Hersiliola foordi, Marusik & Fet, 2009

Marusik, Yuri & Fet, Victor, 2009, A survey of East Palaearctic Hersiliola Thorell, 1870 (Araneae, Hersiliidae), with a description of three new genera, ZooKeys 16 (16), pp. 75-114 : 86

Hersiliola foordi sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4915C8CC-EEF2-451F-A481-5BA06F4EF454

Figs 7 .13-14, 8 .5

Type material (3 specimens): Holotype 1♀, IRAN [01] Fars Province, 50 km NNE of Shiraz, Bamoo Reserve , 52°45’E 29°45’N, 18- 28.05.2000, Yu.M. Marusik coll. (ZMMU) . Paratypes: 1♀, 1 juv.♀, IRAN [09] Fars Province, Shiraz , 52.533°E 29.607°N, 18- 26.05.2000, Yu.M. Marusik coll. (ZMMU) .

Etymology. The species name is a patronym honouring our colleague Stefan H. Foord (Thohoyandou, South Africa), for his contributions to in-depth modern studies of Hersiliidae .

Description. Male unknown. Female: Total length 5.01-5.75. Carapace 2.1-2.25 long, 2.2-2.45 wide, femur 3.1-3.75 long, femur I/carapace length ratio 1.47-1.67. Coxae IV separated only slightly. Abdominal pattern such as in holotype of H. afghanica formed by short flat hairs of orange-light brown, dark brown, and white colour.

Epigyne as in Figs 13 -14, 8.5, with septum as wide as lateral arms of median plate; median plate not well separated from epigynal plate; translucent spermathecae oval, separated by their length (height) from the epigynal opening; insemination duct short, with only one loop; fertilization duct with a long appendix-like accessory gland extending along the duct.

Diagnosis. Hersiliola foordi sp. n. can be easily distinguished from all other congeners by its very short and wide insemination ducts, unseparated median plate, and lack of windows.

Comments. This species, like H. lindbergi sp. n., could belong to a separate genus. Its median plate is not separated from the rest of the epigynal plate. It also has no accessory sclerites and no windows.

Distribution. The species is known only from two nearby localities near Shiraz, southern Iran.

Figures

Figure 7. Epigynes of Hersiliola versicolor (1), Hersiliola sp. (2), H. lindbergi sp. n. (3, 6), H. afghanica (4-5), H. sternbergsi sp. n. (7-9), H. esyunini sp. n. (10-12), and H. foordi sp. n. (13-14). 1-8, 10-11, 13-14 ventral 9, 12 dorsal. Scale = 0.5 mm.

Figure 8. Epigynes, ventral view, of Hersiliola afghanica (1), H. sternbergsi sp. n. (2), H. lindbergi sp. n. (3), H. esyunini sp. n. (4), H. foordi sp. n (5), Duninia baehrae sp. n. (6), and D. rheimsae sp. n. (7).

Figure 13. Hersiliola xinjiangenis, after Liang and Wang (1989). 1-2 epigyne, ventral and dorsal, respectively 3-4 male palp, retrolateral and ventral, respectively.