Latrodectus pallidus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872

Seropian, Armen, Bulbulashvili, Natalia, Krammer, Hans-Joachim, Thormann, Jana, Hein, Nils, Karalashvili, Elisabeth, Kachlishvili, Nino & Datunashvili, Anastasia, 2024, Picking pearls from the Silk Road: Insights into the spider (Arachnida, Araneae) diversity in Georgia from the Caucasus Barcode of Life (CaBOL) project. Part III, Caucasiana 3, pp. 89-118 : 89

** Latrodectus pallidus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872

Figs 37-42

Latrodectus pallidus Levy, 1998b: 100, figs 183-188 (♀).

Latrodectus pallidus Zamani et al., 2014: 60, figs 2C, 3C, 4E (♂♀).

Material examined.

GEORGIA - Kakheti • 2♀♀ (1 subadult); Dedoplistskaro mun., Chachuna Managed Reserve ; N41.229592°, E46.139063°; 648 m a.s.l.; semidesert, shrubs; leg. Seropian A.; 19 Jul. 2023 . • 14♀♀, 6♂♂; N41.231156°, E46.147153°; 648 m a.s.l.; semidesert; leg. Seropian A.; 17 Jul. 2023; semidesert, shrubs; leg. Seropian A.; 17 Jul. 2023; CaBOL-IDs 1035887, 1035888, 1035889, 1035890, 1035891, 1035892, 1035893, 1035894, 1035895, 1035896, 1035897, 1035898, 1035899, 1035900, 1035901, 1035902, 1035903, 1035904, 1035905, 1035906 • 7♀♀ (3 subadult); N41.229966°, E46.150206°; 648 m a.s.l.; semidesert, shrubs; leg. Seropian A.; 17 Jul. 2023; CaBOL-IDs • 7♀♀ (2 subadult), 2♂♂; N41.230042°, E46.147842°; 648 m a.s.l.; semidesert, shrubs; leg. Seropian A.; 17 Jul. 2023. • 5♀♀ (3 subadult), 8♂♂; N41.220055°, E46.019804°; 648 m a.s.l.; semidesert, shrubs; leg. Seropian A.; 16 Jul. 2023. • 1♀; N41.220575°, E46.01699°; 648 m a.s.l.; semidesert, shrubs; leg. Seropian A.; 16 Jul. 2023. • 4♀♀ (3 subadult); N41.214409°, E46.01487°; 648 m a.s.l.; semidesert, shrubs; leg. Seropian A.; 16 Jul. 2023; CaBOL-IDs 1035881, 1035882, 1035883, 1035884 • 5♀♀ (3 subadult); N41.213397°, E46.013024°; 648 m a.s.l.; semidesert, shrubs; leg. Seropian A.; 16 Jul. 2023. • 5♀♀ (4 subadult), 1♂; N41.213086°, E46.015515°; 648 m a.s.l.; semidesert, shrubs;; leg. Seropian A.; 16 Jul. 2023; leg. Seropian A.

Genetics. Twenty-three identical barcodes were obtained from the specimens CaBOL 1035881, 1035882, 1035883, 1035884, 1035887, 1035888, 1035889, 1035890, 1035891, 1035892, 1035893, 1035894, 1035895, 1035896, 1035897, 1035898, 1035899, 1035900, 1035901, 1035902, 1035903, 1035904, and 1035906 (BOLD:AAO3346) with the nearest neighbor in BOLD Systems L. pallidus from Turkey with a private status (maximum p -distance 0.15%). The second-best match is L. pallidus from Israel (BOLD:AAO3346, maximum p -distance 0.63%).

Remarks.

This species is distributed from Cape Verde Island to Libya, South Africa, Turkey, Iran, and Central Asia ( Nentwig et al. 2023; WSC 2023). It is the first record of L. pallidus in the Caucasus. Males and females were collected from the webs spun on the shrubs, with the cone retreats (up to 6 cm in length) tapering above the catching platform. Although all of the males have been collected directly from the female retreats, the fact that 1/3 of the females are still immature suggests the beginning of the mating season in Georgia in late June-July. From the co-occurring in the Caucasus L. dahli Levi, 1959 and L. tredecimguttatus (Rossi, 1790), it is easily distinguished by the creamy-white coloration of the abdomen (dorsally covered with large irregular yellow spots with dark margins in males, and small irregular spots in females), whereas females of L. dahli are black (with a thin median white stripe ventrally), males are light yellow, with 3 to 5 pairs of black spots on dorsum; L. tredecimguttatus juveniles, males, and females are black, with abdomens dorsally covered with 13 red spots with white margins (this ornament is generally reduced (sometimes totally) to the thin white margins in adult females from the local populations). Males of L. pallidus have an embolus coiling up to three times around the cymbium (a single coil in L. dahli ).

Genus Theridion Walckenaer, 1805

Figures

Figures 37 - 44. Latrodectus pallidus (37: female, epigyne, ventral view, in situ; 38: endogyne, dorsal view; 39: male, left palpus, prolateral view; 40: same, ventral view; 41: same, retrolateral view; 42: same, apical view). Theridion cinereum (43: male, left palpus, ventral view; 44: female, endogyne, dorsal view). Scale bars: 0.2 mm (37 - 42); 0.1 mm (43 - 44).