Taxonomic notes on a collection of jumping spiders from Iran (Araneae, Salticidae)
Author
Dmitri V. Logunov
text
Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society
2010
15
85
90
journal article
Pseudicius
palaestinensis
Strand
, 1915
(
Figs. 13–16
)
Pseudicius
picaceus
palaestinensis
Strand, 1915: 169 (Dd).
Pseudicius
palaestinensis
: Prószyński
, 2003
: 152
, figs. 598, 601–602,
610–611 (D♀).
Figs. 7–12: Copulatory organs of
Plexippus
clemens
(O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872)
(7–10 specimens from Iran, 11–12 holotype).
7
Male palp, ventral view;
8
Ditto, retrolateral view;
9, 11
Epigyne;
10, 12
Spermathecae, dorsal view. Scale lines=0.25 mm (7, 8), 0.1 mm (9–12).
Figs. 13–16: Copulatory organs of
Pseudicius
palaestinensis
Strand
, 1915
(specimens from Iran).
13
Male palp, ventral view;
14
Ditto, retrolateral view;
15
Epigyne;
16
Spermathecae, dorsal view. Scale lines=0.1 mm
.
Comments
: A poorly known species, recorded to date only from the Levant and Iran (Logunov
et al
., 2002; Prószyński, 2003); previously reported from Iran by Logunov
et al
. (2002).
This name was described by Strand (1915) as a subspecies of the south European–Mediterranean species
Pseudicius
picaceus
(Simon, 1868)
from Israel, and was recently elevated to the status of full species by Prószyński (2003: figs. 610, 611), who re-examined the d
holotype
. However, when diagnosing the male of
P. palaestinensis
, Prószyński (2003: 153) compared it with that of
P. pseudocourtauldi
Logunov, 1999 from Armenia (see Logunov, 1999), rather than with that of
P. picaceus
, the closest if not identical species of
Pseudicius
.
Pseudicius
pseudocourtauldi
indeed belongs to the same species group, as does the more common
P. courtauldi
Bristowe, 1935 (see Logunov, 1993: figs. 4a– f), but it is easily distinguishable from
P. palaestinensis
by the much wider and stronger dorsal tibial apophysis and the much shorter ventral tibial apophysis (cf.
Figs. 13–14
and Logunov, 1999: figs. 7–8); females of both species are very close and almost indistinguishable by the conformation of their copulatory organs.
A series of 2d and 2♀ of
P. palaestinensis
collected together from SW Iran allowed me to provide a di
ff
erential diagnosis of this species from
P. picaceus
, from which it di
ff
ers in having a slightly shorter ventral tibial apophysis, a notched dorsal tibial apophysis (arrowed in
Fig. 14
), a wider tegulum with a well-marked lateral bulge (arrowed in
Fig. 13
) and, particularly, the mutual arrangement of the insemination ducts and spermathecae (cf.
Figs. 15–16
and Metzner, 1999: figs. 58d–e).
Thus, in my opinion,
P. palaestinensis
is distinct from the true
P. picaceus
. The distribution of both species, particularly in Asia Minor and the Near East, needs to be further clarified when more material becomes available.
Pseudicius
picaceus
is quite common in Greece and Turkey (Metzner, 1999; Logunov, unpubl. data), whereas
P. palaestinensis
remains known only from a few localities in Israel and Iran (Logunov
et al
., 2002; Prószyński, 2003; present data). Incidentally, the male of
P. courtauldi
reported from the Greek islands and illustrated by Metzner (1999: figs. 56a–c) almost certainly belongs to
P. palaestinensis
. This matter requires further attention in the future.
Material
:
iran
:
2d 2♀
(
BMNH
),
Khuzestan
,
Shush (Susa)
(
c
.
32.20°N
,
48.25°E
), fallen tree on dry mound,
17 September 1958
, coll.?