Zodarion alentejanum Pekár & Carvalho, 2011

Zodarion alentejanum Pekár & Carvalho, 2011 View in CoL

Figs 17K View FIGURE 17 , 18 View FIGURE 18 , 33A–F View FIGURE 33 , 38A View FIGURE 38 , 39A View FIGURE 39

Zodarion alentejanum Pekár et al. 2011: 21 View in CoL View Cited Treatment , figs 1–2 (♀).

Material examined. PORTUGAL: 10♀, 2 juv., Lagoa da Sancha (Reserva Natural das Lagoas de Santo André e da Sancha), Sines (type locality), 6.VI.2009, J. C. Carvalho leg., CMU ; 31♂, 1♀, Fonte do Cortiço Beach (Reserva Natural das Lagoas de Santo André e da Sancha), Santiago do Cacém, 19.III.2022, S. Pekár et al. leg., CMU .

Diagnosis: This species is morphologically similar to Z. merlijni based on the carapace pattern, and by the epigyne with a single median copulatory opening. However, it can be distinguished from males of Z. merlijni by a tibial apophysis with a boomerang-shaped terminal arm (vs. truncated tibial apophysis, with a recurved tip; cf. Fig. 33C View FIGURE 33 and Fig. 33I View FIGURE 33 ), and a sickle-shaped median apophysis with a shorter, blunt end (vs. scythe-shaped median apophysis with a longer, tapering end; cf. Fig. 33B View FIGURE 33 and Fig. 33H View FIGURE 33 ). In females, it differes by a different epigynal plate length/width ratio (approximately 1.3 vs. approximately 0.8; cf. Fig. 38A View FIGURE 38 vs. Fig. 38H View FIGURE 38 ), as well as a smaller copulatory opening ( Figs 17K View FIGURE 17 , 38A View FIGURE 38 vs. Figs 17L View FIGURE 17 , 38H View FIGURE 38 ). Zodarion alentejanum can be distinguished from all members of the styliferum group by its paler body ( Fig. 18 View FIGURE 18 vs. Figs 19–32 View FIGURE 19 View FIGURE 20 View FIGURE 21 View FIGURE 22 View FIGURE 23 View FIGURE 24 View FIGURE 25 View FIGURE 26 View FIGURE 27 View FIGURE 28 View FIGURE 29 View FIGURE 30 View FIGURE 31 View FIGURE 32 , 43 View FIGURE 43 ).

Description

Male (specimen from Fonte do Cortiço Beach). Total length 4.57 mm, carapace 2.87 mm long, 2.2 mm wide. Prosoma ( Fig. 18A–B View FIGURE 18 ): Carapace light, with brownish, V-shaped lateral band. Clypeus black; chelicerae yellowish-orange; mouthparts yellow to greyish with pale anterior part; sternum yellow. Eyes: AME 0.1, ALE 0.09, PME 0.08, PLE 0.08, AME–AME 0.07, ALE–ALE 0.35, PME–PME 0.37, PLE–PLE 0.26. Abdomen ( Fig. 18A–B View FIGURE 18 ): dorsum dark with several, whitish patches in which the dorsal patches touching each other; venter and lateral pale except for a light greyish epigastric area and black patches surrounding the light brownish spinnerets. Legs: All leg segments pale except for dorso-lateral dark patches on Fe I–II. Leg lengths: 4.96 (1.31, 0.49, 1.06, 1.23, 0.87), II 4.56 (1.23, 0.49, 0.9, 1.15, 0.79), III 4.01 (0.79, 0.49, 0.76, 1.23, 0.74), IV 8.03 (2.1, 0.63, 1.94, 2.46, 0.9). Palp ( Fig. 33A–F View FIGURE 33 ): Palpal segments entirely yellow except for the yellowish-brown cymbium; cymbium with no cymbial pit. Tegulum swollen in lateral view. Tibial apophysis longer than wide, stout basally and narrowing gradually, ending to an obtuse angled, boomerang-shaped outgrowth with blunt arms: the short arm declining and the long arm rising upward. Median apophysis oblique, sickle-shaped with a rounded and stout distal end. Embolus terminally bifid with a shorter front arm and a longer back arm.

Female. Habitus and copulatory organ as in Figs 17K View FIGURE 17 , 18 View FIGURE 18 , 33A–F View FIGURE 33 , 38A View FIGURE 38 , 39A View FIGURE 39 . For details, see Pekár et al. (2011). Epigyne ( Fig. 17K View FIGURE 17 ): Epigynal plate bell-shaped, posteriorly slightly extended, anteriorly semi-circular, sides slightly S-shaped. Epigyne with a small, single median copulatory opening. Pits invisible.

Variation: Total length: males 3.31–3.40 (n=10), females 3.33–4.10 (n=10).

Molecular data:

COI mitochondrial barcodes (Genbank accession): PP373356.

Minimum interspecific divergenc (to Z. fuscum ): 6.8%. Consensus COI distance to the closest species (to Z. styliferum ): 4.2%.

Comment: Judging from the female epigyne structure, Z. alentejanum was initially classified into the elegans group ( Pekár et al. 2011). Here, we have examined additional females and, for the first time, the males of this species. Both habitus and copulatory organs suggest a close affinity between Z. alentejanum and Z. merlijni . Given that Z. merlijni is closely related to Z. styliferum ( Ortiz et al. 2022) , we hereby transfer Z. alentejanum to the styliferum group.

Distribution: Known only from narrow coastal fringe in southwestern Portugal.