Civizelotes pygmaeus (Miller, 1943)

Naumova, Maria, Blagoev, Gergin & Deltshev, Christo, 2021, Fifty spider species new to the Bulgarian fauna, with a review of some dubious species (Arachnida: Araneae), Zootaxa 4984 (1), pp. 228-257 : 232-233

Civizelotes pygmaeus (Miller, 1943)

Figs 2A–D , BOLD:AAZ8361

Material. 1 ♂ (IBER), Besapari hills, Sinitovo village , N 42.1255 ˚, E 24.3761 ˚, 301 m, 28.04– 29.05.2020 , 1 ♀ (IBER), 29.05– 22.06.2020, soil traps, T. Ljubomirov leg., open rocky habitat with scarce vegetation; 1 imm (CBG), GenBank: MW698690 , SampleID: BIOUG41300-H03, Sofia, residence area in Dragalevtsi ward, N 42.6381 ˚, E 23.298 ˚, 747 m, 07.06.2017, Malaise trap, L. Penev & V. Peneva leg.

Remarks. Known from Italy to Kazakhstan (Nentwig et al. 2021; World Spider Catalog 2021). Colour photographs of copulatory organs of both sexes are provided for the first time. The male of C. pygmaeus is extremely close to that of C. gracilis (Canestrini, 1868) ( Esyunin & Tuneva 2020) , from which it can be distinguished by the shape and size of the RTA ( Fig. 2B ), the presence of a large denticle at the embolic base and by the short and thin embolar projection ( Fig. 2A ). The female has a characteristic epigyne with a rounded-rectangular cuticular ridge and bean-shaped spermathecae ( Figs 2C–D ).

Figures

FIGURES 2A–D. Civizelotes pygmaeus, copulatory organs.A–B Left male palp (A ventral, B retrolateral). C Epigyne, ventral. D Vulva, dorsal. CR—cuticular ridge, D—denticle, Em—embolus, EB—embolar base, EP—embolar projection, RTA—retrolateral tibial apophysis, S—spermatheca.