Pardosa pseudomixta, Marusik & Fritzén, 2009

Marusik, Y. M. & Fritzén, N. R., 2009, A new wolf spider species in the Pardosa monticola-group (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Xinjiang, China, Journal of Natural History 43 (7 - 8), pp. 411-422 : 412-417

Pardosa pseudomixta n.sp.

( Figures 1 A–C,E,F; 2A,B,F–J; 3B–D,G; and 4B,E–G,J)

Pardosa mixta: Chen and Song 2002: p. 342 , figures 4–11 („ ǫ, misidentification). Pardosa mixta sensu Chen and Song 2002 : Marusik et al. 2007, p. 268.

Type material

Holotype „ ( ZIB) and paratypes 19 „„ and 21 ǫǫ ( ZIB, ZMUT, ZMMU), China, Xinjiang, 70 km southwest of Urumqi, Nantaizi , 43.399 ° N to 43.438 ° N, 87.214 ° E to 87.262 ° E, 1800–2100 m, 3 May to 28 June 2004 (coll. N. R. Fritzén).

Etymology

The specific name is an adjective in apposition and reflects the close relationship between the new species and P. mixta .

Diagnosis

Pardosa pseudomixta sp. nov. is very similar to P. mixta known from the Alps. Males of the two species can easily be separated by the unmodified tarsi and metatarsi of leg I ( Figures 1E,F ; 2A,B ) (swollen and with pubescence in P. mixta ; Figures 1G,H ; 2C,D ), the black tip of tarsus I, and details of the embolic division of the pedipalp (compare Figure 3 B–D with Figure 3A,E,F ). In addition, male P. pseudomixta sp. nov. have brown lateral bands on the carapace ( Figure 1C ), whereas P. mixta males have yellow lateral bands ( Figure 1D ). Females of these sibling species are almost indistinguishable by the shape of the epigyne, although its apical pockets are almost fused in P. mixta ( Figure 4A,D,H,I ) while in the new species the inner margins of the apical pockets are clearly separated ( Figures 3G ; 4B ,E–G,J). In addition, the median septum in P. pseudomixta sp. nov. does not have a longitudinal groove as in P. mixta ( Figure 3H,I ). The main differences between the two species are summarized in Table 1.

Description

Males. Carapace brown-black with narrow yellow median band ( Figure 1C ); lateral light bands brown, darker than median band, and slightly narrower than dark marginal bands; clypeus light brown, lighter than head flanks ( Figure 1B ). Abdomen similar colour to carapace, with light brown median heart mark. Legs yellow without annulations. Femora basally dark. Metatarsi I with a few scattered small pores ( Figure 2J ). Tarsi I apically dark ( Figure 1E,F ). Chelicerae of similar colour to carapace, with longitudinal stripes of similar colour as clypeus. Pedipalps dark brown; patellae slightly lighter than other segments. Palea with smoothly rounded ridge ( Figure 3B,C ); terminal apophysis rounded ( Figure 3A,C,D ), with distinctly separated mesal portion.

Females. Carapace brown with wide yellow median band and distinct cephalic spot ( Figure 1A ); lateral light bands twice as wide as marginal dark bands. Abdomen with distinct light heart mark and five pairs of light median spots. Anterior spots separated by heart mark, the posterior spots fused. Legs with dark annulations ( Figure 1A ). Epigyne with wide median septum, that covers the entire cavity and distinct apical pockets ( Figures 3 G–I; 4A,H); median septum variable in size and shape, its median part without longitudinal groove ( Figure 4E ); apical pockets widely separated.

Measurements

Males/females. total length 4.9–5.3/5.7–6.1; carapace length 2.58–2.73/2.83–3.03; carapace width 2.0–2.13/2.28–2.33.

Length ratios. tibia/metatarsus I 0.87–0.92/0.92–0.97; carapace/metatarsus I 1.4– 1.49/1.63–1.66; carapace/tarsus IV (females only) 1.66–1.67; carapace/metatarsus IV (females only) 0.78–0.81.

Distribution

Pardosa pseudomixta sp. nov. is currently known from Xinjiang, China ( Figure 5 ).

