Trochosa cachetiensis Mcheidze, 1997

Trochosa cachetiensis Mcheidze, 1997 View in CoL

Figs 1–10 View Figure 1–10 , 11 View Figure 11

Trochosa cachetiensis View in CoL : Ponomarev et al. 2017: 165, figs 10–15 ( ♂ ♀).

Trochosa cachetiensis View in CoL : Otto and Japoshvili 2018: 382, figs 39–41, 48, 52–55 ( ♂ ♀).

Material examined.

GEORGIA – Tbilisi • 1 ♀, 1 ⚥, 1 ♂; Tbilisi, Telovani Village ; 41.8015°N, 44.6775°E; 925 m a. s. l.; deciduous forest, under rocks and logs at the stream bank; leg. A. Seropian; 1 Sep. 2025; CaBOL-IDs 1039469, 1039470, 1039475 GoogleMaps .

The intersexual specimen was assigned to T. cachetiensis based on the presence of conspecific adult males and females collected on the same day from the same population. The examination of this specimen revealed the presence of an underdeveloped pair of bulbs and the epigyne (Figs 3–4 View Figure 1–10 , 7–9 View Figure 1–10 ). By an overall habitus, body length (Table 1 View Table 1 ), thick legs, presence of a short, dark, and broad fovea (cf. Fig. 3 View Figure 1–10 and Fig. 1 View Figure 1–10 ), the intersexual T. chachetiensis falls into the female category; however, the carapace ornamentation (the thin light irregular and anteriorly interrupted margin in particular) corresponds more to that of the males (cf. Fig. 3 View Figure 1–10 and Fig. 11 View Figure 11 ; Otto and Japoshvili 2018: fig. 39). There are no differences in the carapace length-width ratios of males and females examined in the present study and those given in the previous research, as all values fall within the same range (see Table 1 View Table 1 ). Both pedipalps have laterally depressed femur and patella (Fig. 3 View Figure 1–10 ); cymbium yellow (vs. brown in males) (cf. Fig. 4 View Figure 1–10 , 9 View Figure 1–10 and Fig. 11 View Figure 11 ), with a distally located thin slit replacing a normally developed alveolus on the ventral side. Within this slit, malformed structures resembling the embolus, median apophysis, and tegulum are visible. The epigyne is ca. 2.8 × smaller in height than fully developed, less sclerotized, with an anteriorly reduced median septum (lacking septal stem) and epigynal hoods (cf. Fig. 5 View Figure 1–10 and Fig. 7 View Figure 1–10 ). Unlike the fully developed female, the intersexual completely lacked the endogyne (cf. Fig. 6 View Figure 1–10 and Fig. 8 View Figure 1–10 ).

Thus, in terms of size, the specimen more closely resembles females of T. cachetiensis than males (Table 1 View Table 1 ). However, the carapace pattern and the presence of a pair of underdeveloped bulbs align it with males. It would have been particularly valuable to investigate the specimen’s behavioural traits to determine how it functionally identified, but this was not possible as its abnormal morphology was noticed after preservation. Following the classification of Roberts and Parker (1973), the specimen is best regarded as a transverse regular intersexual. It is also noteworthy that sexual abnormalities have been documented in other congeners, such as the gynandromorph T. terricola Thorell, 1856 from the Netherlands ( Wiebes 1959).