Phaeocedus vankeeri Chatzaki & Keer 2019, sp.n.
Creators: name: Chatzaki, Maria
name: Keer, Johan Van
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Gnaphosidae
Phaeocedus
Phaeocedus vankeeri

description: Phaeocedus vankeeri Chatzaki sp.n.
Figs 29, 34–38, 41−44, 48 ─49
Diagnosis. Males of this species resemble P. braccatus (L. Koch, 1866) and P. hebraeus Levy, 1999. They differ from P. braccatus by the shape of spermophore (forming two vertical lobes in P. vankeeri sp.n. and two horizontal loops in P. braccatus), the shape of the upper part of the tibial apophysis (horizontal and with both tips pointed in P. braccatus, diagonally directed and with a single pointed tip in P. vankeeri sp.n.) and by the white bands of the opisthosoma (three or four in P. vankeeri sp.n., six in P. braccatus). From P. hebraeus they differ in the shape of the abdominal scutum (in P. hebraeus covering ca 1/3 of the abdominal width, in P. vankeeri sp.n. covering almost all abdominal width, Figs 42 and 40 respectively), the shape of the tibial apophysis (in P. hebraeus the tip is more pronounced and curved, Figs 39 ─40) and the conductor (in P. vankeeri sp.n. the vertical ventral part is more pronounced than the membranous fold, the reverse in P. hebraeus). Epigynes of P. vankeeri sp.n. and P. braccatus are very similar but when dissected, the main chambers of spermathecae are larger in P. braccatus and the second chambers are positioned in upper half (in lower half in P. vankeeri sp.n.). Females of P. hebraeus are considered a mismatch with the male of this species and hence are not compared here (see comments).
Holotype: male, Symi, Panormitis, pitfalls in phrygana, 16.V to 12.VII.2006 (NHMC: 8473). Paratype: Rodos, Lindos, pitfalls in phrygana, 1 ♀, 13.V to 09.VII.2006 (NHMC: 8466). All leg. M. Chatzaki & D. Kaltsas.
Other material examined. Site 9: 1♀; Site 17: 1♀; Site 22: 1♀.
Comparative material examined. P. hebraeus: Holotype male (HUJ 11948, Poriya, 20.III.1940, leg. A. Shulov) (Figs 30, 39-40, 45-47); Paratype female (HUJ 14741, Jerusalem Mt Scopus, 14.VI.1944, leg. A. Shulov) (Figs 28-30).
Etymology. The name is given in honor of the second author of this paper, J. Van Keer.
Description. Male holotype. Medium sized spiders of dark brown color (Fig. 29). Opisthosoma with two median white stripes and one (or two?) at its posterior end. Legs uniformly brown. Measurements: TL 5.888; CL 2.558; CW 1.881; AL 2.892. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.082; PME 0.081; PLE 0.104; ALE 0.102; PME-PME 0.093; PME-PLE 0.079; AME-AME 0.064; AME-ALE 0.038. AME black, PME white, lateral eyes with black surroundings. PER straight to recurved, AER slightly recurved. Prosoma with widening thoracic region, fovea about 1/3 of abdominal length. Chelicerae toothless but with a pointed rim (Fig. 42). Scutum large and broad (Figs 29, 43), covering half of the abdominal dorsal length and all its width (at the base). ALS long, cylindrical, separated by more than their diameter. Leg formula is IV>I>II>III. Legs spination: Leg I: Fe 2d; leg II: Fe 2d, Ti 1v, Mt 2v; leg III: Fe 7d, Pa 1rl, Ti/Mt spinose; leg IV: Fe 5d, Ti/Mt spinose. Ta not densely scopulated.
Palp (Figs 34−36, 41, 44). Large retrolateral tibial apophysis accommodated into cymbium depression, with round ventral edge and tapering dorsal tip. Large spermophore U-shaped. Embolus with broad round base, tapering at its end, but with no filiform ending, hidden behind conductor. Conductor with stout vertical part and small membranous fold not seen in ventral side.
Description. Female. Large spiders. Prosoma dark brown, opisthosoma yellow. Mt and Ta of legs I and II darker than the rest of leg segments. Measurements: TL 8.279; CL 3.556; CW 2.409; AL 4.479. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.184; PME 0.114; PLE 0.140; ALE 0.133; PME-PME 0.138; PME-PLE 0.121; AME-AME 0.090; AME-ALE almost touching. AME black, PME white, lateral eyes with black surroundings. PER straight, AER straight to recurved. Prosoma with widening thoracic region, fovea about 1/3 of abdominal length. Chelicerae toothless but with a pointed rim. Leg formula is I>IV>II>III. Legs spination: Leg I: Fe 3d 1pl; leg II: Fe 4-5d, Ti 2v; leg III: Fe 7d, Pa 1pl 1rl Ti/Mt spinose; leg IV: Fe 5d Ti/Mt spinose.
Epigyne (Figs 37, 48). Round anterior epigynal grooves with concave introductory openings just below.
Vulva (Figs 38, 49). Large oval spermathecae with glandular heads at base and second pair of chambers (possibly secondary spermathecae) originating at half length of main spermathecae.
Comments. Apart from confirming the identity of the newly described species as distinct (see diagnosis), the examination of the type of P. hebraeus (HUJ 11948) revealed an interesting observation. The female described by Levy (1999) as belonging to P. hebraeus (HUJ 14741) is in fact a subadult of the genus Drassodes (see Figs 31 ─33 and Levy 1999, p. 430, Figs 4 ─5), with the distinctive notched trochanters in the four legs. We here remove this female from P. hebraeus in anticipation of the discovery of the correct matching sex in the future.
Distribution. Only known from Rodos.
description: Published as part of Chatzaki, Maria & Keer, Johan Van, 2019, Ground spiders (Araneae: Gnaphosidae, Liocranidae, Prodidomidae) from the Greek islands Rodos, Symi and Karpathos, with the description of new species, pp. 434-460 in Zootaxa 4646 (3) on pages 447-449, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4646.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/3351022