Zaitunia schmitzi ( Kulczyński, 1911 ), Kulczynski, 1911

Sergei Zonstein & Yuri M. Marusik, 2016, A revision of the spider genus Zaitunia (Araneae, Filistatidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 214, pp. 1-97 : 15-19

Zaitunia schmitzi ( Kulczyński, 1911)

Figs 6–7 , 43 A, 50A

Filistata schmitzi Kulczyński, 1911: 13 , pl. 1, fig. 3 (♂ ♀).

Zaitunia schmitzi – Lehtinen 1967: 275, fig. 21 (♂♀). — Zonstein 2009b: 127, figs 1–12 (♂♀).

Diagnosis

Males differ from those of all other congeners by a long and large cigar-shaped tegulum, a very thick spermophore occupying the whole bulb, a strongly slanting tip of the cymbium and by the extremely short and sideward-directed embolus (vs smaller coniform and longer forward-directed ones in other species). Females are easily distinguished by their intense dark coloration (darker than that in any other species) as well as their low and small globular receptacles, with outer lobe only slightly exceeding the median one in size ( Fig. 7 E–K).

Type material

Lectotype (designated by Zonstein 2009b: 127) ISRAEL: ♂, Jerusalem (the current depository unknown; not examined).

Paralectotype

ISRAEL: 1 ♀, Galilee (the current depository unknown; not examined).

Note

Lehtinen (1967) indicated the type series as being kept in IZW, but according to Wioletta Wawer, the curator, these types were not found there (pers. comm.).

Material examined (47 ♂♂, 28 ♀♀, 8 juvs)

EGYPT: 1 ♀, South Sinai, Mt. Catarina , c. 28°33' N, 33°57' E, 16 Jun. 1968, unknown collector ( HUJ).

