an SERKET COS ys The Arachnological Bulletin of the Middle East and North Africa Volume 18 Part 3 May, 2022 Cairo, Egypt HS 18 oA oS oo 2 eo ok ISSN: 1110-502X SERKET Volume 18 Part 3 May, 2022 Cairo, Egypt Contents Page A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from Western Sahara (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Eric Ythier & Wilson R. Lourencgo 239 Contributions to the scorpion fauna of Iran. Part II. Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. from the Fars Province (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Ersen Aydin Yagmur, Mohammad Moradi, Mohammad Tabatabaei & Najmeh Jafari 252 On the poorly known species Buthiscus bicalcaratus Birula, 1905 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Faraj Aboshaala, Ersen Aydin Ya&Smur, Salah Eddine Sadine, Mustafa Ghaliow & Ahmed Badry 263 Notes and remarks on Buthacus species of Central Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Yacine Bengaid, Salah Eddine Sadine, Zouatine Oumyma, Haroun Abidi, Samia Bissati & Moussa Houhamdi 274 First record of the genus Nita Huber & El-Hennawy, 2007 (Araneae: Pholcidae) from Algeria Youcef Alioua & Robert Bosmans 282 Intraguild predation on hornets and yellowjackets of vespine wasps by spiders, and vice versa Daisuke Noguchi & Kenichi Ikeda 287 A new species of Oxyopes Latreille, 1804 (Araneae: Oxyopidae) from Calicut University Campus, Kerala, India Kandampully Baji Amulya, Honey Sebastian & Ambalaparambil Vasu Sudhikumar 299 Araneofauna associated with the horticultural ecosystems of Thrissur District, Kerala, India Naduvath Mana Krishnan Namboothiri Prasad, Ambalath Veettil Saidu Mohamed Shihabudeen & Ambalaparambil Vasu Sudhikumar 305 Diversity of spiders in riparian habitats of Kalpathipuzha, Palakkad, Kerala, India Ambalath Veetil Saidu Mohamed Shihabudeen, Naduvath Mana Krishnan Namboothiri Prasad & Ambalaparambil Vasu Sudhikumar 314 The first record of Stemonyphantes agnatus 'Tanasevitch, 1990 (Araneae: Linyphiidae) in Turkey Zafer Sancak, Mohammad Moradi & Biisra Sahin 321 New locality record of Pellenes diagonalis (Simon, 1868) (Araneae: Salticidae) in Turkey Osman Seyyar & Hakan Demir 324 New record of a comb-footed spider of genus Steatoda (Araneae: Theridiidae) from Turkish araneo-fauna Tuncay Tiirrkes & Zeynep Diizelten Balli 328 Haplodrassus orientalis (L. Koch, 1866) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) is a new record for the Turkish spider fauna Osman Seyyar, Tuncay Tiirkes & Hakan Demir 331 New record of genus Clubiona Latreille, 1804 (Araneae: Clubionidae) from Turkish spider fauna Tuncay Tirkes & Elif Ath 335 Redescription of two wolf spiders Pardosa mukundi Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 and Draposa burasantiensis (Tikader & Malhotra, 1976) (Araneae: Lycosidae) Raveendran Sudha Abhiyith, Palissery Sheeba & Ambalaparambil Vasu Sudhikumar 338 Marinarozelotes adriaticus (Caporiacco, 1951) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) is a new spider record from Turkey Osman Seyyar, Tuncay Tiirkes & Hakan Demir 345 First report of Zelotes laetus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in Turkey Tarik Danisman & Yesim Erol 349 A new record of the genus Tegenaria from Turkey (Araneae: A gelenidae) Nurcan Demircan Aksan & Aydin Top¢u 353 Diversity of spider fauna (Arachnida: Araneae) in different districts of Andhra Pradesh, India Rajendra Singh & Akhilesh Sharma 356 Zodarion lutipes (OQ. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) (Araneae: Zodariidae) a new record from Iraq Azhar Mohammed Al]-khazali 378 New locality data of Stegodyphus lineatus (Latreille, 1817) (Araneae: Eresidae) from Basrah province south of Iraq Shuroog Abdullah Najim & Adil Fadhil Abbas 382 Genus Zelotes Gistel, 1848 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), a new record from Iraq Ghassan A. Ali Al-Yacoub & Murtatha Y. M. Al-Abbad 386 Community organization of social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum Karsch, 1892 in Kerala Ovatt Mohanan Drisya-Mohan & Ambalaparambil Vasu Sudhikumar 391 Buthus Leach, 1815 (Scorpiones: Buthidae): taxonomic status of species in Algeria with their morphological and molecular study in Aures region Wissame Zekri, Abdelhamid Moussi, Salah Eddine Sadine & Moustafa Sarhan 400 Mesiotelus tenuissimus (Araneae: Liocranidae) and the first record of its family in Jordan Hisham K. El-Hennawy 416 Volume 18 (2021-2022) Back issues: Vol. 1 (1987-1990), Vol. 2 (1990-1992), Vol. 3 (1992-1993), Vol. 4 (1994-1996), Vol. 5 (1996-1997), Vol. 6 (1998-2000), Vol. 7 (2000-2001), Vol. 8 (2002-2003), Vol. 9 (2004-2005), Vol. 10 (2006-2007), Vol. 11 (2008- 2009), Vol. 12 (2010-2011), Vol. 13 (2012-2013), Vol. 14 (2014-2015), Vol. 15 (2016-2017), Vol. 16 (2018-2019), Vol. 17 (2019-2021). Correspondence concerning subscription, back issues, publication, etc. should be addressed to the editor: Hisham K. El-Hennawy 41, El-Mantega El-Rabia St., Heliopolis, Cairo 11341, Egypt E-mail: el_hennawy@hotmail.com Webpage: http://serket1987.blogspot.com OK 38 2 oI 28 2 2K 2 2K 2g ok Postal address: ISSN: 1110-502X Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 239-251. A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from Western Sahara (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Eric Ythier ' & Wilson R. Lourenco ” ' BYG Taxa, 382 rue des Guillates, 71570 Romanéche-Thorins, France, e-mail: contact @bygtaxa.com * Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR7205-CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, CP 53, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France, e-mail: wilson.lourenco @ mnhn.fr Abstract A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 is described on the basis of one male and one female collected in the region of Adrar Sotuf, Western Sahara. This new scorpion taxon represents the 33 known species of the genus Androctonus and the 3“ reported from Western Sahara. A geographical distribution map of the Androctonus species occurring in Morocco and Western Sahara is presented and one taxon is raised to species rank, Androctonus bourdoni Vachon, 1948 stat. n. Keywords: Scorpion, Androctonus agrab sp. n., Androctonus bourdoni stat. n., Androctonus mauritanicus, taxonomy, new species, description, morphology, Western Sahara, Morocco. Introduction As already outlined in several papers (Lourengo, 2005; Lourenco & Qi, 2006, 2007; Louren¢go, 2008; Ythier, 2021) the taxonomy of the genus Androctonus Ehrenberg has long remained confused. In his work on scorpions from northern Africa, Vachon (1948, 1952) attempted to establish a better definition of the genus Androctonus and its species. However, the classification proposed by Vachon remained unsatisfactory, mainly because of the existence of several poorly defined subspecies, some of them even being described for populations totally disconnected geographically. An example is provided by Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807) which is distributed in the Middle East, and the subspecies Androctonus crassicauda gonneti Vachon, 1948 distributed in Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania. Lourengo (2005) characterized both populations as distinct and raised A. gonneti to the rank of species. Another example is Androctonus liouvillei (Pallary, 1924), distributed in eastern Morocco up to northwestern Algeria (see Fig. 20). This species was originally described as Buthus (Prionurus) liouvillei and considered by Vachon (1948, 1952) to be a subspecies of Androctonus aeneas C.L. Koch, 1839, distributed from northwestern Algeria up to Tunisia (Lourenco, Rossi & Sadine, 2015). Lourencgo (2005) reconsidered the taxonomic position of this subspecies and raised Androctonus liouvillei to the rank of species. In the present study, we also reconsider the taxonomy of Androctonus bourdoni Vachon, 1948 stat. n., originally described from southern Morocco (Souss Valley) as a subspecies of Androctonus mauritanicus (Pocock, 1902) (described from Northern Morocco and distributed up to the Souss Valley; see Fig. 21) then placed in synonymy of A. mauritanicus (Lourengo, 2005). Examination of additional specimens led us to elevate A. bourdoni stat. n. to species status, based on morphological features and distribution. The revision carried out by Lourenco (2005) on the genus Androctonus, as well as other studies conducted in the deserts of southern Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania, tend to show that this particular area contains a very diverse fauna of scorpions, including several new species and even new genera (Lourengo, 2002a,b; Lourenco & Duhem, 2009). Recent discovery in the collections of the MNHN (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France) of two specimens collected in the 1960s by the late Prof. Pierre Louis Dekeyser in the region of Adrar- Sotuf, Western Sahara, has led to the description of another new species of Androctonus. The new species described here represents the 33 known species of the genus Androctonus and the 3™ reported from Western Sahara. Methods Illustrations and measurements were made with the aid of a Wild M5 stereo- microscope with a drawing tube (camera lucida) and an ocular micrometre. Map was made using Adobe Photoshop software. Measurements follow Stahnke (1970) and are given in mm. Trichobothrial notations follow Vachon (1974) and morphological terminology mostly follows Vachon (1952) and Hjelle (1990). Specimens studied herein are deposited in the MNHN (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle), Paris, France and EYCP (Eric Ythier Private Collection, Romanéche-Thorins, France). Composition of the genus Androctonus (in order of description) - Androctonus australis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia) - Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807) (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen) - Androctonus amoreuxi (Audouin, 1825) (Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, Western Sahara, Israel?) - Androctonus bicolor Ehrenberg, 1828 (Egypt, Israel, Libya, Syria, Jordan?, Lebanon?) - Androctonus aeneas C.L. Koch, 1839 (Algeria, Tunisia) - Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897) (Pakistan) - Androctonus baluchicus (Pocock, 1900) (Afghanistan, Pakistan) - Androctonus mauritanicus (Pocock, 1902) (Morocco) - Androctonus liouvillei (Pallary, 1924) (Algeria, Morocco) - Androctonus eburneus (Pallary, 1928) (Algeria) - Androctonus hoggarensis (Pallary, 1929) (Algeria) 240 - Androctonus barbouri (Werner, 1932) (Morocco) - Androctonus bourdoni Vachon, 1948 stat. n. (Morocco) * - Androctonus gonneti Vachon, 1948 (Mauritania, Morocco, Western Sahara) - Androctonus sergenti Vachon, 1948 (Morocco) - Androctonus dekeyseri Lourengo, 2005 (Mauritania, Senegal) - Androctonus maelfaiti Lourengo, 2005 (India) - Androctonus afghanus Lourenco & Qi, 2006 (Afghanistan) - Androctonus aleksandrplotkini Lourencgo & Qi, 2007 (Mauritania) - Androctonus togolensis Lourengo, 2008 (Togo) - Androctonus maroccanus Lourengo, Ythier & Leguin, 2009 (Morocco) - Androctonus pallidus Lourengo, Duhem & Cloudsley-Thompson, 2012 (Chad) - Androctonus cholistanus Kovatik & Ahmed, 2013 (India, Pakistan) - Androctonus robustus Kovarik & Ahmed, 2013 (Pakistan) - Androctonus tenuissimus Teruel, Kovarik & Turiel, 2013 (Egypt) - Androctonus donairei Rossi, 2015 (Morocco) - Androctonus santi Lourengo, 2015 (Niger) - Androctonus simonettai Rossi, 2015 (Ethiopia) - Androctonus tigrai Lourengo, Rossi & Sadine, 2015 (Ethiopia) - Androctonus tropeai Rossi, 2015 (Pakistan) - Androctonus burkinensis Y thier, 2021 (Burkina Faso) - Androctonus turkiyensis Ya&mur, 2021 (Turkey) - Androctonus agrab sp. n. Ythier & Lourengo, 2021 (Western Sahara) * (* = in this work) ‘som { “tH: a Y = ™ ~ ‘' . ae = a A : an i ) * " > of : : a | wage. tg coe to . ey raat et ° od AF " — — t ——— Fea aa ogae:. = v aoa 3 .S » . Z ve! y *. = ete cy | ‘lng zy etre ¥ t ~ g : tw : a oes r . } ~ Y = } ' ‘ ‘4 4 \ es, ; I Figs. 1-2. Androctonus mauritanicus, adult @ topotype, habitus. 1. dorsal aspect. 2. ventral aspect. (Scale bar: 1 cm). 241 Taxonomic treatment Family Buthidae C.L. Koch, 1837 Genus Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 Androctonus mauritanicus (Pocock, 1902) (Figs. 1-2, 16-17; Table 1) Buthus mauritanicus Pocock, 1902: 373. Morocco, Tangier, Mehedija (=Mehdya). Diagnosis (emended). Scorpion of large size for the genus, with a total length of 70-90 mm. General colouration brown to blackish-brown; carinae are generally darker, almost blackish. Carinae and granulations on carapace and tergites moderately developed. Sternite VII with four well-marked carinae. Metasomal segments I to V moderately to strongly enlarged distally; dorsal depression on segments I to IV strongly marked. Lateral carinae covering 1/4 to 1/3 of the metasomal segment II and composed of only 1-3 distal granules on the segment II. Anal arc with three rounded lobes. Pedipalps with a conspicuous setation on femur, patella and chela; chela fixed and movable fingers with 13-16 rows of granules; fixed finger of the male forming a conspicuous scalloping on the proximal dentate margin. Pectines with 25-30 teeth in males and 20-24 in females. Trichobothrium db of chela fixed finger basal to est in male and female. Androctonus bourdoni Vachon, 1948 stat. n. (Figs. 3-4, 18-19; Table 1) Androctonus mauritanicus bourdoni Vachon, 1948: 313. Morocco, Agadir, Tanfigoult (=Tafingoult), Bou Izakarne (=Bouizakarne). During more than ten years, Max Vachon developed studies on the scorpions of northern Africa which were finally concluded in 1952 with the publication of his major monograph (Vachon, 1952). During these studies, Vachon described an important number of new taxa, and in particular several new subspecies and varieties (Summarized in Vachon, 1952). For the description of these new taxa, Vachon referred to a number of specimens without however any indication of precise types. It is important to understand that Vachon, as other scorpiologists before him, was not fully aware of the importance of indicating precise types. For subsequent studies it became rather complicated to locate many of these specimens. For a good number, these were integrated in the collections of the MNHN in Paris, but without the indication of types. In other cases, the material probably remained in the collections of local institutions in northern Africa and could no longer be located. One of the subspecies described by Vachon in 1948 and which interests the present study is Androctonus mauritanicus bourdoni Vachon, 1948, described from the South of Morocco, in the Souss Valley (Agadir, Tafingoult, Bouizakarne). For this subspecies Vachon (1948, 1952) listed a number of adults and juveniles without any indication of types. Curiously, in the Catalog of the Scorpions of the World, Fet & Lowe (2000) indicated for this subspecies the same material already listed by Vachon (1948, 1952), but also with the precisions of syntypes (for two specimens measured by Vachon) and paratypes (for all other specimens listed by Vachon). During this study, we were able to locate one vial in the collections of the MNHN, including two specimens, one adult male and one subadult male, from Agadir (“under stones, in a Euphorbia field along the seashore, in the north of the port”) and with a small label written by Vachon’s hands with the indication “' type” (see Figs. 3-4). At present it seems useful to indicate one of these specimens as lectotype (adult male) and the second as paralectotype (subadult male). 242 Figs. 3-4. Androctonus bourdoni stat. n., adult 4 lectotype, habitus. 3. dorsal aspect. 4. ventral aspect (part of pigmentation was lost under the effect of light exposure). (Scale bar: 1 cm). Original labels included in the vial are also presented. In this study, we also reconsider the taxonomy of Androctonus mauritanicus bourdoni based on morphological features after examination of additional specimens, as well as considering its distribution. Androctonus bourdoni Vachon, 1948 stat. n., previously in the synonymy of Androctonus mauritanicus, is elevated to species status herein. Diagnosis (emended). Scorpion of medium size for the genus, with a total length of 60-70 mm. General colouration brown to blackish-brown; carinae are generally darker, almost blackish. Carinae and granulations on carapace and tergites moderately developed. Sternite VII with four well-marked carinae. Metasomal segments I to V moderately enlarged distally; dorsal depression on segments I to IV moderately to strongly marked. Lateral carinae covering half to 2/3 of the metasomal segment II and composed of 5-6 granules covering 1/4 to 1/3 of the segment III. Anal arc with three rounded lobes. Pedipalps with a moderately marked setation on femur, patella and chela; chela fixed and movable fingers with 14-15 rows of granules; fixed finger of the male forming a weakly to moderately marked scalloping on the proximal dentate margin. Pectines with 27-29 teeth in males and 23-25 in females. Trichobothrium db of chela fixed finger at the same level of est or distal to est in male, basal to est in female. Androctonus agrab sp. n. (Figs. 5-15, Table 1) Western Sahara, region of Adrar-Sotuf, 410 m alt., P.L. Dekeyser coll., 30/V/1964, 13 holotype, 1 subadult 2 paratype. Deposited in the collection of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. 243 Figs. 5-6. Androctonus agrab sp. n., adult @ holotype, habitus. 5. dorsal aspect. 6. ventral aspect. (Scale bar: 1 cm). Comparative material examined. - Androctonus bourdoni stat. n. (5 ex.): Morocco, Agadir, M. Vachon leg., 1939, 12 lectotype, 1 subadult 4 paralectotype (MNHN, RS 2257); Morocco, Agadir, M. Vachon leg., 1939, 14 topotype (MNHN, RS 7023); Morocco, Taliouine, J.-B. Lacroix leg. (No. 250), 1993, 14 (EYCP, EY0291); Morocco, Taliouine, J.-B. Lacroix leg. (No. 329), 1993, 12 (EYCP, EY0335). - Androctonus mauritanicus (16 ex.): Morocco, Tangier, W.R. Lourenco coll., V/2004, 344 topotypes (MNHN); Morocco, Marrakesh, E. Ythier coll., 1/2010, 12 (EYCP, EY0058); Morocco, Marrakesh, E. Ythier coll., II/2010, 2¢¢, 59°, 2 immature 3d (EYCP, EY0089); Morocco, Cap Bedouza, J.-B. Lacroix leg. (No. 146), 1993, 1 subadult 3 (EYCP, EY0263); Morocco, Abainou, J.-B. Lacroix leg. (No. 285), 1993, 1 subadult @ (EYCP, EY0307); Morocco, location unknown, J.-B. Lacroix leg. (No. 328), 1993, 1 subadult ¢ (EYCP, EY0319). Etymology. The specific name is placed in apposition to the generic name and means scorpion in Hassaniyya, the Arabic dialect spoken in Western Sahara, where the new species was found. Diagnosis. Scorpion of medium size for the genus, with a total length of 63.4 mm for the adult male holotype. General colouration brown to blackish-brown; carinae are generally darker, almost blackish. Carinae and granulations on carapace and tergites moderately developed. Sternite VII with four moderately to weakly marked carinae. Metasomal segments I to V moderately enlarged distally; dorsal depression on segments I to IV moderately to strongly marked. Lateral carinae covering 1/4 to 1/3 of the metasomal segment II and composed of only 1-3 distal granules on the segment III. Anal arc with three rounded lobes. Pedipalps with a weakly marked setation on femur, patella and chela; chela fixed finger with 14-15 rows of granules, movable finger with 13-15 rows of granules; fixed finger of the male forming a weakly to moderately marked scalloping on 244 the proximal dentate margin. Pectines with 29-29 teeth in male and 22-23 in female. Trichobothrium db of chela fixed finger distal to est in male, basal to est in female. Description (based on male holotype. Measurements in Table 1). Colouration. Mainly blackish-brown. Prosoma: carapace blackish-brown; carinae and eyes marked by dark pigment. Mesosoma: blackish-brown, slightly paler than carapace, with two longitudinal yellow strips. Metasomal segments I to V blackish-brown; carinae dark to blackish; vesicle reddish-brown; aculeus reddish-yellow at its base and blackish- brown at its extremity. Venter yellowish-brown; pectines pale yellow with infuscations. Tergites III to V, in male with large yellowish spots. Chelicerae yellowish with intense variegated spots; fingers reddish-brown with dark teeth. Pedipalps blackish-brown; fingers reddish-yellow with the oblique rows of granules dark reddish. Legs blackish- brown with some yellow spots distally. Morphology. Carapace moderately to strongly granular; anterior margin almost straight and without a median concavity. Carinae moderately marked; anterior median, central median and posterior median carinae moderately granular. All furrows moderate to weak. Median ocular tubercle slightly anterior to the centre of carapace. Eyes separated by more than two ocular diameters. Three pairs of lateral eyes of moderate size. Sternum triangular and narrow, slightly longer than wide. Mesosoma: tergites moderately granular, better marked in male. Three longitudinal carinae moderately crenulate in all tergites; lateral carinae reduced in tergites I and II; tergite VII pentacarinate. Venter: genital operculum divided longitudinally, forming two semi-oval to triangular plates. Pectines: pectinal tooth count 29-29 in male holotype; middle basal lamella of the pectines not dilated. Sternites without granules, smooth with elongated spiracles; four moderately to weakly marked carinae on sternite VII; other sternites acarinate and with two vestigial furrows. Metasomal segments I to III with 10 carinae, moderately crenulated; lateral carinae covering 1/4 to 1/3 of segment II and composed of only 1-3 distal granules on segment III; ventral carinae moderately to weakly marked; segment IV with 8 carinae, moderately crenulated; the first four segments with a smooth and moderately to strongly marked dorsal depression; segment V with five carinae, the latero-ventral carinae crenulate with a few lobate denticles; ventral median carina not divided posteriorly; anal arc composed of 11-12 inconspicuous ventral teeth and three rounded lateral lobes. Intercarinal spaces weakly granular to smooth. Telson with some granulations on ventral surface; other surfaces smooth; aculeus moderately curved and with the same length as the vesicle; subaculear tooth absent. Cheliceral dentition as defined by Vachon (1963) for the family Buthidae; external distal and internal distal teeth approximately the same length; basal teeth on movable finger small but not fused; ventral aspect of both fingers and manus covered with long dense setae. Pedipalps: femur pentacarinate; patella with eight carinae; chela with only vestigial carinae; all faces weakly granular to smooth; femur, patella and chela with a weak setation. Chela fixed finger with 14-15 rows of granules, movable finger with 13-15 rows of granules; internal and external accessory granules present, strong; three accessory granules on the distal end of the movable finger next to the terminal denticle; fixed finger of the male forming a weakly to moderately marked scalloping on the proximal dentate margin. Legs: tarsus with numerous thin setae ventrally; tibial spur strong on legs III and IV; pedal spurs moderate to strong on legs I to IV. Trichobothriotaxy: trichobothrial pattern of Type A, orthobothriotaxic as defined by Vachon (1974). Dorsal trichobothria of femur arranged in B (beta) configuration (Vachon, 1975); chela fixed finger with trichobothrium db distal to est in male, basal to est in female. 245 + go # in oO sae cp ORO IE FE as Pn tan i. at “s e« y" ra . . . pt te ee a = . ~ e 7 “ " ° 7 * eee, ope eis ee « < ‘ soeewrr~ > PS 4 . P © ~ e GRO 00202 0 OOPRD2 10° 00000000" 900 Bis 0 any Oeste Pao, ~ ’ * —. ea orem, aed «< oe = om 0%. O% "so t® Oe, tee ee gpa on race ane ® sated eden, o - r - é ° ° e ° oLeo > Roe ° 9200 P0904 90 790,20,9° Ons Oe * z oe eee, on. n + my 900 *9, On Opte'he” Meo” 12 14 Figs. 7-19. Androctonus spp. 7-15, Androctonus agrab sp. n., & holotype. 7. metasomal segment V and telson, lateral aspect. 8. metasomal segments II and III, lateral aspect. 9. femur, dorsal aspect. 10-11. patella. 10. dorsal aspect. 11. external aspect. 12-13. chela. 12. ventral aspect. 13. external aspect. 14. cutting edge of pedipalp chela movable finger with longitudinal series of granules. 15. chelicera, dorsal aspect. 16-17. Androctonus mauritanicus, 3 topotype. 16. metasomal segments II and III, lateral aspect (from Vachon, 1952). 17. chela external aspect. 18-19. Androctonus bourdoni stat. n., 3 lectotype. 18. metasomal segments II and III, lateral aspect (from Vachon, 1952). 19. chela external aspect. (Scale bars: 2 mm except chelicera 1 mm). 246 Table 1. Morphometric values (in mm) and ratios of adult males of the Androctonus species treated in this study: A. mauritanicus (topotype, Tangier, Morocco), A. bourdoni stat. n. (lectotype, Agadir, Morocco) and A. agrab sp. n. (holotype). : ma A. bourdoni Morphometric values (in mm) A. agrab sp. n. po topotype | lectotype | holotype _ |Carapace | Tengiht | 8 TS | 9 |Metasomalsegmentd | |Metasomal segment I || |Metasomal segment | |Metasomal segment ITV || |Metasomal segmentV | Vesicle Vesicle [Pédipalps © |Morphometricratios | | Relationships. Androctonus agrab sp. n. is clearly related to A. mauritanicus and A. bourdoni stat. n., both distributed in Morocco between the Atlantic coast and the western slopes of Atlas Mountains. These two species can however be distinguished from A. agrab sp. n. notably by the following main features: 247 - A. mauritanicus: (1) scorpion of large size with a total length of 70-90 mm (smaller size with 63 mm in A. agrab sp. n.), (ii) pedipalps with a conspicuous setation on femur, patella and chela (weakly marked in A. agrab sp. n.), (iii) fixed finger of the male forming a conspicuous scalloping on the proximal dentate margin (weakly to moderately marked in A. agrab sp. n.), (iv) sternite VII with four well-marked carinae (moderately to weakly marked in A. agrab sp. n.), (v) male chela fixed finger with trichobothrium db basal to est (distal in A. agrab sp. n.), (vi) distinct morphometric values, notably with pedipalp chela manus wider and deeper than in A. agrab sp. n. (see Table 1). - A. bourdoni stat. n.: (1) lateral carinae covering half to 2/3 of metasomal segment I and composed of 5-6 granules covering 1/4 to 1/3 of segment HI (covering 1/4 to 1/3 of segment II and composed of only 1-3 distal granules on segment III in A. agrab sp. n.), (ii) pedipalps with a moderately marked setation on femur, patella and chela (weakly marked in A. agrab sp. n.), (11) sternite VII with four well-marked carinae (moderately to weakly marked in A. agrab sp. n.), (iv) distinct morphometric values, notably with metasoma less wide and less deep posteriorly and pedipalp chela manus slender than in A. agrab sp. n. (see Table 1). FH] A. amoreuxi [| A. australis [A] A. barbouri 3 Gert Ss. das Py A. bourdoni Mohammedia y ann = ret 4 Sa Casablanca r sstetehs i . . Az <7 oss [Ol] A. donairei evlsdan gat ssstehet: (T] A. gonneti EY A. liouvillei [O] A. maroccanus st Perr rir a MeSH rhe. amine A. mauritanicus BEEDUCEREERS ~ sang Souhene a Quarzazate a — a B34 A. sergenti ——— ut ty weerrritty “aGeenne ALGERIA a | Fig. 20. Map of Morocco showing the supposed zones of distribution of species of the genus Androctonus (modified from Lourenco, Ythier & Leguin, 2009). Ecological characteristics of the Adrar Sotuf region The Adrar Sotuf is a mountain range located in the South-West of Western Sahara, 200 km south of Dakhla and 150 m east of the Atlantic coast. The climate is hot and dry, with an average annual temperature of 27°C (minimum 19°C in January, maximum 32°C in August) and total annual precipitation of 48 mm (minimum | mm in February, maximum 24 mm in September). The region is an immense reg with large hills reaching 400 m altitude and few dry wadi beds scattered with acacias and Capparis. The west-east gradient sees the moderating influences of the ocean diminishing as one goes 248 inland, and the oscillation of the continental and maritime air masses that meet at this latitude has hardly been favourable to rainfall in the Adrar Sotuf for several decades. Its gradual decrease has resulted in the persistence of a cycle of drought which has conditioned an important desertification of the region with a significant reduction of the woody vegetation and its associated fauna. ) \_ { Neste | ff Sahara . Tirisel Gharbia | MALI Fig. 21. Map of Morocco and Western Sahara showing the supposed zones of distribution of Androctonus mauritanicus and Androctonus bourdoni stat. n., and the type locality of Androctonus agrab sp. n. Acknowledgments We are most grateful to Michel Aymerich for permission to use his photos of the Adrar Sotuf. References Fet, V. & Lowe, G. 2000. Family Buthidae C. L. Koch, 1837. Pp. 54-286. In: Fet, V., Sissom, W.D., Lowe, G. & Braunwalder, M.E. (eds.). Catalog of the Scorpions of the world (1758-1998). New York, NY: The New York Entomological Society, 690 pp. Hjelle, J.T. 1990. Anatomy and morphology. Pp. 9-63. In: G.A. Polis (ed.), The Biology of Scorpions. Stanford University Press, 587 pp. 249 ee Oe) e Michel avin Sat ot xt, 4, o- Yea rs Sa * + ~ Figs. 22-23. Natural habitat of Androctonus agrab sp. n., Adrar Sotuf, Western Sahara (photos M. Aymerich). Lourengo, W.R. 2002a. Nouvelles considérations sur la classification et la biogéographie du genre Microbuthus Kraepelin (Scorpiones, Buthidae); caractérisation d’une nouvelle sous-espéce pour le Maroc. Biogeographica, 78(4): 165-176. Lourengo, W.R. 2002b. Nouvelles considérations sur la systématique et la biogéographie du genre Butheoloides Hirst (Scorpiones, Buthidae) avec description d’un nouveau sous-genre et de deux nouvelles espéces. Revue suisse de Zoologie, 109(4): 725-733. 250 Lourengo, W.R. 2005. Nouvelles considérations taxonomiques sur les especes du genre Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 et description de deux nouvelles espéces (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Revue suisse de Zoologie, 112(1): 145-171. Lourengo, W.R. 2008. A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from Togo (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Entomologische Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Hamburg, 15(179), 37- 44. Lourengo, W.R. & Duhem, B. 2009. Saharo-Sindian buthid scorpions; description of two new genera and species from Occidental Sahara and Afghanistan. Zookeys, 14: 37-54. Lourengo, W.R. & Qi, J.-X. 2006. A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from Afghanistan (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Zoology in the Middle East, 38: 93-97. Lourengo, W.R. & Qi, J.-X. 2007. A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from Mauritania (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Boletin de la Sociedad Entomoloégica Aragonesa, 40: 215- 219. Lourengo, W.R., Rossi, A. & Sadine, S.E. 2015. New data on the genus Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones, Buthidae), with the description of a new species from Ethiopia. Arachnida, Rivista Aracnologica Italiana, 5: 11-29. Lourengo, W.R., Ythier, E. & Leguin, E.-A. 2009. A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from Morocco (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius, 89: 1-8. Pocock, R.I. 1902. A contribution to the systematics of Scorpions. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 7(10): 364-381. Stahnke, H.L. 1970. Scorpion nomenclature and mensuration. Entomological News, 81(12): 297- 316. Vachon, M. 1948. Etudes sur les Scorpions. III (suite). Description des Scorpions du Nord de VP’ Afrique. Archives de |’Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, 26(3): 288-316. Vachon, M. 1952. Etudes sur les scorpions. Publications de |’Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, Alger: 482 pp. Vachon, M. 1963. De lVutilité, en systématique, d’une nomenclature des dents des chéliceres chez les Scorpions. Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, 2e sér., 35(2): 161-166. Vachon, M. 1974. Etude des caractéres utilisés pour classer les familles et les genres de Scorpions (Arachnides). 1. La trichobothriotaxie en arachnologie. Sigles trichobothriaux et types de trichobothriotaxie chez les Scorpions. Bulletin du Muséum national d Histoire naturelle, Paris, 3e sér., n° 140, Zool. 104: 857-958. Vachon, M. 1975. Sur Vutilisation de la trichobothriotaxie du bras des pédipalpes des Scorpions (Arachnides) dans le classement des genres de la famille des Buthidae Simon. Comptes Rendus des Séances de l’Académie de Sciences, 281(D): 1597-1599. Ythier, E. 2021. A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from the Sahelian wooded steppes of Burkina Faso (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Faunitaxys, 9(31): 1-7. Androctonus agrab Ythier & Lourenco, 2022 urn:1sid:zoobank.org:act: 1B050959-45B8-490F-B3E9-3D908DE47536 Zod Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 252-262. Contributions to the scorpion fauna of Iran. Part IT. Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. from the Fars Province (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Ersen Aydin YaSmur '*, Mohammad Moradi 7, Mohammad Tabatabaei ° & Najmeh Jafari 7 ' Alasehir Vocational School, Celal Bayar University, TR-45600 Alasehir, Manisa, Turkey * Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran 3 Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute, Karaj, Iran : Corresponding author e-mail address: ersen.yagmur@ gmail.com Abstract A new species Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. is described and illustrated from the Fars Province of Iran. H. akbarii sp. nov. is compared with H. navidpouri Kovarik, Yagmur & Moradi, 2018 and H. saulcyi (Simon, 1880). H. akbarii sp. nov. differs from its congeners by dense hirsuteness of the body, uniformly greenish yellow colouration, lacking black spot at the anterior portion of the carapace, fifth segment and telson and yellow chelicera. With this new species, the species number of genus Hottentotta in Iran is elevated to 10. Keywords: Scorpions, Hottentotta, new species, Iran. Introduction Iran has a rich fauna of the genus Hottentotta and is a hotspot of speciation for this genus, with high-level endemism (Akbari et al., 2020). Nine species have been recorded or described from Iran: H. jayakari (Pocock, 1895), H. juliae Kovarik, YaSmur & Fet, 2019, H. khoozestanus Navidpour, Kovarik, Soleglad & Fet, 2008, H. lorestanus Navidpour, Nayebzadeh, Soleglad, Fet, Kovarik & Kayedi, 2010, H. navidpouri Kovarik, Yagmur & Moradi, 2018, H. saulcyi (Simon, 1880), H. schach (Birula, 1905), H. sistanensis Kovatik, Ya&Smur & Moradi, 2018, and H. zagrosensis Kovarik, 1997. Of these, seven species are endemic in Iran, except of H. jayakari and H. saulcyi (Akbari et al., 2020, Barahoei et al., 2020; Cokendolpher et al., 2019; Mirshamsi et al., 2011; Kovarik, 2007; Kovarik et al., 2018, 2019). This paper is the second one in a series of papers on scorpion fauna of Iran. This second paper reports a new species of the genus Hottentotta from the Fars Province. Material and Methods A single male of Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. was collected from the Fars Province on 05.05.2008 by Abolfazl Akbari. The collected scorpion was preserved in 96% alcohol. Photographs of the type specimen were taken by Canon EOS 7D. Stacking of pictures was made using Helicon Focus software. Illustration method under UV illumination is after Volschenk (2005). The trichobothrial nomenclature is after Vachon (1974, 1975) and morphological nomenclature after Francke (1977), Stahnke (1971), and Hjelle (1990). The male holotype of Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. was deposited in Alasehir Zoological Museum, Celal Bayar University, Alasehir, Manisa, Turkey (AZMM). Figs.1-2: Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. Male holotype, habitus. 1. dorsal aspect. 2. ventral aspect. (Scale bar: 10 mm). 253 Results Family Buthidae C.L. Koch, 1837 Genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908 Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. Figs. 1, 2,5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 30-57, Table 1 Type material: Holotype @: Iran, Fars Province, Nurabad, Baba Monir, 30°04'13"N, 51°12'15"E, 1030 m a.s.1., 05.V.2008, A. Akbari leg. (AZMM/Sco-2008:01). Etymology: A patronym in honour of Abolfazl Akbari (Iran) the collector of holotype specimen. Diagnosis: Scorpion of a large size, total length of 87.53 mm in the male specimen. General colouration bright greenish yellow to dark greenish yellow, with all body with very small brown to black spots and the anterior portion of carapace light brown. Chelicerae lustrous, greenish yellow, with very small dense black spots. Trichobothrium db on fixed finger of pedipalp situated between trichobothria et and est but db is located very closely to et. Pectinal teeth number 36-35 in single male. All body densely hirsute except sternites and ventral surfaces of metasoma segments. Carapace hairy, with coarse granules, intercarinal area smooth. Tergites I-VI with three carinae, moderately coarse granular; tergite VII pentacarinate, sparsely coarse granular. Sternite VII with 4 moderate carinae. Femur of pedipalp with 4 carinae. Patella with 8 carinae. Sternites II-VI smooth. Chela without carinae. Movable fingers of pedipalps with 16 rows of denticles and 5 terminal denticles. Metasomal segments I-II with 10 carinae, III-I[V with 8 carinae, V with 5 carinae. All metasomal segments smooth, intercarinal area without granules. All carinae with medium and equal-sized granules. All metasomal segments longer than wide. Affinities: Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. is a hirsute species whereas H. jayakari and H. khoozestanus are glabrous or sparsely hirsute. Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. has uniformly greenish yellow colour whereas H. schach and H. zagrosensis are uniformly black, H. lorestanus, uniformly greenish grey. Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. with greenish yellow chelicerae, telson and, fifth segment of metasoma whereas H. juliae, H. sistanensis, H. navidpouri, and H. saulcyi with black. In addition, H. sistanensis and H. navidpouri has relatively larger and H. saulcyi relatively smaller chela movable finger/manus ratio than H. akbarii sp. nov. This ratio in males is: in H. navidpouri, 3.24; in H. sistanensis, 3.77; in A. saulcyi, 2.53; whereas in male of H. akbarii sp. nov. is 2.78 (Figs. 27-29). Besides Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. with greenish yellow carapace whereas H. juliae and H. saulcyi with black spots on anterior portion of carapace. In addition, Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. has smaller granules on carapace than H. saulcyi, and lack of coarse granules at anterior portion of carapace whereas H. saulcyi with several coarse granules. Carapace of H. saulcyi more concave anteriorly than H. akbarii sp. nov. Description: Description is based on the male holotype. Total length is 87.53 mm. Measurements are in Table (1). Colouration: Colouration basically greenish yellow with very small black dense spots. Prosoma: Carapace light greenish yellow with very small black dense spots; anterior portion of carapace and between eyes with light brown colouration. Chelicerae lustrous greenish yellow with very small black dense spots. Tergites and sternites dark greenish yellow. Metasomal segments and vesicle greenish yellow with very small black dense spots; aculeus yellowish at its base and light reddish at its extremity. Pedipalps greenish 254 yellow with very small black dense spots, fixed and movable fingers without black spots. Legs pale yellow without black spots (Figs. 1-2). Table 1. Measurements (in mm) of the male holotype of Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. = Dadepth 3 holotype /Mesosoma | 2080 L Carapace and Mesosoma: Anterior margin of carapace slightly concave and all carapace hirsute. Carapace with moderate carinae covered with moderate granules, intercarinal area smooth, unevenly covered with coarse granules but anterior portion of carapace and area around median eyes are covered with small granules. All granules are rounded but the posterior margin of carapace has a single row of pointed granules. Sternum is of type 1, triangular shape (Soleglad & Fet, 2003). Tergites I-VI densely hirsute, with three granular carinae, intercarinal areas with rounded coarse granules but posterior margin of tergites with a single row of pointed granules. Tergite VII pentacarinate, carinae intermittently granular, intercarinal area with few coarse rounded granules. Pectinal tooth count is 36-35 in male specimen. Pectinal marginal tips slightly extend to sternite V in male. Pectines have three marginal lamellae and 8-9 middle lamellae with dense long setae. Sternites III-VI smooth and sparsely hirsute. Sternite VII smooth and bears four granulated carinae but granules are rounded (Figs. 5, 8). Pedipalps: Trichobothrial pattern is of Type A, orthobothriotaxic. Dorsal trichobothria of femur are arranged in / configuration. Femur trichobothrium d2 is located on the dorsal surface; patella trichobothrium d3 is located on the dorsal surface, on the dorsomedian carina. Pedipalps are densely hirsute and intercarinal tegument smooth. Femur bears four strong granulated carinae, with pointed granules. Patella bears eight moderate carinae; dorsal, ventral and external carinae are smooth, without granules; internal carinae are granulate, granules are pointed, intermittently located. Chela is moderately long, without carinae. Chelal trichobothrium db on fixed finger of pedipalp is situated between trichobothria et and est but db is located very closely to et. Male with fingers proximally straight and moderately curved distally. Movable finger with slight basal scalloping. Metasomal segment III L/W/D 8.98 / 6.15 / 4.81 259 Movable fingers of pedipalps bear 16 rows of denticles and five terminal denticles. Fixed fingers of pedipalps bear 15 rows of denticles (Figs. 40-54). ( ee Bid oe ve c , ’ 3 wie neers Figs. 3-8. Carapace, dorsal view. 3,6. H. navidpouri. 4,7. H. saulcyi. 5,8. H. akbarii sp. nov. 3-5. Under white light. 6-8. Under UV light. Legs: Tarsomeres bear two rows of short and strong spiniform setae on the ventral surface and numerous thin macrosetae on the other surfaces. Basitarsus of leg II and III with two rows of spiniform setae on the ventral surface anteriorly and one row posteriorly; leg IV with only six spiniform setae anteriorly (leg I unknown). Pedal spur of legs without setae. Femur and tibia with distinct carinae. Tibial spurs present and long on third and fourth legs (Figs. 55-57). 256 Figs. 9-14. Fifth metasomal segment and telson, ventral aspect. 9,12. H. navidpouri. 10,13. H. saulcyi. Figs. 11,14. H. akbarii sp. nov. 9-11. Under white light. 12-14. Under UV light. Metasoma and telson: The entire metasoma densely hirsute except dorsal surface, which is lacking setae; only a few setae are on dorsal surface of segment I. All metasomal segments longer than wide; length of segments increases posteriorly. Segments I-II bear 10 carinae; segments HI-IV bear 8 carinae; and segment V bears five carinae. All carinae moderate with moderate and intermittently located, consistent sharp granules; only dorsoventral carinae of segment V lacks granules. Telson hirsute, bulbous but finely elongated, tegument smooth and finely granulated (Figs. 34-39). Discussion Fars Province includes six species of Hottentotta: H. jayakari (Sanaei-Zadeh et al., 2017), H. juliae (Akbari et al., 2020; Kovarik et al., 2019; Navidpour et al., 2012); H. navidpouri (Akbari et al., 2020), H. saulcyi (Kovarik, 2007; Navidpour et al., 2012), H. schach (Akbari et al., 2020), and H. zagrosensis (Akbari et al., 2020, Kovarik, 1997). Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. is the seventh species from Fars Province belonging to the genus Hottentotta. Fars Province is located at the intersection of ranges of these Hottentotta species, of which two are so far known only from this province: H. juliae (Akbari et al., 2020; Kovarik et al., 2019; Navidpour et al., 2012) and H. akbarii sp. nov., which is the second endemic species of Fars Province, and the eighth endemic species of this genus in Iran. Acknowledgments We would like to thank Abolfazl Akbari (Karaj, Iran) for collecting the holotype specimen, and Dr. Victor Fet (West Virginia, USA) for his comments and for improving the English text. 257 Figs. 15-20. Fifth metasomal segment and telson, lateral aspect. 15,18. ZH. navidpouri. 16,19. H. saulcyi. 17,20. H. akbarii sp. nov. 15-17. Under white light. 18-20. Under UV light. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Figs. 21-29. Chela. 21,24,27. H. navidpouri. 22,25,28. H. saulcyi. 23,26,29. Hottentotta akbarii sp. nov. 21-23. dorsal aspect. 24-26. ventral aspect. 27-29. lateral aspect. 258 Figs. 30-33. H. akbarii sp. nov. Carapace and Mesosoma. 30,32. dorsal view. 31,33. ventral view. 30-31. Under white light. 32-33. Under UV light. 259 Figs. 34-39. H. akbarii sp. nov. Metasoma. 34,37. lateral view. 35,38. ventral view. 36,39. dorsal view. 34-36. Under white light. 37-39. Under UV light. References Akbari, A., Ya&mur, E.A., Moradi, M. & Jafari, N. 2020. Contributions to the scorpion fauna of Iran. Part I. Records of genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908 (Arachnida: Scorpiones: Buthidae). Serket, 17(3): 284-305. Barahoei, H., Navidpour, S., Aliabadian, M., Siahsarvie, R. & Mirshamsi, O. 2020. Scorpions of Iran (Arachnida: Scorpiones): Annotated checklist, DELTA database and identification key. Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics, 6(4): 375-474. Cokendolpher, J., Zamani, A. & Snegovaya, N.Y. 2019. Overview of Arachnids and Arachnology in Iran. Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics, 5(4): 301-367. Francke, O.F. 1977. Scorpions of the genus Diplocentrus from Oaxaca, Mexico (Scorpionida, Diplocentridae). Journal of Arachnology, 4(3): 145-200. Hjelle, J.T. 1990. Anatomy and morphology. Pp. 9-63. In: G.A. Polis (Ed.), The Biology of Scorpions. Stanford University Press, 587 pp. 260 40 43 { 48 Figs. 40-54. H. akbarii sp. nov. Pedipalp segments. 40-43. Chela. 45-48. Patella. 49-50. Movable (49) and fixed (50) fingers dentition. 51-54. Femur and trochanter. 40,46,53. ventral view. 41,45,51. dorsal view. 42,48,54. internal view. 43,47,52. external view. Trichobothrial pattern is indicated by red circles. (Scale bar: 10 mm). Kovarik, F. 1997. Results of the Czech Biological Expedition to Iran. Part 2. Arachnida: Scorpiones with descriptions of Iranobuthus krali gen. n. et sp. n. and Hottentotta zagrosensis sp. n. (Buthidae). Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae, 61: 39-52. Kovarik, F. 2007. A revision of the genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908, with descriptions of four new species (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Euscorpius, 58: 1-107. Kovarik, F., YaSmur, E.A. & Moradi, M. 2018. Two new Hottentotta species from Iran, with a review of Hottentotta saulcyi (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Euscorpius, 265: 1-14. 261 Figs. 55-57. H. akbarii sp. nov. Right legs H-IV, retrolateral aspect. Kovarik, F., Ya&Smur, E.A. & Fet, V. 2019. Review of Hottentotta described by A. A. Birula, with descriptions of two new species and comments on Birula’s collection (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius, 282: 1-30. Mirshamsi, O., Sari, A. & Hosseinie, S. 2011. History of study and checklist of the scorpion fauna (Arachnida: Scorpiones) of Iran. Progress in Biological Sciences, 1(2): 16-28. Navidpour, S., Fet, V., Kovarik, F. & Soleglad, M.E. 2012. Scorpions of Iran (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part VII. Fars Province. Euscorpius, 139: 1-29. Sanaei-Zadeh, H., Marashi, S.M. & Dehghani, R. 2017. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of scorpionism in Shiraz (2012-2016); development of a clinical severity grading for Iranian scorpion envenomation. Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 31: 27. Soleglad, M.E. & Fet, V. 2003. The scorpion sternum: structure and phylogeny (Scorpiones: Orthosterni). Euscorpius, 5: 1-34. Stahnke, H.L. 1970. Scorpion nomenclature and mensuration. Entomological News, 81: 297-316. Vachon, M. 1974. Etude des caractéres utilisés pour classer les familles et les genres de Scorpions (Arachnides). 1. La trichobothriotaxie en arachnologie. Sigles trichobothriaux et types de trichobothriotaxie chez les Scorpions. Bulletin du Muséum national d Histoire naturelle, Paris, 3e sér., n° 140, Zool. 104: 857-958. Vachon, M. 1975. Sur Vutilisation de la trichobothriotaxie du bras des pédipalpes des Scorpions (Arachnides) dans le classement des genres de la famille des Buthidae Simon. Comptes Rendus des Séances de l’Académie de Sciences, 281(D): 1597-1599. Volschenk, E.S. 2005. A new technique for examining surface morphosculpture of scorpions. The Journal of Arachnology, 33(3): 820-825. Hottentotta akbarii Ya&mur, Moradi, Tabatabaei & Jafari, 2022 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B7564290-1342-4E96-873C-AFE15E187948 262 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 263-273. On the poorly known species Buthiscus bicalcaratus Birula, 1905 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Faraj Aboshaala ', Ersen Aydin Yagmur ’, Salah Eddine Sadine *”, Mustafa Ghaliow ' & Ahmed Badry * ' Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Misurata, Libya * Celal Bayar University, Alasehir Vocational School, TR-45600, Alasehir, Manisa, Turkey Ss Faculty of Nature and Life Sciences and Earth Sciences, University of Ghardaia, BP 455 Ghardaia 47000, Algeria * Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt * Corresponding author e-mail address: sse.scorpion@ yahoo. fr Abstract The monotypic genus Buthiscus was described by Birula (1905) with the species Buthiscus bicalcaratus from the Sahara Desert of southern Tunisia. Until now, huge gaps exist in the knowledge of this species which is classified as endemic to North Africa. This paper aims to enrich the existing knowledge on this poorly known species with redescribing specimens of both sexes collected from Libya using widely illustrated redescription, in light of modern standards ruling the taxonomy of scorpions. Keywords: Scorpiones, Buthidae, Buthiscus bicalcaratus, Libya. Introduction The monotypic genus Buthiscus was established by Birula (1905), with Buthiscus bicalcaratus based on two males and two females, syntype specimens that were collected from the Sahara Desert of southern Tunisia. Subsequently, the taxonomic status of this genus and species has been synonymized, redescribed, and clarified by a number of authors (Pallary, 1937; Sergent 1941; Vachon, 1941, 1942; Pérez, 1974; Lourenco, 2002). The geographical distribution of this species extended across North Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and north-eastern part of Mali (Birula, 1905; Pallary, 1937; Vachon, 1941; Sadine et al., 2011; Goyffon et al., 2012; Sadine, 2018; Sadine ef al., 2018; Lourenco, 2002; Aboshaala et al., 2020; Sadine et al., 2020). In this paper, we aim to stabilize the nomenclature of this taxon, designate and produce a detailed and widely illustrated redescription, in light of modern standards ruling the taxonomy of Buthiscus bicalcaratus. Material and Methods Specimens of Buthiscus bicalcaratus were collected during night using ultraviolet light in Misurata city, North Libya (Fig. 1) in August 2021. The collected scorpions were preserved in ethanol 75%. Identifications of specimens were after Vachon (1952) and Lourengo (2002). Photographs were taken with a Canon EOS 7D. Stacking of pictures were made using Helicon Focus software. The Illustration method under UV illumination is after Volschenk (2005). The trichobothrial nomenclature is after Vachon (1974) and morphological nomenclature after Francke (1977), Stahnke (1972), and Hjelle (1990). Fig. 1. Map of Libya, showing the scorpion sampling area (star). Taxonomic treatment Family Buthidae C.L. Koch, 1837 Genus Buthiscus Birula, 1905 Buthiscus bicalcaratus Birula, 1905 (Figs. 2-9, Table 1) Buthiscus bicalcaratus Birula, 1905: 623-624. Buthacus ducrosi Pallary, 1937: 97-98. 264 Buthacus ducrosi: Sergent, 1941: 355; Pérez, 1974: 19. Trichobuthus grubleri Vachon, 1941: 339-350. Buthiscus bicalcaratus: Birula, 1910: 154, 156; Birula, 1917: 214, 224; Vachon, 1942: 419-421; Foley, 1945a: 64-66; Foley, 1945b: 6-7; Vachon, 1948: 176-188; Vachon, 1952: 89-95; Vachon, 1955: 101-105; Stahnke, 1972: 122; Pérez, 1974: 20; El-Hennawy, 1992: 97, 115; Kovarik, 1998: 105; Lourengo, 2002: 11-16, Goyffon et al., 2012: 363-364; Aboshaala et al., 2020: 181-183. Material examined: 2¢'' and 19 from sandy plain, Misurata region, Assiuta, Libya, at 32°14'00.0"N_ 14°59'00.0"E, 80 m asl., 01/08/2021 (leg. F. Aboshaala). Material was deposited in Alasehir Zoological Museum, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Alasehir, Manisa, Turkey (AZMM/Sco-2021:16-18). Description This scorpion has a median size, with an average total length between 58 to 63 mm (measurements in Table 1). Colouration: General colouration bright yellowish (Figs. 2-3). Prosoma yellowish with the surrounding area and areas between the median eyes reddish brown. Chelicera is pale yellow without reticulation with teeth reddish brown to dark brown. Mesosoma and metasoma uniformly yellow except fifth segment and telson, fifth segment yellow to brownish yellow; vesicle brownish yellow, posterior half of the sting reddish yellow; pedipalps and legs yellowish, fingers of chela dark yellow with movable finger condyles reddish brown. Fig. 2. Buthiscus bicalcaratus in natural habitat. A. male. B. female. Morphology Prosoma: The carapace is slightly wider than long (Fig. 4). Carapace moderately granular; between central median, posterior median and anterior median carinae with fine granules. Anterior margin of carapace with coarse granules. Central median, and anterior posterior median carinae moderate with some distinct and coarse granules. Anterior margin of carapace with 8-9 distinct setae. Posterior margin with coarse granules. Anterior and posterior furrows moderate. Median ocular tubercle located slightly anteriorly from the centre; median eyes separated by almost as diameters of two eyes, posterior of median eyes with some coarse granules. Anteriomedian corner of carapace with five lateral eyes, last two eyes vestigial. 265 Fig. 3. Buthiscus bicalcaratus, habitus. A-B. Male, dorsal and ventral views. C-D. Female, dorsal and ventral views. (Scale bar: 10 mm). 266 Table 1. Measurements (in millimetres) of specimens of Buthiscus bicalcaratus. $ 63.96 20.89 hae sel 7.10 8.20 35.97 4.70 -width 4.30 | 4.05 | 4.00 j-depth | 3.62 | 3.55 | 3.50 |MetasomasegmentIE | | 5.58 3.85 [-depth 3.48 | 38.5 | 3.22 |MetasomasegmentIM | | 5.80 3.70 |-depth Cd 38.64 | 3.35 | 3.40 |MetasomasegmentIV | | 6.37 3.35 2.82 |MetasomasegmentV_ | | j-length 8.24 | 7.80 | 7.35 -width | 3.35 | 2.90 | 2.95 [-depth 2.80 | 2.75 | 2.45 Telson p-length | 6.96 7.13 -width | 2.85 | 2.35 | 2.14 j-depth 2132.31 | 2.32 /Stinglength | 3.64 | 3.39 | 3.43 as | F494 | 4 3 3 3 8 3 bis iz 2 3 4 4.51 2.08 1.52 9.47 3.11 2.09 9.47 2.41 2.45 2.41 Mesosoma: Tergites I-VI tricarinate, all carinae weak and finely granular, posterior parts of tergites with moderate scattered granules, posterior margins with a row of moderate 30 62 48 .64 24 35 .80 35 13 .64 94 267 granules. Tergite VII pentacarinate; all carinae moderate and moderately granular, intercarinal area with scattered moderate granules. Sternites: Sternites HI-VI smooth, without carinae; sternite VII smooth with four finely granulate carinae (Fig. 4). Pectinal teeth count 13-14 in females and 20-21 and 21-21 in males. s ~ -~ aa — we, = oo | et Magi | 7 5 ‘ Fig. 4. Buthiscus bicalcaratus, carapace and tergites, dorsal and ventral views. A-B. Male. C-D. Female. Metasoma: All segments are longer than wide (Fig. 5); length increases and width slightly decreases posteriorly on I-V. Segments I to HI with 10 carinae; segment IV with eight carinae; segment V with five carinae. Dorsolateral carinae and lateral supramedian carinae on segments I-IV moderate, crenulate, on I-IV moderate, slightly crenulate. Lateral inframedian carinae on the segment I complete, moderate, slightly crenulate; on segment II present on posterior half, weak, with eight granules in males, 12 granules in females; on segment III present on posterior quarter, weak, with three granules in males, four granules in females; on segment IV absent. Ventrolateral carinae and ventral submedian carinae on segments I-IV moderate, crenulate, granules weak on segments I, moderate on segments II-III, distinct on segments IV, granules more distinct in females than males. Segment V with five carinae: dorsolateral carinae weak, rounded; ventro- lateral carinae strong, with long and dense granules, larger posteriorly, granules more distinct in females than males; ventromedian carina weak, with two rows of fine granules and these two rows bifurcated on posterior margin. Surfaces of metasomal segments, finely and irregularly granular, ventral surface smooth. Metasomal segments with little number setae, on segment I-IV three rows, on segment IV higher number scattered. Telson elongated and thin, almost smooth, aculeus longer than vesicle, subaculear tubercle completely absent and with scattered short setae, vesicle is slightly bigger in females than males. Chelicerae is typical as in family Buthidae. 268 Fig. 5. Buthiscus bicalcaratus, metasoma. A-C. Male. D-F. Female. A,D. ventral view. B,E. dorsal view. C,F. lateral view. (Scale bar: 10 mm). Pedipalps: Trichobothrial pattern Type A, neobothriotaxic (femur with 3, patella with 7 trichobothria on the external surface). Dorsal trichobothria of the femur are arranged in B configuration with d2 situated on the dorsal surface (Fig. 6). Femur: Femur pentacarinate; dorsointernal, dorsoexternal and ventrointernal carinae strong, with distinct granulose; ventroexternal carina moderate, rounded with a few coarse granules; internal median carinae weak, with irregular coarse and pointed granules. Surfaces smooth, with the dorsal surface a few moderate other sides with a few small granules (Fig. 6). Patella: Patella with seven carinae; dorsointernal carina strong, with equally spaced coarse rounded granules; dorsomedian carina weak, with a few very small granules; dorsoexternal carina weak, smooth; exteriormedian carina weak, smooth; ventroexternal carinae weak, smooth; ventromedian carina weak, smooth; ventrointernal carina with spaced moderate granules. Surfaces are smooth and lustrous (Fig. 6). Chela: Manus slender, smooth, and lustrous; extremely swollen, subglobose in males, not strongly swollen in females. Fingers stocky. Fixed finger and movable with 10 oblique denticle rows. Pedipalp chela with very distinct gap in males (Fig. 6) but without it in females (Fig. 7). Similarly, movable finger has a slight basal scalloping in males (Fig. 6) but, without in females. 269 Fig. 6. Buthiscus bicalcaratus, male. A-B. Metasomal segment V and telson. A. ventral view. B. lateral view. C. Movable finger dentition, dorsal view. D-F. pedipalp chela. D. external view. E. dorsal view. F. ventral view. G-I. Pedipalp patella. G. dorsal view. H. ventral view. I. external view. J-K. Pedipalp femur. J. dorsal view. K. ventral view. (Scale bar: 10 mm). Fig. 7. Buthiscus bicalcaratus, female. A-B. Metasomal segment V and telson. A. ventral view. B. lateral view. C. Movable finger dentition, dorsal view. D-F. pedipalp chela. D. external view. E. dorsal view. F. ventral view. G-I. Pedipalp patella. G. dorsal view. H. ventral view. I. external view. J-K. Pedipalp femur. J. dorsal view. K. ventral view. (Scale bar: 10 mm). 270 Legs: Basitarsus and telotarsus on all segments with fine setae (Figs. 8-9). Tibial and pedal spurs present on legs IV; tibial spur vestigial or absent on legs III. Basitarsi I-III with bristle-combs. Fig. 8. Buthiscus bicalcaratus, male, right legs, ventral view. A. First leg. B. Second leg. C. Third leg. D. Fourth leg. Fig. 9. Buthiscus bicalcaratus, female, right legs, ventral view. A. First leg. B. Second leg. C. Third leg. D. Fourth leg. Habitat: The collecting locality is a sandy habitat with low vegetation in the Misurata region (Fig. 10). Buthiscus bicalcaratus lives in burrows. See Aboshaala et al. (2020) for detailed ecological observations. 271 Fig. 10. Natural habitat of Buthiscus bicalcaratus. Acknowledgment We would like to thank Victor Fet (West Virginia, USA) for his valuable comments on the manuscript and for improving its English language. References Aboshaala, F., Badry, A., Sadine, S.E. 2020. Ecological considerations on Buthiscus bicalcaratus Birula, 1905 with a new locality in northern Libya (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Revista Ibérica de Aracnologia, 36: 181-183. Birula, A. 1905. Skorpiologische Beitrige. 4-5 (4. Buthiscus gen. nov. - 5. Buthiscus bicalcaratus sp. nov.). Zoologischer Anzeiger, 29(19): 621-624. Birula, A. 1910. Ueber Scorpio maurus Linné und seine Unterarten. Horae Societatis Entomologicae Rossicae, 35: 115-192. Birula, A. 1917. Arachnoidea Arthrogastra Caucasica. Pars I. Scorpiones. Zapiski Kavkazskogo Muzeya (Mémoires du Musée du Caucase), Tiflis Imprimerie de la Chancellerie du Comité pour la Transcaucasie, sér. A, 5: 253 pp. (in Russian). English translation: Birula A., 1964. Anthrogastric Arachnids of Caucasia. I. Scorpions. - Israel Program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem, 170 pp. El-Hennawy, H.K. 1992. A catalogue of the scorpions described from the Arab countries (1758- 1990) (Arachnida: Scorpionida). Serket, 2(4), 95-153. Foley, H. 1945a. Sur la synonymie d’un scorpion saharien Buthacus ducrosi Pallary. Archives de l'Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, 23(1): 64-66. Foley, H. 1945b. Au sujet d’un scorpion de la région de Beni-Abbés (Sahara Oranais) Buthacus ducrosi Pallary, 1937. Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de l'Afrique du Nord, 36(1): 6- cs Francke, O.F. 1977. Scorpions of the genus Diplocentrus from Oaxaca, Mexico (Scorpionida, Diplocentridae). Journal of Arachnology, 4(3): 145-200. 22 Goyffon, M., Dabo, A., Coulibaly, S.K., Togo, G. & Chippaux, J.P. 2012. Dangerous scorpion fauna of Mali. Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases, 18(4): 361-368. Hjelle, J.T. 1990. Anatomy and morphology. Pp. 9-63 in: Polis, G.A. (ed.), Biology of Scorpions. Stanford University Press, 587 pp. Kovarik, F. 1998. Sti*i [Scorpiones]. Publishing House “Madagaskar”’, Jihlava (Czech Republic). 175 pp. (an Czech). Lourengo, W.R. 2002. Notes on the taxonomy and geographical distribution of Buthiscus bicalcaratus Birula, 1905 (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Entomologische Mitteilungen aus dem zoologischen Museum Hamburg, 14(165): 11-16. Pallary, P. 1937. Notes sur divers scorpions de |’ Afrique du Nord. Archives de I’'Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, 15(1): 97-101. Pérez, S.M. 1974. Un inventario preliminar de los escorpiones de la région paleartica y claves para la identification de los géneros de la région paleartica occidental. Universidad complutense de Madrid, Faculdad de ciencias, Departamento de Zoologia, Catédra de Artrépodos, 7: 1-45. Sadine, S.E. 2018. La faune scorpionique du Sahara septentrional algérien: Diversité et Ecologie. Thése de Doctorat és sciences. Université Kasdi Merbah-Ouargla. Algérie. 112 pp. Sadine S.E., Bissati, S. & Idder, M.A. 2018. Diversity and structure of scorpion fauna from arid ecosystem in Algerian Septentrional Sahara (2005-2018). Serket, 16(2): 51-59. Sadine, S.E., Bissati, S. & Ould El-Hadj, M.D. 2011. Premieres données sur la diversité scorpionique dans la région du Souf (Algérie). Arachnides, 61: 2-10. Sadine, S.E., Dyilani, S., & Kerboua, K.E. 2020. Apergu sur les scorpions de I’ Algérie. Algerian Journal of Health Sciences, 2(Supplément 1): 8-14. Sergent, E. 1941. Sur le postabdomen (queue) de quelques scorpions de |’Afrique du nord. Archives de I’'Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, 19(3): 353-357. Stahnke, H.L. 1972. A key to the genera of Buthidae (Scorpionida). Entomological News, 83(5): 121-133. Vachon, M. 1941. Sur un Scorpion présaharien, type d'un nouveau genre Trichobuthus grubleri n. sp. Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France, 66: 339-350. Vachon, M. 1942. Remarques sur un scorpion prédésertique peu connu Buthiscus bicalcaratus Birula. Bulletin du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, 2°” série, 14(6): 419-421. Vachon, M. 1948. Etudes sur les scorpions. III. Description des scorpions du nord de |’ Afrique. Archives de |’'Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, 26(2): 162-208. Vachon, M. 1952. Etude sur les scorpions. Institut Pasteur d'Algérie. Alger. 479 pp. Vachon, M. 1955. Sur la présence en Tripolitaine d’un scorpion du sud algéro-tunisien, Buthiscus_ bicalcaratus Birula, et sur la morphologie des appendices de la protonymphe. Archives de |’Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, 33(2): 101-105. Vachon, M. 1974. Etude des caractéres utilisés pour classer les familles et les genres de Scorpions (Arachnides). 1. La trichobothriotaxie en arachnologie. Sigles trichobothriaux et types de trichobothriotaxie chez les Scorpions. Bulletin du Muséum national d Histoire naturelle, Paris, 3e sér., n° 140, Zool. 104: 857-958. Volschenk, E.S. 2005. A new technique for examining surface morphosculpture of scorpions. The Journal of Arachnology, 33(3): 820-825. 273 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 274-281. Notes and remarks on Buthacus species of Central Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Yacine Bengaid of Salah Eddine Sadine ie Zouatine Oumyma : : Haroun Abidi ', Samia Bissati ° & Moussa Houhamdii ' ' Laboratoire Biologie, Eau et Environnement (LBEE), Faculté SNV-STU, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma. BP 401 24000 Guelma, Algeria A Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences and Earth Sciences, University of Ghardaia, BP 455 Ghardaia 47000, Algeria > Laboratoire Bio Ressources Sahariennes, Préservation et Valorisation, Université Kasdi-Merbah, 30000 Ouargla, Algeria : Corresponding author e-mail address: sse.scorpion @ yahoo.fr Abstract The genus Buthacus Birula, 1908 (Family Buthidae) regroups about 30 species commonly known as sand scorpions. In the Algerian sandy deserts, in particular, this group shows a micro-endemic populations. The present paper summarizes the exhaustive list of Buthacus species in Ghardaia region (Central Algeria), basing on sampling period of 12 months (2021). As a preliminary result, five species were recorded from the study area: B. arenicola, B. birulai, B. elmenia, B. samiae, and B. spinatus. Of which, two species are original from Algerian Eastern Erg (B. arenicola and B. birulai) while, the other species were recently identified from Ghardaia region. All these species show a close affinity to Erg or sandy biotopes except B. samiae which presents a wide distribution in study area and in sandy Reg. Also, it has the ability to cohabit with other Buthacus such as B. spinatus in the North and B. elmenia in the south. Keywords: Sand Scorpion, Buthacus, Sahara, Ghardaia, Algeria. Introduction Algerian scorpion diversity includes more than 49 species divided into 14 genera and three families (Sadine et al., 2020; Mekahlia et al., 2021). Of which, Buthus Leach, 1815 is the most represented by 10 species (Ythier et al., 2021), Buthacus Birula, 1908 with nine species, Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 with five species (Sadine, 2018a; Sadine et al., 2020), while the other genera are represented each with three species at most (Sadine et al., 2020). The genus Buthacus was created by Birula (1908), as a subgenus of Buthus Leach, 1815, comprising as a species Buthus leptochelys (Ehrenberg, 1829) described from Sinai (Egypt) as Androctonus (Leiurus) leptochelys. Since its creation, Buthacus has been considered a subgenus or a genus by different authors. It was finally validated as a genus by Vachon (1949; 1952). According to the recent assessment, Algeria contains about 30% of Buthacus species in the world (Rein, 2022) and all these species are found in the arid regions including deserts (Lourencgo, 2006, 2013; Lourengo & Sadine, 2015; Louren¢o et al., 2016, 2017; Sadine, 2018b). The present survey aims to summarize the list of Buthacus species in central Algeria (Ghardaia) one of the important areas in scorpion biodiversity and endemic species in Algeria (Sadine, 2018b). Material and Methods Study area The region of Ghardaia is located in the Central of Algeria (Fig. 1) and covers a total area of 86,560 km’. The average altitude of the main reliefs is of 520 meters. Geomorphological features are constituted by the Regs and Ergs (Benkenzou ef al., 2007). The region is characterized by a dry Saharan climate with extreme thermal amplitudes between the day and the night, reaching 15-16 degrees (Sam, 2012). The coldest month is January with a minimal temperature of 6.2°C, whereas the hottest month is July with a maximum temperature of 41.8°C. 2°0'0"E 3°0'0"E 4°0'0"E 5°0'0"E 33°0'0"N 33°0'0"N 32°0'0"N 32°0'0"N ALGERIA 31°0'0"N 31°0'0"N Legend 30°0'0"N 30°0'0"N Value High : 809 ~~ Low : 127 29°0'0"N 29°0'0"N 01530 60 90 120 Km 2°0'0"E 3°0'0"E 4°0'0"E 5°0'0"E Fig. 1. Map of Algeria showing the study area and the repartition of Buthacus species: B. arenicola (red triangle), B. birulai (red rhombus), B. elmenia (white circle), B. samiae (white square), and B. spinatus (white star). 275 Rain fall is extremely low in the region of Ghardaia with an average value of 80.2 mm per year. Air humidity is rather weak with a maximum value of 55.5% in December and a minimum of 21.6% in July (Chehma, 2011). Analysis of dry periods over several years attest that 11 months are dry ranging from February to December; only a short and slightly more humid period can be experienced in January (Sadine et al., 2016). Sampling and identification of scorpion The specimens of Buthacus were collected at night with U.V light detection in sandy areas (Erg, Reg with sand). Specimens were killed and kept in 70% alcohol. Identification was obtained using a stereo-microscope as described by Vachon (1974). Material is deposited in Laboratory of Zoology, University of Ghardaia, Algeria. Results and Discussion Check-list of the Buthacus species recorded in Algeria (in order of discovery) B. arenicola (Simon, 1885) B. foleyi Vachon, 1948 . leptochelys algerianus Lourengo, 2006 = B. ziegleri Lourencgo, 2000 . birulai Lourengo, 2006 armasi Lourengo, 2013 samiae Lourenco & Sadine, 2015 . spinatus Lourenco, Bissati & Sadine, 2016 . elmenia Lourenco & Sadine, 2017 . ahaggar Lourengo, Kourim & Sadine, 2017 Downes Taxonomic list of Buthacus scorpion in central Algeria During 12 months of 2021, the field study was conducted to identify 5 species of Buthacus. The list of species is detailed as bellow. Buthacus arenicola (Simon, 1885) Scorpion of 50-60 mm in size. Colouration yellowish to pale yellow (Vachon, 1952) (Fig. 2, Table. 1). In many studies, this species was reported in Algerian Northern Sahara (Sadine et al., 2011; Sadine, 2012, 2018b; Sadine et al., 2018), while Lourenco (2006) mentioned this species in Biskra region (North east of Algeria). In our study area, Vachon (1952) has examined a scorpion material from the El-Goléa region and Sadine et al. (2014) cited this species in Erg and sandy Regs of Ghardaia (central Algeria) (Fig. TA). Fig. 2. Adult Buthacus arenicola (alive) in laboratory. 276 Buthacus birulai Lourenco, 2006 Scorpions of moderate to large size with a total length of 57 mm in males and 62 mm in females (Fig.3, Table 1). General colouration yellowish to pale yellow without spots (Lourencgo, 2006). In his general revision of Buthacus species, Lourengo has examined a material from El-Oued Eastern Algerian (Lourencgo, 2006). In the present study, this species was sampled with one specimen in East part of Ghardaia region (Central Algeria) (Fig. 7A). It is considered as a new locality for this species outside its known range. Fig. 3. Adult Buthacus birulai (alive) in laboratory. Buthacus elmenia Lourenco & Sadine, 2017 Scorpions of moderate size with a total length of 40.7 mm for adult female (Fig. 4, Table.1), general colouration yellow to pale yellow without spots in adults (Lourengo et al., 2017). In current study, we sampled only one female adult with a total length of 50.2 mm near the type locality, El-Goléa. In this locality, we found many juveniles their identification is very difficult. Fig. 4. Adult Buthacus elmenia (dead) in laboratory. Buthacus samiae Lourenco & Sadine, 2015 Scorpion with medium size (50-60 mm), general colouration yellow to pale yellow (Lourencgo & Sadine, 2015) (Fig. 5, Table 1). The species was described from Ghardaia Erg. It was recently found in Ouargla Erg, more than 200 km east of the type locality (Sadine et al., 2018). In this work, B. samiae expanded its range to the south of our study area and it was found in co-habitation with B. elmenia, while, it cohabits with B. spinatus in the North. Ze Fig. 5. Adult Buthacus samiae recently sampled. Buthacus spinatus Lourenco, Bissati & Sadine, 2016 Small Buthacus (27-28 mm), yellow to pale yellow with dark brown to blackish metasomal segment V (Lourenco et al., 2016) (Table 1). This species seems rare and only one juvenile specimen was sampled in our survey (Fig. 6). We note that this species can be found in Erg and sandy Reg. Fig. 6. Juvenile Buthacus spinatus recently sampled. The list of Buthacus species from Central Algeria regroups 5 psammophilous species, with medium size except B. spinatus (smaller Buthacus). The table below summarizes some morphological values and biotope affinity of Buthacus species inventoried in our study area. Table 1. Morphological comparison of Buthacus species inventoried in the Ghardaia region (Central Algeria). nm) [Se | granules eu 50.60 A 57-62 29.99 Eig 16-17 55-57 28-32 | 24-26 | 8-9 | Erg/Reg/Wadi-bed 27-28 1229 7-8 Erg/Wadi-bed 278 All studied Buthacus species are rare and very attached to their biotopes (Fig. 7) except B. samiae which is the most abundant and widespread species in Central Algeria. We report here that the males are very rare for Buthacus species in this region. The same remark has been reported in Ouargla and El-Oued (Sadine, 2005; Sadine, 2012). This list represents more than 55% of Algerian Buthacus and attests to a very important diversity estimated more than 16% of the world's known Buthacus species (Rein, 2022) and qualifies the Central Algeria (Ghardaia) as a biodiversity hotspot. Fig. 7. Natural habitats of Buthacus species in Ghardaia region (Central Algeria): A. Habitat of B. arenicola and B. birulai. B. Habiat of B. samiae. C. Habitat of B. spinatus. D. Habitat of B. elmenia. Acknowledgments We are most grateful to Abdelwahab Cheddad (University of Ouargla) for the preparation of the map and some Buthacus photos. References Benkenzou, D., Chegma, D., Merakchi, F. & Zidane, B. 2007. Monographie de la wilaya de Ghardaia, Direction de la Planification et de l’Aménagement du Territoire (D.P.A.T.). Statistiques au 31 décembre 2006. Ghardaia. Algérie: 122 pp. Birula, A.A. 1908. Ergebnisse der mit Subvention aus der Erbschaft Treitl unternommenen zoologischen Forschungsreise Dr. F. Werner's nach dem Anglo-Aegyptischen Sudan und Nord- Uganda. XIV. Skorpiones und Solifugae. Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichkéniglichen Akademie der Wissenchaften, Wien, 117(1): 121-152. Chehma, A. 2011. Le Sahara en Algérie, situation et défis. Séminaire L’effet du Changement Climatique sur l’élevage et la gestion durable des parcours dans les zones arides et semi-arides du Maghreb. Université Kasdi Merbah-Ouargla, Algérie. 8 pp. 279 Ehrenberg, C.G. In Hemprich, F.W. & Ehrenberg, C.G. 1829. Vorlaufige Uebersicht der in Nord- Afrika und West-Asien einheimischen Skorpione und deren geographischen Verbreitung, nach den eigenen Beobachtungen. Verhandungen der Gesellschaft Naturforschende Freunde in Berlin, 1(6): 348-362. Lourengo, W.R. 2006. Further considerations on the genus Buthacus Birula, 1908 (Scorpiones, Buthidae), with a description of one new species and two new subspecies. Boletin Sociedad Entomologica Aragonesa, 38: 59-70. Lourengo, W.R. 2013. The Buthacus Birula, 1908 populations from Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria (Scorpiones, Buthidae) and description of a new species. Entomologische Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Hamburg, 16(190): 89-99. Lourengo, W.R. & Sadine, S.E. 2015. A new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 from the region of Ghardaia, Algeria (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Revista Ibérica de Aracnologia, 27: 55-59. Lourengo, W.R., Bissati, S. & Sadine, S.E. 2016. One more new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 from the region of Ghardaia, Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Arachnida - Rivista Aracnologica Italiana, 8: 2-11. Lourengo, W.R., Kourim, M. & Sadine, S. 2017. Scorpions from the region of Tamanrasset, Algeria. Part I. A new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Arachnida — Rivista Aracnologica Italiana, 13: 31-41. Lourengo, W.R., Sadine, S.E., Bissati, S. & Houtia, A. 2017. The genus Buthacus Birula, 1908 in Northern and Central Algeria; description of a new species and comments on possible microendemic populations (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Arachnida - Rivista Aracnologica Italiana, 12: 18-30. Mekahlia, M.N., Abidi, H., Slimane, F., Sadine, S.E., Dekak, A. & Chenchouni, H. 2021. Seasonal patterns of scorpion diversity along a gradient of aridity in Algeria. Acta Oecologica, 113: 103792, 11 pp. Rein, J.O. 2022. The Scorpion Files. https://www.ntnu.no/ub/scorpion-files/ (Update 28.02. 2022). Sadine, S.E. 2005. Contribution a l'étude bioécologique de quelques espéces de scorpions; Androctonus australis, Androctonus amoreuxi, Buthacus arenicola, Buthus tunetanus et Orthochirus innesi dans la wilaya de Ouargla. Mémoire Ingénieur d'Etat en Biologie, Option Ecologie et environnement, Université de Ouargla. Algérie. 100 pp. Sadine, S.E. 2012. Contribution a l'étude de la faune scorpionique du Sahara septentrional Est algérien (Ouargla et El Oued). Mémoire de Magister. Option Zoophytiatrie., Université de Ouargla. Algérie. 84 pp. Sadine, S.E. 2018a. On the contribution of Wilson R. Lourengo to the knowledge of the scorpion fauna of Algeria. Arachnida - Rivista Aracnologica Italiana, 17: 12-17. Sadine, S.E. 2018b. La faune scorpionique du Sahara septentrional algérien: Diversité et Ecologie. These de Doctorat és sciences. Université Kasdi Merbah-Ouargla. Algérie. 112 pp. Sadine S.E., Bissati, S. & Idder, M.A. 2018. Diversity and structure of scorpion fauna from arid ecosystem in Algerian Septentrional Sahara (2005-2018). Serket, 16(2): 51-59. Sadine, S.E., Bissati, S. & Lourengo, W.R. 2016. The first true deserticolous species of Buthus Leach, 1815 from Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae); Ecological and biogeographic considerations. Comptes Rendus Biologies, 339: 44-49. Sadine, S.E., Bissati, S. & Ould El-Hadj, M.D. 2011. Premieres données sur la diversité scorpionique dans la région du Souf (Algérie). Arachnides, 61: 2-10. 280 Sadine, S.E., Djilani, S. & Kerboua, K.E. 2020. Apergu sur les scorpions de I’ Algérie. Algerian Journal of Health Sciences, 2(Supplément 1): 8-14. Sadine, S.E., Alioua, Y., Kemassi, A., Mebarki, M.T., Houtia, A. & Bissati, S. 2014. Apercu sur les scorpions de Ghardaia (Algérie). Journal of Advanced Research in Science and Technology, 1(1): 12-17. Sam, F. 2012. Réhabilitation thermique d’un local dans une zone aride: cas de Ghardaia. Mémoire de Magister en Génie-mécanique. Université Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-Ouzou, Algérie. 111 pp. Simon, E. 1885. Etude sur les Arachnides recueillis en Tunisie en 1883 et 1884 par MM. A. Letourneux, M. Sédillot et Valéry Mayet, membres de la Mission de |’Exploration scientifique de la Tunisie. In: Exploration scientifique de la Tunisie. Imprimerie Nationale, Paris, 59 pp. Vachon, M. 1948. Etudes sur les Scorpions. III. Description des Scorpions du Nord de l'Afrique. Archives de l'Institut Pasteur d'Algérie, 26: 162-208. Vachon, M. 1949. Etudes sur les Scorpions. III (suite). Description des Scorpions du Nord de l’ Afrique. Archives de |’Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, 27(1): 66-100. Vachon, M. 1952. Etude sur les scorpions. Institut Pasteur d'Algérie. Alger. 479 pp. Vachon, M. 1974. Etude des caractéres utilisés pour classer les familles et les genres de Scorpions (Arachnides). 1. La trichobothriotaxie en arachnologie. Sigles trichobothriaux et types de trichobothriotaxie chez les Scorpions. Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, 3e sér., n° 140, Zool. 104: 857-958. Ythier, E., Sadine, S.E., Haddadi, M.L. & Lourencgo, W.R. 2021. A new species of Buthus Leach, 1815 from Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae) and an interesting new case of vicariance. Faunitaxys, 9(21): 1-9. 281 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 282-286. First record of the genus Nita Huber & El-Hennawy, 2007 (Araneae: Pholcidae) from Algeria Youcef Alioua '” & Robert Bosmans ” ' Département des sciences agronomiques, Faculté des sciences de la nature et de la vie et sciences de la terre, Université de Ghardaia, BP 455, 47000 Ghardaia, Algeria ’ Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium : Corresponding author e-mail address: youcef900 @ yahoo.fr Abstract In this study, the new discovery in Algeria of the monotypic genus Nita Huber & El-Hennawy, 2007 through the species Nita elsaff Huber & El-Hennawy, 2007 is presented. Different views of the female habitus as well as the epigyne are presented. This new record from the Algerian Sahara is considered to be the most western point of the species distribution. Keywords: Araneae, Nita elsaff, Northern Sahara, species range, palm grove, Algeria. Introduction The family Pholcidae C.L. Koch, 1850 counts widely 1876 species belonging to 97 genera (World Spider Catalog, 2022). In Algeria this family is known by nine species under six genera from different localities in the country, namely: Artema atlanta Walckenaer, 1837 from In Salah and Tamanrasset (Denis, 1954) and Djanet (Aharon et al., 2017), Crossopriza illizi Huber, 2022 from only its locality Illizi (Huber, 2022), Holocnemus pluchei (Scopoli, 1763) from Algiers, Annaba, El Kala, Mostaganem and Oran (Lucas, 1846), from Boumerdes (Simon 1874), Algiers (Simon, 1899), Ain Témouchent (Strand, 1908), Mila (Denis, 1937) and from Algiers and Médéa (Huber, 2022), Holocnemus reini (C. Koch, 1873) from Batna, Biskra, Blida, M’sila, Sétif and Sidi Bel Abbes (Huber, 2022), the newly discovered Maghreba nkob Huber, 2022 known in Algeria from Bechar (Huber, 2022), the endemic Pholcus genuiformis Wunderlich, 1995 from Algiers, Boumerdes and Tlemcen (Wunderlich, 1995) and Msila (Huber, 2011), the endemic Pholcus mecheria Huber, 2011 from Naama and Msila (Huber, 2011), Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775) from Algiers, Annaba and Constantine (Lucas, 1846), Bejaia and Tipasa (Simon, 1910) and finally Spermophora senoculata (Duges, 1836) from Constantine (Lucas, 1846) and Mila (Denis, 1937). The male and female of Nita elsaff Huber & El-Hennawy, 2007 were described for the first time by Huber and El-Hennawy (2007) in their remarkable paper on the subfamily Ninetinae. The species was recorded from Egypt and Uzbekistan. Later, the male of N. elsaff was reported from Iran (Zamani et al., 2017), and recently by male and females from Iraq (Baker et al., 2019). In this paper, N. elsaff is recorded for the first time in Algeria from a locality in the Sahara Desert. Material and Methods Study area The region of Ghardaia is located at 600 km to the South of Algiers, in the North- western part of the Sahara (32°29°N, 3°40’E). Ghardaia supports various Saharan environments and biotopes: rocky ridges, Dayas, Regs and parts of the Western Erg (Alioua et al, 2022). Ghardaia's climate is hot, arid and characterized, for the year of 2021 for example, by an average annual temperature of 23.8°C, and rainfall of 35.56 mm while winds reached an average annual speed of 13.0 km/h (Tutiempo, 2022). Berriane is located at 45 km to the North of Ghardaia, it is known for its palm grove grown along the Wadi of Balouh. The area supports various agricultural activities inside its palm grove. Abbreviations CYA: Collection Youcef Alioua. ZFMK: Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany. Sampling The individual of N. elsaff was collected during a spider inventory study conducted in 2021, it was captured directly by hand collecting on vegetation and soil in Berriane. The collected materiel was preserved in 70% ethanol. A stereomicroscope Nikon SMA 1270 was used for examination and a Moticam camera mounted on a Relaux microscope and Olympus SZX7 stereomicroscope for photographing. Results Nita Huber & El-Hennawy, 2007 Nita elsaff Huber & El-Hennawy, 2007 Nita elsaff Huber & El-Hennawy, 2007: 46, figs. 1-16 (descr. 69); Zamani et al., 2017: 65, figs. SA-D; Baker, Ali & Fadhil, 2019: 405, pl. 1A-C. Type material Holotype 3 from El Saff (29°57’N, 31°28’E), Giza, Egypt; March 1, 2003 (M. Mohafez), in ZFMK (Ar 005). New material examined (Fig. 1) ALGERIA: Ghardaia Province: Berriane (32°50'41.39" N 3°43'27.56" E), 544 m a.s.l, 1 3S, palm grove, 16 April 2021 (CYA). 283 * ; a AD Fig. 1. Female of Nita elsaff from Ghardaia: A. dorsal view. B. ventral view. C. epigyne. D. vulva. (Scale lines: A: 1 mm, B: 0.5 mm, C: 0.2 mm, D: 0.1 mm). Description Female: Total length 1.71 mm; carapace 0.59 mm long, 0.63 mm wide. The female is generally pale ochre-yellow, carapace with narrow median light brown stripe widening frontally to cover ocular area, abdomen monochromous grey. Ocular area slightly elevated; thoracic furrow present, indistinct and shallow. Clypeus unmodified. with distinctive pair of pockets and internal structures visible through cuticle (Huber & El-Hennawy, 2007). Comments The species was only described recently from Egypt and Uzbekistan (2007) but was rapidly recorded in other countries as well. Few years later it was also recorded in Tran (Zamani et al., 2017) and Iraq (Baker et al., 2019). Is this species rapidly dispersing or has it been overlooked in the past? In this paper we present the first record of the genus Nita in Algeria and the second for Africa. N. elsaff was captured in the Saharan part of 284 the country, in Berriane, on low vegetation inside the well irrigated palm groove of the river bed of Balouh. This record is another large extension of its distribution area and is now the most western point of the known distribution of the species (Fig. 2). Fig. 2. Distribution of Nita elsaff (circles: previous records, rectangle: new record). Acknowledgments We would like to thank Pierre Oger for his help in photographing the specimen. Also, we express our thanks to Hisham El-Hennawy for his valuable remarks and shared information to accomplish this work. The first author expresses his thanks to Ben Belhout Yousra Khadidja and Hacini Meriem for their help during field work. References Aharon, S., Huber, B.A. & Gavish-Regev, E. 2017. Daddy-long-leg giants: revision of the spider genus Artema Walckenaer, 1837 (Araneae, Pholcidae). European Journal of Taxonomy, 376: 1- 57. Alioua, Y. Benbelhout, Y.K., Hacini, M., Hadj Mahamed, A. & Bosmans, R. 2022. Menemerus soldani (Audouin, 1826) (Araneae: Salticidae) newly recorded in Algeria with the proposition of anew synonym. Arachnology, 19(1): 28-30. Baker, I.M., Ali, H.B & Fadhil, H.Y. 2019. First record of the cellar spider genus Nita Huber & El-Hennawy, 2007 (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Iraq. Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum, 15(4): 403-411. Denis, J. 1937. On a collection of spiders from Algeria. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 106(4): 1027-1060, pl. 1-5. Denis, J. 1954. Araignées recueillies par P. Remy du Sud-Algérien au Hoggar. Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France, 78: 311-324. Huber, B.A. 2011. Revision and cladistic analysis of Pholcus and closely related taxa (Araneae, Pholcidae). Bonner Zoologische Monographien, 58: 1-509. Huber, B.A. 2022. Revisions of Holocnemus and Crossopriza: the spotted-leg clade of Smeringopinae (Araneae, Pholcidae). European Journal of Taxonomy, 795: 1-241. Huber, B.A. & El-Hennawy, H.K. 2007. On Old World ninetine spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae), with a new genus and species and the first record for Madagascar. Zootaxa, 1635: 45-53. 285 Lucas, H. 1846. Histoire naturelle des animaux articulés. In: Exploration scientifique de l'Algérie pendant les années 1840, 1841, 1842 publiée par ordre du Gouvernement et avec le concours d'une commission académique. Sciences physiques, Zoologie. Paris. 1, 89-271, pl. 1-17. Simon, E. 1874. Listes d'arachnides d'Algérie. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, (5) 4(Bull.): 66, 106-107, 155. Simon, E. 1899. Liste des arachnides recueillis en Algérie par M. P. Lesne et description d'une espece nouvelle. Bulletin du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle Paris, 5: 82-87. Simon, E. 1910. Araneae et Opiliones (Seconde Série). In Biospeologica. XV. Archives de Zoologie Expérimentale et Générale, (5) 5(2): 49-66. Strand, E. 1908. Nordafrikanische Spinnen, hauptsachlich von Carlo Freiherr von Erlanger gesammelt (Dictynidae, Eresidae, Sicariidae, Dysderidae, Caponiidae, Palpimanidae, Zodariidae, Urocteidae, Pholcidae, Agelenidae, Pisauridae). Archiv fiir Naturgeschichte, 74(1,1): 67-128. Tutiempo. 2021: World weather. Tutiempo Network, S.L., online at https://en.tutiempo.net, accessed on 11.02.2022. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 9 March 2022. Wunderlich, J. 1995. Zwei bisher unbekannte mediterrane Arten der Gattung Pholcus Walckenaer 1805 (Arachnida: Araneae: Pholcidae). Beitrdge zur Araneologie, 4(1994): 625-628. [publ. in Dec. 1995] Zamani, A., Mirshamsi, O., Dolej8, P., Marusik, Y.M., Esyunin, S.L., Hula, V. & Ponel, P. 2017. New data on the spider fauna of Iran (Arachnida: Araneae), part IV. Acta Arachnologica, 66(2): 55-71. 286 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 287-298. Intraguild predation on hornets and yellowjackets of vespine wasps by spiders, and vice versa Daisuke Noguchi !" & Kenichi Ikeda ” ' Nagasaki University, Bunkyo—machi 1—14, Nagasaki, 8528521, Japan * Ecological Information, Japan * Corresponding author e-mail address: a.chemist.noguchi.d@ gmail.com Abstract Not only spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) but also vespine wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Vespinae) including hornets (the genus Vespa) and yellowjackets (the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula) belong to top-predator community within arthropod food webs. Thus, between two communities, intraguild predation (IGP) defined as killing and eating among potential competitors is considered to occur. However, the possibility has not investigated enough so far. In the present study by means of bibliographic survey it has been reported that the observations of predation on Vespa, Vespula, and Dolichovespula of vespine wasps by spiders; i.e., large web-building spider Argiope spp. (Araneidae) captured Vespa orientalis, A. amoena and A. bruennichi fed on hornets V. analis, jumping spiders such as Phidippus audax (Salticidae) preyed on yellowjackets (Vespula germanica, Dolichovespula maculate, and D. arenaria), a tunnel web spider Porrhothele antipodiana (Mygalomorphae) consumed V/. germanica, orb-weavers A. aurantia and A. florida captured VI. squamosa, diet of wandering spider Phoneutria boliviensis (Ctenidae) contained Vespula sp. By contrast, 20 cases were that vespine wasps foraged spiders from 10 publications with certain species names. Accordingly, symmetric IGP between vespine wasps and spiders is suggested. Observations on kleptoparasitism by hornets, an escaping from a spider’s web by a vespulid wasp, and a killing between a spider and a yellowjacket each other were also known. Although spiders are both prey and predators of vespine wasps, further studies are required to elucidate quantitatively the interaction of prey-predator relationship as symmetric IGP. Keywords: Araneae, Diet, Food Chain, IGP, Predator-Prey Relationships, Vespinae. Introduction Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), one of ubiquitous predators in_ terrestrial ecosystems (Wise, 1993), are constituting a community as a top-predator species among arthropods (e.g., Schmitz & Suttle, 2001). In fact, as quantitatively, an annual prey kill of the global spider community has in the range of 400-800 million metric tons, with insects and collembolans (Nyffeler & Birkhofer, 2017). Meanwhile, as another usual top- predators of a wide variety of arthropod prey like insects, most species of the subfamily Vespinae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), containing the largest and best-known eusocial wasps of true hornets (the genus Vespa), yellowjackets (the genera Vespula and Dolicovespula) and nocturnal hornets (the genus Provespa), inhabiting mainly Eurasia, North Africa, North America and Oceania, have been also recognized (e.g., Richards, 1971; Matsuura & Yamane, 1990; Matsuura, 1991; Richter, 2000). Though in vespine wasps it is revealed that they are consisting of a community as a top-predator species among arthropods (e.g., New, 2016), it seems that the impact of them has not been studied quantitatively enough yet compared with spiders. Because both spiders and vespine wasps are commonly known as generalist/semi- specialist predator community with some exceptions (e.g., Foelix, 2011; Matsuura, 1991; Wise, 1993), predation with each other occur occasionally in areas where their habits overlap. Matsuura (1984), for example, has described that vespine wasps sometimes feed “Araneae” and Miyashita & Shinkai (1995) have reported that a part of the diet of large orb-web spiders was composed “Hymenoptera”. Regrettably, these species of prey-items were characterized by only their order level. If more certain species names of them are available, the relationship between spiders and vespine wasps would be expected to strongly demonstrate as “Intraguild predation (IGP)” in ecosystems based on precise scientific observations in detail. Intraguild predation (IGP) is defined as killing and eating among potential competitors, appearing to be pervasive within arthropod food webs, with frequencies of 58-87% (e.g., Yasuda, 1996; Arim & Marquet, 2004; Hunter, 2009; Schowalter, 2016). Here, a guild is defined as a group of species that exploit the same class of environmental resources in a similar way (Root, 1967). Generally, asymmetric IGP occurs when one species (A, by convention) has been always the predator on B, whereas symmetric IGP occurs during mutual predation between A and B (Polis et al., 1989). IGP could be important because it reduces predation pressure on vegetative predators, adds redundancy to simple trophic cascades and increases ecosystem stability (Polis & Holt, 1992; Holt & Polis, 1997; Finke & Denno, 2005). Note that it has been hypothesized that predators deliberately engage in IGP for the nutrients of another predator (Matsumura et al., 2004; Michalko et al., 2021). Within spiders (Hodge, 1999) and Hymenoptera (Feldhaar, 2011) of IGP and a possibility that wasps prey spiders as IGP were studied before (Crowder & Snyder, 2010). The relationship may be nutritionally of significance, even if the amount of predation on each other is small for spiders and vespine wasps. Nevertheless, studies on the prey-predator relationship between spiders and vespine wasps as IGP are few as far. How much is known about the predation on vespine wasps by spiders, and vice versa? One of the authors previously reported exact such cases; 1.e., Argiope amoena and A. bruennichi preyed on Vespa analis insularis in Fig. (1) (Noguchi, 2020; 2021), which remained sporadic records. Perhaps, observational cases on vespine wasps prey spiders, and vice versa, were reported independently without summarizing comprehensively. 288 Fig. 1. Observations of Argiope amoena (left) and Argiope bruennichi (right) feeding on Vespa analis (Noguchi, 2020, 2021). To the best of our knowledge, there seems to be no comprehensive overview of observed cases of predation on vespine wasps by spiders, and vice versa. Therefore, we searched scientific research articles regarding observational cases of predation among spiders and vespine wasps each other with a viewpoint of symmetric/asymmetric IGP around the world to achieve a fundamental step for convenience. Material and Methods Firstly, we have checked books dealing with the biology of vespine wasps such as “The biology of the social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)” (Richards, 1971), “Wasps: An account of the biology and natural history of social and solitary wasps” (Spradbery, 1973), “Biology and pest status of venomous wasps” (Akre & Davis, 1978), “Social wasps” (Akre, 1982), “Biology of the vespine wasps” (Matsuura & Yamane, 1990), “Vespa and Provespa” (Matsuura, 1991), “Social wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) foraging behavior” (Richter, 2000), “Wasps” (Schmidt, 2009), “Individual and social foraging in social wasps” (Jeanne & Taylor, 2009), and “Enemies of wasps subverting the sting” (Eaton, 2021). Then, we searched papers on Google Scholar by the keywords like “hornet”, “yellowjacket”, “vespine wasps” combined with “spider”, “Araneae”, “predation” and “feed”. Results An escape of Vespula germanica, not a hornet but a yellowjacket, caught in spider webs was reported by Fordham (1961). This finding seems to be the only case of escaping successfully from spider webs by a vespulid documented so far. It has been known that insects have evolved a variety of anti-predator defences in predator-prey relationships (e.g., Sugiura, 2020). Sugiura et al. (2019) reported that when mantids were placed in the web of A. bruennichi, some mantids could use their mouthparts to escape 289 from the spider silk wrapped around their forelegs. While, other mantids were fed on by the spiders resulting in the failure to escape. Consequently, it was hypothesized that the escape from spider webs may be also observed in other insects with powerful mouthparts (e.g., hornets) by means of further observations and experiments. It is summarized in Table (1) that research articles where general remarks, belonged to genera of spiders had not determined, regarding prey-predation interactions between vespine wasps and spiders were described. The prey of Vespa mandarinia in the field were mainly large caterpillars and large web-building spiders (Matsuura & Sakagami, 1973). Vespula flaviceps foraged on spiders (Iwata, 1971). Vespula consobrina captured small spiders (Akre et al., 1982). Vespa analis and Vespa simillima fed on spiders (Matsuura, 1984). Vespula pensylvanica preyed on Araneae (Gambino ef dl., 1987; Wilson et al., 2009) and Philodromidae (Wilson et al., 2009). Vespula vulgaris preyed on Araneae and Salticidae (Broekhuizen & Hordijk, 1968; Harris, 1991; Harris & Oliver, 1993). Lycosidae, Sparassidae, and Argiopidae [The now suppressed familial name for Araneidae] (Madden, 1981), Araneae and Salticidae (Harris, 1991; Harris & Oliver, 1993; Harris, 1996) and spiders (Sackmann et al., 2000) were preyed on by VI. germanica. Foraging by VI. germanica can cause localized drastic reductions in spiders (Spradbery & Maywald, 1992; Donovan, 1992). Meanwhile, the proportion of spiders in the diet of VI. germanica was small depending on conditions (Kasper et al., 2004). Agelenopsis aperta (Agelenidae) may prey on Vespidae (Riechert, 1991). Table 1. The cases of the predator-prey relationships of vespine wasps and spiders by means of general description. Predators Prey References V. mandarinia large web-building spiders Matsuura & Sakagami, 1973 V. analis spiders Matsuura, 1984 V. simillima spiders Matsuura, 1984 ae Broekhuizen & Hordik, 1968; VI. vulgaris Araneae and Salticidae Hartise1901° Harris’ & Oliver, 1993 VI. flaviceps spiders Iwata, 1971 VI. consobrina small spiders Akre et al., 1982 ieee Gambino et al., 1987; VI. pensylvanica Wilson et al., 2009 Philodromidae Wilson et al., 2009 Lycosidae Sparassidae Madden, 1981 Argiopidae (= Araneidae) Harris, 1991; Harris & Oliver, 1993; VI. germanica Araneae and Salticidae Haren 1006 Spradbery & Maywald, 1992; spiders Donovan, 1992; Sackmann ef al., 2000; Kasper et al., 2004 Ag. aperta Vespidae (potential prey) Riechert, 1991 Articles with detailed statements containing scientific names of species and/or genera of both vespine wasps and spiders as predators/prey are as follows: Matsuura & Yamane (1990) summarized several observations of vespine wasps predation on spiders (Table 2); Vespa mandarinia preyed on A. amoena and A. bruennichi (Araneidae, 290 respectively) (Matsuura, 1984); Vespula vulgaris preyed on spiders such as Philodromus sp. (Philodromidae) [in the original article, classified as Thomisidae], Trochosa sp. (Lycosidae), Theridion ovatum (Theridiidae), Meta segmentata (Argiopidae) [= Metellina segmentata of Tetragnathidae], Linyphia_ triangularis and Drapetisca socialis (Linyphiidae) (Broekhuizen & Hordijk, 1968). Table 2. The cases of the predator-prey relationships of spiders and vespine wasps by means of detailed description with scientific names of species and/or genera. Predators Prey References V. mandarinia fe tn iaee Matsuura, 1984 A. bruennichi Philodromus sp. Trochosa sp. Th. ovatum M. segmentata L. triangularis D. socialis VI. vulgaris Broekhuizen & Hordijk, 1968 The followings are reported cases found in literature searches by Google Scholar: Eriophora pustulosa (Gibbs, 1980) and Zygiella x-notata (Pasquet et al., 2007) (Araneidae) were preyed on by VI. germanica. Vespa sp. took Trichonephila clavata away (Miyashita, 1994). Vespula vulgaris preyed on Er. pustulosa (Toft & Rees, 1998; Lester & Beggs, 2019). Vespula pensylvanica preyed on Araneae of the genera of Cheiracanthium sp. (Cheiracanthiidae), Vespa affinis captured Cyclosa confusa (Araneidae) (Chou et al., 2005). Habronattus (Salticidae), Achaearanea, Theridion (Theridiidae, respectively) and Mecaphesa (Thomisidae) (Wilson et al., 2009). Vespa crabro preyed on A. bruennichi (Helsdingen, 2011; Bruggisser et al., 2012). These cases of yellowjackets fed on spiders with certain species names from above are in Table (3). Tunnel web spider Porrhothele antipodiana (Mygalomorphae: Porrhothelidae) captured VI. germanica (Laing, 1973). Vespa orientalis wasps were captured by Argiope spp. (Hendawy, 2004). Argiope aurantia and A. florida preyed on Vespula squamosa (Carrel & Deyrup, 2019). By virtue of one of the authors’ observations, A. amoena (Noguchi, 2020) and A. bruennichi (Noguchi, 2021) preyed on V. analis. DNA metabarcoding analysis revealed that Vespula sp. was one of the diets of wandering spider Phoneutria boliviensis (Ctenidae) (Ramirez et al., 2021). These reported cases are shown in Table (4). About 100 years ago, several observed cases regarding the prey-predator relationship between vespine wasps and spiders had been reported (Bilsing, 1920). Vespula germanica, Dolichovespula arenaria and D. maculata [in the original article, stated as Vespa germanica, Vespa diabolica and Vespa maculata] were foraged by Phidippus audax (Salticidae [in the original article, stated as Attidae]); D. arenaria was preyed by Neoscona domiciliorum (Araneidae) [in the original article, stated as Epeira domiciliorum]; Vl. germanica was fed on by Hogna carolinensis (Lycosidae) [in the original article, stated as Lycosa carolinensis], Araneus trifolium [in the original article, stated as Epeira trifolium], Epeira gigas [= Araneus bicentenarius| and Argiope trifasciata (Araneidae). These cases, observed in field or cage, are shown in Table (5). 291 Table 3. Cases of hornets and yellowjackets preyed on spiders with species and/or genera names were shown. Predators Prey References Vineepineen Er. pustulosa Gibbs, 1980 Z. x-notata Pasquet et al., 2007 Vespa sp. T. clavata Miyashita, 1994 VI. vulgaris Er. pustulosa Toft & Rees, 1998; Lester & Beggs, 2019 V. affinis C. confusa Chou et al., 2005 Cheiracanthium sp. Habronattus sp. VI. pensylvanica Theridion sp. Wilson et al., 2009 Achaearanea sp. Mecaphesa sp. V. crabro A. bruennichi Helsdingen, 2011; Bruggisser et al., 2012 Table 4. Cases of hornets and yellowjackets preyed by spiders, both species and/or genera names were shown. Predators Prey References Po. antipodiana VI. germanica Laing, 1973 Argiope spp. V. orientalis Hendawy, 2004 ‘ ee VI. squamosa Carrel & Deyrup, 2019 A. amoena V. analis Noguchi, 2020 A. bruennichi V. analis Noguchi, 2021 Ph. boliviensis Vespula sp. Ramirez et al., 2021 In addition, studies on observed cases of kleptoparasites by a vespine wasps caught in spider webs are shown. Vespula germanica preyed on a hover-fly that was caught in a spider web (O'Rourke, 1945). Workers of Vespa mongolica [now a subspecies of V. simillima] have been seen removing workers of Vespa spp. from spider webs (Iwata, 1971; Akre, 1982). Vespa affinis attacked prey in the web of C. confusa (Chou et al., 2005). Vespa crabro has been reported to steal and feed on the web prey of the spiders: Argiope aurantia (Davis, 2011) and A. bruennichi (Helsdingen, 2011). Interactions of not exact predator-prey relationships such as offence or defence were also reported. Once, a case of killing each other at the same time between Tegenaria atrica and VI. germanica was reported (Scott, 1930). A founders of V. analis were found to capture and dump a spider approaching her nest (Yamane & Makino, 1977). Table 5. The Cases of predation on yellowjackets (the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula) by spiders (Bilsing, 1920). Predators Prey Reference VI. germanica Ph. audax D. arenaria D. maculata H. carolinensis Bilsing, 1920 wi OHNE D. arenaria Ep. gigas A. trifasciata 292 Discussion It is found from the results above that predator-prey relationships between vespine wasps and spiders, and vice versa, have not been studied enough yet quantitatively. Compared with the reported cases of predation on spiders by vespine wasps, there have been fewer cases of predation on vespine wasps by spiders. In spite that predation on spiders by vespine wasps is relatively more common in the observational records characterized within the species and/or the genera level, it may not have been investigated exhaustively in the habitats. The cases of predation on vespine wasps by spiders which could be found are reported by only five references (Bilsing, 1920; Laing, 1973; Hendawy, 2004; Carrel & Deyrup, 2019; Ramirez et al., 2021) excepting for the research articles by one of the authors (Noguchi, 2020; 2021), suggesting that these observations remain very fragmentary with considering their actual interactions in the global ecosystem. As observed by Fordham (1961), predation on vespine wasps by spiders might be prevented by escaping from spider webs using the powerful mouthparts of vespine wasps like mantids did (Sugiura et al., 2019). One possible reason for the records remaining fractional could be supposed that predation on vespine wasps by spiders has not been well documented by wasp’s researchers, because they were simply not familiar with spiders, or they overlooked the ecological importance of the predator- prey relationships among them. Besides, it may also be due to the fact that prey of spiders has been difficult to be investigated within the species level. Otherwise, among the conditions constituting IGP, the cases of “predation on predators by predators” have been found to occur not limited to specific areas at least qualitatively. Spiders have been shown to have different trophic levels among taxa and developmental stages based on the characteristics of 5!°N (Sanders et al., 2015), on the other hand, there may be still a possibility that predation does not occur depending on the levels of species of spiders. It would be possible that asymmetric IGP between spiders and vespine wasps, which differ in relative body sizes each other. And the possibility of symmetric IGP between large-sized spiders and vespine wasps may be suggested by the observations that V. analis and Argiope spp. feed on each other (Matsuura, 1984; Noguchi, 2020, 2021) and same as VI. germanica and spiders (Tables 1, 3-5). So, “symmetric IGP” may be occurring at least between the hornet V. analis and argiopids and the yellowjacket VI. germanica and several spiders. Although symmetric IGP is more common, body-sizes and developmental stages are often important factors (Polis et al., 1989). In fully metamorphosed wasps, body-sizes and developmental stages are not factors in symmetric IGP; for this reason, this may be an unusual case and the frequency of this phenomenon has to be further investigated. Another condition for IGP is “habiting the same place in time and space” (Potter et al., 2018), which spiders and vespine wasps seem to satisfy. But if flying vespine wasps in airborne, ambushing spiders in the web and wandering spiders in the ground are in the same guild, this would be considered a characteristic case. It will be needed to gather further information on the prey-predatory relationship between vespine wasps and spiders more generally and in detail and be examined whether these relationships are equivalent to IGP. It should be also necessary to study what kind of diet of spiders are for vespine wasps in terms of quantity and quality, and vice versa. From a quantitative point of view, it would be of great importance to conduct a more detailed survey to determine the proportion of each diet items, as in such as Matsuura (1984) and Miyashita & Shinkai (1995). In recent years, DNA analysis of intestinal contents is also performed (e.g., Aebi et al., 2011). For qualitative aspects, it may be required to conduct experiments by limiting the menu of prey items, or to verify ecochemometrics like Matsumura et al. (2004). Regrettably, it is not shown in the present 293 study, it would be also necessary to verify whether food resources are really shared in the same ecosystem between spiders and vespine wasps. Assuming the same ecosystem in Honshu, Japan, the captured prey items overlap well at the order level as the results of Matsuura (1984) and Miyashita & Shinkai (1995). Incidentally, the overlap at the species level is still unclear and should be investigated in more detail. A total of 67 species of vespine wasps exists in the world (Carpenter & Kojima, 1997). According to the observational cases demonstrated above, predation on spiders by vespine wasps, and vice versa, there are only seven species of hornets of V. affinis, V. analis, V. crabro, V. mandarinia, V. orientalis, V. simillima, V. velutina, and eight species of yellowjackets of Vi. consobrina, VI. flaviceps, VI. germanica, VI. pensylvanica, VI. squamosa, VI. vulgaris, D. arenaria, D. maculate. The predator-prey interactions between spiders and the remained 52 species (78%) of vespine wasps have not studied yet. Especially, there are only a few studies reported before about the cases of predation on yellowjackets (Bilsing, 1920; Laing, 1973; Carrel & Deyrup, 2019; Ramirez et al., 2021) and hornets (Hendawy, 2004; Noguchi, 2020; 2021) by spiders having various types of predation; ambushing orb-weavers (Araneidae), jumping spiders (Salticidae), wandering spiders (Ctenidae and Lycosidae) and a tunnel web spider (Mygalomorphae: Porrhothelidae). Over a century, researchers have reported their observations on the prey- predation interaction between vespine wasps and spiders; however, there are only limited scientific articles shown herein to elucidate the whole ecological aspect regarding the symmetric IGP between vespine wasps and spiders. Hence, further research is essential in the future. Acknowledgment We appreciate Mr. Hisham K. El-Hennawy (Editor of Serket) for kind advice. 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A new species of Oxyopes Latreille, 1804 (Araneae: Oxyopidae) from Calicut University Campus, Kerala, India Kandampully Baji Amulya '°, Honey Sebastian ** & Ambalaparambil Vasu Sudhikumar !* ' Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE), Department of Zoology, Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, Kerala-680125, India * amulyabaji@ gmail.com 2 PG Department of Zoology, Vimala College (Autonomous), Thrissur, Kerala, India * honeysebastian20 @ gmail.com : Corresponding author e-mail address: spidersudhi @ gmail.com Abstract A new species from the spider genus Oxyopes Latreille, 1804, Oxyopes peetham n. sp., is diagnosed and described from the Calicut University Campus, Kerala, India. A detailed morphological description, diagnostic features, and illustrations of the copulatory organs of both sexes of this new species are presented. Keywords: Oxyopidae, Oxyopes, lynx spider, new species, description, Kerala, India. Introduction Members of family Oxyopidae are spiny legged hunting spiders which are capable of running very fast and jumping on their prey like a wild cat. Hence, they have got the name lynx spiders. Eight eyes arranged in hexagonal shape with wide clypeus and prominent spines on the legs are the general identifying features of this family. The lynx spider family Oxyopidae Thorell, 1869 is a small family comprising of nine genera and 443 species in the world; of which, 84 species under four genera viz., Hamadruas Deeleman-Reinhold, 2009, Hamataliwa Keyserling, 1887, Oxyopes Latreille, 1804, and Peucetia Thorell, 1869, have been reported from India (Gajbe, 2008; World Spider Catalog, 2022). While examining the spider collection from Calicut university campus, we came across a new species of the genus Oxyopes which is described and illustrated herein. A ‘ca “. ~ ~ ie 4 — . 2 7 , KO f ee » Ty t%en 4 4 >» . “ “ #* wi x ea ae * ‘ » ’ - 1 £ : 4 a 44 Figs. 1-4. Oxyopes peetham sp. n., Habitus. 1-2. Holotype Female. 3-4. Paratype Male. 1,3. dorsal view. 2,4. ventral view. (Scale bar: 1 mm). Material and Methods A mating pair (4 & @) was collected from the Calicut university campus by handpicking. The specimens were directly transferred to 70% ethanol. The photographs and measurements were taken by using Leica M205C stereomicroscope, a Leica DFC450 Camera, and LAS software (Ver.4.12). Epigyne was dissected and cleared in 10% potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution for one day. Ocular measurements were taken, after placing the specimen, from the dorsal side. The left male pedipalp was dissected and photographed. Leg measurements are showed as: total length (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). All measurements are in millimetres (mm). The studied specimens are deposited in the reference collection at the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE), Department of Zoology, Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, Kerala, India. Abbreviations used in the text and figures are as follows: AL = abdomen length, ALE = anterior lateral eye, AME = anterior median eye, AW = abdomen width, C = conductor, CD = copulatory duct, CL = cephalothorax length, CW = cephalothorax width, dRTA = dorsal retrolateral tibial apophysis, dTA = distal tegular apophysis, Em = embolus, FD = fertilization duct, MTA = median tegular apophysis, PLE = posterior lateral eye, PME = posterior median eye, S = spermatheca, SC = scape, SD = sperm duct, ST = subtegulum, T = tegulum, TL = total length, vVRTA = ventral retrolateral tibial apophysis (Tang & Li, 2012; Baehr et al., 2017; Lo et al., 2021). Spination abbreviations: do = dorsal, pl = prolateral, rl = retrolateral, v = ventral. 300 Description Family Oxyopidae Thorell, 1869 Genus Oxyopes Latreille, 1804 Type species O. heterophthalmus (Latreille, 1804) Oxyopes peetham sp. n. (Figs. 1-14) Material examined: 12 (Holotype) (CATE - 800494A), Kerala, Malappuram, Calicut University campus, (11.1340°N, 75.8952°E), 32 m a.s.l., 18.09.2021 K.B. Amulya. 1 (Paratype) (CATE - 800494 B), same data of the holotype. Etymology. The specific name is an adjective in Sanskrit that refers to the yellow coloured body in both sexes. Diagnosis. Oxyopes peetham sp. n. somewhat similar to O. bharatae Gajbe, 1999 in epigyne morphology. It could be distinguished from the latter species by the following characters: 1) copulatory duct eroteme shaped "?" in ventral view which is coiled into one turn towards the dorsal side and end to spermatheca (this turn absent in O. bharatae). 11) Male pedipalp having a prominent ventral tibial apophysis and a pitcher shaped median tegular apophysis. Median tegular apophysis triangular and less prominent in O. bharatae. 111) Embolus short and distinguishingly separated from the conductor. Embolus longer and covered with the conductor in O. bharatae [cf. figs. 27-30 (Gajbe, 1999), figs. 76-79 (Gajbe, 2008), plates 1A-D, 2A-B (Malik et al., 2016)]. Description. Female (Holotype) (Figs. 1-2, 8-9, 13-14). Measurements: TL 7.45, CL 2.02, CW (at the middle) 1.73, AL 4.54, AW (at the middle) 1.56; ocular area length 0.397, width 0.280; ocular diameter: AME 0.075, ALE 0.149, PME 0.115, PLE 0.0.147; ocular inter distance: AME-AME 0.147, AME-ALE 0.076, PME-PME 0.193, PME-PLE 0.277, ALE-PLE 0.248, ALE-ALE 0.109, PLE-PLE 0.748. Clypeus height 0.45. Length of chelicera 0.87. Leg measurements: I 12.17 (3.29, 0.77, 3.44, 3.31, 1.36), I 11.11 (3.34, 0.72, 2.94, 3.09, 1.02), III 8.79 (2.61, 0.63, 2.20, 2.50, 0.85), IV 10.43 (3.19, 0.63, 2.42, 3.23, 0.96). Leg formula 1243. Palp 2.32 (0.85, 0.15, 1.32)[femur, patella+tibia, tarsus]. Spination: Palp: patella do 2, tibia rl 2 pl 2; Legs: femur I-II rl 3 do 3 pl 3, If rl 4do 2 v3 pl 4, IV rl 2 do 3 pl 2; patella Irl 1 do 1 pl 1, [rl 2 do 2rl2 do 2 pl 2, [rl 1 do2 v1 pl 1,1Vrl2do2 pl 2; tibial rl 3 do3 pl3, Il rl 2 do2 pl 2, II rl2do2v2 pl 2, IV rl 2 do 2 pl 3; metatarsus I-II rl 2 rlv 2 do 2 pl 2, If rl 3 do 3 v 1 pl 3, IV rl 3 do 3 pl 3; tarsus I- IV spineless. Cephalothorax, abdomen and legs yellowish brown in colour, legs with black lines both in dorsal and ventral sides with spines. Cephalothorax posteriorly broad and raised than anterior, narrowly curved anterior tip, carapace with median single and two lateral white bands. Pale red markings on the distal side of carapace. Chelicerae downward with two promarginal teeth, first larger than second, four retromarginal tooth arranged as a distorted quadrangle. Fang is broad at the base and narrowed towards the tip but less pointed. Endite and labium longer than wide. Sternum semi pointed dome shaped with disproportionately arranged setae and yellowish in colour. Abdomen fusiform. Anterior dorsal region is convex and with a distinguishable creamy white marking on the centre. Dark broad bands on lateral and tip of the abdomen. In ventral view, broad dark longitudinal band extends from epigastric furrow to spinnerets. Two tarsal claws. Epigyne less sclerotized with central depression. Copulatory ducts thick and eroteme shaped "?" with anterior end coiled into one turn towards the dorsal side and end with the rounded spermathecae. Fertilization ducts slender and elongated downwards and pointed with a transparent flap at the tip, clearly visible as a separated tube from the copulatory duct (Figs. 8-9, 13-14). 301 Figs. 5-9. Copulatory organs of Oxyopes peetham sp. n. 5-7. Paratype Male, left palp. 5. prolateral view. 6. retrolateral view. 7. ventral view. 8-9. Holotype Female, epigyne. 8. ventral view. 9. dorsal view. (Scale bar: (5-7) 0.5 mm, (8-9) 0.2 mm). Male. (Paratype) (Figs. 3-7, 10-12). Measurements: TL 5.25, CL 1.58, CW 1.68, AL 2.90, AW 0.82; ocular diameter: AME 0.080, ALE 0.162, PME 0.122, PLE 0.158; ocular distance: AME-AME 0.107, AME-ALE 0.069, PME-PME 0.191, PME-PLE 0.188, ALE- PLE 0.156, ALE-ALE 0.156, PLE-PLE 0.290; Clypeus height 0.38. Length of chelicera 0.85. Leg measurements: I 14.07 (3.58, 0.78, 3.97, 4.02, 1.72), If 11.41 (3.24, 0.61, 3.39, 3.08, 1.09), III 10.12 (2.09, 0.59, 2.90, 3.52, 1.02), IV 10.64 (3.34, 0.57, 1.98, 3.63, 1.12); leg formula 1243. Spination: Legs: femur I-II rl 3 do 3 pl 3, HI rl 4 do 2 v3 pl4IV rl 2 do 3 pl 2, patellaIrl 1 dol pl1,Url2do2pl2, UWIrlldo2vipll1,IVrl2do2 pl 2, tibia Irl3 do 3 pl 3, rl 2 do 2 pl 2, If rl 2 do 2 v 2 pl 2, [IV rl 2 do 2 pl 3; metatarsus I-II rl 2 rlv 2 do 2 pl 2, If rl 3 do 3 v 1 pl 3, IV rl 3 do 3 pl 3, tarsus I-IV spineless. Cephalothorax and abdomen pale yellow in colour without any characteristic markings. Abdomen narrowed and in ventral view, two narrow dark longitudinal lines extend from epigastric furrow to spinnerets. Legs pale yellow in colour. Chelicera downwards and has 302 one promarginal and one retromarginal teeth. The sternum is oil lantern chimney shaped without any setae. Palp: tibia with distinct retrolateral depression between the two adjacent apophyses; ventral retrolateral tibial apophysis large pointed, retrolateral apophysis smaller and ridge shaped; cymbium with elongated anterior apophysis; conductor black not coiled with embolus; embolus slender, originating at 5.30 o’clock position and encompassing prolateral side of genital bulb to 1 o’clock position; median tegular apophysis white pitcher shaped, distal tegular apophysis sclerotized (Figs. 5-7, 10-12). Distribution. Known only from the type locality. Natural History. Oxyopes species are usually occupied in garden areas and grasslands. Mostly they occur in open vegetation. Mature males and females can be collected during August-September months. 13 Figs. 10-14. Copulatory organs of Oxyopes peetham sp.n. 10-12. Paratype Male, left palp. 10. prolateral view. 11. ventral view. 12. retrolateral view. 13-14. Holotype Female, epigyne. 13. ventral view. 14. dorsal view. (Scale bar: (5-7) 0.5 mm, (8-9) 0.2 mm). Acknowledgments We express our deepest gratitude to the Principal, Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, Kerala for providing laboratory facilities and University Grants Commission Junior Research Fellowship (920/CSIR UGC NET DEC 2017) for their financial support. The authors also acknowledge the funding rendered by DST-SERB for the facilities used in this study (Major Research Project: EMR/2016/006401). 303 References Baehr, B.C., Harms, D., Dupérré, N. & Raven, R. 2017. The Australian lynx spiders (Araneae, Oxyopidae, Oxyopes) of the Godeffroy Collection, including the description of a new species. Evolutionary Systematics, 1: 11-37. Gajbe, U.A. 1999. Studies on some spiders of the family Oxyopidae (Araneae: Arachnida) from India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, 97(3): 31-79. Gajbe, U.A. 2008. Fauna of India and the adjacent countries: Spider (Arachnida: Araneae: Oxyopidae). Zoological Survey of India Kolkata, 3: 1-117. Lo, Y.Y., Cheng, R.C. & Lin, C.P. 2021. Species delimitation and taxonomic revision of Oxyopes (Araneae: Oxyopidae) of Taiwan, with description of two new species. Zootaxa, 4927(1): 58-86. Malik, S., Das, S.K. & Siliwal, M. 2016. First description of male lynx spider Oxyopes bharatae Gajbe, 1999 (Araneae: Oxyopidae). Munis Entomology and Zoology, 11(2): 473-476. Tang, G. & Li, S.Q. 2012. Lynx spiders from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China (Araneae: Oxyopidae). Zootaxa, 3362: 1-42. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 20 February 2022. Oxyopes peetham Amulya, Sebastian & Sudhikumar, 2022 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:ED9635A3-038B-48C3-924E-2B4DEEEBDAFE 304 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 305-313. Araneofauna associated with the horticultural ecosystems of Thrissur District, Kerala, India Naduvath Mana Krishnan Namboothiri Prasad, Ambalath Veettil Saidu Mohamed Shihabudeen & Ambalaparambil Vasu Sudhikumar * Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Department of Zoology, Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakkuda-680125, Kerala, India ; Corresponding author e-mail address: spidersudhi@ gmail.com Abstract Spiders are ecologically very important in agroecosystems as they act as biocontrol agents managing the pest populations. They form an integral part of the food chains operating in croplands. Present study conducted in horticultural ecosystems of Thrissur district, Kerala, India, reported 56 species of spiders belonging to 44 genera and 16 families. The species abundance was in the order Salticidae > Araneidae > Oxyopidae > Lycosidae. Out of the 9 foraging guilds recorded, stalkers emerged as the most prominent one followed by orb weavers and ground runners. Keywords: Agroecosystems, Foraging guild, Stalkers, Orb weavers, Ground runners. Introduction Agriculture forms one of the oldest occupations of man, started for production of food when he began to start settkements in riverbanks. Even now agriculture forms the backbone of the economy of several countries. Pest outbreaks are the most serious issue that he had to face ever since he started to cultivate crops. Even though various strategies are developed for pest control, biological control forms the most sustainable one. It is highly imperative to explore the potential natural enemies, especially the predatory ones for pest management. Spiders, being generalist predators, are the ideal candidate for this (Moulder & Reichle, 1972; Nyffeler & Benz, 1987; Riechert & Bishop, 1990; Young & Edwards, 1990; Kajak et al., 1991; Kajak, 1997). Spiders can thrive in natural ecosystems as well as semi natural ecosystems like croplands (Opatovsky et al., 2015; Mashavakure et al., 2019). Their ecological role as a biocontrol agent is a less explored area of research (Srinivasulu et al., 2008). It is an irony that such a group of organisms playing a pivotal role in maintaining balance of ecosystems hasn’t been given due consideration in terms of conservation. Non judicious use of agrochemicals has adversely affected the faunal diversity of sensitive organisms like spiders in our cropland ecosystems. For sustainable land management strategies that don't hamper spider diversity require an understanding of diversity of spiders in regional scale. Several attempts have so far been made for recording the diversity of spiders in natural ecosystems like forests, grasslands, etc. But the study on their diversity in agricultural ecosystems is still infantile. Rice lands contribute the lion share of researches on faunal diversity of spiders in agroecosystems of different states of India (Jose et al., 2002; Patel et al., 2004; 2005; Sebastian et al., 2005; Sudhikumar ef al., 2005; Diraviam et al., 2006; Kumar & Shivakumar, 2006; Manisegaran et al., 2006; Manu & Bai, 2006; Chatterjee et al., 2009; Jayakumar & Sankari, 2010; Sudhikumar & Nafin, 2018). Very few studies have been made in the field of spider diversity in vegetable and fruit croplands of India (Siliwal & Kumar, 2002, 2003a, b; Ntonifor et al., 2012; Keswani & Vankhede, 2014). On a global scale, many studies reveal that spiders can be employed as biocontrol agents in croplands of apple (Wyss et al., 1995.; Isaia et al., 2008) pear and vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower (Pekar et al., 2015). Present study investigated the diversity of spiders in the vegetable agroecosystems in Thrissur district, Kerala, India. Material and Methods Study Area: The study was carried out in three different vegetable agroecosystems of Thrissur district, Kerala, India (Table 1). Mixed cropping of various vegetables like spinach, long beans, brinjal, chilly with banana was practiced in the crop lands selected for the study. Sampling and identification: The period of study was from February 2016 to January 2018. Samples were collected once in a month from all three sites. On average four hours were spent in the field preferably between 6:00 am to 1:00 pm. Active searching, handpicking and sweep netting were the common methods adopted for the collecting. All possible microhabitats like under the stones and dry leaves, leaves and twigs of the plants, surface of the soil, etc. were carefully explored. The specimens collected were photographed using Nikon D5200 SLR camera, preserved in 70% alcohol in plastic vials and labelled systematically. The alcohol in the vials was periodically changed to avoid the deterioration of the specimen. Preserved specimens were examined using a stereozoom microscope (Leica-M205C) for their identification. Morphometric characters were mainly used for identification. Sexually mature specimens were identified up to species level using available literature (Barrion & Litsinger, 1995; Caleb & Sankaran, 2022). World Spider Catalog (2022) is also referred to for the final identification. The guild-wise analysis of the spiders identified was done with the help of available literature (Uetz et al., 1999; Cardoso et al., 2011). Table 1. Description of the study area. No. Site Geographical co-ordinates Area (Hectares) 1 Kuzhur village (KZR) 10.2115°N, 76.2914°E 4 2 Bharatha village (BTA) 10.4529°N, 76.2971°E a 3. Nenmanikkara village (NKA) 10.4376°N, 76.2490°E 32 306 Results A total of 56 species of spiders belonging to 44 genera and 16 families was recorded from the horticultural ecosystems of Thrissur district (Table 2). Nenmanikkara village showed the highest species richness with 47 species followed by Kuzhur village (43 species) and Bharatha village (39 species). It was also noted that the faunal diversity of spiders varied with the season in all three sites studied. Post-monsoon (POM) season showed the highest diversity followed by Monsoon (MNS) and Pre-monsoon (PRM) (Table 3). Many spiders were present in all three seasons while some were restricted to one or two seasons (Table 4). A few species were reported only in POM (3 species in Kuzhur, 6 in Bharatha and 10 in Nenmanikkara). Salticidae ranked the most abundant family followed by Araneidae and Oxypopidae (Figs. 1-2). Categorization of spiders collected based on foraging patterns showed the existence of nine feeding guilds out of which stalkers formed the most prominent guild followed by Orb weaver and Ground runners (Fig. 3, Table 5). Table 2. Spider diversity across the seasons in horticultural ecosystems of Thrissur district, Kerala. Anepsion maritatum (O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1877) Argiope aemula (Walckenaer, 1841) Argiope anasuja Thorell, 1887 Argiope pulchella Thorell, 1881 Cyrtarachne sp. Cyrtophora cicatrosa (Stoliczka, 1869) Cyrtophora citricola (Forsskal, 1775) Gasteracantha geminata (Fabricius, 1798) Neoscona inusta (L. Koch, 1871) Neoscona mukerjei Tikader, 1980 Family Cheiracanthiidae Wagner, 1887 11 Cheiracanthium danieli Tikader, 1975 + + So Oo YN Wo NM BPW WN — i) Family Gnaphosidae Banks, 1892 12 |Drassodessp, dH T+ | + | -] ~ | - | - | - de Family Hahniidae Bertkau, 1878 | Hahnia mridulae Tikader,1970__| - | - | - |-| - | - | - | - |+ Family Hersiliidae Thorell, 1869 14 | Hersilia savignyi Lucas, 1836_____(| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13 Family Lycosidae Sundevall, 1833 15 + 16_| Lycosa mackenziei Gravely, 1924 | - | - | + | - | - | + | - | + |+ 307 Family Oxyopidae Thorell, 1869 17 | Oxyopes birmanicus Thorell, 1887 + 18 | Oxyopes javanus Thorell, 1887 + 19 | Oxyopes lineatipes (C.L. Koch, 1847) 2 ee 20 Oxyopes pankaji Gajbe & Gajbe, 2000 21 | Oxyopes shweta Tikader, 1970 22 | Oxyopes sunandae Tikader, 1970 23 | Peucetia viridana (Stoliczka, 1869) su |e - - Family Philodromidae Thorell, 1870 24 | Philodromussp. | © | = + | - | - | - | - | - I - Family Pholcidae C.L. Koch, 1850 95 Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775) Family Pisauridae Simon, 1890 26__| Dendrolycosa gitae (Tikader, 1970) | - |+]+|]-|- [- | - | - |- Family Salticidae Blackwall, 1841 Asemonea tenuipes (O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1869) 28 | Brettus cingulatus Thorell, 1895 29 | Carrhotus viduus (C.L. Koch, 1846) 30. | Epeus tener (Simon, 1877) 31 | Evarcha falcata (Clerck, 1757) - 32 | Evarcha sp. - 33 | Hasarius adansoni (Audouin, 1825) + 34 | Ayllus semicupreus (Simon, 1885) + 35 Indopadilla insularis (Malamel, Sankaran & Sebastian, 2015) + 36 | Menemerus bivittatus (Dufour, 1831) 37 Myrmaplata plataleoides (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869) Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839 39 | Phidippus yashodharae Tikader, 1977 40 | Phintella vittata (C.L. Koch, 1846) 41 | Plexippus paykulli (Audouin, 1826) 42 | Plexippus petersi (Karsch, 1878) 43 | Rhene flavigera (C.L. Koch, 1846) 44 | Siler semiglaucus (Simon, 1901) + + + 4+ 27 + + 38 +++ 4+ 4+ 4+ + 45 | Stenaelurillus sp. 46 | Telamonia dimidiata (Simon, 1899) Family Scytodidae Blackwall, 1864 47 _| Scytodes fusca Walckenaer, 1837__ | - | - | - | - | + | - | - | - [- Family Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872 +++ 4+ + 4+ 4+ 4+ 4 48 Family Tetragnathidae Menge, 1866 49 | Leucauge dorsotuberculata Tikader, . : + ch ifs P F - 1982 5() Tetragnatha cochinensis Gravely, 1921 - | - | + | +] - + - - | + 5] Tetragnatha mandibulata Walckenaer, 1841 - + - : ene ele 52 | Tylorida ventralis (Thorell, 1877) + | + + + + + - - | + Family Theridiidae Sundevall, 1833 SO la Tanikawa, 1999 + =A oan UP RP 1952) + Family Thomisidae Sundevall, 1833 3D 56 Table 3. Seasonal variation in number of species. Site 1 Site2 Site3 eon KZR BTA NKA Pre-monsoon (PRM) (February - May) 21 22 21 Monsoon (MNS) (June - September) 24 26 33 Post-monsoon (POM) (October - January) 39 35 44 Table 4. Seasonal specificity of spiders. Species present in: KZR BTA NKA All three seasons 10 8 17 In any two seasons 18 19 18 In any one season only 14 12 11 Table 5. Guild wise distributions of spiders. No. Feeding Guild % 1 Ambusher 7 2 Foliage runner 2 3 Ground runner 5 4 Orb weaver 27 5 Other hunters 4 6 Sensing web 2 7 Sheet web builder 2 8 Space web builder 4 9 Stalker 48 Discussion Agroecosystems generally accommodate high diversity of arthropods including spiders. Rich foliage, dry leaves and decaying mulch in the ground, etc. serve as different microhabitats suitable for the spiders to thrive successfully. Increased humidity and availability of different insect pests also act as one of the key factors that support spider fauna in cropland ecosystems. Keswani & Vankhede (2014) in their studies on banana agroecosystems of Purna river (a tributary of Tapti river) basin of Maharashtra, reported Araneidae as the most abundant family followed by Salticidae and Lycosidae. Oxyopidae 309 was less abundant there. On the contrary to that, in the present study, Salticidae ranks the most abundant family followed by Araneidae and Oxyopidae. Mixed cropping of vegetables along with banana in the study sites might have resulted in more diverse microhabitats, which may be a possible reason for this. Several studies reported Salticidae as the most abundant family in agroecosystems (Bhat et al., 2013; Virale, 2019). The present study in horticultural ecosystems in Thrissur district mainly used sweep netting and visual searching methods only, for the collection of spiders. Other methods like beating, pitfall traps, etc. were not employed as they were not suitable for cropland ecosystems from an economic point of view. Adopting other methods may ensure still higher diversity. Hence a further elaborate study is highly recommended. 25 20 15 10 No. of Species Family Fig. 1. Family wise abundance of species collected from horticultural ecosystems. = Araneidae # Cheiracanthiidae = Gnaphosidae = Hahniidae Hersiliidae « Lycosidae u Oxyopidae = Philodromidae « Pholcidae m Pisauridae # Salticidae Scytodidae « Sparassidae n Tetragnathidae # Theridiidae = Thomisidae 2% 4% 9% eke 18% by ee ee eae etait cee tee eee 4% aie v AS 2% % Wa P ) ) 13% 2%2%2” 36% Ss Fig. 2. Composition (%) of spider families in Horticultural ecosystem of Thrissur district. 310 = Orbweaver i Ambusher @ Foliage runner ® Ground runner ili Other hunters G Sensing web @ Sheet web builder & Space web builder & Stalker No. of species Ww aS ros) a N oO 10 a : —E eH = 0 — |: un £3... ea Be TT eon PRM Season MNS PMN Fig. 3. Seasonal variation in guild structure of spiders in the horticultural ecosystem. Acknowledgments The authors are indebted to Fr. Dr. Jolly Andrews, Principal, Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakkuda, Kerala, India, for providing necessary facilities for the research. 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Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 99(2): 352-355. 312 Siliwal, M. & Kumar, D. 2003a. Occurrence of rare jumping spider Harmochirus brachiatus (Thorell) (Family: Salticidae) in the banana agroecosystem of Baroda, Gujarat. Journal Bombay Natural History Society, 100(1): 157. Siliwal, M. & Kumar, D. 2003b. Rare sighting of Ogre faced spider Dinopis goalparaensis (Araneae: Dinopidae) in the banana agroecosystem of Vadodara, Gujarat. Journal Bombay Natural History Society, 100(1): 160-161. Srinivasulu, C., Srinivasulu, B., & Vinodh, A. 2008. Parachute (Tarantula) spiders of Andhra Pradesh. Biodiver. News Andhra Pradesh, 1(3-4): 4. Sudhikumar, A.V. & Nafin, K.S. 2018. Diversity of spiders in the organically cultivated paddy fields of Muriyad Kol wetlands, Kerala, India. pp. 232-234. In Perspectives on Biodiversity of India Vol. IV. (Ed.) A. Biju Kumar. Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action, Thriuvanthapuram. viii+609 pp. Sudhikumar, A.V., Mathew, M.J., Sunish, E. & Sebastian, P.A. 2005. Seasonal variation in spider abundance in Kuttanad rice agroecosystem, Kerala, India (Araneae). Acta Zoologica Bulgarica, |: 181-190. Uetz, G.W., Halaj, J. & Cady, A.B. 1999. Guild structure of spiders in major crops. Journal of Arachnology, 27(1): 270-280. Virale, A.B. 2019. Diversity of spiders in agroecosystems of Tahsil Anjangaon Surji District Amaravati (M. S.). Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal, 9(2): 158-161. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on January 2022. Wyss, E., Niggli, U. & Nentwig, W. 1995. The impact of spider on aphid populations in a strip- managed apple orchard. Journal of Applied Entomology, 119: 473-478. Young, O.P. & Edwards, G.B. 1990. Spiders in United States field crops and their potential effect on crop pests. Journal of Arachnology, 18: 1-27. 313 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 314-320. Diversity of spiders in riparian habitats of Kalpathipuzha, Palakkad, Kerala, India Ambalath Veetil Saidu Mohamed Shihabudeen, Naduvath Mana Krishnan Namboothiri Prasad & Ambalaparambil Vasu Sudhikumar * Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Department of Zoology, Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakkuda-680125, Kerala, India : Corresponding author e-mail address: spidersudhi@ gmail.com Abstract Spiders are highly agile, polyphagous arthropods distributed in highly diverse habitats. Occurrence and relative abundance of spiders roughly corresponds to the ‘well- being’ of the habitats. Riparian habitats serve as transition zones between a truly terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They serve to link the food chains operating in both the flanking habitats. Given work focused on assessing the diversity in distribution of spiders along the banks of Kalpathipuzha; one of the major tributaries of Bharathapuzha, the second longest river in Kerala. The study recorded 66 species of spiders belonging to 53 genera distributed in 21 families. The number of families reported in this study contributes to 35% of those so far reported from India. Salticidae was the dominant family, comprising 17 species. Comparison of the species diversity from three study sites across three seasons revealed higher values in Site 1, Malampuzha, during post monsoon season. Analysis of guild structure indicated stalkers as the most dominant. Keywords: Spider, diversity, riparian habitat, transition zone, Kalpathipuzha, Bharathapuzha. Introduction Spiders are very dynamic and highly diverse group of invertebrates equipped with remarkable ability of camouflage and mimicry that makes them capable of adapting to multitude of habitats. They play pivotal role in ecosystems serving as polyphagous predators of many obnoxious pests of economically important crops. Large scale and 314 unscrupulous application of many synthetic pesticides have left far reaching consequences on spider community. The diversity, wide distribution and obligate predatory nature of spiders make them one of the most appropriate model organisms for community ecology studies (Patrick et al., 1999). Simultaneous deficiency of experts and systematic keys to deal with identification of spiders poses a major hurdle in this scenario. Recently many hitherto unknown species of spiders were reported from Western Ghats and many parts of Kerala (Caleb et al., 2019; Sudhin et al., 2021; Vishnudas & Sudhikumar, 2021). Integration of modern amenities offered by biotechnology and bioinformatics have enriched diversity studies, especially in the realms of identification and comparison. River banks with moist and fertile soil support a large number of fauna and flora. Bharathapuzha is one among the most prominent and of course highly ‘threatened’ rivers of Kerala. It harbours a vast variety of endemic species of animals. This river, with its rich network of tributaries forms the lifeline of central and northern districts of Kerala. From a biodiversity point of view, riparian habitats could be considered as ecotones, where one could expect a high degree of overlap of species present on bordering ecosystems. Riparian habitats harbour characteristic vegetation. A direct link between vegetation structure and spider diversity had been investigated (Hore & Uniyal, 2008; Gomez et al., 2016). In contrast to the common ecosystems, spiders also occupy higher trophic levels as top predators and thereby significantly contribute to the riparian food chains (Henschel et al., 2001). Riparian spiders in general prey upon both aquatic and terrestrial insects (Williams, 1979; Williams et al., 1995). Material and Methods Study Area: Three sites in Palakkad district of Kerala, India associated with Kalpathipuzha, one of the major tributaries of Bharathapuzha were selected for study; Malampuzha (MPZ) (10.8281°N, 76.7368°E), Parali (PRL) (10.8028°N, 76.5584°E), and Walayar (WLY) (10.8428°N, 76.8388°E). Methods: The study was conducted from February 2017 to January 2018. The whole period of study was divided into three seasons comprising four months each; pre monsoon (February to May), monsoon (June to September) and post monsoon (October to January). Collecting from all the three sites were done in all three seasons. Both right and left banks of the river were considered in each collecting. A line transect (25 metres long and 2.5 metres wide) method was predominantly adopted. Methods of collecting included active searching, inverted umbrella method, and litter sampling. Collected specimens were photographed and preserved in 70% isopropyl alcohol in vividly labelled vials. Identification of adult specimens up to species level was carried out using available literature (Barrion & Litsinger, 1995; Sebastian & Peter, 2009). World Spider Catalog (2022) is considered as the basis for scientific names. As the strategies adopted by spiders for prey capturing are diverse, they were classified under various feeding guilds (Cardoso et al., 2011; Uetz et al., 1999). The names of spiders identified were tabulated and data from the three sites across three seasons were compiled to a single check list. Number of species of spiders identified in each family were tabulated along with the corresponding feeding guilds. Results The study recorded 66 species of spiders, belonging to 53 genera and 21 families (Table 1). Salticidae was the dominant family with 17 species (Fig. 1). Many of the 315 families recorded were represented by single species. Maximum number of species was obtained during post monsoon (POM), followed by pre monsoon (PRM) and monsoon (MNS). Representatives of 35% of the families recorded from India were obtained during the study (Caleb & Sankaran, 2022). Guild structure analysis revealed stalkers as the most abundant guild, comprising up to 32% of the species obtained (Table 2, Fig. 2). Table 1. List of spiders collected from the riparian habitats of Kalpathipuzha. Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 (PRL) (MPZ) (WLY) Family / Species s|o| =| =| ¢| =| =| el = Be oO; & O| & jo) al =] Go] a} &] GS] a] es] & a Araneidae Anepsion maritatum (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877) a ewan ree eel ht Cadence eae | 4 | Argiope pulchellaThorell, 1881 | = | +] +L +] +] +] +] + | | 5__| Cyelosa bifida Doleschall, 1859) | + | - | + { - | - | +] +] - | + | 6 | Cyclosa hexatuberculata Tikader, 1982 | + | + | + | + | - [+] + {+I - | | 7 | Eriovixia laglaizei (Simon, 1877) | + | - | - | - | + | - | +1 +] - | | 8 | Gasteracantha geminata (Fabricius, 1798) | - | + | + | + | - | + | + { - | + | | 9 | Neoscona mukerjei Tikader, 1980 | 10 | Neoscona nautica (L. Koch, 1875) | - | - | +1 +] - | - | +] - | + Cheiracanthiidae i [11 | Cheatin dich Tide. 975—_ | + | + Te Te TTT Cheiracanthium melanostomum (Thorell, anal Clubionidae Pegg Corinnidae [14 | Casianeira ceres Simon 1897 =< + - | -1-]-[+]-1+1- Ctenidae i Eresidae | 16 | Stegodyphus sarasinorum Karsch, 1892 | - | + | + [+] - | -|-|- | + VII Gnaphosidae | 17 [Drassodessp, dL TT +P - | - T+] - f - - | Hersiliidae | 18 | Hersilia savignyi Lucas, 1836 +L +] +L +] - | - | - Ltd + IX | Linyphiidae | 19 [Linyphiasp, dt TT P-L + | xX | Lycosidae | 20 | Hippasa agelenoides (Simon,1884) | + 1 +] +] +] +] +] +] + | + amen Gave a8 PP Pep te PP [22 [Lycosasp, ——‘“‘—s*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*=*~CS pe fate pet jt Pardosa pseudoannulata (Boésenberg & Strand, 1906) 316 | 24 | Oxyopes birmanicus Thorell, 1887 | - | +] +L +] +] + +] - | + | | 25 | Oxyopes javanus Thorell, 1887 | + | - | +L + | - | - dT - T+ | | | 26 | Oxyopes sunandae Tikader, 1970 | +L + T - T- | - | + - | - | | | 27 _| Peucetia viridana (Stoliczka, 1869) | - | - [+1 - | + ]-[- | - | - | XII Philodromidae | 28 | Philodromussp, CE dL HL +L + | - | - dT - Tt | | 29 | Tibellus elongatus Tikader,1900_ dL + | - [+1 - | - | - | - 1+] - | Pholcidae | 30 | Pholcussp —ts—‘“‘“C;é*wC CWE WC«dE + dT | - dT - [- | |] - Pisauridae | 31 | Dendrolycosa gitae (Tikader,1970) | - | - | +[-|-|+]-]- | - | Salticidae XV} oS aticidae Ce ee ee eo 1869) | 33_| Carrhotus viduus (CL. Koch, 1846) | + | + | + | - | + | - [+ | + | | 34 | Chrysilla volupe (Karsch, 1879) | ~~ | + | - | - | +] +] | | 35__| Epeus indicus Proszynski, 1992 | + | + | - | + - |---| | 36 | Hasarius adansoni (Audouin, 1825) | + | +] +] - [+] +] +] | + + | pe Sebastian, 2015) eaters Te Cambridge, 1869) Loe ee re 1839 [4 _| Phidippus yashodharae Tikader, 1977 | + [42 _[Phinella vinata (C.L. Koch, 1846) | = [43 [ Plexippus paykulli (Audouin, 1825) | | lea Ee ey et =a | 44 Plexippus petersi (Karsch, 1878) 37 38 39 40 4] 42 43 44 Rhene sp. Siler semiglaucus (Simon, 1901) Stenaelurillus sp. Telamonia dimidiata (Simon, 1899) Scytodidae Sil 52 + + + + + + + + + + + + + + d Scytodes pallida Doleschall, 1859 re : Scytodes thoracica (Latreille, 1802) XVII Sparassida ‘aie ual EGal eal I E> | ne: (P| Peg © St | retell wtlover nnasetery |. 1 3 $2 [Otios miei Pocock, 1901) [+ PP Tetragnathidae RM or To a ese es ar or eons Sees Sa | fealernactisaand Wena Ta | [oe [re ee a PETE J 56 | enapashatedonaCowraly. 2 —_[el+ |x| -)- la lle le ie i (ry marae eR ese Theridiidae 1880 Ly + pe ed ey ia eae ea ae bs Ga Ez betwen ERS asi] IEA pala BAe reel ae eae |e Ee Bae Eas |Chryssosp. HLL - | eT Thomisidae | Indoxysticus minutus (Tikader, 1960) | - | - | + | - | |Oxyate sp, te Lt | - | Thomisus lobosus Tikader, 1965 Lets fae [pe [ise | | 64 | Thomisus projectus Tikader, 1960 | + | + 1 + | - | + | 65 | Thomisus pugilis Stoliczka, 1869 | + | - [= P+ Lt) 65 Uloboridae | 66 | Uloborussp, dT HT TT TT HT esl [eer ed sealord espe en ba (aoe a ea eS AI EIES Number of species =) N > (°>) 00 oS Ce i, vi we WF we SS leccccaall tes aa Se @ OP SP 2 @ FF wo? Sl SSI ae MR ca AER © mR Vw Se SA of Ry aS Q OY @ Ko om we Ws \\ SP FW Fig. 1. Family wise abundance of collected spiders. Discussion From the data available, we could notice many of the spiders were represented only once across all the three sites and all three seasons under consideration. Hippasa agelenoides (Lycosidae) and Hyllus semicupreus (Salticidae) were invariably present among all sites and all seasons, indicating higher range of adaptability. Out of the 21 families, 10 had only single species representatives. This could be considered to be clear evidence of high degree of dominance exerted by some families, taking advantage of their feeding guilds over others. The river selected for study is highly deteriorating one due to sand mining and high inputs of detergents, all due to human interference. Conservation of such fragile ecosystems is a matter of immediate concern. 318 Table 2. Guild wise distribution of spiders. No. Family Guild Number of species 1 Araneidae 2 Tetr agnathidae Orb weavers 16 3 Uloboridae : Plubiom eas Foliage runner 3 ) Sparassidae & 6 Lycosidae 4 Gniphosidae Ground runners 5 8 Ox yopidae 9 Salticidae plalkets he 10 Philodromidae 11 Pisauridae Ambushers 8 12 Thomisidae 13 Linyphiidae Wandering sheet weavers ] 14 Theridiidae : 15 Pholcidae Space web builders 4 16 Hersiliidae 17 Ctenidae Sensing web s) 18 Corinnidae 19 Eresidae Sheet web 1 20 Scytodidae 21 Cheiracanthiidae Oiler honters . Total 66 @ Orb weavers Foliage runner @ Ground runners @ Stalkers Ambushers Wandering sheet weavers @ Space web builders @ Sensing web Sheet web @ Other hunters Fig. 2. Guild composition of collected spiders. 