Hasarius adansoni
Creators: name: Prószyński, Jerzy
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Salticidae
Hasarius
Hasarius adansoni

description: Hasarius adansoni (Audouin, 1826)   
 Type specimen - collected [presumably by Etienne Geoffrey Saint-Hilaire] from unspecified locality in " Egypt and Syria " (which, at the time of Napoleonic Invasion 1798–1801, extended to the present day Israel) documented on original drawings (Fig. 2A). Present location of type specimen is unknown, presumed lost.   
 Designation of neotype. Due to diversity shown in existing documentation (Figs 1 A-N, 2A-H) of the cosmopolite species assumed to be Hasarius adansoni (being simultaneously type species of the genus Hasarius), there is particular need to designate neotype, to stabilize understanding of the species and to replace lost original type specimen. Good candidate for that is male specimen from Israel [possible terra typica, or adjacent to it], documented by Prószyński (2003: 68, f. 256-257) (Fig. 2 B-C), which agrees with characters shown in the original drawing (Fig. 2A). The proposed neotype specimen is accompanied by matching female (Fig. 2D) from the same area. The proposed neotype specimen is preserved in the Israel National Arachnid Collection at Hebrew University, Givat Ram Campus, Jerusalem, Israel.   
 Documentation studied. Summary of world's literature provided in "Monograph of Salticidae (Araneae) of the World 1995-2016", part I & II, by Prószyński (2016a, b, and current literature).   
 Diagnosis and description - see Prószyński (2003 Annales Zoologici 53: 68, f. 256-260). Diagnostic drawings see Figs 1 A-C, 2B- E.   
 Remarks. The diagnoses, descriptions and graphic documentation of Hasarius adansoni, available in the literature, contain characters pertaining, in fact, to the whole genus, but insufficient to subdivide it into possible partial species. Solution of that hypothesis and writing eventual differentiating diagnoses must be delayed until next revision.   
 Distribution. Hasarius adansoni is accepted as cosmopolite in warmer parts of the world, invader of hothouses in cooler countries. It is now clear, that majority of species placed at some times in Hasarius, were misplaced, and should be transferred elsewhere (Fig. 3). Discovery of supposed Hasarius (with bunch of white setae on palps - Fig. 1N) - H. tropicus in Bhutan suggests, however, possibility of discovery of other local species in other areas of the Old World.   
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  Correct placement of Hasarius kweilinensis and related species . Species kweilinensis is listed now in the WSC (ver. 18.5, assessed December 2017) in combination with the genus name Hasarius - is that correct? Placement of Habrocestum kweilinensis Prószyński, 1992 was uncertain right from the first description, which begun from the disclaimer "the present classification is only provisional" (Fig. 4A). That initial placement was influenced by some resemblance of its spermathecae (Fig. 4A 1) to Habrocestum orientale Zabka, 1985 (Fig. 4C). Peng & Xie (1995a: 58) added observation on similar Chinese species Habrocestoides dactyloides Xie, Peng & Kim, 1993 (Fig. 4D), in which male resembles Habrocestoides sinensis Prószyński, 1992 but female rather Habrocestum kweilinensis, they chosen placement in Habrocestoides as appropriate for both species (Fig. 4H). Their move appeared closer to acceptable, although not fully convincing. At the same time D. V. Logunov (1999: 148) (Fig. 4 I-J) expressed opinion that the species should be rather moved to the genus Hasarius, unsupported by comparison of diagnostic drawings, but based on following reasoning (Fig. 4K):   
 1) "this species (Hasarius orientalis) cannot be placed in Habrocestum, Habrocestoides or Chinattus,  as it belongs, as does H. kweilinensis, to the so-called fissidentate salticids ... while all the above genera are unidentate";   
 2) "the groundplan of the genitalia in the discussed species (H. orientalis, H. kweilinensis and H. dactyloides)  clearly corresponds to that in Hasarius adansoni ..., the type of species of the fissidentate Hasarius. It therefore seems better to transfer all these species to Hasarius."   
 These arguments are wrong. 1) Types of cheliceral dentition (pluridentate, unidentate, fissidentate) (Fig. 4K) were popularized by Simon (1901 -1903) as a tool for division of the whole family Salticidae (over 4800 species) into three groups of genera, but are largely abandoned in modern arachnology and cannot be used as a proof of affinities of genera. 2) Nobody ever confirmed similarity of the "groundplan" of spermathecae, ducts and palps of Hasarius adansoni with genera discussed by Logunov (Figs 4A 1 compare with 4E, also D, M). In spite of that, name " Hasarius " stuck with the discussed species. Recently similar species H. dactyloides was transferred to Chinattus by Suguro (2014: 10, f. 11-18) (compare Figs 4 N-O with 4L-M), a solution not fully satisfactory. The problem obviously cannot be solved with so incomplete data available and the group of species 3 * deserves full revision. Species dactyloides, kweilinensis and orientalis deserve transfer to a new genus of their own.
description: Published as part of Prószyński, Jerzy, 2018, Review of the genus (Araneae: Salticidae) - a taxonomic fiasco *, pp. 16-31 in Ecologica Montenegrina 16 on pages 21-25, DOI: 10.37828/em.2018.16.2, http://zenodo.org/record/8028092