Berinda amabilis Roewer 1928
Creators: name: Panayiotou, Eleni
name: Kaltsas, Dimitris
name: Seyyar, Osman
name: Chatzaki, Maria
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Gnaphosidae
Berinda
Berinda amabilis

description: Berinda amabilis Roewer, 1928
Figs 3–4, 7–8
Berinda amabilis Roewer, 1928 (p. 106, Figs 11–13), CRETE: Chania: Akrotiri, Governeto monastery (type locality, not reexamined).
Talanites aculeatus Charitonov, 1946: p. 26, fig. 43, UZBEKISTAN: Yakkabagh (type locality, not examined).
Diagnosis: The species resembles B. aegilia. Males are easily recognized by the fingerlike retrolateral apophysis of the patella (unique within Berinda) and the slender retrolateral apophysis of the tibia of the pedipalp (Fig. 4). A distinct conductor (Fig. 3) ending as an S-shaped sclerotized band (possibly the posterior hook in other Berinda species, like B. ensigera) is also a distinctive character of males. Females are recognized by the anterior lateral margins widely curved at sides, and the small (compared to B. aegilia) conical hood at midline (Fig. 7). Spermathecae are globular with lateral introductory ducts (Fig. 8).
Description: See Chatzaki et al. (2002a) (re-description).
Distribution. GREECE: Crete, Gavdos; UZBEKISTAN; TURKEY: Niğde.
Berinda ensigera (O.P.-Cambridge, 1874)1 Figs 9–10, 11–12
Drassodes ensiger (O.P.-Cambridge, 1874), p. 389, Fig. 14, TURKEY, SMYRNE (male holotype and female paratype, not examined); Karol (1967).
Drassodes reimoseri Bristowe, 1935 (p. 779, Figs 4–6), RODOS (type locality, description of female); Hadjissarantos (1940, p. 77, Fig. 22, description of male), ATTIKI: Parnitha, Agia Triada; Rafina; Nea Philadelphia; Salamina, Selinia; Podoniftis; Pikermi; Pendeli-Monastiri; Hymittos-Kareas; Toyrkolimano; Psychiko (not reexamined). Haplodrassus grazianoi Caporiacco, 1948 (p. 59, Fig. 10), RODOS (type locality, not examined) Syn.N.
Diagnosis: Males can be recognized by the tibial apophysis which is straight and very long, almost as long as the cymbium (Fig. 9). The conductor is strongly developed, with three elements: a membranous anterior sac
1. This species is listed in Platnick’s catalogue (2009) as Berinda ensiger. However because Berinda is a female noun, we persist in our proposition of changing the corresponding adjective to “ ensigera ” (Chatzaki et al. 2002a).
(a), a sickle-shaped guiding structure (b) leading to a sclerotized posterior hook (c) (Figs 9–10). All three elements are interconnected. This configuration is shared among three species: B. ensigera, B. cypria and B. hakani (see below) and is almost indistinguishable. In females there is a scape (Sc) (Fig. 11) with an anterior hood as in Gnaphosa. Lateral margins are parallel and open at posterior part, leading to the copulatory orifices.
New records: GREECE: NE Attiki: Marathonas, Ag. Marina: 9 33 2 ƤƤ (30.IV.2006 to 01.VII.2006); 3 ƤƤ (01.VII.2006 to 28.VIII.2006); 3 33 4 ƤƤ (04.V.2006 to 30.VI. VII) [all leg. Kaltsas, NHMC]; Peloponnisos: Mainalo Mt, 1600 m: 2 ƤƤ (09.VII.1997 to 12.X.1997) [leg. Anastasiou, ZMUA]; Aegean Islands: Samos: Psili Ammos: 13 33 9 ƤƤ (02.V.2006 to 06.VII.2006); 5 ƤƤ (06.VII.2006 to 30.VIII.2006); 3 33 (06.III.2007 to 05.V.2007); 10 33 6 ƤƤ (05.V.2007 to 01.VII.2007) [all leg. Kaltsas, NHMC]; Rodos: Lindos, phrygana: 3 ƤƤ (13.V.2006 to 09.VII.2006); Epta Piges, bank of a small river: 1 3 1 Ƥ (14.V.2006 to 10.VII.2006); Afandoy-Psinthos, phrygana: 8 33 3 ƤƤ (14.V.2006 to 10.VII.2006); Lardos-Laerma, pine forest, 200 m: 3 33 3 ƤƤ (13.V.2006 to 09.VII.2006); Prasonisi (coast of Rodos), phrygana: 7 33 5 ƤƤ (13.V.2006 to 09.VII.2006); Prasonisi (islet): 1 Ƥ (13.V.2006 to 09.VII.2006); Attaviros Mt., 1000 m: 1 Ƥ (12.V.2006 to 08.VII.2006) [all leg. Chatzaki & Kaltsas, NHMC]; Leros: Blefouti: 1 Ƥ (23.VII.1997) [leg. M. Engvall, NHMC]; TURKEY: Smyrne: 3 33 2 ƤƤ (MNHN 5-1912).
Comments: Both sexes of B. ensigera share very similar structures with B. cypria and B. hakani. However males are easily distinguished by the tibial apophysis, distinct in all three species (compare Figs 10, 14, 16). In females the distinction is more difficult: the shape of the lateral margins is one distinctive character (compare Figs 11, 20, 22) and the length and shape of the scape is another. However the latter may differ among individuals depending on the extension of the organ at the moment of the animal’s death.
The new synonymy here proposed is based on the description of a female as Haplodrassus grazianoi by Caporiacco (1948: 59, Fig. 10). The illustration presented by Caporiacco clearly represents one of the three Berinda species (B. ensigera, B. cypria or B. hakani -see below and Figs 11–12 and 20–23). The shape of the scape mostly resembles B. ensigera, although the shadows at the lateral margins (also in combination to the shape of the scape) would suggest B. hakani. However since B. ensigera was found by the authors multiple times on the island of Rodos, which is the type locality of H. grazianoi, it may be safely concluded that the latter corresponds to B. ensigera.
Distribution. GREECE: Attiki, Peloponnisos, Aegean Islands: Crete, Rodos, Samos, Leros, Poros, Salamina; TURKEY: Smyrne.
description: Published as part of Panayiotou, Eleni, Kaltsas, Dimitris, Seyyar, Osman & Chatzaki, Maria, 2010, Revision of the genus Berinda (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) in the East Mediterranean with the description of two new species, pp. 44-54 in Zootaxa 2362 on pages 47-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.275752