Habitat preferences

The type material of P. pseudomixta sp. nov. was collected in the Tian-Shan Mountains about 70 km southwest of Urumqi in the Xinjiang Province in northwestern China. Most of the material was collected in an area of about 10 km 2 between the hotel in the village of Nantaizi and a water control station. The Nantaizi area is located on the east side of the Urumqi River and consists of half a dozen moraine ridges with relatively steep slopes at elevations ranging from about 1800 to 2100 m. Beneath the slopes and near the river there is a flat area. The north facing slopes are dominated by spruce forests, and the south facing slopes mainly by steep, xeric sandy and stony habitats with relatively sparse vegetation or, in places, with a cover of bushes. The west facing slopes and the lower flat areas are mainly dry meadows. The whole area is heavily grazed by goats, sheep, cattle and horses.

Remarks

Pardosa pseudomixta sp. nov. was reported as P. mixta ( Chen and Song 2002) and P. mixta sensu Chen and Song (2002) from Xinjiang and seems to be restricted to northern Xinjiang. Pardosa mixta was identified and reported from Central Asia at least twice, first by Charitonov (1969) from Uzbekistan, then by Bronstein and Murtazaev (1974) from the Samarkand area of Uzbekistan ( Figure 5 ). We checked the records of Charitonov (1969) for P. mixta from Uzbekistan. His specimens, housed in the Perm State University, belong to another, apparently new species. Likewise, the record from Samarkand may refer to another species of the monticola - group because Bronstein and Murtazaev (1974), as amateur arachnologists, may not have had the appropriate literature available to identify the species. Investigations of other available specimens belonging to the P. monticola -group from Central Asia ( Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) revealed that there are several species, of which at least three are related to P. mixta and P. pseudomixta sp. nov. Males of these species exhibit only minor differences in the shape of the terminal apophysis but much better diagnostic characters in the shape, colour and lack of pubescence on the metatarsi and tarsi of leg I. A separate paper devoted to the study of Central Asian members of P. monticola -group is forthcoming. Judging from the localized distribution of the species of this group in Central Asia, it seems likely that specimens from Xinjiang and Gansu ( Figure 5 ) treated by Chen and Song (2002) may also belong to a different species. Unfortunately we were not able to restudy specimens from Gansu.

Figures

Figure 1. Pardosa pseudomixta sp. nov. (A–C,E,F) and Pardosa mixta (D,G,H). (A) Female, dorsal; (B) male, frontal; (C,D) male, lateral; (E,G), male leg I, prolateral; (F,H) male leg I, retrolateral. Arrows indicate differences in the coloration of the prosoma (light marginal band) and legs in males. Analogous figures have the same magnification.

Figure 2. Males of Pardosa pseudomixta sp. nov. (A,B,F–J) and Pardosa mixta (C–E). (A,C) leg I, prolateral; (B,D) metatarsus I, prolateral; (E,F,I) palp ventral; (G) palp retrolateral; (H) palp from above; (J) fine pore on metatarsus I (arrowed). Arrows indicate differences in the setae arrangement on the metatarsi between both species and fine pore. Scale 0.1 mm if not otherwise indicated.

Figure 3. Pardosa mixta (A,E,F,H,I) and Pardosa pseudomixta sp. nov. (B–D,G). (A,B) embolic division of bulb, ventral; (C,E) embolic division of bulb, apical; (D,F) terminal apophysis; (G–I) epigyne, ventral. Arrows indicate main differences in male palp and epigyne between both species. Scale 0.1 mm, analogous figures have same scale or magnification.

Figure 4. Pardosa mixta (A,C,D,H,I) and Pardosa pseudomixta sp. nov. (B,E–G,J). (A,B,I,J) epigyne after maceration, ventral; (C) embolic division, ventral; (D–H) epigyne, ventral view. Analogous figures have same scale or magnification.

Figure 5. Records of Pardosa pseudomixta sp. nov. (full circles) and Pardosa mixta (full diamonds). The map also shows erroneous records of P. mixta from Uzbekistan (full squares) and presumed records of P. pseudomixta sp. nov. that were reported as P. mixta from China (open circle).