319 Acknowledgments The authors are thankful to Fr. Dr. Jolly Andrews, Principal, Christ College, Irinjalakuda, Kerala, India, for providing necessary facilities for this research. A deep sense of gratitude is due to Dr. Sudhin P.P. and Dr. Sumesh N.V., former Research Scholars, CATE for their valuable support. References Barrion, A.T. & Litsinger, J.A. 1995. Riceland spiders of South and Southeast Asia. CAB International Wallingford, UK, xix + 700 pp. Caleb, J.T.D. & Sankaran, P.M. 2022. Araneae of India. Version 2022, online at http://www.indianspiders.in, accessed on January 2022. Caleb, J.T.D., Sankaran, P.M., Nafin, K.S. & Acharya, S. 2019. Indopadilla, a new jumping spider genus from India (Araneae: Salticidae). Arthropoda Selecta, 28(4): 567-574. Cardoso, P., Pekar, S., Jocqué, R., & Coddington, J.A. 2011.Global patterns of guild composition and functional diversity of spiders. Plos One, 6(6): p.e21710. Gomez, J.E., Lohmiller, J. & Joern, J. 2016. Importance of vegetation structure to the assembly of an aerial web-building spider community in North American open grassland. Journal of Arachnology, 44(1): 28-35. Henschel, J.R., Mahsberg, D. & Stumpf, H. 2001. Allochthonous aquatic insects increase predation and decrease herbivory in river shore food webs. Oikos, 93(3): 429-438. Hore, U. & Uniyal, V.P. 2008. Diversity and composition of spider assemblages in five vegetation types of the Terai Conservation Area, India. Journal of Arachnology, 36(2): 251-258. Marc, P., Canard, A. & Ysnel, F. 1999. Spiders (Araneae) useful for pest limitation and bioindication. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 74: 229-273. Sebastian, P.A. & Peter, K.V. 2009. Spiders of India. Orient Blackswan, Universities Press, Hyderabad, 614 pp., 170 pls. Sudhin, P.P., Nafin, K.S., Caleb, J.T.D. & Sudhikumar, A.V. 2021. A new spider species of the genus Carrhotus Thorell, 1891 (Aranei: Salticidae: Salticini) from Western Ghats of India. Arthropoda Selecta, 30(4): 551-556. Uetz, G.W., Halaj, J. & Cady, A.B. 1999. Guild structure of spiders in major crops. Journal of Arachnology, 27(1): 270-280. Vishnudas, E. H. & Sudhikumar, A. V. 2021. First report of the small daddy long leg spider Micropholcus fauroti (Simon, 1887) (Araneae: Pholcidae) female from India with redescription of the male. Serket, 18(1): 59-63. Williams, D.S. 1979. The feeding behaviour of New Zealand Dolomedes species (Araeneae: Pisauridae). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 6(1): 95-105. Williams, D.D., Ambrose, L.G. & Browning, L.N. 1995. Trophic dynamics of two sympatric species of riparian spider (Araeneae: Tetragnathidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 73: 1545- 1553. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on January 2022. 320 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 321-323. The first record of Stemonyphantes agnatus Tanasevitch, 1990 (Araneae: Linyphiidae) in Turkey Zafer Sancak !*, Mohammad Moradi ” & Biisra Sahin ! ' Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Turkey ? Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran ; Corresponding author e-mail address: zsancak @ kastamonu.edu.tr Abstract The linyphiid spider species Stemonyphantes agnatus Tanasevitch, 1990 is recorded for the first time from Turkey. In this short paper, the characteristic features and photographs of this species from Turkey are presented. This increases the total number of species of family Linyphiidae recorded in Turkey to 117 species. Keywords: Araneae, Linyphiidae, Stemonyphantes agnatus, new record, Turkey. Introduction Members of family Linyphiidae, which are difficult to identify with their small body structures and known for their scattered webs, constitute the second largest family among spiders. Family Linyphiidae Blackwall, 1859 has 1366 species in 222 genera known from Europe (Nentwig et al., 2022) and 4717 species in 622 genera described worldwide (World Spider Catalog, 2022). A total of 1129 spider species in 54 families are known in Turkey including 116 species in 68 genera of family Linyphiidae (Danisman et al., 2021). This paper deals with the characteristic features and distribution of Stemonyphantes agnatus Tanasevitch, 1990 adding it as a new linyphiid species to the araneo-fauna of Turkey. Material and Methods The present study is based on the material collected in 2016 from Rize in Turkey. The specimen was collected from forest by means of sifter and hand aspirator during the daytime. The specimen was preserved in 70% ethanol and deposited in the collection of the Zoological Museum of Kastamonu University (KUZM). The identification was made with a Leica S8APO microscope and pictures were taken by means of a Leica DC 160 camera. SEM micro photographs were taken by Jeol JSM 5600 Scanning Electron Microscope. Identification of the species depended on Tanasevitch (1990), Zamani et al. (2020), and Nentwig et al. (2022). Measurements of legs are as follows: total length (femur+patella+tibiat+metatarsus+tarsus). All measurements are given in millimetres. Fig. 1. Stemonyphantes agnatus Tanasevitch, 1990 3, left palp. A, E. ventral view. B, F. Tegular apophysis. C, G. Cymbium. D. Embolic division and embolus. A-D. scanning electron micrographs. E-G. light microscope photos. Scale bars: 0.5 mm. 322 Results Stemonyphantes agnatus Tanasevitch, 1990 Material examined: 14, Turkey, Rize Province, Hemsin Yaltkaya District, (41°04'12.2"N, 40°53'26.5"E, 520 m), 12.05.2016, from short vegetation and small bushes in the forest, leg. Z. Sancak. Description: Male Body length 5.5. Prosoma length 2.8, abdomen length 2.7. Carapace length 2.0, width 1.8. The body is generally yellow-brown in appearance. Prosoma yellow brown. Ocular area dark. Abdomen black and white patterned with dark horizontal stripes. Legs light brown, terminal segments brown, darkened; with a single dorsal spine on femur. Leg I 6.09 (2.05+0.594+1.844+1.15+0.46), leg Il 5.59 (2.02+0.504+1.55+1.10+0.42), leg III 3.51 (1.50+0.30+0.56+0.75+0.40), leg IV 5.46 (2.00+0.50+1.50+1.01+0.45). Embolus division u-shaped with blunt end. Cymbium pointed, two-pronged. Tegular apophysis terminal dark (Figs. A-G). Global distribution: Caucasus (southern Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan), Ukraine, and Iran (World Spider Catalog, 2021). Discussion Three endemic species of genus Stemonyphantes Menge, 1866 are known in Turkey, i.e. S. abantensis Wunderlich, 1978, S$. montanus Wunderlich, 1978, and S. serratus Tanasevitch, 2011. They are quite similar to each other in terms of their somatic characteristics. Now, S. agnatus Tanasevitch, 1990 is added to the araneo-fauna of Turkey. Due to its geographical location, the work on spiders in our country, which is rich in fauna and flora diversity in its own right, is still gaining momentum with its newness. The most common group in nature is family Linyphiidae with its very large number of species. Most species are tiny and some of them are among the smallest spiders. Turkish spiders have been poorly studied, despite the increase in their studies during recent years. There are still many regions of the country that remain insufficiently investigated. References Danisman, T., Kunt, K.B. & Ozkiitiik, R.S. 2021. The Checklist of the Spiders of Turkey. Version 2019, online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info. Nentwig, W., Blick, T., Bosmans, R., Gloor, D., Hanggi, A. & Kropf, C. 2022. Spiders of Europe. Version 2.2022, online at http://www.araneae.nmbe.ch, accessed on 20 February 2022 Tanasevitch, A.V. 1990. The spider family Linyphiidae in the fauna of the Caucasus (Arachnida, Aranei). In: B. R. Striganova (ed.) Fauna nazemnykh bespozvonochnykh Kavkaza. Moscow, Akaedemia Nauk, pp. 5-114. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 20 February 2022. Zamani, A., Dimitrov, D., Weiss, I, Alimohammadi, S., Rafiei-Jahed, R., Esyunin, S.L., Moradmand, M., Chatzaki, M. & Marusik, Y.M. 2020. New data on the spider fauna of Iran (Arachnida: Araneae), part VII. Arachnology, 18(6): 569-591. 323 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 324-327. New locality record of Pellenes diagonalis (Simon, 1868) (Araneae: Salticidae) in Turkey Osman Seyyar © & Hakan Demir Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Ni&de Omer Halisdemir University, TR-51200, Nigde, Turkey fj Corresponding author e-mail address: osmanseyyar @ hotmail.com Abstract Pellenes diagonalis (Simon, 1868) is known from Turkey except for the Central Anatolian Region. In this study, we could find this species from a new locality to its distribution in Anatolia. Its general habitus and male genitalia are illustrated. Keywords: Spiders, Pellenes diagonalis, new locality, Anatolia. Turkey. Introduction Salticidae Blackwall, 1841 is the largest family in Order Araneae and is currently represented by 6394 species belonging to 662 genera worldwide (World Spider Catalog, 2022). There are 134 species in 42 salticid genera listed for Turkey (Topcu et al., 2005; Demir & Seyyar, 2017; Danisman et al., 2021). Eight species of genus Pellenes Simon, 1876 are known from Turkey: P. brevis (Simon, 1868), P. diagonalis (Simon, 1868), P. epularis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872), P. flavipalpis (Lucas, 1853), P. geniculatus (Simon, 1868), P. moreanus Metzner, 1999, P. nigrociliatus (Simon, 1875), and P. seriatus (Thorell, 1875). Among them, the species P. diagonalis is known from four different regions of Turkey: Southeastern Anatolia Region (SAR) and Mediaterranean Region (MR) (Cosar, 2020), Aegean Region (AR) and East Anatolia Region (EAR) (Logunov, 2015). We could find a new locality, Central Anatolia Region (CAR), for this species from Turkey. The aim of this paper is to present a new locality record of the salticid spider Pellenes diagonalis (Simon, 1868) in Turkey. The new finding of this species widens its distribution in Turkey (Fig. 1). Material and Methods In this study, two male specimens were collected from Hasan Mountain in Central Anatolia. Examined specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol and deposited in the NOHUAM (Nigde Omer Halisdemir University Arachnological Museum). For identification, Metzner (1999) and Proszynski (2017) were consulted. The identification was made by means of a SZX61 Olympus stereomicroscope. * GEORGIA i a a ARMENIA MEDITERRANEAN SEA Fig. 1. Localities of Pellenes diagonalis (Simon, 1868). Geographical regions of Turkey: 1. Black Sea Region (BSR). 2. Marmara region (MR). 3. Aegean region (AR). 4. Mediterranean region (MER). 5. Central Anatolia Region (CAR). 6. East Anatolia Region (EAR). 7. Southeastern Anatolia Region (SAR). Old localities (@) and New locality (* ). A B Fig. 2. Pellenes diagonalis (Simon, 1868) < habitus. A. dorsal view. B. ventral view. 325 Results Pellenes diagonalis (Simon, 1868) Figs. 2-3. Synonyms Attus lippiens L. Koch, 1867 Attus diagonalis Simon, 1868 Attus ostrinus Simon, 1868 Pellenes ostrinus Simon, 1885 For taxonomic references, see World Spider Catalog (2022). Collected specimens: 2¢'3, Central Anatolia Region: between Nigde Province and Aksaray Province, Hasan Mountain (38°03'28"N, 34°09'53"E), 1450 m, 28.VI.2016, Leg. Osman Seyyar & Hakan Demir. A B Fig. 3. Pellenes diagonalis (Simon, 1868) 3 palp. A. ventral view. B. retrolateral view. References Cosar, I. 2020. Systematic and zoogeographic distributions of spiders in Adiyaman, Kahramanmaras and its surrounding (Araneae: Zodariidae, Salticidae). Kirikkale University (Doctoral thesis), Kirikkale, 265 pp. Danisman, T., Kunt, K.B. & Ozkiitiik, R.S. 2022. The Checklist of the Spiders of Turkey. Version 2022, online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info. Demir, H. & Seyyar, O. 2017. Annotated checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Munis Entomology & Zoology, 12(2): 433-469. 326 Logunov, D.V. 2015. Taxonomic-faunistic notes on the jumping spiders of the Mediterranean (Aranei: Salticidae). Arthropoda Selecta 24(1): 33-85. Metzner, H. 1999. Die Springspinnen (Araneae, Salticidae) Griechenlands. Andrias, 14: 1-279. Proszynski, J. 2017. Pragmatic classification of the world's Salticidae (Araneae). Ecologica Montenegrina, 12: 1-133. Topcu, A., Demir, H. & Seyyar, O. 2005. A Checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Serket, 9(4): 109- 140. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 25 February 2022. 327 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 328-330. New record of a comb-footed spider of genus Steatoda (Araneae: Theridiidae) from Turkish araneo-fauna Tuncay Tiirkes * & Zeynep Diizelten Ball Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Ni&de Omer Halisdemir University, TR-51100 Nigde, Turkey : Corresponding author e-mail address: tuncayturkes @ ohu.edu.tr Abstract The theridiid spider species Steatoda trianguloides Levy, 1991 is reported for the first time from Turkey. Its general habitus and genitalia are illustrated. Description and collecting data of this species are also given. Keywords: Spider, Theridiidae, Steatoda, Turkey. Introduction Theridiidae is the fourth largest family of spiders, including 2538 species (World Spider Catalog, 2022). There are 82 theridiid species known in the Turkish fauna (Danisman et al., 2022), including 8 of genus Steatoda. The new record in this study raises the number of theridiid species known from Turkey to 83. Material and Methods The spiders were collected in rocky terrain and preserved in 70% ethanol. The work of Bosmans et al. (2019) was consulted for the identification of this species. The identification was made by means of a SZX7 Olympus stereomicroscope. Examined specimens were deposited in the NOHUAM (Nigde Omer Halisdemir University Arachnological Museum). The distribution of this species is given according to the World Spider Catalog (2022). Results Steatoda trianguloides Levy, 1991 Material examined: Erzincan Province, Kemaliye District, 39 9, 04.07.2008. Description of female: Prosoma and sternum light brown, surface densely covered with small, pointed tubercles; lateral eyes touching (Fig. 1A). Chelicerae slender. Legs yellowish, tuberculate (Fig. 1A). Opisthosoma light with dark sclerotised ridges anteriorly, a few black spots posteriorly (Fig. 1B). Epigyne as in Fig. (1C). Distribution: France (Corsica), Cyprus, Israel, Iran. a Fig. 1. Steatoda trianguloides 2°. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Opisthosoma dorsal view. C. Epigyne ventral view. 329 References Bosmans, R., Van Keer, J., Russell-Smith, A., Hadjiconstantis, M., Komnenov, M., Bosselaers, J., Huber, S., McCowan, D., Snazell, R., Decae, A., Zoumides, C., Kielhorn, K.-H. & Oger, P. 2019. Spiders of Cyprus (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from Cyprus. Newsletter of the Belgian arachnological Society, 34 (Supplement): 1-173. Danisman, T., Kunt, K.B. & Ozkiitiik, R.S. 2022. The Checklist of the Spiders of Turkey. Version 2022, online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on January 2022. 330 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 331-334. Haplodrassus orientalis (L. Koch, 1866) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) is a new record for the Turkish spider fauna Osman Seyyar °, Tuncay Tiirkes & Hakan Demir Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Nigde Omer Halisdemir University, TR-51200, Nigde, Turkey * Corresponding author e-mail address: osmanseyyar @ hotmail.com Abstract Haplodrassus orientalis (L. Koch, 1866) is recorded for the first time from Turkey. The general habitus and male genitalia are illustrated. Locality and description data of this species are also given. Keywords: Gnaphosidae, Haplodrassus orientalis, new record, Turkey. Introduction Ground spider, Gnaphosidae, is the sixth largest family in Order Araneae and currently represented by 2414 species belonging to 144 genera worldwide (World Spider Catalog, 2022). It is now the largest spider family in Turkey. The known gnaphosid fauna of Turkey includes 158 species and 33 genera. So far 13 species of genus Haplodrassus Chamberlin, 1922 are known in Turkey (Topcu et al., 2005; Demir & Seyyar, 2017; Danisman et al., 2022). We found a new species of this genus from Turkey. The aim of this paper is to present the gnaphosid spider Haplodrassus orientalis (L. Koch, 1866) as a new record for the Turkish spider fauna. Material and Methods In this study, only two male specimens were collected from Task6prii-Tosya road in Kastamonu Province in Turkey (Fig. 1). Examined specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol and deposited in the NOHUAM (Nigde Omer Halisdemir University Arachnological Museum). In the identification, Naumova et al. (2021) was consulted. The identification was made by means of a SZX16 Olympus stereomicroscope. Fig. 1. Locality of Haplodrassus orientalis (L. Koch, 1866): Kastamonu Province in Black Sea Region of Turkey. Fig. 2. Haplodrassus orientalis (L. Koch, 1866) 3, habitus, dorsal view. Results Haplodrassus orientalis (L. Koch, 1866) Figs. 2-3. Taxonomic references (World Spider Catalog, 2022) Drassus orientalis L. Koch, 1866. Haplodrassus isaevi Ponomarev & Tsvetkov, 2006. Haplodrassus isaevi Piterkina & Ovtsharenko, 2007. Haplodrassus isaevi Kovblyuk, Kastrygina & Omelko, 2012. Haplodrassus orientalis Bosmans et al., 2018. Haplodrassus orientalis Esyunin & Tuneva, 2020. Haplodrassus orientalis Naumova, Blagoev & Deltshev, 2021. SOL Collected specimens: Turkey: Kastamonu Province: Task6prii district, Hasanli village (41°23'27.41"N, 34°31'22.58"E), 987 m, 20.X.2007 (24.2); Leg. Tuncay Tiirkes. World distribution: Bulgaria, Greece, Ukraine, Russia (Europe), Kazakhstan (World Spider Catalog, 2022). D E Fig. 3. Haplodrassus orientalis (L. Koch, 1866) 3 palp. A-B. ventral view. C. retrolateral tibial apophysis. D. prolateral view. E. retrolateral view. [Em = embolus, MA = median apophysis, RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis, TA = terminal apophysis, Tt = tooth-like process of terminal apophysis (only one)]. References Danisman, T., Kunt, K.B. & Ozkiitiik, R.S. 2022. The Checklist of the Spiders of Turkey. Version 2022, online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info. Demir, H., Seyyar, O., 2017. Annotated checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Munis Entomology & Zoology, 12(2): 433-469. 333 Naumova, M., Blagoev, G. & Deltshev, C. 2021. Fifty spider species new to the Bulgarian fauna, with a review of some dubious species (Arachnida: Araneae). Zootaxa, 4984(1): 228-257. Topcu, A., Demir, H. & Seyyar, O. 2005. A Checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Serket, 9(4): 109- 140. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 25.11.2022. 334 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 335-337. New record of genus Clubiona Latreille, 1804 (Araneae: Clubionidae) from Turkish spider fauna Tuncay Tiirkes * & Elif Athi Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Ni&de Omer Halisdemir University, TR-51100 Nigde, Turkey : Corresponding author e-mail address: tuncayturkes @ ohu.edu.tr Abstract The clubionid spider species Clubiona pseudosimilis Mikhailov, 1990 is reported for the first ttme from Turkey. Its general habitus and genitalia are illustrated. Brief description and collecting data of this species are also given. Keywords: Spider, Clubionidae, Clubiona, Turkey. Introduction Clubionidae is a family of spiders that includes 661 species (World Spider Catalog, 2022). There are 13 species of genus Clubiona Latreille, 1804 known in the Turkish fauna (Topcu et al., 2005; Demir & Seyyar, 2017; Danisman et al., 2022). The new records in this study raises the number of clubionid species known from Turkey to fourteen. Until now, Clubiona pseudosimilis Mikhailov, 1990 is known from Caucasian countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia (Mikhailov, 1990) and the Krasnodar and Kabardino-Balkariya regions of Russia (Mikhailov, 1992, 2003). Bosmans et al. (2013, 2017) expanded the distribution area to: Algeria, Portugal, Greece (Crete) (World Spider Catalog, 2022). Material and Methods The spiders were collected from plant region. They were preserved in 70% ethanol. The works of Mikhailov (1990) and Bosmans et al. (2017) were consulted for the identification of this species. The identification was made by means of a SZX7 Olympus stereomicroscope. Examined specimens were deposited in the NOHUAM (Nigde Omer Halisdemir University Arachnological Museum). Fig. 1. Clubiona pseudosimilis Mikhailov, 1990. A-B. Habitus, dorsal view. A. Female. B. Male. C. Epigyne, ventral view. D. Vulva, ventral view. E-F. Male palp. E. retrolateral view. F. ventral view. 336 Results Clubiona pseudosimilis Mikhailov, 1990 Clubiona pseudosimilis Mikhailov, 1990: 311, f. 16-20 (D@'). Clubiona pseudosimilis Bosmans et al., 2017: 22, f. 103-110 (¢Q). Material examined: Artvin Province, Yusufeli District, Olgunlar plateau, 2467 m, 203 329, 10.09.2009, Leg. T. Tiirkes. Rize Province, Camlihemsin District, Elevit plateau, 1881 m, 1d 229, 25.06.2015, Leg. T. Tiirkes. Rize Province, I%dere District, Ovit passage, 2671 m, 24°45 2° 9, 01.07.2009, Leg. T. Tiirkes. Description of male: Body length: 4.60-6.20 mm. Prosoma reddish, cephalic part chestnut brown (Fig. 1B). Legs yellowish coloured (Fig. 1B). Opisthosoma reddish- brown (Fig. 1B). Male palp as in Figs. (1E-1F). Description of female: Body length: 5.30-7.12 mm. Prosoma yellow-reddish, cephalic part chestnut brown coloured (Fig. 1A). Legs yellowish coloured (Fig. 1A). Opisthosoma reddish-brown (Fig. 1A). Epigyne as in Fig. (1C). Vulva as in Fig. (1D). References Bosmans, R., Henrard, A., Benhalima, S. & Kherbouche-Abrous, O. 2017. The genus Clubiona Latreille, 1904 (Araneae: Clubionidae) in the Maghreb, with notes on the genevensis group and new records from the Mediterranean Region. Zootaxa, 4353(1): 1-28. Bosmans, R., Van Keer, J., Russell-Smith, A., Kronestedt, T., Alderweireldt, M., Bosselaers, J. & De Koninck, H. 2013. Spiders of Crete (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from the Greek island of Crete. Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging, 28(supplement 1): 1-147. Danisman, T., Kunt, K.B. & Ozkiitiik, R.S. 2022. The Checklist of the Spiders of Turkey. Version 2022, online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info. Demir, H., Seyyar, O., 2017. Annotated checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Munis Entomology & Zoology, 12(2): 433-469. Mikhailov, K.G. 1990. The spider genus Clubiona Latreille 1804 in the Caucasus, USSR (Arachnida: Araneae: Clubionidae). Senckenbergiana Biologica, 70(4/6): 299-322. Mikhailov, K.G. 1992. The spider genus Clubiona Latreille, 1804 (Arachnida Aranei Clubionidae) in the USSR fauna: a critical review with taxonomical remarks. Arthropoda Selecta, 1(3): 3-34. Mikhailov, K.G. 2003. The spider genus Clubiona Latreille, 1804 (Aranei: Clubionidae) in the fauna of the former USSR: 2003 update. Arthropoda Selecta, 11(4): 283-317. Topcu, A., Demir, H. & Seyyar, O. 2005. A Checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Serket, 9(4): 109- 140. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on January 2022. 337 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 338-344. Redescription of two wolf spiders Pardosa mukundi Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 and Draposa burasantiensis (Tikader & Malhotra, 1976) (Araneae: Lycosidae) Raveendran Sudha Abhijith ', Palissery Sheeba 2 & Ambalaparambil Vasu Sudhikumar !” ' Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE), Department of Zoology, Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakkuda, Kerala-680125, India * Department of Zoology, Vimala College (Autonomous), Kerala, India ; Corresponding author e-mail address: spidersudhi@ gmail.com Abstract India always amazes with its ecological diversity and biological wealth. Western Ghats has a pivotal role in this. The southern Indian state of Kerala’s major land area comes under Western Ghats. So the taxonomic findings from the state have high significance. Lycosidae Sundevall, 1833 or wolf spiders are amazing organisms which are important to maintain ecological balance. Systematics of this group require a lot of revisions as their external morphology has less taxonomic value. Genital morphology analysis is the best way to accurately classify the spiders, especially wolf spiders. This study reports Pardosa mukundi Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 and Draposa burasantiensis (Tikader & Malhotra, 1976) for the first time from the southern Indian state of Kerala. Redescriptions of females of both species are provided with clear photographs and brief natural history. Keywords: Arachnology, Taxonomy, New reports, Western Ghats, Kerala, India. Introduction Kerala, a southern Indian state is considered as a myriad of biological wealth considering its tropical climate and presence of biodiversity hotspot Western Ghats. Recent climate change related problems in the state, escalated the importance of reporting organisms from the region. Lycosidae Sundevall, 1833 (wolf spiders) is the 5" largest spider family in the world with 2440 species and 126 genera (World Spider Catalog, 2022). Their adult body size ranges from 1 to 30 mm. They pursue diverse prey capture strategies, from permanently vagrant hunters to permanently burrowing species, and some genera are known to build permanent sheet-webs (Murphy et al., 2006). Wolf spiders may also show very specific microhabitat preferences and may be susceptible to changes in habitat structure (JOgar et al., 2004; Marshall & Rypstra, 1999). Pardosa C.L. Koch, 1847 is the most diverse genus and Draposa Kronestedt, 2010 is a relatively new lycosid genus. Morphologically, they are very similar, they only differ by genital characters. Because of the presence of a biodiversity hotspot, it is obvious that the lycosid diversity would be much higher than this. In this paper we are dealing with the redescription of Draposa burasantiensis (Tikader & Malhotra, 1976) and Pardosa mukundi Tikader & Malhotra, 1980. It is also the second ever report of the latter species from India. Material and Methods All specimens were collected by hand picking method and preserved in 70% ethanol and were studied, photographed, and measured using a Leica M205C stereomicroscope, a Leica DFC450 Camera, and LAS software (Ver.4.13). Female epigynes were dissected and internal genitalia were cleared in 10% potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution. Ocular measurements were taken after placing the specimen dorsally. Leg measurements are shown as: total length (femur, patella and tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). All measurements are given in millimetres (mm). Abbreviations used in the main text are: ALE = anterior lateral eye, AME = anterior median eye, BS = base of septum, CATE = Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, CD = copulatory duct, CO = copulatory opening, FD = fertilization duct, MOQ = median ocular quadrangle, PLE = posterior lateral eye, PME = posterior median eye, Sp = spermatheca, SS = septal stem. Systematics Family Lycosidae Sundevall, 1833 Genus Pardosa C.L. Koch, 1847 Pardosa mukundi Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 (Figs. 1A-D) Pardosa mukundi Tikader & Malhotra, 1980: 326, f. 157-159 (2); Buchar & Dolejg, 2021: 948, f. 17A-L (¢Q). Distribution Bhutan, India (First report of the species from the state of Kerala). Material examined India, Kerala: 2°29 from grassland Gavi, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, 9°43.49'N, 77°16.01'E, alt. 3398.95 ft, 8 October 2021, coll. Abhijith, R.S. Deposited in CATE, Christ College, Irinjalakuda, Kerala, India (CATE588504). Redescription Female (Figs. 1A-B): Total length 4.18. Prosoma 2.28 long, 1.77 wide. Opisthosoma 1.90 long, 1.71 wide. Carapace brown with a non-prominent longitudinal fovea. Fovea long, uniform in width. Light brown spots along lateral edges of carapace. Median band dark brown, uniform throughout. Lateral bands indistinct. A small bifurcated mark in the ocular area, obscure by the presence of white pubescence. Ocular area dark, except bifurcated mark, black and white hairs present. Two long distinct, forward facing, white hairy 339 structure present near posterior median eyes. Head region flanked steep without any projections. . * Fig. 1. Pardosa mukundi Tikader & Malhotra, 1980, female from Gavi, Pathanamthitta, Kerala. A-B. Female, habitus. A. dorsal view. B. ventral view, in situ. C-D. Epigyne. C. ventral view. D. dorsal view, cleared. (Scale bars: A-B. 1 mm, C-D. 0.1 mm). Eye sizes and inter-distances: AME 0.079, ALE 0.049, PME 0.183, PLE 0.131, AME- AME 0.067, AME-ALE 0.037, PME-PME 0.248, PME-PLE 0.266. MOQ wider posteriorly. Clypeus height 0.23. Labium dark brown, wider than long. Chelicera with 3 promarginal and 3 retromarginal teeth. Sternum, light brown, heart-shaped, clothed sparsely with black hairs. Legs brown, femur darker. Leg measurements: I 3.92 (1.10, 1.37, 0.97, 0.48); II 3.88 (0.70, 1.83, 0.74, 0.61); I 3.70 (0.77, 1.89, 0.72, 0.32); IV 5.06 (1.22, 340 1.54, 1.32, 0.98). Leg formula: 4123. Palp 1.52 (0.49, 0.71, 0.32). Opisthosoma long oval. Dorsum dark brown with several lateral bands at downward angle. A slender yellow lanceolate pattern present medially. Venter light brown. Posterior spinnerets larger than anterior ones. The female epigynum (Fig. 1E): distinct from other species of Pardosa by: long vase- shaped septum and two prominent hoods present, BS with bulges on both lateral ends. Internal genitalia (Fig. 1F): septum heart shaped, SS wider apically and medially, extreme narrow approaching BS; CD positioned laterally to lower end of SS, bulbous, opening to CO at base; Sp with long, slender stalk and globular head, positioned adjacent to CD. Genus Draposa Kronestedt, 2010 Draposa burasantiensis (Tikader & Malhotra, 1976) (Figs. 2A-D) Pardosa burasantiensis Tikader & Malhotra, 1976: 130, figs. 10-12 (49); Tikader & Malhotra, 1980: 338, figs. 183-186 (39); Tikader & Biswas, 1981: 55, figs. 88-89 (9); Yin et al., 1997: 239, figs. 112a-g (3) (misidentified as per Kronestedt, 2010: 34); Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 330, fig. 194C (2) (misidentified per Kronestedt, 2010: 34); Yin et. al., 2012: 833, figs. 416a-g (SQ). Draposa burasantiensis Dhali et al., 2012: 1202 (4); Sen et al., 2015: 48, figs. 198-202 (2); Dhali, Saha & Raychaudhuri, 2017: 71, figs. 327-331, pl. 23 (3). Distribution China, India (First report from the state of Kerala). Material examined India, Kerala: 29° from grassland in Gavi, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, 9°43.49'N, 77°16.01'E, alt. 3398.95 ft, 8 October 2021, coll. Abhijith, R.S. Deposited in CATE, Christ College, Irinjalakuda, Kerala, India (CATE583912). Redescription Female (Figs. 2A-D): Total length 4.07. Prosoma 2.04 long, 1.62 wide. Opisthosoma 2.03 long, 1.21 wide. Carapace yellowish brown with distinct longitudinal fovea. Fovea non- uniform in width, rather wider at both ends. Green continuous spots along the margin of carapace. Median band greenish yellow, broader near ocular area and narrower around the pedicel. A small bifurcated extension of median band trespassed into the dark ocular area. Paramedian bands broad, dark greenish brown, uniform in width, with a few protrusions extended towards median band. Ocular area black and hairy except bifurcated extension of median band. Head region flanked steep without any projections. Eye sizes and inter- distances: AME 0.069, ALE 0.051, PME 0.178, PLE 0.140, AME-AME 0.070, AME-ALE 0.042, PME-PME 0.256, PME-PLE 0.290. Anterior eye row slightly procurved. MOQ wider posteriorly. Clypeus height 0.15. Labium longer than wide. Chelicera with 3 promarginal and 3 retromarginal teeth. All promarginal teeth subequal in length. Middle retromarginal teeth large and distinct. Sternum heart-shaped, clothed sparsely with black hairs. Dark band along the margin of sternum. Legs yellow with dark greenish yellow annuli. Leg measurements: I 5.49 (1.55, 1.90, 1.24, 0.80); II 5.38 (1.47, 1.89, 1.11, 0.91); Ill 5.09 (1.37, 1.66, 1.31, 0.75); [IV 7.69 (1.87, 2.40, 2.33, 1.09). Leg formula: 4123. Palp 1.96 (0.66, 0.76, 0.54). Opisthosoma long oval. Dorsum dark yellowish brown with several lateral bands like patterns. Bright patterns visible on fresh specimens. Venter yellow. Posterior spinnerets larger than anterior ones. Female epigynum (Fig. 2C): very distinct from other species of Lycosidae by presence of short tongue-like septum and V-shaped hood. Internal genitalia (Fig. 2D): SS, short, 341 cylindrical, uniformly wide; base of septum wider than usual; CD, globular, positioned laterally to SS; Sp subequal in length and width, positioned upright with a narrow inward angle and parallel to the SS, tip positioned parallel, much higher than the septal hood. FD small, globular near the base of CD. Fig. 2. Draposa_ burasantiensis (Tikader & Malhotra, 1976), female from Gavi, Pathanamthitta, Kerala. A-B. Female, habitus. A. dorsal view. B. ventral view. C-D. Epigyne. C. ventral view, in situ. D. dorsal view, cleared. (Scale bars: A-B. 0.5 mm, C-D. 0.1 mm). Brief Natural history Both species were collected from single continuous grassland. The collecting day had pleasant climate with a drizzle previous night. So the grassland is damp in some areas and dry in others. Insect population in the area is also found to be higher. Anthropogenic disturbances were also minimal. These situations were ideal for lycosids to flourish. Apart 342 from two species mentioned, four other lycosid species were also collected from the same area. Most of the spiders were adults. Sub adults were found, but a few. Male individuals were also scarce. But, all the collected males were sexually matured. On their natural habitat males showed great vigour, faster and active than female counterparts and spotted with raised well developed, dark coloured palp. Even though, males of D. burasantiensis and P. mukundi are not obtained, considering same habitat, guild, behaviour, presence of sexually mature females, lack of egg cases and low proportion of males, it is clear that these species are also in their mating period. The wandering nature of mature males to nearby habitats for mating may be the reason for less spotting during collecting. Remarks P. mukundi is a rare lycosid reported only from North India and Bhutan. But, it was not reported from south Indian states. No males were yet reported from India. The description and illustration by Tikader & Malhotra (1980) are similar to our specimen. But, that lacks genital descriptions which is taxonomically important in the taxa. Buchar & Dolej§ (2021) provided photographs of female type of the species, which is similar to our specimen. We provide detailed descriptions along with photographs for getting actual account of the species. Draposa 1s a relatively new lycosid genus. It is morphologically very similar to genus Pardosa. Female genitalia figures of Pardosa burasantiensis (later transferred to Draposa) in Tikader & Malhotra (1980) and Yin et al. (2012) shows similarity with our specimen. Especially view of internal genitalia and the arrangement of SS with V-shaped hoods in Tikader & Malhotra (1980) resembles our specimens in question. Descriptions in the previous papers are mainly dealt with external morphology which also matches our specimens. To get a clear picture, the redescription of the female with genitalic characters and photographs is provided by us. Acknowledgments The authors express deepest gratitude to Principal, Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, Kerala for providing laboratory facilities and the first author is specially thankful to Senior Research Fellowship [08/376(0013)EMR-1/2019] of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi for funding the research. We are expressing our gratitude to Kerala Forest and Wildlife department for granting field work permission [KFDHQ/1911/2021-CWW/WL10] in protected areas. We also acknowledge the funding rendered by DST-SERB Major Research Project EEQ/2021/000453, for the facilities used in the study. References Buchar, J. & Dolejs, P. 2021. Lycosidae from Bhutan 2: Lycosinae, Pardosinae, and Hippasinae (Arachnida: Araneae). Arachnology, 18(8): 935-953. Dhali, D.C., Roy, T.K., Sen, S., Saha, S. & Raychaudhuri, D. 2012. Wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae) of the reserve forests of Dooars, West Bengal, India. Munis Entomology and Zoology, 7(2): 1199-1213. Dhali, D.C., Saha, S. & Raychaudhuri, D. 2017. Litter and ground dwelling spiders (Araneae: Arachnida) of reserve forests of Dooars, West Bengal. World Scientific News, 63: 1-242. 343 Jogar, K., Metspalu, L., & Hiiesaar, K. 2004. Abundance and dynamics of wolf spiders (Lycosidae) in different plant communities. Agronomy Research, 2(2): 145-152. Kronestedt, T. 2010. Draposa, a new wolf spider genus from South and Southeast Asia (Araneae: Lycosidae). Zootaxa, 2637: 31-54. Marshall, S. D., & Rypstra, A. L. (1999). Patterns in the distribution of two wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae) in two soybean agroecosytems. Environmental Entomology, 28(6), 1052-1059. Murphy, N.P., Framenau, V.W., Donnellan, S.C., Harvey, M.S., Park, Y-C. & Austin, A.D. 2006. Phylogenetic reconstruction of the wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae) using sequences from the 12S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and NADH1 genes: implications for classification, biogeography, and the evolution of web building behavior. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 38(3): 583-602. Sen, S., Dhali, D.C., Saha, S. & Raychaudhuri, D. 2015. Spiders (Araneae: Arachnida) of Reserve Forests of Dooars: Gorumara National Park, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. World Scientific News, 20: 1-339. Song, D.X., Zhu, M.S. & Chen, J. 1999. The spiders of China. Hebei Science and Technology Publishing House, Shijiazhuang, 640 pp. Tikader, B.K. & Biswas, B. 1981. Spider fauna of Calcutta and vicinity: Part-I. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper, 30: 1-149. Tikader, B.K. & Malhotra, M.S. 1976. Studies on some spiders of the genus Pardosa Koch from India (family: Lycosidae). Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Science, 83(3): 123-131. Tikader, B.K. & Malhotra, M.S. 1980. Lycosidae (wolf-spiders). Fauna India (Araneae), 1: 248- 447. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 2 March 2022. Yin, C.M., Peng, X.J., Xie, L.P., Bao, Y.H. & Wang, J.F. 1997. Lycosids in China (Arachnida: Araneae). Hunan Normal University Press, 317 pp. Yin, C.M., Peng, X.J., Yan, H.M., Bao, Y.H., Xu, X., Tang, G., Zhou, Q.S. & Liu, P. 2012. Fauna Hunan: Araneae in Hunan, China. Hunan Science and Technology Press, Changsha, 1590 pp. 344 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 345-348. Marinarozelotes adriaticus (Caporiacco, 1951) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) is a new spider record from Turkey Osman Seyyar °, Tuncay Tiirkes & Hakan Demir Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Ni&de Omer Halisdemir University, TR-51200, Nigde, Turkey * Corresponding author e-mail address: osmanseyyar @hotmail.com Abstract Marinarozelotes adriaticus (Caporiacco, 1951) is recorded for the first time from Turkey. Its general habitus and genitalia are illustrated. Description and collecting data of this species are also given. Keywords: Gnaphosidae, Marinarozelotes adriaticus, new record, Turkey. Introduction Gnaphosidae is one of the most diverse families in Turkey and worldwide. It is the sixth largest family in Araneae and currently represented by 2414 species belonging to 144 genera worldwide (World Spider Catalog, 2022). So far, 158 species belonging to 33 genera gnaphosids are listed from Turkey (Top¢u et al., 2005; Demir & Seyyar, 2017; Danisman et al., 2022). Genus Marinarozelotes Ponomarev, 2020 includes 17 species all over the World (World Spider Catalog, 2022). So far, five species are known in Turkey: Marinarozelotes barbatus (L. Koch, 1866), M. fuscipes (L. Koch, 1866), M. glossus (Strand, 1915), M. lyonneti (Audouin, 1825), and M. malkini (Platnick & Murphy, 1984). We could find another species of this genus from Turkey. The aim of this paper is to present the gnaphosid spider Marinarozelotes adriaticus (Caporiacco, 1951) as a new record for the Turkish Spider Fauna. Material and Methods In this study, only two male specimens were collected from Yuva village, Kemaliye district in Erzincan Province, Eastern Anatolia Region, north-east of Turkey. Examined specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol and deposited in the NOHUAM (Nigde Omer Halisdemir University Arachnological Museum). For identification, Platnick & Murphy (1984) and Ponomarev & Shmatko (2020) were consulted. The identification was made by means of a SZX16 Olympus stereomicroscope. Fig. 1. Distribution of Marinarozelotes species in Turkey: 1. M. barbatus, Central Anatolia Region: Kayseri Province (Karol, 1967). 2. M. malkini, Central Anatolia Region: Ankara Province (Platnick & Murphy, 1984). 3. M. fuscipes, Southeast Anatolia Region: Adiyaman Province (Akpinar et al., 2011). 4. M. lyonneti, Mediterranean Region: Antalya Province (Platnick & Murphy, 1984), Osmaniye Province, Kahramanmaras Province and Mersin Province (Seyyar et al., 2008), Central Anatolia Region: Kayseri Province (Seyyar et al., 2008). 5. M. glossus, Black Sea Region: Artvin Province (Wunderlich, 2011). 6. M. adriaticus (new record *), Eastern Anatolia Region: Erzincan Province (in this paper). Results Marinarozelotes adriaticus (Caporiacco, 1951) Figs. (2,3) Taxonomic references (World Spider Catalog, 2022) Zelotes adriaticus Caporiacco, 1951. Zelotes zagistus Ponomarev, 1981. Trachyzelotes adriaticus Platnick & Murphy, 1984. Trachyzelotes adriaticus Hu & Wu, 1989. Trachyzelotes adriaticus Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999. Trachyzelotes adriaticus Tuneva & Esyunin, 2002. Trachyzelotes adriaticus Chatzaki, Thaler & Mylonas, 2003. Trachyzelotes adriaticus Song, Zhu & Zhang, 2004. Trachyzelotes adriaticus Ponomarev & Tsvetkov, 2004. Trachyzelotes adriaticus Chatzaki, 2010. Marinarozelotes adriaticus Ponomarev & Shmatko, 2020. 346 Fig. 2. Marinarozelotes adriaticus (Caporiacco, 1951) °, habitus, dorsal view. Fig. 3. A-B. Marinarozelotes adriaticus (Caporiacco, 1951) 9, epigynum (our material). C-D. Marinarozelotes lyonneti (Audouin, 1825) (Turkish spider material). [mc = median cavity, mer = median epigynal ridge, sp = spermatheca]. 347 Collected specimens: Turkey: Kemaliye Province: Kemaliye district, Yuva village (39°14'50.2512"N, 38°30'37.6128"E), 1130 m, 05.VII.2009 (2° 2); Leg. Tuncay Tiirkes. World distribution: Portugal, Italy to China (World Spider Catalog, 2022). Comments: Marinarozelotes adriaticus female seems very clos to M. lyonneti because they have the m-shaped epigynum, but it can be distinguished from M. lyonneti by having longer median epigynal ridges. It has nearly extended anterior epigynal ducts. Also, in M. lyonneti spermathecae are touching each other and median cavity is wide while in M. adriaticus they are separated and the median cavity is narrow. References Akpmar, A., Varol, I, Kutbay, F. & Tasdemir, B. 2011. Contribution to the knowledge of Gnaphosidae (Arachnida: Araneae) in Turkey. African Journal of Biotechnology, 10(72): 16374- 16378. Danisman, T., Kunt, K.B. & Ozkiitiik, R.S. 2022. The Checklist of the Spiders of Turkey. Version 2022, online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info, accessed on 15.04.2022. Demir, H., Seyyar, O., 2017. Annotated checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Munis Entomology & Zoology, 12(2): 433-469. Karol, S. 1967. Tiirkiye Oriimcekleri. I. On Liste. Ankara Universitesi Basimevi. Ankara. pp. 1-37. Platnick, N.I. & Murphy, J.A. 1984. A revision of the spider genera Trachyzelotes and Urozelotes (Araneae, Gnaphosidae). American Museum Novitates, 2792: 1-30. Ponomarev, A.V. & Shmatko, V.Y. 2020. A review of spiders of the genera Trachyzeloes [sic] Lohmander, 1944 and Marinarozelotes Ponomarev, gen. n. (Aranei: Gnaphosidae) from the southeast of the Russian Plain and the Caucasus. Caucasian Entomological Bulletin, 16(1): 125- 139, Seyyar, O., Ayyildiz, N. & Topcu, A. 2008. Updated checklist of ground spiders (Aranae: Gnaphosidae) of Turkey, with zoogeographical and faunistic remarks. Entomological News, 119(5): 509-520. Topcu, A., Demir, H. & Seyyar, O. 2005. A Checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Serket, 9(4): 109- 140. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 15.04.2022. Wunderlich, J. 2011. Extant and fossil spiders (Araneae). Beitrdge zur Araneologie, 6: 1-640. 348 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 349-352. First report of Zelotes laetus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in Turkey Tarik Danisman !” & Yesim Erol * ' Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, University of Kirikkale, TR-71451, Yahsihan, Kirikkale, Turkey * Department of Biology, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Kirikkale, TR-71451, Yahsihan, Kirikkale, Turkey : Corresponding author e-mail address: tarikdani@ yahoo.com Abstract The gnaphosid spider species Zelotes laetus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) is recorded for the first time from Turkey. Its morphology is briefly described and illustrated. Keywords: Araneae, Gnaphosidae, new record, Turkey. Introduction Gnaphosidae Banks, 1892 is one of the largest families of spiders with 2414 described species (World Spider Catalog, 2022). A total of 159 species in 33 genera of Gnaphosidae are known in Turkey along with recent studies (Cosar et al., 2017a, b; Cosar & Danisman, 2019, 2020, 2021; Danisman et al., 2020, 2022; Demir & Seyyar, 2017). In this paper, we add one gnaphosid spider species as a new record to the spider fauna of Turkey. Material and Methods Two samples were found under stones and collected with hand aspirator from Kahramanmaras province in Turkey. Diagnosis and photography of the samples brought to the laboratory were made with Leica S8APO Stereomicroscope and Canon EOS 250D camera connected to it. In order to get clearer pictures of the species, many pictures were taken with different points in focus. Images were stacked using ‘Combine ZM’ image stacking software and edited with the ‘Photoshop CC 2019’ software. The female copulatory organ was dissected, cleaned, and kept in lactic acid for 2-3 days. The map of species distribution was prepared using SimpleMappr program (Shorthouse, 2010) (Fig. 7). Specimens are deposited in the Arachnological Museum of Kuirikkale University (KUAM). All measurements are in millimetres. Abbreviations: Fe = femur, Mt = metatarsus, Pa = patella, Ta = tarsus, Ti = tibia, TL = total length. Identification depended on Wunderlich (2011). Results Family Gnaphosidae Banks, 1892 Genus Zelotes Gistel, 1848 Zelotes laetus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) Material examined: 29°, Kahramanmaras Province, Andirin District, 37°31'45”N, 36°21'57”E, elev. 614 m, 03.07.2020, Leg. T. Danisman, under stones. Description of female (Figs. 1-6) Measurements: Total length 5.20. Prosoma 1.80 long, 1.40 wide. Abdomen 3.4 long, 1.9 wide. Ocular area long 0.3. Epigyne 0.5 long. Chelicerae 0.65 long, 0.35 wide. Sternum 1.05 long, 0.85 wide. Leg formula IV-I-I-HI. Lengths of legs: Leg I: Fe 1.40, Pa 0.90, Ti 1.20, Mt 0.85, Ta 0.80, TL 5.15; Leg II; Fe 1.20, Pa 0.65, Ti 0.95, Mt 0.80, Ta 0.70, TL 4.30; Leg HI; Fe 1.05, Pa 0.55, Ti 0.80, Mt 0.80, Ta 0.65, TL 3.85; Leg IV; Fe 1.50, Pa 0.80, Ti 1.25, Mt 1.50, Ta 0.80, TL 5.85. Prosoma dark brown, with dark setae (Fig. 1). Clypeus low, dark brown. Chelicerae long, dark brown, dorsally with long, dark setae (Fig. 4). Sternum light brown, edges dark with short dark setae (Fig. 2). Abdomen blackish grey or sepia, dorsally with short setae (Fig. 1). Spinnerets grey (Figs. 1-2). Metatarsus and tarsus yellowish brown, the remaining parts of legs dark brown, covered with short dark- coloured hairs (Figs. 1-3). Epigyne long, anterior pocket narrow, with a single anterior margin, median plate barely visible ventrally (Figs. 5-6). Distribution: North Africa to Senegal and Kenya, Portugal, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia. Introduced to Hawaii, USA, Mexico, Peru (World Spider Catalog, 2022). Figs. 1-4. Zelotes laetus, female, habitus. 1. dorsal view. 2. ventral view. 3. lateral view. 4. frontal view. (Scale bars: Figs. 1-3. 1.0 mm, Fig. 4. 0.2 mm). 350 Figs. 5-6. Zelotes laetus, female, epigyne. 5. ventral view. 6. dorsal view. (Scale bars: 0.2 mm). Fig. 7. Distribution of Zelotes laetus (red star) in Turkey. References Cosar, I. & Danisman, T. 2019. A new Zelotes record from Turkey (Araneae: Gnaphosidae). Serket, 17(1): 58-60. Cosar, I. & Danisman, T. 2020. A new record for the spider fauna of Turkey: Zelotes balcanicus Deltshev, 2006 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae). Serket, 17(2): 110-113. Cosar, I. & Danisman, T. 2021. First report of Micaria fulgens (Walckenaer, 1802) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in Turkey. Munis Entomology and Zoology, 16(1): 230-232. Cosar, 1., Danigsman, T. & Kartaler, M. 2017a. A new gnaphosid spider record from Turkey (Araneae: Gnaphosidae). Serket, 15(4): 147-149. Cosar, [., Danigman, T. & Kartaler, M. 2017b. Three new records for the spider fauna of Turkey (Araneae: Gnaphosidae). Indian Journal of Arachnology, 6(1): 34-38. Danisman, T., Kunt, K.B. & Ozkiitiik, R.S. 2022. The Checklist of the Spiders of Turkey. Version 2022, online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info, accessed on April 2022. Danisman, T., Mamay, M., Cosar I. & Sabuncu, Y. 2020. Taxonomic notes on genus Synaphosus Platnick & Shadab, 1980 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in Turkey. Serket, 17(2): 127-132. 351 Demir, H., Seyyar, O., 2017. Annotated checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Munis Entomology & Zoology, 12(2): 433-469. Shorthouse, D. P. 2010. SimpleMappr, an online tool to produce publication-quality point maps, online at http://www.simplemappr.net accessed on April 2022. World Spider Catalog. 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on April 2022. Wunderlich, J. 2011. Extant and fossil spiders (Araneae). Heutige und fossile Spinnen. Beitrdge zur Araneologie, 6: 1-640 352 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 353-355. A new record of the genus Tegenaria from Turkey (Araneae: Agelenidae) Nurcan Demircan Aksan '’ & Aydin Topcu’ ' Vocational School of Health Services, Bayburt University, TR-69000 Bayburt, Turkey * Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Omer Halisdemir University, TR-51240 Nigde, Turkey *K Corresponding author e-mail address: nurcandemircan @bayburt.edu.tr Abstract A new record of the genus’ Tegenaria Latreille, 1804, Tegenaria euxinica Dimitrov, 2022, is identified as a new record for the Turkish araneofauna. Its morphology is briefly described and illustrated. Keywords: Araneae, Agelenidae, Tegenaria, fauna, new record, Turkey. Introduction Agelenidae C.L. Koch, 1837 is currently represented by 1362 species belonging to 90 genera in the world (World Spider Catalog, 2022). There are 69 species in 15 agelenid genera listed for Turkey; 35 of them belong to the genus Tegeneria Latreille, 1804 (Danisman et al., 2022). In this study, Tegenaria euxinica Dimitrov, 2022 is recorded for the first time from Turkey. Therefore, the known species of the genus Tegenaria is raised to 36 in Turkey. Material and Methods The specimens were collected by hand aspirator from caves in Tekirdag& and Kirklareli provinces. They were preserved in 70% ethanol. SZX16 Olympus binocular stereomicroscope was used during identification. Examined specimens were deposited in the Arachnology Museum of Nigde Omer Halisdemir University (NOHUAM). Measurements are in millimetres. Identification depended on Dimitrov et al. (2022). Results Tegenaria euxinica Dimitrov, 2022 (Figs. 1A-G) Material examined: Turkey, Tekirda& province, Saray district, Kavacik village, Koca-II cave (Isli cave), (41°02'52.4”"N, 28°58'31.2”E), 537 m., 22.09.2014, 19,14; Tekirdag province, Saray district, Bahgcekdy, Ceneviz cave, (41°29'50.7°N, 27°55'03.7”E), 179 m., 23.09.2014, 12; Kirklareli province, Vize district, Hamidiye village, Kurudere-II cave, (41°38'56.9"N, 27°58'27.8”"E), 139 m., 25.09.2014, 19; Kirklareli province, Vize district, Kislacik village, Kovantasi cave, (41°42'20.9"N, 27°54'41.0”E), 224 m., 25.09.2014, 19° , 26.05.2015, 62 2. Leg. A. Topcu. Deposited in the NOHUAM. Fig. 1. Tegenaria euxinica Dimitrov, 2022. A-B. Habitus, dorsal view. A. female. B. male. C. Epigyne, ventral view. D-E. Vulvae, dorsal view. F-G. Left palp. F. ventral view. G. retrolateral view. (Scale bars: A-B. 1.0 mm. C-E. 0.1 mm. F-G. 0.5 mm). 354 Description: Female (Figs. 1A, C-E): Total length 8.5-9.0 mm. Carapace yellowish with 2 broad brown stripes. Abdomen greyish with brown pattern. Legs yellowish with brown rings. Epigyne: posterior sclerite trapezoid and expanding laterally. Vulvae: receptacles large and elliptic. Male (Figs. 1B, F-G): Total length 8.5 mm. Carapace yellowish with 2 broad brown stripes. Abdomen yellowish with brown pattern. Legs yellowish with brown rings. Palp: lateral margin of conductor with a bent in a sharp angle, median apophysis with wider apical and ending in a hook shape. Distribution: Bulgaria (World Spider Catalog, 2022) and Turkey. Specimens of the studied species have been previously recorded as Tegenaria percuriosa from the European part of Turkey by Demircan & Topcu (2016) due to misidentification. In this study, Tegenaria euxinica Dimitrov, 2022 is recorded for the first time from Turkey. Therefore, the known species of the genus Tegenaria is raised to 36 in Turkey. The total number of species of this family recorded from Turkey is now 70 species. Acknowledgment We are very grateful to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for financial support of this work (Project No. KBAG: 114Z108). References Danisman, T., Kunt, K.B. & Ozkiitiik, R.S. 2022. The Checklist of the Spiders of Turkey. Version 2022, online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info. Demircan, N. & Topcu, A. 2016. First records for spider fauna of the European part of Turkey (Araneae). Serket 15(2): 85-91. Dimitrov, D., Bolzern, A. & Arnedo, M. A. 2022. Bringing Tegenaria boitanii stat. rev. back to life with a review of the Tegenaria percuriosa-complex (Araneae: Agelenidae), description of a new species and insight into their phylogenetic relationships and _ evolutionary history. Systematics and Biodiversity, 20(1): 1-18. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 15.04.2022. 355 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 356-377. Diversity of spider fauna (Arachnida: Araneae) in different districts of Andhra Pradesh, India Rajendra Singh '" & Akhilesh Sharma 7 ' Department of Zoology, Deendayal Upadhyay University of Gorakhpur, U.P., India Department of Zoology, S.P.P.G. College, Shoharatgarh, Siddharthnagar, U.P., India : Corresponding author e-mail address: rsinghpu@ gmail.com Abstract An updated checklist of spider diversity in Andhra Pradesh is presented herewith. A total of 192 species of spiders described under 104 genera belonging to 33 families are enlisted that have been recorded/described from all 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh. The maximum number of species of spiders were recorded from Kurnool (80 species) followed by Chittoor (60 species), Kadapa (44 species), Visakhapatnam (37 species), Prakasam (33 species), Anantapur and Nellore (29 species each), Guntur (19 species), Vizianagaram (16 species) and Srikakulam (15 species) and less number of species in other districts. Total 10 species recorded from different districts of Andhra Pradesh were identified only upto generic level while 15 species seem to be misidentified. The Araneidae is the biggest family (29 species) followed by Lycosidae (22 species) and Salticidae (23 species) in Andhra Pradesh. Other families are represented by less than 20 species, 9 families are represented by single species. Most of the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, forest areas, agricultural fields, human dwellings etc. within the state still await intensive and extensive surveys to record the spider fauna. Keywords: Spiders, Araneae, checklist, faunal distribution, Andhra Pradesh, India. Introduction The members of the order Araneae (Arachnida: Chelicerata) are commonly called as spiders. Spiders are cosmopolitan (except Antarctica) in distribution and have the ability to produce silk to construct webs for trapping and wrapping preys. The appearance, ecology and biology of spiders are highly diverse. Spiders represent the largest biomass of predatory arthropods in different agroecosystems especially against insects (Cotes et al., 2018; Benamu, 2020). Indeed, they are potential biocontrol agents against insect pests as they are relatively resistant to starvation, pesticides and desiccation in agricultural ecosystems (Riechert & Lockley, 2003). The spiders also serve as a food source for an extremely diverse complex of predators-parasitoids-parasites, birds, amphibians, lizards, snakes, shrews, mice, bats, fish etc. The order Araneae consists of 50,040 species in 4,250 genera belonging to 131 families (World Spider Catalog, 2022). India having a very rich biodiversity and a tropical climate with biodiversity hotspots, has the best account so far only 1904 species belonging to 490 genera in 60 families (Caleb & Sankaran, 2022), while, Singh & Singh (2021a) listed 2344 species described under 596 genera comprising 65 families, though in this list, several species were considered cases of misidentification by the authors. Araneological studies in Andhra Pradesh date back to Simon (1885) who described and recorded 25 species of spiders in Anantapur district followed by Pocock (1899) who described Poecilotheria metallica from Gooty (Anantapur district), a species declared critically endangered in Red List of IUCN (Molur et al., 2008a). Later, Gravely (1924) mentioned two species of lycosid spiders: Evippa rubiginosa Simon, 1885 and Pardosa pseudoannulata (Boésenberg & Strand, 1906) from Kadapa and Chittoor districts, respectively. A decade later, Gravely (1935) described a theraphocid spider, Neoheterophrictus madraspatanus (Gravely, 1935) from Nagalapuram Hill located in Chittoor district (some specimens were also obtained from few places of Tamil Nadu). After a long gap, Cooke (1972) described four species of ground spiders: Prodidomus palkai, Prodidomus papavanasanemensis, Prodidomus tirumalai, and Prodidomus venkateswarai; Platnick & Shadab (1974) recorded Stenochilus hobsoni O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1871 from Chittoor district; and Tikader & Malhotra (1980) recorded nine species of wolf spiders from different districts of Andhra Pradesh. Thereafter, several species of spiders were described and recorded from different districts of Andhra Pradesh in the twentieth century (Tikader & Biswas, 1981; Patel & Reddy, 1988, 1989, 1990a, b, 1991la, b, 1993a, b; Biswas & Biswas, 1992; Reddy & Patel, 1992a, b,c,d,e, 1993a,c). Studies were continued during the current century by several araneologists such as Srinivasulu (2000), Srinivasulu et al. (2004a,b, 2013), Majumder (2005), Rao et al. (2005), Bastawade & Khandal (2006), Javed et al. (2010a), Ramasubba Reddy (2014, 2016), Palem et al. (2016), Caleb et al. (2015, 2017, 2020), Dhali et al., 2016b) etc. who decribed/recorded hundreds of species of spiders. Despite the ecological importance and diversity, spiders are underrepresented in conservation policies in comparison to other groups throughout the world (Milano et al., 2021). For the conservation of biodiversity of the spiders of any region of the world, their proper documentation is vital as it helps in monitoring the rate of loss of species in future. Preparation of checklists of species is an essential component of systematic documentation. Hence, in view of increasing intensity of anthropogenic and climatic threats (climate change, grazing, deforestation/habitat loss, forest fires, scarcity of water, use of pesticides in agriculture, Indian agricultural practices such as burning of litter and waste of crop remains and ploughing during late May, use of mosquito repellents and larvicidal pesticides to control malaria, urbanization, development of road networks and trade (Vankhede, 2011)) to biodiversity, a cataloguing and appropriate documentation of biodiversity, especially on ignored groups like spiders, is desirable immediately (Singh & Singh, 2021b). In the continuation of checklists of spiders in Indian states (Singh & Singh, 2021b,c,d, 2022a,b; Singh & Sharma, 2022; Singh BB & Singh, 2022), the checklist of spider fauna of one of the Indian state, Andhra Pradesh is documented here. 357 Material and Methods Study site: Andhra Pradesh, India: Andhra Pradesh (latitude: 12°41’ to 19.07°N; longitude: 77° and 84°40’E) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is bordered by Chhattisgarh to the north, Odisha to the north-east, the Bay of Bengal to the east, Tamil Nadu to the south, Karnataka to the west and Telangana to the north-west (Fig. 1). Telangana state was carved in 2014 from Andhra Pradesh. Its coastline is about 974 km. Andhra Pradesh consists of two major regions: Rayalaseema in the south-west and Coastal Andhra bordering the Bay of Bengal in the east and north-east. The state is administratively divided into thirteen districts, nine of which located in the Coastal Andhra and four in Rayalaseema. The state also borders Yanam, a district of Puducherry lying to the south in the Godavari delta on the eastern side of the state. The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati is one of the world’s most visited religious sites located in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh has diverse topography ranging from the hills of Eastern Ghats and Nallamala Hills to the shores of Bay of Bengal that support different ecosystems, with the rich diversity of flora and fauna. Four rivers: the Godavari, Krishna, Penna, and Tungabhadra flow through the state and provide irrigation. The total forest cover of the state is an area of 22,862 km? and can be broadly divided into four major biotic provinces: Deccan Plateau, Central Plateau, Eastern Highland, and East Coastal Plains. The East Coastal plains are for the most part of delta regions formed by the Godavari, Krishna, and Penna rivers. The Rayalaseema region has semi-arid conditions having largely dry deciduous types of vegetation. The coastal plain of Andhra Pradesh consists of several mangrove swamps and palm trees on the sea coast, while thorny vegetation covers the scattered hills of the plateau. The state has many wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and zoological parks. The estuaries of the Godavari and Krishna rivers sustain dense mangrove forests. Depending on the geographical region, the climate of Andhra Pradesh varies considerably. In the coastal plain, the summer (March to June) temperatures are generally higher than the rest of the state, with temperature ranging between 20 and 41°C. The summer is followed by the monsoon season (June to October), about one-third of the total rainfall is brought by the northeast monsoon. Since the state has a long coastal belt the winter season is moderate. The winter temperature generally ranges between 12 to 30°C. Rice is the major food crop of the state along with jowar, bajra, maize, minor millet, coarse grain, many varieties of pulses, oil seeds, sugarcane, cotton, chili pepper, mango nuts and tobacco. The present checklist is based on the published literature on the spiders from India from books, book chapters, journals, proceedings of conferences, Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, few authentic theses, websites, and World Spider Catalog (2022) up to April 29, 2022. In most of the literature published earlier, there were several errors in the scientific names of the spiders even in the recent publications because the researches on spider taxonomy like other taxa are continued with the description of new taxa, their modified status, and the publication of other nomenclatural decisions and clarifications. If a spider species is identified only up to a generic level, it was considered as species if no other species of that genus is reported within that district. In the present checklist, attempts have been made to correct the errors in the scientific names of the spiders following World Spider Catalog (2022). Misidentified species are listed separately and excluded from the checklist. For synonymy and endemism of valid spider species, the following references may be referred to for 25 families of spiders recorded in Andhra Pradesh, e.g. Agelenidae (Singh et al., 2021), Araneidae (Singh & Singh, 2021a), Atracidae and Barychelidae 358 (Singh & Singh, 2020), Cheiracanthiidae (Singh et al., 2020a), Clubionidae (Singh BB et al., 2020), Corinnidae (Singh et al., 2021), Ctenidae (Singh BB et al., 2020), Eresidae (Sharma et al., 2021), Gnaphosidae (Singh & Singh, 2021e), Hersiliidae (Singh et al., 2020b), Homalonychidae (Singh et al., 2020b), Idiopidae and Ischnothelidae (Singh & Singh, 2020), Linyphiidae (Sharma et al., 2020a), Liocranidae (Sharma et al., 2020b), Lycosidae (Singh, 2021a), Oecobiidae (Sharma et al., 2020b), Oxyopidae (Singh, 2021b), Philodromidae (Singh & Singh, 2021f), Pholcidae (Tiwari et al., 2021a), Pisauridae (Tiwari & Singh, 2021), Salticidae (Singh et al., 2020c, d, e, f), Scytodidae (Singh BB et al., 2021), Sparassidae (Singh, 2021c), Stenochilidae (Tiwari et al., 2021b), Tetragnathidae (Singh, 2021d), Theridiidae (Singh, 2021e), Thomisidae (Singh & Singh, 2021¢g), Titanoecidae (Singh & Singh, 2021h), Uloboridae (Singh & Singh, 2021h), and Zodariidae (Singh & Singh, 2021h). Results and Discussion Total number of species recorded in different districts of Andhra Pradesh is displayed in Table (1) and Fig. (1) and seemingly misidentified species are listed in Table (2). igo N MAP OF ANDHRA PRADESH “ A pr Vi Pee ee “ wit i, ra BE RyRy es - An y it { | INDIA BAY OF BENGAL <t < za ~~ < < TAMIL NADU Fig. 1. Map of Andhra Pradesh showing number of species of spiders in different districts. In the present checklist, a total of 192 species of spiders described under 104 genera belonging to 33 families are enlisted that have been recorded/described from all the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh giving up-to-date information. It implies that about half of the families and less than 9% of the species of India are recorded in Andhra 359 Pradesh (Singh & Singh, 2021a; Caleb & Sankaran, 2022). No checklist of spider fauna of Andhra Pradesh is available till now. At least 30 species of spiders were described from different districts of Andhra Pradesh by Patel & Reddy (1988, 1989, 1990a, b, 1991a, b, 1993a, b) and Reddy & Patel (1992a, b, c, d, e, 1993a, b). However, Majumder (2005) recorded 25 species, Rao et al. (2004, 2005, 2006) mentioned 49 species, and Palem et al. (2016) recorded 41 species of spiders from different districts of Andhra Pradesh. Ramasubba Reddy (2014) enlisted 79 species of spiders from only Kurnool district, however, among them, 15 species seems to be misidentified and are excluded from the list. One species, Runcinia escheri Reimoser, 1934 was reported to occur in Andhra Pradesh (Tikader, 1971, 1980) but the locality (Masnigudi) mentioned there belong to the neighbouring Tamil Nadu state. The Araneidae is the biggest family (29 species of 258 species in India) followed by Lycosidae (26 species of 151 species in India) and Salticidae (23 species of 365 species in India). Other families are represented by less than 20 species, 9 families are represented by single species (Table 1). Table 1. List of species of spiders recorded/described from different districts of Andhra Pradesh. Family/Species Distribution References 1. Agelenidae Tegenaria hemanginiae Visakhapatnam Reddy & Patel, 1992c Reddy & Patel, 1992 2. Araneidae Araneus bilunifer Pocock, Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore Palem et al., 2016 1900 Araneus fulvellus (Roewer, East Godavari, Guntur, Reddy & Patel, 1992b 1942) Krishna, Nellore, Prakasam, Srikakulam, Vigianagaram, Visakhapatnam, West Godavari Argiope aemula (Walckenaer, Chittoor, Kadapa, Srinivasulu et al., 2004a; Rao et 1841) Kurnool, Nellore, al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, Prakasam 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Argiope anasuja Thorell, 1887 Chittoor, East Godavari, Srinivasulu et al., 2004a; Rao et Kadapa, Kurnool, al., 2005; Javed et al., 2010a; Nellore, Prakasam, Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem Srikakulam, et al., 2016 Visakhapatnam Argiope catenulata Anantapur, Simon, 1885; Majumder, 2005 (Doleschall, 1859) Visakhapatnam Argiope lobata (Pallas, 1772) Anantapur, Kurnool Simon, 1885; Srinivasulu et al., 2004b; Rao et al., 2005, 2006a; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Argiope pulchella Thorell, Chittoor, Kadapa, Majumder, 2005; Rao et al., 1881 Kurnool, Nellore, 2005; Palem et al., 2016; Prakasam, Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Visakhapatnam 360 Family/Species Bijoaraneus mitificus (Simon, 1886) Cyclosa confraga (Thorell, 1892) Cyrtarachne bengalensis Tikader, 1961 Cyrtarachne inaequalis Thorell, 1895 Cyrtophora cicatrosa (Stoliczka, 1869) Cyrtophora citricola (Forskal, 1775) Eriovixia excelsa (Simon, 1889) Eriovixia laglaizei (Simon, 1877) Gasteracantha geminata (Fabricius, 1798) Herennia multipuncta (Doleschall, 1859) Macracantha hasselti (C.L. Koch, 1837) Neoscona bengalensis Tikader & Bal, 1981 Neoscona dhumani Patel & Reddy, 1993 Neoscona mukerjei Tikader, 1980 Neoscona nautica (L. Koch, 1875) Neoscona punctigera (Doleschall, 1857) Neoscona theisi (Walckenaer, 1841) Neoscona ujavalai Reddy & Patel, 1992 Neoscona vigilans (Blackwall, 1865) Distribution Kurnool Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam Kurnool Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore, Srikakulam, Vigianagaram, Visakhapatnam Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore Kurnool, Prakasam Chittoor, Krishna, Kurnool Kurnool Kurnool Kurnool Visakhapatnam Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Prakasam , Vigianagaram Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool West Godavari Anantapur, Kurnool 361 References Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Palem et al., 2016 Majumder, 2005 Majumder, 2005 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Majumder, 2005; Rao et al., 2005; Javed et al., 2010a; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Palem et al., 2016 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; iNaturalist, 2022 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Patel & Reddy, 1993a Majumder, 2005; Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Palem et al., 2016 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Reddy & Patel, 1992d Simon, 1885; Tikader & Bal, 1981; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Tikader & Biswas, 1981; Biswas & Biswas, 1992; Rao et al., 2005 Family/Species Neoscona sp. Nephila pilipes (Fabricius, 1793) Thelacantha brevispina (Doleschall, 1857) Zygiella sp. 3. Barychelidae Sason robustum (O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1883) Sipalolasma arthrapophysis (Gravely, 1915) 4. Cheiracanthiidae Cheiracanthium melanostomum (Thorell, 1895) Cheiracanthium sambii Patel & Reddy, 1991 Cheiracanthium saraswatii Tikader, 1962 Cheiracanthium seshii Patel & Reddy, 1991 Cheiracanthium triviale (Thorell, 1895) 5. Clubionidae Simalio aurobindoi Patel & Reddy, 1991 6. Corinnidae Castianeira zetes Simon, 1897 7. Ctenidae Ctenus indicus Gravely, 1931 Ctenus narashinhai Patel & Reddy, 1988 Ctenus tuniensis Patel & Reddy, 1988 8. Eresidae Distribution Srikakulam Kurnool, Prakasam Srikakulam Chittoor, Kadapa Chittoor Visakhapatnam Srikakulam Guntur Chittoor, Kadapa Srikakulam Andhra Pradesh Guntur Kurnool Kurnool East Godavari, Visakhapatnam East Godavari, Visakhapatnam References Rao et al., 1981 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Javed et al., 2010a Palem et al., 2016 Siliwal et al., 2011 Javed et al., 2010c; Dhali et al., 2016a Rao et al., 1981 Patel & Reddy, 1991b Palem et al., 2016 Patel & Reddy, 1991b Saha et al., 2016 Patel & Reddy, 1991b Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Patel & Reddy, 1988; Dhali ez al., 2016b Patel & Reddy, 1988; Dhali ez al., 2016b Stegodyphus pacificus Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore Palem et al., 2016 Pocock, 1900 Kurnool, Vigianagaram Majumder, 2005; Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Stegodyphus sarasinorum Karsch, 1892 362 Family/Species Stegodyphus tibialis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869) 9. Gnaphosidae Drassodes luridus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) Drassodes parvidens Caporiacco, 1934 Echemus chaperi Simon, 1885 Gnaphosa poonaensis Tikader, 1973 Poecilochroa barmani Tikader, 1982 Zelotes pexus (Simon, 1885) Zelotes scrutatus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) 10. Hersiliidae Hersilia orvakalensis Javed, Foord & Tampal, 2010 Hersilia savignyi Lucas, 1836 Murricia triangularis M. Baehr & B. Baehr, 1993 11. Idiopidae Idiops crassus Simon, 1884 Titanidiops constructor (Pocock, 1900) 12. Ischnothelidae Indothele mala Coyle, 1995 13. Liocranidae Oedignatha binoyii Reddy & Patel, 1993 Oedignatha indica Reddy & Patel, 1993 Oedignatha scrobiculata Thorell, 1881 Distribution Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore Visakhapatnam Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore Anantapur Guntur Vigianagaram Anantapur Anantapur Kurnool Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore, Vigianagaram East Godavari Anantapur Chittoor, Guntur, Kurnool, Prakasam Chittoor Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam 363 References Palem et al., 2016 Majumder, 2005 Palem et al., 2016 Simon, 1885 Gajbe UA, 1988 Majumder, 2005 Simon, 1885 Tikader, 1982 Javed et al., 2010b Simon, 1885; Majumder, 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Javed & Tampal, 2010 Simon, 1885 Rao et al., 2005; Siliwal et al., 2011; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Ramasubba Reddy, 2016 Coyle, 1995; Dhali et al., 2016a Reddy & Patel, 1993a Reddy & Patel, 1993a Majumder, 2005 Family/Species 14. Lycosidae Crocodilosa leucostigma (Simon, 1885) Draposa atropalpis (Gravely, 1924) Draposa lyrivulva (Boésenberg & Strand, 1906) Draposa subhadrae (Patel & Reddy, 1993) Evippa rajasthanea Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 Evippa rubiginosa Simon, 1885 Hippasa greenalliae (Blackwall, 1867) Hippasa olivacea (Thorell, 1887) Hippasa pisaurina Pocock, 1900 Hippasa valiveruensis Patel & Reddy, 1993 Lycosa balaramai Patel & Reddy, 1993 Lycosa chaperi Simon, 1885 Lycosa indagatrix Walckenaer, 1837 Lycosa kempi Gravely, 1924 Lycosa madani Pocock, 