ISRAEL: 1 ♀, Upper Galilee, Mt. Meron , 33°01' N, 35°23' E, 900 m, 4–5 Feb. 2007, T. Levanony ( TAU) ; 1 ♂, same data, but 5–12 Apr. 2007 ( TAU) ; 1 ♂, same data, but 12–16 May 2007 ( TAU) ; 2 ♂♂, Western Galilee, ‘ En haMifraz, 32°54' N, 35°05' E, 19 Mar. 1944, A. Shulov ( HUJ) ; 1 ♂, same region, ‘ En Ya’aqov , 33°00' N, 35°14' E, 26–31 Jul. 2007, I. Shtirberg ( TAU) ; 1 ♂, Carmel Ridge, Har Horshan, 32°35' N, 35°00' E, near Bat-Shlomo , 28 May 1993, Y. Lubin ( HUJ) ; 2 ♀♀, same ridge, Elyaqim , 32°38' N, 35°04' E, 15 Mar. 1963, M. Warburg ( TAU) ; 1 ♀, Jordan Valley, Ein Duyuk , 11 Apr. 1968, M. Pener ( HUJ) ; 1 ♀, same locality, 10 Jun. 1970, M. Pener ( HUJ) ; 1 juv., Yizre’el Valley, Bet HaShita , 32°33' N, 35°26' E, 6 Feb. 1937, A. Shulov ( TAU) ; 2 juvs, same region, ‘ En Harod , 32°34' N, 35°23' E, 11 Mar. 1945, A. Shulov ( HUJ) ; 1 ♀, Jerusalem, 16 Jul. 1941, A. Shulov ( HUJ) ; 1 juv., same locality, 12 Dec. 1949, A. Shulov ( HUJ) ; 1 ♀, same locality, 10 Mar. 1961, A. Shulov ( HUJ) ; 1 ♀, same area, Ramat Rahel , 31°44' N, 35°13' E, 23 Apr. 1973, unknown collector ( HUJ) ; 4 ♂♂, 1 juv., Judean Hills, Sansan Reserve , 31°42' N, 35°05' E, 500–700 m, 22 Mar. 2002, Y. Mandelik ( HUJ) ; 6 ♂♂, same data, but 31 Mar. 2001 ( HUJ) ; 1 ♂, same data, but 14 May 2002 ( HUJ) ; 7 ♂♂, same area, Ramat Avishur , 31°39' N, 34°55' E, 300–400 m, 22 Feb. 2001, Y. Mandelik ( HUJ) ; 3 ♂♂, same area, Giv’at Zekharya , 31°42' N, 34°57' E, 250–300 m, 22 Mar. 2002, Y. Mandelik ( HUJ) ; 1 ♂, same locality, but 14 May 2002 ( HUJ) ; 8 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, 1 juv., same region, National Park Adullam , 1–30 Apr. 2003, U. Columbus & T. Levanony ( TAU) ; 1 ♀, same region, Bet Shemesh , 31°45' N, 34°59' E, 3 Mar. 1954, A. Weissman ( HUJ) ; 1 ♀, same area, 6 km SW of Bet Shemesh , 31°40' N, 34°57' E, 350 m, 10 May 2009, S. Zonstein ( TAU) ; 1 ♀, same region, 3.5 km E of Bet Guvrin , 31°37' N, 34°56' E, 350 m, 8 Nov. 2011, S. Zonstein ( TAU) ; 2 ♂♂, same area, near Giv’at Yeshayahu , 31°40' N, 34°57' E, 300–350 m, 20 May 2007, O. Skutelsky ( TAU) ; 1 ♂, same data, but 20 May 2008 ( TAU) ; 1 ♂, same area, Matta , 31°43' N, 35°04' E, 620 m, 13–18 Apr. 2007, I. Shtirberg ( TAU) ; 1 ♂, same region, near Lahav , 31°33' N, 34°52' E, 500 m, 25–30 Jul. 2006, I. Shtirberg ( TAU) ; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, same data, but 13–18 Jan. 2007 ( TAU) ; 2 ♀♀, Northern Negev, Dorot – Ruhama , c. 31°30' N, 34°41' E, 31 Jan. 1972, I. Vaisberg ( HUJ) ; 1 ♂, same region, HaBesor , 31°18' N, 34°29' E, 70 m, 2 Apr. 2010, C. Drees & L. Friedman ( TAU) ; 1 ♀, Dead Sea Area, ‘ Enot Zuqim (En Fashkha), 24 Feb. 1942, A. Shulov ( HUJ) ; 1 ♂, same region, Nahal Perat (Wadi Kelt), 13 Jan. 1945, A. Shulov ( HUJ) ; 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, same region, surroundings of ‘ En Gedi , 31°27' N, 35°23' E, 0 m, 19 Jan. 2013, S. Zonstein ( TAU) ; 2 ♂♂, 1 juv., Judean Desert, ‘ Arad , 31°16' N, 35°13' E, 20 Dec. 1962, P. Amitai ( HUJ) ; 4 ♀♀, 1 juv., same locality, 13 Feb. 1969, M. Warburg ( TAU) ; 1 ♀, Ma’ale Adummim , 30 Apr. 1972, unknown collector ( HUJ) ; 1 ♀, Central Negev, Yeroham , 30°59' N, 34°56' E, 30 Nov. 1964, Blond & Watz ( HUJ) ; 1 juv., same region, crater Makhtesh Gadol , c. 30°57' N, 35°00' E, 1 Apr. 1962, A. Shulov ( HUJ) .

Description

Male (from Jerusalem area)

HABITUS. See Fig. 6 B.

BODY LENGTH. 2.83.

COLOUR. Carapace dark yellowish-brown with margins, postocular area and eye tubercle dark brown to brownish-black; chelicerae, labium, sternum and maxillae brown; legs brown with diffuse and poorly developed dark-brown fasciae; abdomen uniformly dark brown.

CARAPACE ( Fig. 6 E). 1.27 long, 1.03 wide.

EYES. AME 0.06, ALE 0.11, PLE 0.08, PME 0.06, AME–AME 0.06.

PALP ( Figs 7 A-D, 43A). Femur equal in length to tibia; tibia thick, uniformly swollen. Cymbium moderately long, with or without small dorsodistal projection. Broad, blunt-tipped tegulum with thick spermophore forming 4 complete coils closely adjoining each other. Embolus short, lacking a neck, flattened and bent retrolaterally.

