Attulus Simon 1889
Creators: name: Prószyński, Jerzy
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Salticidae
Attulus

description: Gen. Attulus Simon, 1889, sensu Prószynski, 2017   
Figures 1 I-O, 3B-D  
 Type species Attus distinguendus Simon, 1868 = Attulus distinguendus (Simon, 1868) [senior synonym Attus cinereus Westring, 1861: 583 (preoccupied by Walckenaer, 1837) = Attus helveolus Simon, 1871 (unnecessary replacement name)].   
 Type material: " Sitticus distinguendus Sim. Rothenburg, Oberlausitz. Zimmermann No. 1685 " - Mus. Berlin. " Attul. helveolus E.S. [= A cinereus Westr.] 885. Galia" - Coll. Simon, Mus. Paris.; " Sitticus psammodes Thor., Simferopol [Al. v. Nordm.] No. 1687] - Mus. Stockholm.   
 Documentation studied. Original research published by Prószyński (1987) (as a collection of diagnostic drawings, including type specimens) and literature data, all summarized in Prószyński (2016a).   
 Remarks. I have found in 1960ties that genus Attulus contained mixed up species of Sitticus, Yllenus and some other genera [Bonnet (opus cit.), Roewer (opus cit.)]. Since type species Attulus distinguendus (and its junior synonym A. helveolus) were clearly related to Sitticus; I have merged them, and similar species, with Sitticus, that transfer was contested recently by Maddison (2015 and some earlier papers) and the WSC because of priority of names. Yielding to their arguments, I revive hereby Attulus to which some include species of Sitticus sensu lato having similar internal structure of epigyne and palps (Figs 1-3).   
 Diagnosis. Bulbus elongate oval, spermophor relatively broad with central loop distinctly elongate. Spermathecae "C" shaped, with rami of equal length, or somewhat asymmetrical, usually compressed, those in A. penicillatus seem intermediate to Sittiflor. Duct thin walled, but not membranous, relatively short and simple (Figs 1 L-M).   
 Description. Small spiders of average body shape and proportions, abdomen usually dark, with a pair of white round spots (Figs 3 B-D), in some species with median abdominal whitish streak, mountain species living in higher altitudes are unusually black or blackish. Enclosed illustrations are integral part of description. Diversity of diagnostic characters in ALL recognizable species are shown at http://www.peckhamia.com/salticidae/q29-Sit-dis.html.   
 Distribution. Euro-Siberian, one species (A. ammophilus) recently migrated to North America (Maddison, personal communication).   
 Composition. The following species are included: Attulus ammophilus (Thorell, 1875), A. ansobicus Andreeva, 1976, A. avocator (Pickard-Cambridge O., 1885), A. burjaticus Danilov, Logunov, 1993, A. clavator Schenkel, 1936, A. damini (Chyzer, Kulczynski, 1891), A. distinguendus (Simon, 1868), A. dubatolovi Logunov, Rakov, 1998, A. goricus Ovtsharenko, 1978, A. inopinabilis Logunov, 1992, A. karakumensis Logunov, 1992, A. kazakhstanicus Logunov, 1992, A. mirandus Logunov, 1993, A. nenilini Wesolowska, Logunov, 1993, A. niveosignatus (Simon, 1880), A. penicillatus (Simon, 1875), A. penicilloides Wesolowska, 1981, A. saltator (Simon, 1868), A. sinensis Schenkel, 1963, A. talgarensis Logunov, Wesolowska, 1993, A. vilis (Kulczynski, 1895), A. zaisanicus Logunov, 1998.   
 Corrections to list of synonyms:   
  Attulus vilis (Kulczyński, 1895)    
 Attus vilis Kulczyński, 1895 a: 8, pl. 1, f. 3-4   
 Sitticus vilis Prószyński (1976: 156, f. 303; 1987: 98)   
 Sitticus ammophilus Wesolowska, 1996: 41-43, f. 33A-C.   
 Differences in shape of spermathecae (Figs 1 L-N) prove separate species status of syntypes of Attulus ammophilus and A. vilis, the latter is therefore removed from synonymy of the previous. Therefore: Sitticus ammophilus: Wesolowska, 1996 (in part) = Attulus vilis (Kulczyński, 1895) (removal from synonymy).   
  Attus viduus Kulczyński, 1895 = Attulus avocator (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1885)    
 Attus avocator O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1885b: 106.   
 Attus viduus Kulczyński, 1895: 79, pl. 2, f. 28-29 (preoccupied by Walckenaer, 1847)   
 Sitticus viduus Prószyński, 1975: 216, f. 1j, 1976: 156, f. 304, Wesołowska, 1981 b: 156, f. 84-87 (f).   
 Sitticus avocator Prószyński & Żochowska, 1981: 26, f. 25-26, Żabka, 1981a: 410, f. 7-10 Prószyński, 1982: 288, f.   
44-45,1987: 90-92, 97, Bohdanowicz & Prószyński, 1987: 127, f. 252-257.  
 Attulus distinguendus (misidentified): Logunov & Kopponen (2000, Entomologica Fennica, 11: 70, 83).   
 Species name of Attus viduus Kulczyński, 1895 was preoccupied by Walckenaer 1847, unnecessarily replaced by Roewer, 1951: 453, found to be junior synonym of Attus avocator O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1885 by Prószyński & Żochowska (1981: 26, f. 25-26). Different opinion on synonymy was expressed by Logunov & Kopponen (2000) transferring East Palaearctic Sitticus viduus into European Sitticus distinguendus, these species differing strikingly by color pattern, while separation of them by palps and spermathecae is difficult and require experience (see drawings of dorsal pattern of 6 specimens of A. avocator, palps of 17 and epigyne with spermathecae of 6 in Prószyński [1987: 90-92], compare with the same of Attulus distinguedndus shown on Figs 1 I-J, 3B). Correct placement in synonymy influences, in this case, understanding of distribution of the species concerned). Therefore:   
 Attus viduus Kulczyński, 1895 (removed from synonymy of A. distinguendus) = Attulus avocator (O.   
Pickard-Cambridge, 1885).
description: Published as part of Prószyński, Jerzy, 2017, Revision of the genus Sitticus Simon, 1901 s. l. (Araneae: Salticidae) *, pp. 35-50 in Ecologica Montenegrina 10 on pages 39-40, DOI: 10.37828/em.2017.10.7, http://zenodo.org/record/8027989