Cteniza : Latreille 1829
Creators: name: Decae, Arthur
name: Mammola, Stefano
name: Rizzo, Pierluigi
name: Isaia, Marco
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Ctenizidae
Cteniza

description: Cteniza Latreille, 1829
Aranea Rossi 1788: 141, figs VII–X. 1790: 138, plate. 10, fig. 11.
Mygale Latreille 1804: 165 plate. XVIII figs 7–10; Dufour 1820: 102–103, plate. LXXIII fig. 3.
Mygalodonta Simon 1864: 75 fig. 30.
Cténize Latreille 1831: 504.
Aëpycephalus Ausserer 1871: 150. Raven 1985: 142 (note); Wunderlich 1995: 358 new synonymy.
Cteniza: Latreille 1829: 230 (nomination new genus); Ausserer 1871: 151 –152 (confirmation new genus, and indication C. sauvagesi type species; Simon 1873: 34, nomination C. sauvagesi type species.
Material examined. Specimen of both sexes of the three genera presently included in the family Ctenizidae (WSC 2018) were studied with the exception of males of Stasimopus. Information on Stasimopus males and additional females is based on Engelbrecht & Prendini (2012).
Specimen examined in genus level diagnostics: Cteniza sauvagesi (7 females and 3 males). Specified: 5 females, Corsica (coll. MNHN: AR.4216, AR.4211a, AR.4224, coll. A.D.: Bra.005); 1 female, Calabria (coll. MCSNEC: Riz.006); 1 female Sardinia (coll. A.D.: Colo.017); 1 male Corsica (coll. MCSNEC: NHMB.011); 1 male Calabria (coll. MCSNEC: Isaia.134); 1 male Sardinia (coll. A.D.: Colo.018). C. moggridgei (2 females and 2 male) Specified: 2 males France, Alpes Maritimes (coll. A.D.: SHu. 19.06.14, 20/04/05.5); 1 female Italy, Liguria (coll. MCSNEC: Isaia.020); 1 female, France, Alpes Maritimes (coll. A.D. 20/04/05.4). Cyrtocarenum cunicularium (3 females and 1 male). Specified: 1 female Greece, Corfu (coll. A.D.: 01/07/95.4), 2 females Greece, Crete (coll. A.D.: 20/04/90.1, 15/04/90.4), 1 male Greece, Tinos (coll. A.D.: GR80.11). C. grajum (3 females and 1 male). Specified: 1 female, Greece, Peloponnesus (coll. A.D.: 22/10/92.2), 1 female Greece, Paxi (coll. A.D.: 04/07/95.2), 1 female Greece, Kefalonia (coll. MCSNEC: Isaia.021a), 1 male Greece, Kithira (coll. A.D.: GR8.85.5). Stasimopus spec. 1 female, South Africa, Bloemfontijn (coll. MNHN: AR.4117).
Diagnosis. With the extraction of Halonoproctidae (Godwin et al. 2018), the family Ctenizidae is currently reduced to include three genera (Cteniza, Cyrtocarenum, Stasimopus; WSC 2018). Within Ctenizidae Cteniza + Cyrtocarenum stand morphologically apart from Stasimopus. Differences in the shape of the prosoma include, in ventral view, the anterior distal lobe of the maxillae, the shape of the labium and the sternal sigilla (Figs. 3–8). In dorsal view there is a marked difference in the setting of the eyes (Figs. 9–11). Females differ in the structure of the carapace, lateral view, with the thoracic part more or less horizontal in Cteniza + Cyrtocarenum and sloping down towards the fovea in Stasimopus (Figs. 12–14). Furthermore, females of Cteniza + Cyrtocarenum differ from Stasimopus in the absence of dense groups of short “curvy-spines” (see Engelbrecht & Prendini 2012 fig. 16A for a SEM-image) on the distal segments of the palps and anterior two pairs of legs (Figs. 15–17) and in the morphology of leg III (Figs. 18–20). Males of Cteniza + Cyrtocarenum further differ from Stasimopus in the absence of strong sculpturing of the carapace (compare Figs. 43–44 with Engelbrecht & Prendini 2012 figs. 6AC, 10AC, 17AC, 21AC), and the presence of cymbium spines.
Cteniza differs from Cyrtocarenum (both sexes) in the configuration of the eyes (Figs. 9–10) and the morphology of the spinnerets (Figs. 21–24). Males differ in the general morphology of the palpal organ: slender embolus, gradually curved with a tiny apical scoop in Cteniza (Figs. 25–26); robust distally bent and twisted in Cyrtocarenum (Figs. 27–28). Males further differ in the armature of the retrolateral tibia I, with strong spines in ventral half of the Tibia and metatarsus as the sole armature in Cteniza and the strong ventral apical clasper-hooks mounted on a distinct process in Cyrtocarenum (Figs. 29–32).
Description. Small to medium sized mygalomorph spiders. Males: TBL 9.0–24.6, CL 3.9–10.2 (n= 15), Females: TBL 14.0–30.6, CL 4.9–11.5 (n= 24). Generally uniform color ranging from dark brown to almost black with a grey unmarked abdomen, ventral parts lighter brown and grey (Figs. 33–36). The spinneret morphology, configuration of the eyes and pattern of sternal sigilla are similar in both sexes. PMS are more than their diameter apart, club-shaped with a distinct apical spigot-field and usually one central macro-spigot, PLS proximal segment longer than median + distal segments, few macro-spigots distally on all segments, distal segment slightly conical (Figs. 21–22). Eye-formation (Figs 37–38): weakly trapezoidal to sub-rectangular, PR slightly longer than AR (AR/PR av.= 0.9, sd= 0.06, n= 24), and almost twice as wide as long (EL/PR av.= 0.6, sd= 0.06, n= 24). Sternum (Figs. 39–40): two separated, large, roundish sigilla sub-centrally in the caudal half of the sternum, flanked by two, more laterally placed smaller sigilla.
Sexual dimorphism strong. Females are stocky built and short legged, males are slender built, long legged spiders (Figs. 33–36). Females have smooth shiny carapace with a strongly elevated cephalic-part gradually sloping down to the fovea, in males the carapace is finely sculptured, has a thickened lateral and caudal rim while the elevation of the cephalic-part is much reduced (Figs. 41–42). Females furthermore have “leg-like” palps with groups of strong spines on the ventral lateral tarsus and tibia, males palp have slender, strongly elongated palps, unarmed except for a spine-group on the dorsal cymbium. Females have spines only on the three distal segments of all legs and on patella III, males have spines on all leg-segments. Females have groups of cuspules on the proximal maxillae and distal labium. In males, maxillary and labial cuspules are absent or strongly reduced. Females have simple, tripartite spermathecae, “mushroom” shaped receptacles with densely glandular ring separating the proximal and ‘donut-shaped’ distal part (Fig. 2) In males the palpal organ is simple pyriform with long slender, gradually curved embolus with tiny apical scoop (Figs. 1, 25–26).
description: Published as part of Decae, Arthur, Mammola, Stefano, Rizzo, Pierluigi & Isaia, Marco, 2019, Systematics, ecology and distribution of the mygalomorph spider genus Cteniza Latreille, 1829 (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Ctenizidae), pp. 499-524 in Zootaxa 4550 (4) on pages 503-505, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4550.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/2625572