1901 Lycosa pictula Pocock, 1901 Lycosa poonaensis Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 Lycosa thoracica Patel & Reddy, 1993 Distribution Anantapur Chittoor, Kurnool, Prakasam Visakhapatnam Prakasam, Visakhapatnam Prakasam Anantapur, Kadapa Kurnool, Prakasam Kurnool Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore Guntur Visakhapatnam Anantapur Anantapur, Chittoor, Prakasam Kurnool, Prakasam Chittoor Chittoor, Kadapa Chittoor, Kadapa Prakasam 364 References Simon, 1885 Tikader & Malhotra, 1980; Biswas & Biswas, 1992; Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Tikader & Malhotra, 1980; Tikader & Biswas, 1981 Patel & Reddy, 1993b; Kronestedt, 2010; Dhali et al., 2016b Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Simon, 1885; Gravely, 1924; Tikader & Malhotra, 1980; Dhali et al., 2016b Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Palem et al., 2016 Patel & Reddy, 1993b; Dhali et al., 2016b Patel & Reddy, 1993b; Dhali et al., 2016b Simon, 1885; Tikader & Malhotra, 1980; Dhali et al., 2016b Simon, 1885; Tikader & Malhotra, 1980; Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Dhali et al., 2016b Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Tikader & Malhotra, 1980; Dhali et al., 2016b Palem et al., 2016 Palem et al., 2016 Patel & Reddy, 1993b; Dhali et al., 2016b Family/Species Pardosa gopalai Patel & Reddy, 1993 Pardosa heterophthalma (Simon, 1898) Pardosa partita Simon, 1885 Pardosa pseudoannulata (Boésenberg & Strand, 1906) Pardosa sumatrana (Thorell, 1890) Pardosa sp. Serratacosa himalayensis (Gravely, 1924) Trochosa gunturensis Patel & Reddy, 1993 Wadicosa fidelis (O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1872) 15. Oecobiidae Oecobius marathaus Tikader, 1962 Oecobius putus O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1876 16. Oxyopidae Oxyopes javanus Thorell, 1887 Oxyopes kohaensis Bodkhe & Vankhede, 2012 Oxyopes pawani Gajbe, 1992 Oxyopes shweta Tikader 1970 Oxyopes sp. Peucetia latikae Tikader, 1970 Peucetia viridana (Stoliczka, 1869) Distribution East Godavari Visakhapatnam Anantapur Chittoor Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore Chittoor, Kadapa Vigianagaram Guntur Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore, Prakasam, Visakhapatnam Kurnool Kurnool Srikakulam Kurnool Kurnool Vigianagaram Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore, Srikakulam Visakhapatnam Kurnool, Srikakulam 365 References Patel & Reddy, 1993b; Dhali et al., 2016b Majumder, 2005 Simon, 1885 Gravely, 1924; Tikader & Malhotra, 1980; Tikader & Biswas, 1981; Biswas & Biswas, 1992 Tikader & Malhotra, 1980; Tikader & Biswas, 1981; Biswas & Biswas, 1992; Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016; Dhali et al., 2016b Palem et al., 2016 Majumder, 2005 Patel & Reddy, 1993b; Dhali et al., 2016b Tikader & Malhotra, 1980; Tikader & Biswas, 1981; Biswas & Biswas, 1992; Majumder, 2005; Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016; Dhali et al., 2016b Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 1981 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Majumder, 2005 Rao et al., 1981; Palem et al., 2016 Majumder, 2005 Rao et al., 1981; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Family/Species Peucetia yogeshi Gajbe, 1999 17. Palpimanidae Palpimanus gibbulus Dufour, 1820 18. Philodromidae Philodromus betrabatai Tikader, 1966 Thanatus indicus Simon, 1885 Tibellus elongatus Tikader, 1960 Tibellus pashanensis Tikader, 1980 Tibellus pateli Tikader, 1980 19. Pholcidae Artema atlanta Walckenaer, 1837 Crossopriza lyoni (Blackwall, 1867) Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775) 20. Pisauridae Dendrolycosa bobbiliensis (Reddy & Patel, 1993) Nilus decoratus (Patel & Reddy, 1990) Pisaura podilensis Patel & Reddy, 1990 Pisaura sp. 21. Prodidomidae Prodidomus chaperi (Simon, 1884) Prodidomus palkai Cooke, 1972 Prodidomus papavanasanemensis Cooke, 1972 Prodidomus tirumalai Cooke, 1972 Distribution Kurnool Anantapur Kurnool Anantapur Kurnool Prakasam Kurnool Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore, Vigianagaram Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore Vigianagaram Guntur, Prakasam Guntur, Prakasam Chittoor, Kadapa Anantapur Chittoor Chittoor Chittoor 366 References Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Simon, 1885 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Simon, 1885 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Simon, 1885; Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Majumder, 2005; Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Reddy & Patel, 1993b Patel & Reddy, 1990a Patel & Reddy, 1990a; Dhali er al., 2016b Palem et al., 2016 Simon, 1885 Cooke, 1972 Cooke, 1972 Cooke, 1972 Family/Species Prodidomus venkateswarai Cooke, 1972 22. Salticidae Carrhotus andhra Caleb, 2020 Carrhotus viduus (C.L. Koch, 1846) Chrysilla volupe (Karsch, 1879) Cyrba algerina (Lucas, 1846) Epocilla aurantiaca (Simon, 1885) Epocilla calcarata (Karsch, 1880) Harmochirus brachiatus (Thorell, 1877) Hasarius adansoni (Audouin, 1825) Hyllus semicupreus (Simon, 1885) Menemerus bivittatus (Dufour, 1831) Myrmaplata plataleoides (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869) Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839 Myrmarachne providens (G.W. Peckham & E.G. Peckham, 1892) Neaetha tomkovichi Logunov, 2019 Phlegra prasanna Caleb & Mathai, 2015 Plexippus paykulli (Audouin, 1825) Plexippus petersi (Karsch, 1878) Saitis chaperi Simon, 1885 Distribution Chittoor Visakhapatnam Chittoor, East Godavari, Kadapa, Krishna, Kurnool West Godawari Anantapur Kurnool Kurnool Kurnool Srikakulam Anantapur, Krishna, Kurnool Anantapur, Kurnool Prakasam Kurnool Kurnool Guntur Kadapa Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam Chittoor, Kurnool Anantapur 367 References Cooke, 1972 Caleb et al., 2020 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016; Caleb et al., 2020; iNaturalist, 2022 iNaturalist, 2022 Simon, 1885 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 iNaturalist, 2022 Simon, 1885; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; iNaturalist, 2022 Simon, 1885; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; iNaturalist, 2022 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Logunov, 2019 Caleb et al., 2015 Simon, 1885; Rao et al., 1981; Majumder, 2005; Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; iNaturalist, 2022 Simon, 1885 Family/Species Stenaelurillus arambagensis (Biswas & Biswas, 1992) Stenaelurillus sarojinae Caleb & Mathai, 2014 Stenaelurillus tettu Logunov, 2020 Stenaelurillus sp. Telamonia dimidiata (Simon, 1899) Thiania bhamoensis Thorell, 1887 23. Scytodidae Scytodes thoracica (Latreille, 1802) 24. Selenopidae Selenops radiatus Latreille, 1819 25. Sparassidae Heteropoda kandiana Pocock, 1899 Heteropoda nilgirina Pocock, 1901 Heteropoda sexpunctata Simon, 1885 Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus, 1767) Olios sp. Spariolenus tigris Simon, 1880 26. Stenochilidae Stenochilus hobsoni O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871 27. Tetragnathidae Guizygiella indica (Tikader & Bal, 1980) Leucauge celebesiana (Walckenaer, 1841) Leucauge decorata (Blackwall, 1864) Leucauge fastigata (Simon, 1877) Distribution Prakasam Kadapa Prakasam Kurnool Kurnool, Vigi5nagaram, West Godawari Kurnool Kurnool Anantapur Vigianagaram Kurnool, Prakasam Anantapur, Kurnool Anantapur, Kurnool, Visakhapatnam Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore Kurnool, Prakasam Chittoor Kurnool Kurnool Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore Chittoor 368 References Caleb et al., 2017 Caleb & Mathai, 2014; Caleb et al., 2015 Logunov, 2020 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Majumder, 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; iNaturalist, 2022 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Simon, 1885 Majumder, 2005 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Simon, 1885; Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Majumder, 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; iNaturalist, 2022 Palem et al., 2016 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Platnick & Shadab, 1974 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 iNaturalist, 2022 Family/Species Leucauge tessellata (Thorell, 1887) Leucauge venusta (Walckenaer, 1841) Meta abdomenalis Patel & Reddy, 1993 Tetragnatha ceylonica O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 Tetragnatha keyserlingi Simon, 1890 Tetragnatha mandibulata Walckenaer, 1841 Tetragnatha vermiformis Emerton, 1884 28. Theraphosidae Chilobrachys fimbriatus Pocock, 1899 Chilobrachys hardwickei (Pocock, 1895) Chilobrachys khasiensis (Tikader, 1977) Chilobrachys sp. Heterophrictus blatteri (Gravely, 1935) Neoheterophrictus madraspatanus (Gravely, 1935) Plesiophrictus meghalayaensis Tikader, 1977 Poecilotheria formosa Pocock, 1899 Poecilotheria metallica Pocock, 1899 Poecilotheria regalis Pocock, 1899 Distribution Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Prakasam, Vigianagaram Kurnool Visakhapatnam Kurnool Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore Kurnool Guntur, Kurnool, Prakasam, Visakhapatnam Guntur, Kurnool, Prakasam Vigianagaram Anantapur Visakhapatnam Chittoor Vigianagaram, Visakhapatnam Guntur, Krishna, Prakasam Anantapur, Guntur, Kurnool, Prakasam Anantapur, Chittoor, Guntur, Kurnool, Prakasam 369 References Majumder, 2005; Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Patel & Reddy, 1993a Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Palem et al., 2016 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Palem et al., 2016 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2014; Ramasubba Reddy, 2016; iNaturalist, 2022 Rao et al., 2005; Ramasubba Reddy, 2016 Majumder, 2005 Molur et al., 2003 Majumder, 2005 Gravely, 1935 Majumder, 2005 Rao et al., 2006b; Molur et al., 2008b; Ramasubba Reddy, 2016 Pocock, 1899, 1900; Molur et al., 2003; Molur et al., 2008b; Siliwal et al., 2011; Ramasubba Reddy, 2016 Gravely, 1935; Molur et al., 2003, 2004; Rao et al., 2004, 2005; Molur et al., 2008b; Siliwal et al., 2011; Ramasubba Reddy, 2016 Family/Species Poecilotheria tigrinawesseli Smith, 2006 29. Theridiidae Argyrodes argentatus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1880 Argyrodes cyrtophorae Tikader, 1963 Argyrodes dipali Tikader, 1963 Argyrodes flavescens O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1880 Coleosoma floridanum Banks, 1900 Cyllognatha surajbe Patel & Patel, 1972 Nihonhimea tikaderi (Patel, 1973) Rhomphaea projiciens O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896 30. Thomisidae Camaricus bipunctatus Bastawade, 2002 Camaricus sp. Misumena vatia (Clerck, 1757) Stiphropus duriusculus (Simon, 1885) Thomisus godavariae Reddy & Patel, 1992 Thomisus katrajghatus Tikader, 1963 Thomisus krishnae Reddy & Patel, 1992 Thomisus lobosus Tikader, 1965 Thomisus pugilis Stoliczka, 1869 Thomisus spectabilis Doleschall, 1859 Thomisus sp. Distribution Visakhapatnam Srikakulam Kurnool Kurnool Visakhapatnam Srikakulam Chittoor, Kadapa Chittoor, Kadapa Kurnool Kurnool Chittoor, Kadapa Kurnool Anantapur Guntur, Krishna, Nellore, Prakasam, Srikakulam Srikakulam Guntur, Krishna, Nellore, Prakasam Kurnool Kurnool Kurnool Chittoor, Kadapa, Srikakulam 370 References Smith, 2006; Molur et al., 2008b; Siliwal et al., 2011 Javed et al., 2010a Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Javed et al., 2010a Srinivasulu et al., 2013 Palem et al., 2016 Palem et al., 2016 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Bastawade & Khandal, 2006 Palem et al., 2016 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Simon, 1885 Reddy & Patel, 1992a Rao et al., 1981 Reddy & Patel, 1992a Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Ramasubba Reddy, 2014 Rao et al., 1981; Palem et al., 2016 Family/Species Distribution References Tmarus srisailamensis Rao, Kurnool Rao et al., 2006b Bastawade, Javed & Krishna, 2006 31. Titanoecidae Pandava andhraca (Patel & — Chittoor, East Godavari, Patel & Reddy, 1990b Reddy, 1990) Guntur, Krishna, Nellore, Prakasam, Srikakulam, Vigianagaram, Visakhapatnam, West Godavari 32. Uloboridae Philoponella feroka (Bradoo, Chittoor Babu et al., 2022 1979) Uloborus danolius Tikader, Chittoor, Kadapa Palem et al., 2016 1969 Uloborus sp. Chittoor, Kadapa Palem et al., 2016 33. Zodariidae Laminion arakuense (Patel & Visakhapatnam Patel & Reddy, 1989 Reddy, 1989) Laminion birenifer Guntur, Visakhapatnam, Patel & Reddy, 1989 (Gravely, 1921) West Godavari Laminion gujaratense Nellore, Visakhapatnam Patel & Reddy, 1989 Tikader & Patel, 1975) Mallinella indica East Godavari Patel & Reddy, 1989 (Tikader & Patel, 1975) Storenomorpha raghavai Visakhapatnam Patel & Reddy, 1991a (Patel & Reddy, 1991) Suffasia gujaratensis Nellore, Visakhapatnam Patel & Reddy, 1989 (Tikader & Patel, 1975) Tropizodium kovvurense West Godavari Reddy & Patel, 1992e; Sankaran (Reddy & Patel, 1993) et al., 2019 Four species of tarantulas (Theraphosidae) recorded from Andhra Pradesh are put in Red List of IUCN (Molur et al., 2008b). One species, Poecilotheria metallica Pocock, 1899 is declared Critically Endangered (Molur et al., 2008a), Poecilotheria formosa Pocock, 1899 is declared Endangered (Molur et al., 2008c), Poecilotheria regalis Pocock, 1899 is assessed as Least Concern (Molur et al., 2008d), and Poecilotheria tigrinawesseli Smith, 2006 is assessed as Data Deficient (Siliwal et al., 2008). The maximum number of species of spiders were recorded from Kurnool (80 species) followed by Chittoor (60 species), Kadapa (44 species), Visakhapattanam (37 species), Prakasham (33 species), Anantapur and Nellore (29 species each), Guntur (19 species), Vizianagaram (16 species), Srikakulam (15 species), and less number of species in other districts (Fig. 1). Most of the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, forest areas, agricultural fields, human dwellings etc. of Andhra Pradesh still await intensive and extensive survey programmes to record a near complete spider fauna. Total 10 species 371 recorded from different districts of Andhra Pradesh were identified only upto generic level (Table 1). Also, 15 species seem to be misidentified as these species are not recorded in India (World Spider Catalog, 2022; Caleb & Sankaran, 2022) (Table 2) and are excluded from this checklist. Table 2. Doubtful and erroneous records of spider species from Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. Family Species References Atracidae Atrax robustus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877 Ramasubba Reddy, 2016 Araneidae Aculepeira ceropegia (Walckenaer, 1802) Corinnidae Merenius alberti Lessert, 1923 Nyssus albopunctatus (Hogg, 1896) Gnaphosidae Callilepis pluto Banks, 1896 a Drassyllus praeficus (L. Koch, 1866) = Herpyllus propinquus (Keyserling, 1887) c. Zelotes latreillei (Simon, 1878) S Lycosidae Hogna carolinensis (Walckenaer, 1805) e Oxyopidae Oxyopes elegans L. Koch, 1878 ee Oxyopes scalaris Hentz, 1845 iS Pisauridae Dolomedes tenebrosus Hentz, 1844 iN Salticidae Menemerus semilimbatus (Hahn, 1829) Pelegrina proterva (Walckenaer, 1837) Zodariidae Mallinella shimojanai (Ono & Tanikawa, 1990) Acknowledgments The authors thank Dr. K. Sunil Jose, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, Deva Matha College, Kuravilangad, Kerala and Dr. J.T.D. Caleb, Division of Biodiversity, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College (Autonomous), Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India for providing some of the literature on spider. References Babu, N., Caleb, J.T.D., Jani, M., Uma, D. & Prasad, G. 2022. On the taxonomy and distribution of the orb- weaving spider Philoponella feroka (Bradoo, 1979) n. comb. from India (Araneae, Uloboridae). Zootaxa, 5087(3): 497-500. Bastawade, D.B. & Khandal, D. 2006. Araneae. Conservation Area Series 26: Invertebrate Fauna of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali, Mumbai. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, pp. 139-184. 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Singh, R. & Singh, G. 2021b. An updated checklist of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) in Northeast India. Serket, 18(1): 91-144. Singh, R. & Singh, G. 2021c. Faunal diversity of spiders (Chelicerata: Araneae) in Bihar and Jharkhand, India. International Journal of Biological Innovations, 3(2): 382-391. Singh, R. & Singh, G. 2021d. Updated checklist of spider diversity (Arachnida: Araneae) in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi (India). Serket, 18(2): 199-228. Singh, R. & Singh, G. 2021le. Faunal Diversity of Gnaphosidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneomorphae) in India: An updated Checklist. Serket, 17(4): 438-473. Singh, R. & Singh, G. 2021f. Updated checklist of Philodromidae (Araneae: Arachnida) from India. World Journal of Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences, 7(2): 129-139. Singh, R. & Singh, G. 2021g. Diversity and distribution of crab spiders (Thomisidae: Araneomorphae: Araneae: Arachnida) in India. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 6(3): 132-161. Singh, R. & Singh, G. 2021h. Faunal distribution of spiders of the families Titanoecidae, Trachelidae, Trochanteriidae, Uloboridae and Zodariidae (Arachnida: Araneae) in India. Serket, 17(4): 370-393. Singh, R. & Singh, G. 2022a. An updated checklist of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Rajasthan, India. Journal of Animal Diversity, 4(1): in press. Singh, R. & Singh, G. 2022b. Faunal diversity of spiders (Chelicerata: Araneae) in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, India. Arthropods, 11(1): 18-55. Singh, R., Singh, G. & Sharma, A. 2020a. Diversity of yellow sac spiders (Cheiracanthiidae: Araneae: Arachnida) in India. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 8(6): 118-126. Singh, R., Singh, G. & Sharma, A. 2020b. Faunal diversity of Hahniidae, Hersiliidae and Homalonychidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneomorphae) in India. Serket, 17(3): 240-251. Singh, R., Singh, G. & Singh, B.B. 2020c. Diversity of Marpissoida, Chrysillini and Hasariini (Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae: Salticinae) in India. Research Journal of Life Sciences, Bioinformatics, Pharmaceuticals & Chemical Science, 6(6): 15-42. Singh, R., Singh, G. & Singh, B.B. 2020d. Diversity of simonid spiders (Araneae: Salticidae: Salticinae) in India. International Journal of Biological Innovations, 2(2): 247-276. Singh, R., Singh, G. & Singh, B.B. 2020e. Diversity of Asemoneinae, Eupoinae, Hisponinae, Lyssomaninae, Onomastinae and Spartaeinae (Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae) in India: A checklist and bibliography. Research Journal of Life Sciences, Bioinformatics, Pharmaceuticals and Chemical Science, 6(5): 29-46. 376 Singh, R., Singh, G. & Singh, B.B. 2020f. Diversity of Amycoida and Astioida (Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae: Salticinae) in India. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 8(5): 1478-1488. Singh, R., Singh, G. & Singh, B.B. 2021. Faunal diversity of Agelenidae, Amaurobiidae, Anyphaenidae, Arkyidae, Cithaeronidae and Corinnidae (Araneae, Arachnida) in India. Munis Entomology & Zoology, 16(2): 772-786. Smith, A.M. 2006. A new species of Poecilotheria from northern peninsular India (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae) with notes on its distribution and conservation status. Journal of the British Tarantula Society, 21: 83-94. Srinivasulu, C. 2000. Giant wood spider Nephila maculata Fabr. In forested tracts along river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh. Zoos' Print Journal, 15(3): 229-230. Srinivasulu, C., Bhargavi, S. & Siliwal, M. 2004a. Sightings of Argiope anasuja Thorell 1887 and Argiope aemula (Walckenaer, 1842) (Araneae: Araneidae) in Andhra Pradesh, India. Bug ‘R’ All, 7(2): 7. Srinivasulu, C., Srinivasulu, B. & Siliwal, M. 2004b. Occurrence of Argiope lobata (Pallas, 1772) in Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, India. Zoos’ Print Journal, 19(9): 1625. Srinivasulu, C., Srinivasulu, B., Javed, S.M.M., Seetharamaraju, M., Jyothi, S.A., Srinivasulu, C.A. & Tampal, F. 2013. Additions to the araneofauna of Andhra Pradesh, India - Part II. Records of interesting species of the comb-footed genera Latrodectus, Rhomphaea and Coleosoma (Araneae: Theridiidae). Journal of Threatened Taxa, 5: 4483-4491. Tikader, B.K. 1971. Revision of Indian crab spiders (Araneae: Thomisidae). Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India, 15(8): 1-90. Tikader, B.K. 1980. Fauna of India, Araneae. Vol. I, Part 1: Thomisidae (Crab-Spiders), Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 247 pp. Tikader, B.K. 1982. Fauna of India, Spiders: Araneae. Vol. 2, Part 1: Family Araneidae (=Argiopidae) Typical Orb-Weavers, Part 2: Gnaphosidae, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 536 pp. Tikader, B.K. & Bal, A. 1981. Studies on some orb-weaving spiders of the genera Neoscona Simon and Araneus Clerck of the family Araneidae (=Argiopidae) from India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper No. 24: 1-60. Tikader, B.K. & Biswas, B. 1981. Spider fauna of Calcutta and vicinity: Part-I. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper, 30: 1-149. Tikader, B. K. & Malhotra, M. S. 1980. The fauna of India: Araneae. Vol. 1 Part 2, Lycosidae (Wolf- spiders), Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, pp. 248- 447. Tiwari, A.K. & Singh, R. 2021. Diversity and distribution of Pisauridae (Araneae: Araneomorphae: Arachnida) in India. International Journal of Entomology Research, 6(1): 119-125. Tiwari, A.K., Singh, R. & Singh, G. 2021a. Diversity and distribution of Pholcidae (Araneae: Araneomorphae: Arachnida) in India. /nternational Journal of Life Sciences, 9(2): 151-157. Tiwari, A.K., Singh, G. & Singh, R. 2021b. Biodiversity of some poorly known families of spiders (Areneomorphae: Araneae: Arachnida) in India. Journal of Global Biosciences, 10(1): 8352-8371. Vankhede, G.N. 2011. Conservation of Spiders in India. ENVIS Bulletin : Wildlife & Protected Areas, 14: 54-59. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 28 April 2022. SFT Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 378-381. Zodarion lutipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) (Araneae: Zodariidae) a new record from Iraq Azhar Mohammed Al-khazali Department of sciences, College of Basic Education, University of Sumer, Dhi Qar, Iraq E-mail: azhararach @ gmail.com Abstract The female of Zodarion lutipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) is reported for the first time from Iraq, based on new material collected from Dhi Qar province, southern Iraq. A description, digital photos, and a distribution map are presented. Keywords: Araneae, ant spiders, distribution, Iraq. Introduction Zodariidae Thorell, 1881 is one of the largest families within Araneomorphae, represented by 1215 species belonging to 87 genera (World Spider Catalog, 2022). Members of this family are characterized by a medium-size, absence of serrula, tarsal claws with lateral teeth, long anterior spinnerets, and occur mainly in tropical and subtropical regions (Jocqué, 1991). The genus Zodarion Walckenaer, 1826 is the second largest genus after Mallinella Strand, 1906 of this family, represented by 174 described species worldwide, and there are 60 species of Zodarion ant spiders known from Asia, 31 of them are reported in the neighbouring country of Iraq, Turkey (World Spider Catalog, 2022). However, family Zodariidae in Iraq is still unstudied, only the species Zodarion sungar (Jocqué, 1991) is known from this country so far, which has been described from Sinjar District in Mosul province, northern Iraq. Despite the passage of thirty years, no specimens of this family were rediscovered in Iraq. During the collection of new material from Dhi Qar province southern Iraq, specimens belonging to Zodarion were found and identified as Z. lutipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872). The aim of this paper is to report this species for the first time from Iraq. Figs. 1-4. Zodarion lutipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) female. 1-2. Habitus. 1. dorsal view. 2. ventral view. 3-4. Epigyne. 3. dorsal view. 4. ventral view. Material and Methods The material was collected from a rural region planted in Qalat Sukar District, Dhi Qar Province in southern Iraq (Fig. 1). The specimens were examined and photographed under ethanol by using a Nikon camera on an ED4 stereomicroscope. The epigyne was purified in KOH water solution until soft tissues were dissolved. Spiders are preserved in 70% denatured ethanol and deposited in Invertebrate Lab in College of Basic Education, University of Sumer, Dhi Qar, Iraq. Leg measurements are provided as total length (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). All measurements are in mm. 379 Taxonomy Family Zodariidae Thorell, 1881 Genus Zodarion Walckenaer, 1826 Zodarion lutipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) (Figs. 1-4) For taxonomic references see the World Spider Catalog (2022). Specimens examined. Southern Iraq, Dhi Qar Province, Qalat Sukar district, Aljdoua village annual agricultural land, under dry mud piles, 31.85732°N, 46.08153°E, 12 m a.s.l. (Fig. 5), 2 July 2021, 19 and 19 subadult, Leg. A.M. Al-Khazali. Identification. According to Levy (1992) and Bosmans (2009). Description of female. General appearance as in Figs. (1-2). Measurements: Body length 5.04; prosoma 1.53 long, 1.12 wide; opisthosoma 2.62 long, 1.51 wide. Leg measurements: I 5.65 (1.78, 0.78, 1.12, 1.28, 0.69), II 4.84 (1.45, 0.72, 1.10, 1.08, 0.49), Ill 5.07 (1.29, 0.77, 1.02, 1.12, 0.87), IV 5.88 (1.62, 0.92, 1.31, 1.18, 0.85). Carapace reddish brown, anterior head margin is roughly square (Fig.1); ocular area of anterior median eyes is dark; sternum, coxae, maxillae, chelicerae and legs uniformly yellowish. Opisthosoma oval, dorsally dark brown, ventrally grey brown, covered with fine brown setae, spinnerets light brown. Epigyne: as in Figs. (3-4), for a re-description see Levy (1992) and Bosmans (2009). Distribution. The species was previously known from five countries in the Middle East: Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, Cyprus, and Palestine/Israel (World Spider Catalog, 2022). The current record from Iraq is an increase in the distribution of this species within the West Asian countries (Fig. 5). y a ( Ry, Oo Iran Fig. 5. Map showing the global distribution of Zodarion lutipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872). circle = current study, squares = previous records. Comments According to World Spider Catalog (2022), there are 31 species of the genus Zodarion recorded in Turkey, so according to the location of Iraq neighbouring this country, it is expected that the number of these species in Iraq will increase with the increase in the survey of areas by local researchers, especially the northern areas close to the Iraqi- Turkish border. 380 Acknowledgment My gratitude to Alireza Zamani (University of Turku, Finland) for providing scientific advice on the identification of the species. References Bosmans, R. 2009. Revision of the genus Zodarion Walckenaer, 1833, part III. South East Europe and Turkey (Araneae: Zodariidae). Contributions to Natural History, 12: 211-295. Jocqué, R. 1991. A generic revision of the spider family Zodariidae (Araneae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 201: 1-160. Levy, G. 1992. The spider genera Palaestina, Trygetus, Zodarion and Ranops (Araneae, Zodariidae) in Israel with annotations on species of the Middle East. Israel Journal of Zoology, 38: 67-110. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 6 April 2022. 381 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 382-385. New locality data of Stegodyphus lineatus (Latreille, 1817) (Araneae: Eresidae) from Basrah province south of Iraq Shuroog Abdullah Najim * & Adil Fadhil Abbas Department of Ecology, College of Science, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq Corresponding author e-mail address: shuroog.najim @ uobasrah.edu.iq Abstract Stegodyphus lineatus (Latreille, 1817) is a member of family Eresidae which is commonly known as velvet spiders. This species was recorded from neighbouring countries as well as unknown locality from Iraq. In current study, definite localities of the species are recorded from south of Iraq. The images of adult female and its epigynum are presented. Keywords: Araneae, Eresidae, Stegodyphus, locality, Basrah, Iraq. Introduction Eresidae, commonly known as velvet spiders, is a relatively small family contained only nine genera, 97 species, and 5 subspecies (World Spider Catalog, 2022). Stegodyphus is a genus of velvet spiders that was first established by Simon in 1873. Most of its twenty species are distributed in Africa and Asia. It is represented by only one species in southern Europe and one species in Brazil (World Spider Catalog, 2022). Stegodyphus lineatus (Latreille, 1817) has been recorded from neighbouring countries of Iraq: Turkey (Kraus & Kraus, 1989; Miller et al., 2012), Syria (Kraus & Kraus, 1989), Jordan (El-Hennawy, 1987; Kraus & Kraus, 1989), and Iran (Kraus & Kraus, 1989; Zamani & Marusik, 2018). It was recorded from an unknown locality from Iraq by Kraus & Kraus (1989): "Mesopotamia (12 MNHN AR 932)" [Only 1 female specimen in Paris natural history museum] (Zamani & El-Hennawy, 2016; Fomichev et al., 2018). In the current study, the females of Stegodyphus lineatus (Latreille, 1817) were collected from three sites of Basrah province desert south of Iraq. The aim of this study is to present definite localities of this species with images of the adult and its epigynum. Fig. 2. Stegodyphus lineatus (Latreille, 1817) female. A-B. Habitus. A. dorsal view. B. ventral view. C. Epigynum, ventral view. D. Vulvae, dorsal view. 383 Material and Methods In the current study, 12 females of Stegodyphus lineatus were collected from three sites of Basrah province desert: 1- Artawi (30°34'48.108"N, 47°0'44.97"E), 2- Hammar Mushrif (30°28'58.6632"N, 47°37'11.442"E), 3- AL-Touba (30°26'18.4956"N, 47°24'15. 4404"), (Fig. 1), during the period from 1 September 2021 to 1 April 2022. Hand collecting method was taken on collecting the specimens from Astragalus plants, where the webs of Stegodyphus lineatus were built inside them (Fig. 3). Spiders were preserved in ethyl alcohol 80%, examined and photographed by Leica microscope in Entomology laboratory of Science college, Basrah university. The specimens were identified according to El-Hennawy (2009). Results Material examined: 59 9, Artawi; 499, Al-Touba; 39° 29, Hammar Mushrif; 1 September 2021 to 1 April 2022; Leg. Shuroog A. Najim. Total length: 13.2-15.1 mm, Fig. (2A) dorsal view, Fig. (2B) ventral view. Cephalothorax length: 4.4-5.1 mm. Abdomen length: 8.9-10 mm. Female genitalia: Figs. 2C-D) 0.90-0.95 mm. ee = ‘ 22 besa = 3 *. * = y . iV ee \ ge ies Sees a REE - 7 PS Za lie | —_— ts Fig. 3. A. Astragalus plant and the web of Stegodyphus lineatus inside it. B. Habitat of Stegodyphus lineatus at Basrah desert south of Iraq. References El-Hennawy, H.K. 1987. Stegodyphus lineatus (Latreille) 1817 ( Araneida : Eresidae ) in Jordan. Serket, 1(1): 18. El-Hennawy, H. K. 2009. Eresidae of Sudan (Araneida: Eresidae). Serket, 11(3/4): 129-137. Fomichev, A.A., Marusik, Y.M. & Koponen, S. 2018. New data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Iraq. Zoology in the Middle East, 64(4): 329-339. 384 Kraus, O. & Kraus, M. 1989. The genus Stegodyphus (Arachnida, Araneae). Sibling species, species groups, and parallel origin of social living. Verhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg (NF), 30: 151-254. Miller, J.A., Griswold, C.E., Scharff, N., Rezaé, M., Sziits, T. & Marhabaie, M. 2012. The velvet spiders: an atlas of the Eresidae (Arachnida, Araneae). ZooKeys, 195: 1-144. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 28 April 2022. Zamani, A. & El-Hennawy, H.K. 2016. Preliminary list of the spiders of Iraq (Arachnida: Araneae). Arachnida — Rivista Aracnologica Italiana, 6: 12-20. Zamani, A. & Marusik, Y. M. 2018. The first report on the spider fauna (Arachnida: Araneae) of the Lut Desert, Iran. Acta Arachnologica, 67(2): 67-75. 385 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 386-390. Genus Zelotes Gistel, 1848 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), a new record from Iraq Ghassan A. Ali Al-Yacoub '’ & Murtatha Y. M. Al-Abbad ° Department of Biology, College of Education for Pure Sciences, University of Thi-Qar, Thi-Qar, Iraq e Department of Biology, College of Education for Pure Sciences, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq / Corresponding author e-mail address: Ghassanadnan.bio @utq.edu.iq Abstract The genus Zelotes Gistel, 1848 is recorded in Iraq for the first time. Females and males of Zelotes subterraneus (C.L. Koch, 1833) were collected from an agricultural area in Thi Qar province, southern Iraq. Illustrations of epigynum and palp of the species and a map of the specimens collecting location are provided. Keywords: Araneae, Zelotes subterraneus, new record, Ur, Iraq. Introduction Family Gnaphosidae currently includes 2414 species with 144 genera, and there are 397 species belonging to the genus Zelotes Gistel, 1848 (World Spider Catalog, 2022). In Iraq, only 6 species of the family Gnaphosidae are recorded: Berlandina mesopotamica Al-Khazali, 2020, Gnaphosa dolosa Herman, 1879, Nomisia conigera (Spassky, 1941), Pterotricha arzhantsevi Fomichev, Marusik & Koponen, 2018, P. esyunini Zamani, 2018, and P. kovblyuki Zamani & Marusik, 2018 (Fomichev ef al. 2018; Al-Khazali & Hussein, 2019; Al-Khazali, 2020; Al-Yacoub et al. 2021a,b). Zelotes subterraneus (C.L. Koch, 1833) has been recorded in Turkey (Asian part), the neighbouring country of Iraq (Danisman et al., 2022). The aim of the current study is to provide new data on the fauna of spiders in Iraq, which is still few. Material and Methods The specimens were taken from Thi Qar Province, southern Iraq (Fig. 1), from an agricultural area on the banks of the Euphrates River, southeast of the city of Nasiriyah (Fig. 2). Specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol, photographed with a Nikon Z50 camera on a Kriiss stereomicroscope, then digital images were prepared using image stacking software (Zerene stacker). The measurements were given for the segments of the legs as follows: total length (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). All measurements are in millimetres (mm). Fig. 1. Map of collecting location of Zelotes subterraneus (red circle): Thi Qar Province, southeast of Al-Nasiriyah city, Ur district, Iraq. Fig. 2. Habitat of Zelotes subterraneus, Ur district. 387 Results Family Gnaphosidae Banks, 1892 Genus Zelotes Gistel, 1848 Zelotes subterraneus (C.L. Koch, 1833) (Figs. 3-5). Z. subterraneus Murphy & Platnick, 1986: 98, f. 5-8 (4). Z. subterraneus Ponomarev & Shmatko, 2019: 10, f. 49-64 (3). For full taxonomic references, see World Spider Catalog (2022). Material Examined. 14 629 and 20 subadults, Ur district, Thi Qar Province, south of Iraq, 31°01'42.5"N 46°18'07.1"E, 10-20 April 2022. Diagnosis. Epigynum in female (Fig. 4), there is a clear loop in the median ducts of epigynum on the ventral view. Palp in male (Fig. 5), end of the embolus is smoothly curved and tapered towards the tip, giving it a characteristic sickle-shaped appearance. Description. Female: Habitus as in Fig. (3). Total length 8.5. Prosoma 3.5 length, 2.5 width. Opisthosoma 5.0 length. Prosoma, labium, sternum, and maxillae are dark brown. Eyes are arranged in two rows, silvery in colour with blackening in the anterior middle eyes, the posterior middle eyes are oval. Opisthosoma grey with bristles and three pairs of light spots in the middle. Legs are dark brown with measurements as follows: I 7.4 (2.0, belo} the 120) 69.205 12) Ted 2 OT, 6.6 (2207 150) 163.2 [A 09.4 EV LOG (2.5, 1.5, 2.0, 2.9, 1.1). Male is similar to the female with some differences in the measurements, Total length 6.5. Prosoma 2.5 length, 1.5 width. Opisthosoma 4.0 length. Leastl 342227 ali: Os, 1593 12 sO) 6.8 22s 0. 5; 1.20.9), I 622-0. Ol 2a, OSV SOS, 2.0.2 Orel oO). Fig. 3. Zelotes subterraneus (C.L. Koch, 1833) °. Habitus, dorsal view. Discussion Z. subterraneus 1s widespread in Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, Russia from the European part to the Far East, Central Asia and China (World Spider Catalog, 2022). Platnick & Shadab (1983) classified the species as European. Kovblyuk (2006) indicated that all Z. subterraneus results should be validated in the Asian part of the Palaearctic region. In the current study, it is recorded for the first time in Iraq. 388 Figs. 4-5. Zelotes subterraneus (C.L. Koch, 1833). 4. 2, Epigynum, ventral view. 5. 