Drassodex hypocrita Simon 1878
Creators: name: Hervé, Christophe
name: Roberts, Michael J.
name: Murphy, John A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Gnaphosidae
Drassodex
Drassodex hypocrita

description: Drassodex hypocrita (Simon, 1878)
Figs 2–9
Drassus hypocrita Simon, 1878: 120, pl. 15, fig. 8 (male syntypes, examined).
? Drassus heeri Bösenberg, 1902: 291, 292, 295, fig. 433.
Drassodes hypocrita Lessert, 1905: 191, figs 7–9; Simon, 1914: 121, 132, 207, figs 216–218; Reimoser, 1919: 161;
Reimoser, 1937: 12, figs 27, 31; Roewer, 1954: 387; Bonnet, 1956: 1568; Tyschchenko, 1971: 95, fig. 169; Grimm,
1985: 114, figs 120, 126 –127; Heimer & Nentwig, 1991: 418, fig. 1103; Roberts, 1998: 108, figs unnumbered;
Canard, 2005: 190.
Drassodex hypocrita Murphy, 2007: 41, 55, figs p. 232–233; Platnick, 2008.
Type material: Syntypes: 2 males from France, no specific locality (“ Gallia ”), Simon collection n° 23804 (MNHN AR 9438).
Remarks. Among the tubes labelled D. hypocrita by Simon in the MNHN collection, only four, labelled “ D. hypocrita, Gallia ” (MNHN AR 9430, AR 9436, AR 9438, AR 9442) potentially contain type material of this species; others are dated after 1878 and only cited in 1914 (Simon 1914). Regarding the significant number of female specimens, it is difficult to know whether the author used all or only a part of them for the description, mixing later collections with the type series. The latter case is more likely, because some specimens collected from other localities (Simon 1914) were not found in the MNHN collection, implying that Simon combined material from several localities under the label “ Gallia ”. In consequence, tubes MNHN AR 9430, AR 9436, AR 9442 must be considered as containing a mixture of type and non-type material. The two males in tube MNHN AR 9438 are probably both syntypes: in a letter addressed to Simon dated June 3, 1905, Kulczynski wrote concerning D. hypocrita that ʽit is a little surprising that you possess a great quantity of females and two males only’.
Other material examined. FRANCE. No specific locality: 169 Ƥ, “ Gallia ”, Simon collection n° 24937 (MNHN AR 9430); 5 Ƥ, “ Gallia ”, “pattes postérieures anormales, épines supplémentaires”, Simon collection n° 23827 (MNHN AR 9436); 10 Ƥ, “ Gallia ”, “pattes antérieures anormales, épines supplémentaires”, Simon collection n° 23829 (MNHN AR 9442); 14 Ƥ, “ France ”, Dalmas collection n° M68 (MNHN AR 9441). Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: 1 Ƥ, Entrevennes, Haut Vaudonnier, 659 m, pitfall trap, March 31 to Apr. 16, 1999, J.-F. Cornic, Cornic collection. Alpes-Maritimes: 11 Ƥ and 4 3, Dalmas collection n° M68bis (MNHN AR 9424); 1 Ƥ, Menton (MNHN AR 9429); 1 Ƥ, La Bollène-Vésubie, Malagratta, about 800 m, Aug. 17, 2006, C. Rollard (MNHN); 1 Ƥ, Saorge, Vallon d’Abième, about 700 m, Aug. 19, 2006, C. Rollard (MNHN). Bouches-du-Rhône: 6 Ƥ and 1 3, Forêt de Vitrolles, Nov. 1913, La Bonde, “tibias ant. biaculeatis”, E. Simon, Simon collection (MNHN AR 9437); 1 Ƥ, Bois de Carry, 1913, “prolifération à gauche”, Simon collection n° 25181 (MNHN AR 9440); 1 3, Petite Camargue, Oct. 17, 1989, P. Poot, Bosmans collection. Va uc lu s e: 1 Ƥ, Avignon, La Durance, 1913, “prolifération interne et externe”, E. Simon, Simon collection (MNHN AR 9428); 1 3, Oct. 0 3 to 17, 1 3, Aug. 23 to Sept. 0 6, Bonnieux, La Garenne, 434 m, pitfall trap, J.- F. Cornic, Cornic collection; 1 3, Auribeau, Les Estruguets, 990 m, pitfall trap, Oct. 0 5 to 19, 2001, J.-F. Cornic, Cornic collection; 1 Ƥ, Auribeau, Vallon La Fayette, 1008 m, May 0 7, 2002, J.-F. Cornic, Cornic collection; 1 Ƥ, Caumont-sur-Durance, 72 m, pitfall trap, May 11 to 20, 2004, J.-F. Cornic, Cornic collection; 1 3, Grambois, Les Trois Oliviers, 507 m, pitfall trap, Oct. 0 6 to 28, 2003, J.-F. Cornic, Cornic collection; 1 3, Lauris, bord de Durance, 136 m, pitfall trap, Oct. 0 6 to 28, 2003, J.-F. Cornic, Cornic collection. Va r: 10 Ƥ and 2 3, Agay, Mar. 1917 and Callian, 1924, L. Berland, Berland collection (MNHN AR 9435); 1 Ƥ, Agay, Mar. 1917, L. Berland, Berland collection (MNHN AR 9214); 1 Ƥ, Callian, L. Berland, Berland collection (MNHN AR 9244). Hérault: 1 Ƥ, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Apr. 1909, L. Berland, Berland collection (MNHN AR 9443).
