Berlandina avishur, Levy, Gershom, 2009

Levy, Gershom, 2009, New ground-spider genera and species with annexed checklist of the Gnaphosidae (Araneae) of Israel, Zootaxa 2066, pp. 1-49 : 3-4

Berlandina avishur n. sp.

Figs 1–3

Type material. Adult male holotype from Ramat Avishur , east of Bet Nir, Israel, leg. Yael Mandelik, May 14, 2002, pitfall trap ( HUJ 15557). Female unknown.

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition referring to the type locality.

Description. Carapace and legs brown, opisthosoma dark grey with posterior faint dorsal chevrons. Carapace with short fovea. Eyes with nearly straight anterior row and slightly recurved posterior row, in dorsal view. AME smallest, touching larger ALE; PME slightly closer to each other than to PLE. Chelicerae with one tooth in front of serrated keel. Labium longer than wide and flanked by round palpal endites.

Male. Measurements (holotype + 2ɗɗ; holotype listed first): total length 3.1, 2.8–2.9; carapace length 1.4, 1.3–1.4, width 0.9, 1.0–1.1, index 1.55, 1.27–1.30; labial index 1.30, 1.25–1.50; clypeal index 2.66, 4.0; MOQ index 11.6, 10.0–11.8; legs length: I 2.9, 2.8–3.1, II 2.5, 2.6, III 2.1, 2.1–2.2, IV 3.3, 3.1–3.5; patella-tibia index 0.79, 0.84–0.85.

Palpus. Small, compact, with large embolus, nearly rectangular, with knee-like deflected base and with apical, black pointed sclerotized tip ( Figs 1, 2 ); thick, round apical part of conductor bears on top a small transparent, pointed process ( Figs 2, 3 ). Tibial apophysis tapers to a single tip ( Fig. 3 ).

Diagnosis. Based on male. The remarkable embolus with the thick, basal, salient bent and the peculiar conductor are distincive characters that easily separate B. avishur from all other Berlandina species.

Distribution. Israel. Records: Ramat Avishur , Be`eri.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Berlandina avishur n. sp. ♂, holotype, left palpus. 1. Mesal view. 2. Ventral view. 3. Retrolateral view.