LEG MEASUREMENTS. ♂(♀)

	Femur	Patella	Tibia	Metatarsus	Tarsus	Total
Palp	0.61 (0.80)	0.25 (0.31)	0.59 (0.43)	―	0.24 (0.79)	1.69 (2.33)
I	1.31 (1.52)	0.49 (0.49)	1.28 (1.41)	1.10 (1.20)	0.73 (0.91)	4.91 (5.53)
II	1.04 (1.15)	0.47 (0.46)	0.98 (0.95)	0.93 (0.85)	0.65 (0.74)	4.07 (4.15)
III	0.98 (0.97)	0.46 (0.46)	0.78 (0.59)	0.95 (0.74)	0.64 (0.65)	3.81 (3.41)
IV	1.25 (1.36)	0.52 (0.48)	1.16 (1.05)	1.26 (1.06)	0.74 (0.73)	4.93 (4.68)

Female (from Jerusalem area)

HABITUS. See Figs 6 A, 50A.

BODY LENGTH. 3.85.

COLOUR. As in male, but carapace, palps and legs slightly lighter; in contrast, fasciae on palps and legs somewhat darker than in male.

CARAPACE ( Fig. 6 D). 1.52 long, 1.18 wide.

EYES. AME 0.07, ALE 0.12, PLE 0.10, PME 0.07, AME–AME 0.06.

ENDOGYNE ( Fig. 7 E–K). With 2 pairs of globular receptacles. Median receptacles two times thinner that lateral; median receptacles separated by 3 diameters; lateral receptacles evenly covered by pores, and median receptacles with pores on head only.

Variation

Carapace length in males varies from 1.03 to 1.30, in females from 1.37 to 2.00; ground colouration varies from medium yellowish-brown with a darker brown abdomen to an almost uniform dark brown.

Ecology

The species inhabits many types of habitats, from deserts through steppes and maquis to low oak evergreen forest; in all these habitats, it occurs mainly under rocks (see Fig. 50 A).

Distribution

Egypt (Sinai) and Israel ( Fig. 46 ).

Figures

Fig. 6. Somatic characters of Zaitunia schmitzi (Kulczyński, 1911), ♀ (A, C – D, F – G) and ♂ (B, E) from Jerusalem area. — A – B. Habitus, dorsal. C. Abdomen, ventral. D – E. Prosoma, dorsal. F. Calamistrum, dorsal. G. Spinnerets, ventral.

Fig. 7. Copulatory organs of Zaitunia schmitzi (Kulczyński, 1911), ♂ (A – D) and ♀ (E – K) from Jerusalem area. — A – B. Palp, retrolateral and prolateral. C – D. Same, ventro-prolateral and ventroretrolateral. E, G, K. Endogyne, anterior. F. Same, posterior. H, J. Receptacles, dorsal and anterior. I. Endogyne, dorsal.

Fig. 43. Male copulatory organs of Zaitunia species, retrolateral. A. Z. schmitzi (Kulczyński, 1911) (Jerusalem area). B. Z. annulipes (Kulczyński, 1908) (Paramali). C. Z. kunti sp. nov. (holotype). D. Z. minoica sp. nov. (paratype). E. Z. logunovi sp. nov. (paratype). F. Z. martynovae (Andreeva & Tyshchenko, 1969) (Gandzhina). Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 46. Distribution of Zaitunia schmitzi and Zaitunia annulipes species groups.

Fig. 50. Live specimens of Zaitunia and habitats of Z. martynovae (Andreeva & Tyshchenko, 1969) in Southern Tajikistan. A. ♀ of Z. schmitzi (Kulczyński, 1911) on the turned stone bottom (Israel, Shoham, image courtesy of Amir Weinstein). B. Surroundings of Gandzhina: the spiders occur under the stones. C. Pyandzh-Karatau Mts, one of the co-authors (YM) near the clay escarps inhabited by filistatids. D. Foothills of the salt dome Khodzha-Mumin: the spiders inhabit crevices and cavities in the rock outcrops. E. One of the figured escarps, a close-up photo showing the twin entrance leading to the inhabited cavity. F. Captured ♀ of Z. martynovae (Andreeva & Tyshchenko, 1969) weaving a web in the cover of a collecting tube.