Loureedia maroccana Gal, Kovacs, Bagyo, Vari and Prazsak 2017
Creators: name: Szűts, Tamás
name: Szabó, Krisztián
name: Zamani, Alireza
name: Forman, Martin
name: Miller, Jeremy
name: Oger, Pierre
name: Fabregat, Magali
name: Kovács, Gábor
name: Gál, János
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Eresidae
Loureedia
Loureedia maroccana

description: Loureedia maroccana Gál, Kovács, Bagyó, Vári and Prazsák, 2017.
Figures 1B, 2C, 3, 4E, 6D,E, 7D,E, 8D,E, 11C–E, Figures 12–14.
Loureedia maroccana Gál et al., 2017: 12, Figs 1, 2, 3A–C and 4A–D (♂) [2] (original description).
L. lucasi: Henriques et al. 2018: 5 [3] (in part; synonymy with L. lucasi; rejected here).
Type material. Holotype: male (HNHM Araneae-8869), MOROCCO: Khémisset Province: near Sidi Boukhalkhal, 04.XI.2013 (leg. J. Gál). Paratypes: two males (HNHM Araneae-9007), same data as for the holotype (examined).
Other examined material. One male (PCGJ), MOROCCO: Khémisset Province: near Sidi Boukhalkhal, 04.XI.2013 (leg. J. Gál), and one male (PCGJ), MOROCCO: Khémisset Province: near Sidi Boukhalkhal, XI.2021 (leg. J. Gál).
Remark: For a closer examination, the right palp of the holotype was removed and illustrated. However, the retrolateral arm of the conductor was accidentally damaged by the first author (see Figure 12). One palp of one of the paratypes was removed for SEM, while the other one was also unintentionally damaged. These structures seemingly become fragile when deposited in 96% alcohol. Due to the relatively low number of specimens available, both the original (intact Figures 6E, 7E and 8E and 12A) and damaged states (Figures 6D, 7D, 8D and 12B,C) of the holotype’s palp were illustrated.
Diagnosis. The male palp of L. maroccana (Figures 3, 4E, 6E, 7E, 13 and 14A–N) is similar to that of L. lucasi (Figures 4D and 14O), as it has a relatively short stem of the conductor (Figure 4D,E) and the retrolateral arm of the conductor is longer than the prolateral arm (Figures 4D,E and 6E). It differs from it, as both arms of the conductor bear pointed tips (Figures 4E, 6D,E, 7D,E and 8D,E) vs. blunt (Figure 4D), there is a deeper concavity on the frontal margin of the conductor (Figures 3 and 4E), and there is an almost straight ectal margin (Figures 4E and 7D,E) at the stem of conductor (Figure 3A) vs. with a distinct invagination apically (Figure 4D). The basal margin of the conductor (Figure 3A) is also wider in L. maroccana, and the prolateral arm is wider and longer (Figures 4E and 7E) than that of L. lucasi (Figure 4D). The two species are also very similar in the male coloration pattern (Figure 2B,C) but differ due to the reddish posterior part of the carapace in L. maroccana (Figures 1C and 2B) vs. dark (Fig 2C, Henriques et al. [3]: Fig 1d). Moreover, the male of L. maroccana lacks minute white spots on the dorsal abdominal surface (Figure 1C) which are present in L. lucasi (Figure 2C).
Description. Male. Habitus as in Figures 1C, 2B and 10C–E. Total length: 8.77. Carapace: 4.39 long and 4.01 wide. Abdomen: 4.89 long and 3.97 wide. Eye sizes and inter-eye distances: AME 0.22, PME 0.19, ALE 0.12, PLE 0.20, AME–AME 0.39, and ALE–AME 1.08. The Carapace, sternum, labium, chelicerae, and maxillae dark brown with tones of red. Carapace mostly covered with long black and scarlet setae (these become orange (Figure 10C) when bleached in alcohol; see the specimen depicted in Gál et al. [2]: Fig 2B) and with very few scattered short white setae on the posterior part of pars cephalica. Pars cephalica well covered with scarlet red scales. Legs covered with thin black hairs, with distinct regions of white hairs at the joints, forming distinct white annulations. Abdomen with a compact longitudinal median red stripe with lateral projections with tiny white spots at their tips. The most anterior pair of the crimson red pattern quadrangle with three lobes. The lateral lobes with white tips. Leg measurements: I: 10.2 (3.21, 1.73, 1.95, 1.97, 1.33); II: 9.28 (3.05, 1.56, 1.72, 1.83, 1.10); III: 8.28 (2.78, 1.72, 1.55, 1.50, 0.71); IV: 10.4 (3.28, 1.66, 2.31, 2.15, 0.98).
Palp as in Figures 3, 4E, 6E, 7E, 8E, 12, 13 and 14. The stem of the conductor almost as long as wide (Figure 14). The mesal and ectal margins of the conductor with slight curvatures (Figures 3 and 14). The retrolateral arm of the conductor ca. 1.5 times longer than the prolateral arm (Figure 13A–C) and slightly curved centrally. Both arms have pointed tips (Figures 4E and 13A–C).
Female. Unknown.
Natural history. No information.
Phenology. The males are active during October–November.
Distribution. Morocco (Khémisset Province) (see Figure 5).
description: Published as part of Szűts, Tamás, Szabó, Krisztián, Zamani, Alireza, Forman, Martin, Miller, Jeremy, Oger, Pierre, Fabregat, Magali, Kovács, Gábor & Gál, János, 2023, A Study in Scarlet: Integrative Taxonomy of the Spider Genus Loureedia (Araneae: Eresidae), pp. 1-26 in Diversity (238) (238) 15 (2) on pages 16-18, DOI: 10.3390/d15020238, http://zenodo.org/record/7630144