Tarodes Pocock, 1899

Gardzińska, Joanna, 2015, Revision of Tarodes Pocock, 1899 and Udvardya Prószyński, 1992 (Araneae: Salticidae), with descriptions of two new species of Udvardya from New Guinea, Zootaxa 4039 (3), pp. 445-455 : 446

Genus Tarodes Pocock, 1899

Figs 1‒7 , 52

Tarodes Pocock, 1899: 115 .

Type species: Tarodes lineatus Pocock, 1899 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. In general appearance, Tarodes resembles Udvardya , but it can be distinguished by the absence of mastidia on male chelicerae, embolus robust and short, epigyne with copulatory openings located posteriorly, copulatory ducts narrow, spermathecae two-chambered, with primary spermathecae enlarged and secondary ones markedly smaller, bean-shaped.

Description. Cephalothorax of rectangular shape, longer than wide and relatively low, with posterior thoracic slope starting at two thirds of thoracic length ( Figs 1‒3 ). Eye tubercles relatively small ( Fig. 2 ). Clypeus very narrow (about 10% of AME diameter). Chelicerae inclined forwards, flat-fronted, with sclerotized lateral margins and transverse furrows on anterior surface; cheliceral dentition of fissident pattern, with two promarginal and one bicuspid retromarginal tooth ( Figs 3‒4 ). Fangs relatively short. Endites divergent, without modifications. Labium subtriangular, longer than wide. Sternum narrow ( Fig. 5 ), with anterior margin equal to labium width. Male abdomen cylindrical, not constricted ( Fig. 1 ), with anterior hair tuft and dorsal and ventral scuta. Spinnerets of medium length, posterior ones slightly longer than anterior and median ones. First legs the longest and more robust than the others; femora I swollen and flattened laterally; tibiae I longer than femora, with ventral fringe of sparse setae and armed with two rows of ventral spines; metatarsi I with 3 pairs of ventral spines ( Fig. 1 ). Leg formula: I- IV-II-III. Palpal organ: embolus (E) located apically at bulb, bent counterclockwise, retrolateral sperm duct loop (RSDL) S-shaped, retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) broad ( Figs 6‒7 ). Epigyne as in diagnosis.

Remark. The type species of Tarodes is known from New Britain. Prószyński (see in: "Monograph of ( Araneae ) Salticidae of the World 1995‒2015 ”) shows illustrations of Tarodes specimens (of both sexes) collected from the Solomon islands archipelago (Guadalcanal and Vella Lavella) identified as T. lineatus . Those specimens probably belong to a new species, as their pedipalps vary in details from those observed in the holotype of T. lineatus . In this study they are depicted as Tarodes sp. (orange squares on the map, Fig. 52 ). The current diagnosis of the genus (see above) has been supplemented with the features of female genitalia, based on the drawings by Jerzy Prószyński.

Distribution. Known from New Britain ( Papua New Guinea) and Solomon Islands.

Figures

FIGURE 52. Distributional records of species of Tarodes (squares) and Udvardya (circles).

FIGURES 1 – 7. Tarodes lineatus Pocock, 1899, male holotype. 1 general appearance, dorsal view; 2 cephalothorax, lateral view; 3 same, fronto-lateral view; 4 cheliceral dentition, retrolateral view; 5 sternum; 6 palpal organ, ventral view; 7 same, retrolateral view. Scale bars: 1: 1 mm; 6: 0.1 mm.