Diagnosis. D. hypocrita can be distinguished from all other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: the shape of the superior prong of the RTA, abruptly rising from the tibia and then straight to the narrowed tip (Figs 5, 9), the long and styliform tip of the coil (Figs 4–5, 8–9), the huge basal tubercle of the terminal apophysis projecting forward (Figs 8–9), the finger-shaped membranous coils and the singular shape of the distal part of the coiled ducts (Figs 3, 7), often easily visible through the abdominal tegument (Fig. 6).
Description. Male dimensions (syntype): total length 8.90. Carapace 3.90 long, 2.82 wide. Leg I: femur 3.21, patella 1.74, tibia 2.94, metatarsus 2.49, tarsus 1.57, total 11.95. Leg II: femur 2.76, patella 1.57, tibia 2.23, metatarsus 1.96, tarsus 1.32, total 9.84. Leg III: femur 2.43, patella 1.32, tibia 1.72, metatarsus 1.76, tarsus 1.13, total 8.36. Leg IV: femur 3.15, patella 1.55, tibia 2.61, metatarsus 2.66, tarsus 1.32, total 11.29. Leg spination: femora: I d1-1-0; III r0-1(0)-1; tibiae: I v0-1p-0; IV v1 p(2)-2-2; metatarsi: III, IV p0-2-2, r0-2- 2. RTA bifid, superior prong abruptly rising from the tibia and then straight to the end, inferior prong large and blunt (Figs 5, 9); median apophysis pointing inwards; embolar coil looped around twice, spiralling upwards along two axes, with a long and curved terminal apophysis, a strong tubercle emerging from its base (Figs 5, 9); tip of the coil long and styliform, easily visible in ventral view (Figs 4, 8).
Female dimensions (min.–max. MNHN AR 9441): total length 8.09–12.36. Carapace 4.14–5.38 long, 3.14–4.19 wide. Leg I: femur 3.07–3.90, patella 1.74–2.28, tibia 2.52–3.23, metatarsus 2.32–2.92, tarsus 1.52–1.90, total 11.17–14.23. Leg II: femur 2.80–3.64, patella 1.62–2.09, tibia 2.29–2.85, metatarsus 2.11–2.60, tarsus 1.40–1.67, total 10.22–12.85. Leg III: femur 2.60–3.28, patella 1.43–1.79, tibia 1.86–2.29, metatarsus 1.91–2.32, tarsus 1.24–1.49, total 9.04–11.17. Leg IV: femur 3.62–4.34, patella 1.67–2.10, tibia 3.02–3.56, metatarsus 3.07–3.69, tarsus 1.43–1.74, total 12.81–15.43. Leg spination: femora: I d1-1-0; III r0- 1(0)-1; tibiae: I, II v0-1p(2)-0; IV v1 p-2-2; metatarsi: III, IV p0-2-2, r0-2-2. Atrium small, subpentagonal in ventral view (Fig. 6) or transverse oval when viewed from behind (Fig. 2), often very much wider than high (0.37–0.52 wide, 0.23–0.32 high, ratio 1.37–1.91); lateral margins converging anteriorly, to a small triangular tongue not projecting posteriorly (Figs 2, 6); copulatory openings large and slightly separated; coiled ducts looped around twice and following outer contour of finger-shaped membranous coils (Figs 3, 7).
Distribution. France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, West Russia.
description: Published as part of Hervé, Christophe, Roberts, Michael J. & Murphy, John A., 2009, A taxonomic revision of the genus Drassodex Murphy, 2007 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), pp. 1-28 in Zootaxa 2171 on pages 9-10, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.189206