 141–144 . Leg scopula varies from dense and moderately long to thin and short; distal on metatarsi I–II, generally entire on tarsus I, mostly divided on tarsus II; females also with entire scopula on palpal tarsus. Tarsal organ low, domed, with weak to sharp concentric ridges ( Figs 7–12 View Figs 7–12 ). Trichobothrial bases corrugiform ( Figs 13–18 View Figs 13–18 ). Female palp with tarsal claw dentate on promargin ( Fig. 19 View Figs 19–24 ). Paired tarsal claws of legs I–IV biserially dentate, unpaired claw always present, moderately small and bare ( Figs 20–24 View Figs 19–24 ).

MALE PALP. Tibia of moderate to short length, spinose. Cymbium moderately short, with or without spines ( Figs 149–160 View Figs 149–152 View Figs 153–156 View Figs 157–160 ). Male palpal bulb pyriform, inserted submedially. Embolus short to moderately long, tapering or spiraled, with or without keels and ridges ( Figs 4 View Figs 1–6 , 171–197 View Figs 171–179 View Figs 180–188 View Figs 189–197 ).

SPERMATHECAE. Two wide or narrow spermathecae, each with two receptacles ( Figs 198–212 View Figs 198–203 View Figs 204–212 ).

SPINNERETS. Two pairs of spinnerets (PMS always present). PMS small but with a few fully functional spigots confined to the apex ( Figs 25–30 View Figs 25–30 ). PLS with spigots confined to ventral surface of segments ( Figs 33–36 View Figs 31–36 ) and with apical segment triangular to digitiform ( Figs 31–32 View Figs 31–36 , 65–67 View Figs 59–67 ).

Species included

Raveniola currently comprises 37 species, including the new species described here; 16 of them occur in Western Asia: R. adjarica sp. nov., R. anadolu sp. nov., R. arthuri Kunt & Yağmur, 2010 , R. birecikensis sp. nov., R. dunini sp. nov., R. hyrcanica Dunin, 1988 , R. marusiki sp. nov., R. mazandaranica Marusik, Zamani & Mirshamsi, 2014 , R. micropa ( Ausserer, 1871) , R. nana sp. nov., R. niedermeyeri ( Brignoli, 1972) , R. pontica ( Spassky, 1937) , R. sinani sp. nov., R. turcica sp. nov., R. vonwicki Zonstein, 2000 and R. zaitzevi ( Charitonov, 1948) .

Species grouping

To enhance identifications, the species treated here are assigned to three species groups.These assignments are preliminary, because males and females in some species are unknown, and they are not based on a phylogenetic grouping, though some of the groups may indeed reflect phylogenetic relationships. The similarity in external morphology in all females of Western Asian Raveniola necessitates their assignment both throughout the species and the species groups being entirely based on the structure of the spermathecae.

Distribution and ecology

Within Western Asia, representatives of Raveniola are distributed from the western part of Anatolia (Turkey: Bursa) through the Caucasus mountain region to the Alborz and Khorasan Mts, Iran. All species with known habitats were found in different types of piedmont and mountainous deciduous broad-leaved forests, and at least some of them may inhabit the higher coniferous forest belt ( R. adjarica sp. nov.) or even subalpine grasslands ( R. pontica ); some species (like R. dunini sp. nov.) are also found in the open forest biotopes at low altitudes. In most species, females use cavities under rocks to build primitive burrow-like dwellings lacking any silk-lining. However, females of R. hyrcanica , unlike other congeners, dig very simple open burrows, also without silk-lining, in the forest floor.

Key to the Western Asian species groups of Raveniola View in CoL

Males

1. Palpal tibia subcylindrical, without bare preapical area, low mound and sensilla (as in Figs 171– 188 View Figs 171–179 View Figs 180–188 ) …………………………………………………………………………………………………2

– Palpal tibia dilated subapically, bearing retrolateral hump and bare retroventral-distal area with low mound and sensilla (as in Figs 189–197 View Figs 189–197 ) ………………………………… niedermeyeri View in CoL group

2. Embolus always keeled; embolic keel laterally directed ( Figs 171–179 View Figs 171–179 ) ……… hyrcanica View in CoL group

– Embolus with or without keel; embolic keel, if present, running parallel to embolus ( Figs 180– 188 View Figs 180–188 ) ………………………………………………………………………………… micropa View in CoL group

Females

1. Bases of spermathecae relatively narrow or moderately wide ( Figs 204–212 View Figs 204–212 ) …………………2

– Bases of spermathecae very wide ( Figs 198–203 View Figs 198–203 ) ……………………………… hyrcanica View in CoL group

2. Bases of spermathecae always moderately wide; median and lateral receptacles subequal in shape and size ( Figs 204–207 View Figs 204–212 ) …………………………………………………………… micropa View in CoL group

– Bases of spermathecae generally relatively narrow ( Figs 210–212 View Figs 204–212 ); median and lateral receptacles different in shape and size ( Figs 208–209 View Figs 204–212 ) ………………………………… niedermeyeri View in CoL group