3, Palp, ventral view. Acknowledgment Sincere gratitude to Mr. Alireza Zamani (Finland) for his scientific advice that led to the confirmation of the identification of the specimens. References Al-Khazali, A.M., Hussein, A.N. 2019. First record of genus Gnaphosa Latreille, 1804 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in Iraq. Serket, 16(4): 161-165. Al-Khazali, A.M. 2020. Berlandina mesopotamica sp. nov. (Araneae: Gnaphosidae): new record of the genus in Iraq. Arachnology, 18(5): 444446. Al-Yacoub, G.A.A., Al-Abbad, M.Y.M. & Kareem, D.K. 2021a. Pterotricha esyunini Zamani, 2018 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), a new record for Iraqi spiders. Serket, 18(1): 31-35. Al-Yacoub, G.A.A., Al-Abbad, M.Y.M. & Kareem, D.K. 2021b. First record of Pterotricha kovblyuki Zamani & Marusik, 2018 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Iraq. Serket, 18(2): 186-190. Danisman, T., Kunt, K.B. & Ozkiitiik, R.S. 2022. The Checklist of the Spiders of Turkey. Version 2022, online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info. Fomichev, A.A., Marusik, Y.M. & Koponen, S. 2018. New data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Iraq. Zoology in the Middle East, 64(4): 329-339. Kovblyuk, M.M. 2006. Zelotes kukushkini sp. n. (Aranei, Gnaphosidae) and close related species from Palaearctic. Vestnik zoologii, 40(3): 205-217. (In Russian). Murphy, J. A. & Platnick, N. I. (1986). On Zelotes subterraneus (C. L. Koch) in Britain (Araneae, Gnaphosidae). Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society, 7(3): 97-100. 389 Platnick N.I., Shadab M.U. 1983. A revision of the American spiders of the genus Zelotes (Araneae, Gnaphosidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 174: 97-191. Ponomarev, A.V. & Shmatko, V.Y. 2019. A review of spiders of the genus Zelotes Gistel, 1848 of the subterraneus-group (Aranei: Gnaphosidae) from the Caucasus and Ciscaucasia. Caucasian Entomological Bulletin, 15(1): 3-22. World Spider Catalog. 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 24 April 2022. 390 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 391-399. Community organization of social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum Karsch, 1892 in Kerala Ovatt Mohanan Drisya-Mohan & Ambalaparambil Vasu Sudhikumar — Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE), Department of Zoology, Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakkuda, Kerala-680125, India : drisyamohan2 @ gmail.com ; Corresponding author e-mail address: spidersudhi @ gmail.com Abstract Social spiders are widely distributed geographically and the social spider found in India shows different behavioural attributes. The present study identified the presence of Indian cooperative spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum Karsch, 1892 colonies in different districts of Kerala. Beyond the conventional method of taxonomic identification, the molecular method was used to identify the organism. Along with the morphometric analysis of S. sarasinorum, sexual size dimorphism was also investigated. The study shows the distribution of colonies in four districts of Kerala (1 m to 80 m above msl) and the molecular sequence of S. sarasinorum shows with the other social spider S. mimosarum found in Africa and Madagascar and solitary spider S. dufouri distributed in South and North Africa. The sexual size dimorphism index confirmed the dimorphism in this social spider. Keywords: Social spider, Kerala, Distribution, Sexual dimorphism index, Stegodyphus. Introduction Most genera under the family Eresidae are found predominantly in arid areas of Africa and Eurasia although some species are found in rainforests of the Afrotropical and Neotropical regions (World Spider Catalog, 2022). The members of genus Stegodyphus typically build silken nests in vegetation while other eresids typically live in silk tubes under objects (e.g., bark, stones) or underground (Simon, 1873). Kraus & Kraus (1989) and Johannesen et al. (2007) found that Stegodyphus exhibit unreliable degrees of solitary and subsocial behaviour and at least three species have independently evolved quasi- social behaviour. Stegodyphus sarasinorum Karsch, 1892 is an Indian cooperative spider found in arid and semi-arid habitats throughout India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Myanmar (Kraus & Kraus, 1989; World Spider Catalog, 2022). The ecology and natural history of S. sarasinorum have been investigated by Jambunathan (1905), Bradoo (1972, 1975, 1980), Jackson & Joseph (1973), Kraus & Kraus (1989), and Chakravarthy et al., 2015. In earlier times, Jambunathan (1905) and Subrahmanyam (1953) reported information on the habits and life history of S. sarasinorum from the Madras state. In 1972, Bradoo found the newly established nest of S. sarasinorum on telephone lines of several localities of several Kottayam and Thrissur districts of Kerala and some paddy fields of Kerala; and others reported this social spider from Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (Smith & Engel 1994; Chakravarthy et al., 2015), Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh (Beleyur et al., 2015), Villukuri, Thirunelveli and Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu (Beleyur et al., 2015; Parthasarathy & Somanathan, 2018; Pathmavathy & Ebanasar, 2018). The degree of size difference in male and female spiders has a great role in the life-history traits (Skow & Jakob, 2003; Bowden et al., 2013). For the differentiation of sex in social spider, morphometric studies were used (Suthaharan, 1986). Prenter et al. (1999) explained the sexual dimorphism in spiders by providing evidence of increased fecundity selection in females. The difference between the morphs was explained by the morphometrical and developmental data. The reproductive isolation confirmed the occurrence of copulation of the individuals of the same morphs (Aisenberg & Costa, 2008). Sexual size dimorphism has a great role in the cannibalistic behaviour in spiders and it was positively correlated (Wilder & Rypstra, 2008). The body size of the spider determined the rate of web takeover and defence (Eichenberger et al., 2009). And climate change affects the increased sexual size dimorphism in spiders with an increase in altitude (Hgye & Hammel, 2010). The morphometric measurements of seven species of spiders from the south Indian region were analysed by Arunkumar & Jayaprakash (2014) and the morphometric measurements and sexual dimorphism of both males and females of the Red House spider of South Banglore, Karnataka was done by Jalajakshi & Vinutha (2014) and oxyopid spiders from Karnataka by Ramakrishnaiah et al. (2018). In this study, the presence of the colonies of S. sarasinorum found in Kerala was identified. Beyond the conventional method of taxonomic identification, molecular method was used to identify the organism. By using the morphometric analysis of the Indian social spider S. sarasinorum, the sexual size dimorphism index was investigated. Material and Methods Presence of S. sarasinorum colonies in Kerala During the study, the social spider S. sarasinorum colonies in various places of Kerala was identified using the visual searching method and mapped using the Geographic Information System (GIS 10.3). Identification of S. sarasinorum The collected spiders were identified using taxonomic keys (Karsch, 1892; Tikader, 1987) and molecular analysis was also conducted to identify the specimen and it was carried out at Regional Facility for DNA Fingerprinting (RFDF), Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram. 392, Sequence Analysis The sequence quality was checked using Sequence Scanner Software v1 (Applied Biosystems). Sequence alignment and required editing of the obtained sequences were carried out using Geneious Pro v5.1 (Drummond et al., 2010). Species identification was carried out using the BLAST method. And the sequence deposited in NCBI GenBank. To find out the probable evolutionary position of the Stegodyphus sarasinorum, which is genetically identified in this study (MZ364328.1), the authors have retrieved the following sequence from the NCBI: DQ973158.1, DQ973157.1, DQ973155.1, KY020277.1, DQ973162.1, KU232702.1, KU232698.1, FJ949017.1, and MT472136.1. The evolutionary position of other social spiders among the Stegodyphus sp. has also been analysed in this investigation. The phylogenetic analysis of the COXI gene of the isolated specimen clearly confirmed the morphological identification since the isolated nucleotide sequence has exhibited close resemblance towards the other above mentioned retrieved sequences of NCBI that are representing the S. sarasinorum. Morphometry of S. sarasinorum Site of collecting The study area comprises: 1. Thrissur (Christ College campus, Irinjalakuda, Kerala, 10°21'30.6"N, 76°12'49.96"E): The spiders have been distributed in the plants including trees (Artocarpus heterophyllus), shrubs (Eugenia uniflora), grass (Pennisetum polystachion). 2. Kollam (Monroe thuruth, Kollam, Kerala, 8°59'4.2"N, 76°36'33.51"E). The spiders were distributed in the mangrove plants Acanthus ilicifolius. Sampling method and morphometric measurements The spiders were collected by using aerial hand collecting from the selected locations of Kerala. The males and females (three spiders each) were collected from each site and collected specimens were brought to the laboratory. The specimens were preserved in 70% alcohol. Morphometric measurements were carried out using Leica M205C stereo- microscope. All variables were measured in cm and the data were analyzed in Microsoft Excel for Mean + Standard Error. The digital images were taken using Leica DMC 4500 digital camera attached to Leica M205C stereomicroscope, with a software package Leica Application Suite (LAS). The studied specimens were deposited in the reference collection at the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE), Department of Zoology, Christ College Irinjalakuda, Kerala, India. Sexual size dimorphism was calculated using the sexual dimorphism index (SDI) of Lovich & Gibbons (1992), SDI = size of largest sex/size of smallest sex. This index is arbitrarily assigned a negative sign if males are larger and a positive sign if females are larger. Results The colonies of S. sarasinorum (Fig. 1A) were found in four different districts of Kerala including Palakkad, Kozhikode, Thrissur, and Kollam (Fig. 1B & Table 1). The phylogenetic perspectives of the social spiders in genus Stegodyphus have also been verified in this investigation. The position of the isolated specimen (S. sarasinorum) in the social spider community, especially in genus Stegodyphus has been validated in Fig. (2). From the phylogenetic analysis, the authors have analyzed the fact that the isolated 393 specimen (MZ364328.1: Stegodyphus sarasinorum) has shared genetic similarities with other previously reported social spiders such as Stegodyphus mimosarum (FJ949017.1) and Stegodyphus dufouri (MT472136.1). The sexual size dimorphism index confirmed that males are larger than the female spiders in S. sarasinorum species (Fig. 3 & Tables tan erat —— KOZHIKODE ye - ; we : == } ai | fi ( : ( Lg _ \ ‘ ; ‘y ‘ -_ ~ ls a \ 4 - . aT. Fig. 1. A. Communal feeding of Stegodyphus sarasinorum. B. Map showing the presence of social spider S. sarasinorum colonies in different locations of Kerala. DQ973158.1 Stegodyphus tentoriicola isolate Stentri cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene partial cds mitochondrial DQ973157.1 Stegodyphus dumicola isolate SdumB2M cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene partial cds mitochondrial DQ973155.1 Stegodyphus bicolor isolate Sbicolor1 cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene partial cds mitochondrial KY020277.1 Stegodyphus lineatus isolate Dezful2 cytochrome oxidase subunit | (COI) gene partial cds mitochondrial DQ973162.1 Stegodyphus africanus cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene partial cds mitochondrial KU232702.1 Stegodyphus tibialis partial cds KU232698.1 Stegodyphus pacificus partial cds FJ949017.1 Stegodyphus mimosarum isolate 9 6 cytochrome oxidase subunit | (COI) gene partial cds mitochondrial MZ364328.1 Stegodyphus sarasinorum voucher CATE3201 cytochrome c oxidase subunit | (COX1) gene partial cds mitochondrial MT472136.1 Stegodyphus dufouri voucher ZMB 49065 cytochrome c oxidase subunit | (COX1) gene partial cds mitochondrial en | 0.05 Fig. 2. The phylogenetic tree showing the evolutionary position of the isolated specimen (MZ364328.1: S. sarasinorum, accession number highlighted in orange colour) and other social spiders (accession number highlighted in red colour) among the Stegodyphus sp. Fig. 3. Stegodyphus sarasinorum Karsch, 1892. A. Male. B. Female. 394 Table 1. Details of the specimens collected from different geographical locations in Kerala. Location Latitude & Altitude MT gi Habitat (District) Longitude (m a.m.s.1.) Chavakkad 10°33'44.82"N Shrub (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis); (Thrissur) 76°1'33.24"E Trees (Tamarindus indica, Artocarpus heterophyllus) Kattoor 10°22'30.86"N 4 | Kodungallur 10°15'21.56"N (Thrissur) 76°13'03.11"E 10°14'22.52"N 76°12'44.32"E Chulannur 10°43'20.03"N Tree (Cleistanthus collinus) Pannikode 11°16'27.56"N 23 Tree (Gliricidia sepium) 7 | Monroe Thuruth 8°59'4.20"N Ws Mangrove (Acanthus ilicifolius); Table 2. Morphometric measurements (in cm) of cephalothorax, abdomen and total length of the S. sarasinorum. rae Cephalothorax (Mean + SE) Abdomen (Mean + SE) District | Sex |_CePhalothorax (Mean +SE) | Te Length Width Length Width Pinte ; 0.209 +0.011 | 0.157+40.005 | 0.274 +4 0.00 0.186 + 0.008 0.455 + 0.012 Teal 2 [0200 2 0.071 Tree (Mangifera indica) Mangrove (Acanthus ilicifolius); 2 8 4 1 Trees (Tamarindus indica, 1 Artocarpus heterophyllus) SL. No. |* | 2 | Irinjalakuda 10°21'30.60"N Grass (Pennisetum polystachion); (Thrissur) 76°12'49.96"E Shrub (Eugenia uniflora); Tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus) 7* 5 0.309 + 0.001 | 0.206 +0.012 | 0.478 +0.040 | 0.318+0.020 | 0.726 + 0.038 eal 0.206 + 0.008 | 0.14+0.014 | 0.267+40.016 | 0.177+0.005 | 0.453 + 0.008 0.253 + 0.008 | 0.192 +0.006 | 0.391 40.013 | 0.275+0.013 | 0.6134 0.011 Discussion Stegodyphus sarasinorum is found in arid and semi-arid habitats throughout India. In 1972, Bradoo found the newly established nest of the S. sarasinorum on telephone lines of several localities of several Kottayam and Thrissur districts of Kerala and some paddy fields of Kerala. The documentation of this spider fauna from Kerala is insufficient. So in this study, the presence of the Indian social spider was mapped. This spider is distributed in various districts of Kerala including Palakkad, Kozhikode, Thrissur, and Kollam. They are mainly found in the area near the ground, rocky habitat and riparian habitat. The distribution ranges from Kodungallur (1 m above m.s.1.) and Chavakkad (Thrissur) and Monroe thuruth (Kollam) (2 m a.mz.s.l.) to Chulannur (Palakkad, 80 m a.m.s.l.). Pathmavathy & Ebnasar (2018) reported that in Tamil Nadu, S. sarasinorum was absent in altitude above 1441 m above sea level while in the lower altitude its distribution was more (925 m a.m.s.l.). Because of the intolerance towards the lower temperature, S. sarasinorum colonies distribution decreases with an increase in altitude. 395 Table 3. Morphometric measurements (in cm) of the legs of S. sarasinorum. Leg Segments (Mean + SE) (cm) — _ Total Thrissur 1 | 0.064 + 0.029+ | 0.119+ | 0.044+] 0.140+] 0.103 + 0.063 + | 0.564 + [ome | “ton |"ooos | soos | cor | “nor oos | oz 2 | 0.048 + 0.023 + | 0.089+ | 0.033+ |} 0.087+] 0.063 + 0.048 + | 0.393 + P= [ion | ‘tins | "ns | “ooo | os | “ons [one | “ona 3 038 + 0.023 + | 0.071 + | 0.032+] 0.066+] 0.040+ 0.041 + | 0.313 + [ote 4 | 0.046 + 0.031+ | 0113+ | 0.044 | 0.1034] 0.072+ 0.044+ | 0.451 + 2 [on 1 | 0.080 + 0.034+ | 0.169+ | 0.053+] 0.1534] 0.123 + 0.077 + | 0.691 + Bie 2 | 0.066 + 0.032+ | 0.116+ | 0.044+4] 0.1044] 0.077+ 0.061 + | 0.502 + Bie 3 | 0.050 + 0.038+ | 0.079+ | 0.032+] 0.072+] 0.055 + 0.049 + | 0.3774 [con 0.059 | 0.0424 | 01474] 0058+] 0111+] 0086+ | 0.0744] 05794 Kollam 1 | 0057+] 0.0272 | 0.1214 | 00444] 0.1254] 0101+ | 0.064] 05414 2 [0045+] 0027+ | 0102+ | 0.033+| 0086+| 0.0674 | 0.0492] 0411+ | [ton ns 3 0.0234 | 0.087+ | 0.0284] 0.0644] 0.0384 | 0.0424] 03244 4 [0054+] 0027+ | 0114+ | 0050+| 0097+] 0.075 | 006+ | 0.4792 | | 0075+] 0.0432 | 0.1372 | 0069+] 0.1394] O115+ | 0068+] 06494 2 [0005+] 0.0302 | 0.0952] 0.050+| 0102+| 0.0544 | 0.0492] 04474 2 [E(w a 3 [0.0484] 0032+ | 0.079 | 0.050+| 0.063+| 0.0504 | 0.0432] 0367+ 4 [0005+] 0043+ | 0134+] 0008+| 0118+] 0.094 | 0001+] 0581+ jal 0.004 | 0.003 | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.008 | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.016 The phylogenetic tree of the study specimen confirmed the similarity with the other voucher specimens of S. sarasinorum and shows a resemblance with the other social spider S. mimosarum and S. dufouri among the species of genus Stegodyphus. In 1989, Kraus & Kraus classified that Stegodyphys pacificus as sister species of S. sarasinorum. Because of the morphological resemblance of S. pacificus and S. dufouri, Kraus & Kraus (1990) considered these two species as geographical variants. Later Johannsenn et al. (2007) confirmed that S. dufouri is a sister species of S$. sarasinorum. The spider's morphology, behavioural tendencies and social demographics are determined by the social organization and colony demographics of the social spider colonies (Wright et al., 2015). Fecundity selection is supposed to be driving the female- biased sexual size dimorphism in most insect orders (Horabin, 2005). And also (a) their size at hatching, (b) their rate of growth, (c) the duration of their growth period (Badyaev, 396 2002; Esperk et al., 2007), and/or (d) size-dependent survival (Stillwell & Fox, 2007) also cause variation in sexual size dimorphism that occurs at the adult stage. The sexual size dimorphism of the Indian social spider studied in Kerala shows that it is highly female-biased. This large size variation in female spiders is highly correlated with the clutch size or fecundity in spiders (Prenter et al., 1999). Table 4. Evaluation of sexual size dimorphism of S. sarasinorum collected from Thrissur and Kollam districts of Kerala. District Size (cm) of the largest | Size (cm) of the smallest SDI sex (Female) sex (Male) Thrissur 0.786 1.786364 074 [541667 0.654 0.445 1.469663 0.766 0.432 1.773148 0.751 0.452 1.661504 Kollam a a Conclusion The findings of the study give more information to the existing knowledge regarding the distribution and structure of the Indian social spider S. sarasinorum found in Kerala. The colonies of this social spider are widely distributed in Kerala and are found to be located at an extremely low altitude. It shows close phylogenetic similarity with another social spider S. mimosarum and sister species S. dufouri. The morphological dissimilarity distinguishes male spiders from females easily. Acknowledgments The authors are grateful to Fr. Dr. Jolly Andrews, Principal, Christ College, Irinjalakuda, Kerala for providing all the facilities for conducting this research. The authors also thank Jitheshlal K V, Shiju Jacob (Beat Forest Officer), Ananthu Kollam for their support. This work was supported by the University Grants Commission, Government of India, under Grant-NFSC. References Aisenberg, A. & Costa, F.G. 2008. Reproductive isolation and sex-role reversal in two sympatric sand-dwelling wolf spiders of the genus Allocosa. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 86(7): 648-658. Arunkumar, S. & Jayaprakash 2014. Morphometric studies on different species of spiders (Arachinda : Araneae). International Journal of Advanced Research, 2(11): 756-764. Badyaev, A.V. 2002. Growing apart: An ontogenetic perspective on the evolution of sexual size dimorphism. 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Animal Behaviour, 105: 47-54. 399 Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 400-415. Buthus Leach, 1815 (Scorpiones: Buthidae): taxonomic status of species in Algeria with their morphological and molecular study in Aures region Wissame Zekri '”, Abdelhamid Moussi |’, Salah Eddine Sadine ”* & Moustafa Sarhan **™ ' Laboratory of Genetic, Biotechnology, and Valorisation of Bioresources (LGBVB), University of Biskra, 0700, Algeria Faculty of Nature and Life Sciences and Earth Sciences, University of Ghardaia, 47000, Algeria > Molecular Biology Laboratory, Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt “Department of Microbiology, Kobe University, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan ”; wissame.zekri@univ-biskra.dz; °: sse.scorpion@ yahoo.fr; ": msarhan @azhar.edu.eg : Corresponding author e-mail address: moussi.ah @ univ-biskra.dz Abstract The genus Buthus Leach, 1815 is the most diverse and the most widespread scorpion genus in family Buthidae C.L. Koch, 1837. In the last two decades, an impressive number of publications have demonstrated remarkable progress in the number of Buthus species in Algeria, which has risen to ten species. The taxonomic status of the genus based on morphologic keys, deserves to be elucidated with an exhaustive list of species as taxonomic reference including dichotomous keys and genetic barcodes. In this paper, a genetic study of Buthus species complex from Aures region (eastern Algeria) has been performed based on DNA barcoding. In addition, a multi-rate Poisson tree process (mPTP) and Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP) methods were used to generate molecular species descriptions of 229 COI sequences. The morphological results lead to the description of two Buthus species in our study area: Buthus aures Lourencgo & Sadine, 2016, and Buthus tunetanus (Herbst, 1800). Among the important results is the confirmation of the morphological identification of two Algerian Buthus species (B. aures and B. tunetanus) by the genetic identity. Furthermore, 22 molecular operating taxonomic units (mOTUs) were suggested by mPTP method, where eight mOTUs are distributed all over Algeria, of which Aures region includes four of them. In addition, according to literature data, the number of existing Buthus species and their geographical distribution patterns in Algeria are discussed. Keywords: Buthus aures, Buthus tunetanus, COI gene, Phylogeny, ASAP, mPTP, mOTU, Algeria. Introduction Scorpion fauna of Algeria is very ancient and original (Vachon, 1952; Cloudsley- Thompson, 1984) with a high level of endemism (Sadine ef al., 2020; Abidi et al., 2021; Ythier et al., 2021; Rein, 2022). The updating list of known Algerian scorpions refers to a total number of 49 species, 14 genera, and 3 families (Sadine et al., 2020; Mekahlia et al., 2021), whereas 86% of them belong to Family Buthidae (Sadine et al., 2020). Buthus Leach, 1815 is the second oldest valid genus in Order Scorpiones (Sousa et al., 2017). In the last twenty years, an impressive number of publications attested to the remarkable progress in the number of species described in genus Buthus in Algeria (Lourengo, 2002, 2013; Sadine et al., 2016; Lourengco & Sadine, 2016; Lourenco et al., 2020; Abidi et al., 2021; Ythier et al., 2021), in which 10 species of the genus are validated (Ythier et al., 2021). The rapid increase in the number of species in this genus may be complicated by the difficulty of morphological identification, showing a high degree of morphological plasticity (Vachon, 1952). Historically, most of the existing literature is Vachon (1952), El-Hennawy (1992), Sadine et al. (2018) and other similar contributions to the Algerian scorpion fauna are based on morphological and morphometric studies. However, the phylogeny and DNA barcoding of identified species have never been investigated, except for some general attempts focusing on the Maghreb Buthus gene (Sousa et al., 2012; Pedroso et al., 2013; Klesser et al., 2021). Many authors have stated that morphotaxonomy is insufficient to cover the identity of most species and therefore the keywords used in taxonomy are uncertain (Lourengo, 2002; Sousa et al., 2012; Pedroso et al., 2013; Sousa et al., 2017; Klesser et al., 2021). Therefore, genetic studies have become essential to revise and to confirm many genera, including the genus Buthus. This paper aims to combine morphometrical and genetic studies to precisely identify species of genus Buthus collected from Aures region (eastern Algeria), and to search for a possible relationship between sequences and different reported species of the genus, particularly those found in Algeria. Material and Methods Study area This study was conducted in the south-eastern part of the Aures massif, which is located in the eastern part of the Algerian Saharan Atlas (Fig. 1). This massif forms a set of high, continuous, and powerful mountains, with very contrasting reliefs, ranging in elevation from 50 m to 2300 m (Besnier, 1899; Lafitte, 1939; Ballais & Ballais, 1989). Aures region is more affected by the Saharan climate, where the massifs of our study area on the southern slope of the Aures have more or less xerophilous vegetation with Saharan affinities (Desanges & Riser, 1989). 401 ? Mediterranean Sea y ‘ \ \ j ” j i / a . 4 ' / Zt a, J \ / fr | \ i } A P \ — - a PA \ / ~~. al NH « | ‘ f } ‘ j ee | ‘ | j j yA a | i * / a pul / : A Fig. 1. Map of Algeria showing the distribution of Buthus species and DNA sequences. Species distribution: (+) B. tunetanus, (*) B. paris, (Q) B. tassili, (Q) B. pusillus, (‘®) B. saharicus, (O) B. aures, (5) B. boussaadi, (6) B. apiatus, (@) B. goyffoni, (@) B. ahaggar. Sequences placements: ((4)) JQ775953, JQ775954; ((2)) JQ775955, KF824989; ((3)) JQ775959, KF824990; ((4)) JQ775958, KF824991, MT955916, MT955957, ALG1, ALG2, ALG3, ALG4, ALGS; ((5)) KF824988; ((6)) JN885952, JN885953; ((7)) MT955943, MT955944, MT955945. Sampling and specimens identification Scorpions were sampled from two sites: Ain Beida and Laksar (Table 1; Fig. 2). Our sampling field trips took place between 2018 to 2020, researching the scorpions under rocks during the day and using UV light at night. Table 1. Characteristics of the two sampling sites. Site SeOsraD ue bras Climate Vegetation coordinates (m) ite | BASeasNt0G8 Et) 51 730m ll esemiand |) uke Cee re Beida Juniperus phoenicea L. Artemisia herba-alba Asso Juniperus phoenicea L. Laksar | 35°08'N, 06°18'E 1000 Arid Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. Prunus armeniaca L. Collected specimens were individually conserved in absolute ethanol at -20°C where the date and the site of collection were noted. Morphological identification of the specimens was obtained using a stereomicroscope as described by Stahnke (1970) and Vachon (1974). In this study, only adult individuals were considered for identification. This material was deposited in the Laboratory of Genetic, biotechnology and valorisation of bioresources, University of Biskra, Algeria. 402 — ASS - Fig. 2. Natural biotopes of the sampled scorpions. A. Ain Beida site. B. Laksar site. Molecular Analysis Genetic analyses were performed in the Molecular Biology Lab, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt. Using QIAamp DNA Mini and Blood Mini Handbook Kit (Qiagen) and following the manufacturer’s instructions, whole genomic DNA was extracted from preserved (absolute ethanol) hand musculature of five morphometrically identified scorpions. Invertebrate universal primers LCO1490 and HCO2198 were used to amplify a fragment of COI gene using standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedures as determined by Folmer et al. (1994). PCR reaction was performed in 30 uL volumes consisting of 15 uL 2x Go Taq® Green Master Mix (Promega Corporation-Madison, WI, USA), 2.5 uL of each primer, 5 uL PCR grade water and 5 uL DNA template. The PCR conditions and primers sequence are shown in (Table2). PCR product was checked by gel electrophoresis. Purification of amplified products was performed using QIA quick PCR Purification Kit Protocol. A Big Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kitv.3.1 (Qiagen Inc., Valencia, CA, USA), with electrophoresis on an ABI 3500 automated sequencer (Applied Biosystems Inc., USA) was used to sequence the amplicons bidirectionally. The generated sequences are submitted in to GenBank data system. Table 2. Thermal profile and primers sequence. Step Temperature Time Initial Denaturation 95°C 5 min Denaturation 95°C 1 min Annealing 40°C 1 min 35 cycles Extension 2 8 min LCO1490 (F) 5’ -GGTCAACAAATCATAAAGATATTGG-3’ HCO2198 (R) 5’ -TAAACTTCAGGGTGACCAAAAAATCA-:3' Data analysis Samples were screened and analysed by Finch TV 1. 4. 0 (Geospiza, Inc., USA; http://www.geospiza.com). Then the nucleotides sequences of a fragment of COI gene were examined and searched for sequences similarity using nucleotide BLAST (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and BOLD. We have performed MUSCL multiple sequence alignment (Edgar RC 2004) of our samples with 221 additional sequences of genus Buthus and three sequences as out-groups downloaded from BOLD (Ratnasingham & Hebert, 2007) and GenBank (Benson et al., 2016) (Table 3) using MEGA version X (Kumar et al., 2018), retaining the default settings. To analyse COI sequence data, Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) trees were reconstructed using 403 the new generation phylogenetic services for non-specialists server (NJGPhylogeny.fr) (Lemoine et al., 2019). The consensus tree was edited through web based iTOL tool (https://itol.embl.de) (Letunic & Bork, 2019). In addition, species delimitation was performed using two methods: Multi-rate Poisson tree processes (mPTP) (Kapli et al., 2017) and Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP) (Puillandre et al., 2021) as a species delimitation tool to estimate the number of mOTUs and match morphological species identifications with genetic delimitations. Table 3. GenBank accession numbers, Countries, Locations, Species, mOTUs by mPTP and mOTUs ABGD (in the study by Klesser et al., 2021) of 28 sequences used in phylogenetic tree construction. * = Not included in the study of Klesser et al. (2021). Gene an. | motu | mOTU accession | Country | Location Species (Klesser et mPTP number al., 2021) Alg 1 Algeria 2 1 1 1 Buthus tunetanus Not studied tunetanus (Sousa et al., 2012) Outgroup Outgroup | Outgroup JN885952 Oulad Buthus boumalenii (Klesser et | ee 18 JN885953 Driss al., 2021) 18 1 7 7 7 2 JQ775953 Tell Atlas : AOR Tell Aas _ ans same distribution of Buthus —2——_2 — JQ775958 Re ceeyte Paris (Sousa et al., 2012) JQ775959 Tell Atlas KF824988 | Algeria Chelia Ksar sk KF824991 National Buthus sp. 21 . Belezma | MT955934 | 2s |i Tunisia | Ain Draha ; eden HB Eat LO Renee [Ghassira [| Burhussp. | 6 | 20 404 Results and Discussion Morphometric study Systematic analysis During a period of three years (2018-2020), 300 scorpions of the genus Buthus in two selected sites were collected and examined. Only adult scorpions (68) were analysed. The morphological examination and morphometric measurements of the 68 individuals conduce to identify them as two morphospecies distributed in the two sampling sites: Buthus aures Lourencgo & Sadine, 2016 and Buthus tunetanus (Herbst, 1800). Buthus aures Lourengo & Sadine, 2016 was first described in Batna region from a forest formation at 1556 m altitude (Lourengo & Sadine, 2016). A few years later, it was found in Khanchela (Meddour et al., 2017) and then in Tebessa (Abidi ef al., 2020; Mekahlia et al., 2021). In our case, this species was captured during all seasons of the year from a mountainous formation where the altitude ranges from 1000 to 1700 m. With 50 individuals, B. aures seems to be the most abundant species with a rate of 73.5 %. Buthus tunetanus (Herbst, 1800) is a widespread species in Algeria (Vachon, 1952; Abidi et al., 2021). It has been mentioned in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya (Touloun et al., 1999; Lourencgo, 2002; Kovarik, 2006; Sousa et al., 2017), occurring from Tunisia to Morocco in the central horizontal band between 31°N to 35°N (Vachon, 1952; Sadine et al., 2012; Lourencgo, 2013; Sadine et al., 2016; Lourengco & Sadine, 2016; Sadine et al., 2020; Lourengo et al., 2020). It can extend also to the North of Algeria (Ouici et al., 2020; Touati et al., 2021). In our study, B. tunetanus is represented by 26.5% with 18 individuals. Morphometric and morphological analysis The morphometric and morphological values of the two studied species of Buthus are summarised in Fig. (3) and Table (4). 76 — length Total | | | Female Male Female Male Buthus aures Buthus tunetanus Fig. 3. Box plot summary of Buthus species sizes. Size information is available for 50 specimens of B. aures and 18 specimens of B. Tunetanus. 405 Table 4. Morphometric and morphological values of identified scorpions. Number of rows Pectinal teeth number Species Sex Number in fingers Ea 31 | 32 | 33 “ ald (i i i B. tunetanus 11/13; 12/13 Diagnostic of the adult body sizes (including telson) of 68 Buthus from Aures region (Fig. 3) showed that these sizes were ranged from 45 to 75 mm. B. tunetanus population showed a fairly large size compared to that of B. aures population. In contrast, males are smaller than females in both species. Vachon (1952) mentioned that the sizes of Buthus species exceeds 40 mm and can reach 11 mm. However, Sousa ef al. (2017) showed that the sizes range from 38 to 90 mm, with a maximum size of 60-70 mm in females and 55-70 mm in males. Among the ten species of Buthus identified in Algeria (Ythier et al., 2021), the biggest species is B. boussaadi Lourenco, Chichi & Sadine, 2018 with a size reaches 78 mm in female (Lourengo et al., 2018) and in B. paris (C.L. Koch, 1839) the total length ranges from 60 to 75 mm in both females and males (Abidi et al., 2021). However, B. pusillus Lourengo, 2013 appears to be the smallest Buthus in Algeria reaching a total length of 41 mm in males (Lourengo, 2013). The values of two morphological meristic traits that can be used to identify scorpions are summarised in Table (4): number of rows of granules of movable and fixed fingers and the number of pectinal teeth. The number of rows of granules of the movable finger of the pedipalp chela seems to be stable among species: 12 rows in B. aures and 13 rows in B. tunetanus. In contrast, there is a slight variation in the fixed finger in both species. The number of rows in Algerian Buthus is very close (Lourengo, 2002; Lourenco, 2013; Sadine et al., 2016; Lourengo & Sadine, 2016; Lourenco et al., 2018; Lourenco et al., 2020; Abidi et al., 2021; Ythier et al., 2021). However, Sousa et al. (2017) reported that this variation in the number of granule rows is not very informative. Notably, pectinal teeth number in studied Buthus shows a significant variation for species as well as for sex. Females count from 24 to 30 teeth and males count from 23 to 36 teeth. We noted that B. aures has the highest number of pectinal teeth number in Algerian Buthus scorpions. The number of pectinal teeth in B. paris can reach from 29 to 34 teeth in male (Kovarik, 2006). Phylogenetic study We have successfully sequenced five mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COD) of two morphometrically identified species with a total length of 478-694 bp. BLAST and BOLD comparison showed the absence of accurate species-level barcodes for the assessed species. However, Algl and Alg5 showed important sequence similarity with sample collected from Chelia (KF824988) from the centre of Aures Mountains. Our specimens of Buthus aures species (Alg2, Alg3, and Alg4) showed maximum similarity with the specimens collected from Tiaret region (Tell Atlas) and Ghassira (Aures Mountains) (JQ775955, KF824989, and MT955916). The MUSCL alignment of our sequences (Algl, Alg2, Alg3, Alg4, Alg5) was performed with 221 additional sequences of the genus Buthus and three sequences as out- groups downloaded from BOLD and GenBank (Table 3). All these data allowed to construct a phylogenetic tree (Supplement material 1) which confirms the paraphyly of the genus Buthus. Also, ASAP, and mPTP servers are used as a species delimitation tool to estimate the number of mOTUs and match morphological species identification with 406 genetic delimitations. As a result, the ASAP Algorithm identified 27 mOTUs (Supplement material 2) while mPTP revealed 22 mOTUs which is used as the most conservative estimation for discussion where some mOTUs were fused or split compared to the 24 mOTUs that appeared in the study by Klesser et al. (2021). In contrast, the sequences from Algerian Buthus were repaired into eight mOTUs (1, 22, 5, 2, 18, 17, 6 and 21). In the modified molecular phylogeny (Bayesian inference tree), clades from mOTUs that do not contain sequences from the Algerian specimens were deleted (Fig. 4). The mPTP method suggested eight mOTUs (1, 22, 5, 2, 18, 17, and 26), five of them (1, 5, 2, 18, and 6) with sequences were mentioned and arranged in mOTUs with the same order in the study of Klesser et al. (2021). The appearance of the sequences (JQ775959, JQ775953, and JQ775954) in two different clades was well supported by those partition in two mOTUs (1 and 22), of which, these sequences corresponded to specimens collected from North Algeria (Algiers) (Sousa et al., 2012) which can coincide with the geographical coordinates of the species Buthus paris and Buthus pussilus (Fig. 1). The mOTU 5 contains sequences from scorpions collected from Southern Algeria (Hoggar Mountains) (MT955943, MT955944, and MT955945). This group can represent Buthus tassili Lourengo, 2002 which is distributed in Tassili N’ajer region (Klesser et al., 2021) or Buthus ahaggar Ythier, Sadine, Haddadi & Lourenco, 2021 (newly described from the Hoggar Massif). According to Klesser and his collaborators (2021), the mOTU 2 was matched with Buthus boumalenii Touloun & Boumezzough, 2011. This species has never been reported before in Algerian Buthus species (Y thier et al., 2021). mPTP ASAP KF824991* ALGA* m6 | MT955916 Scl KF824989* | __L___. 99775955 Set 71 Hy 15 | —_— ALG3 | |___ aia" — 7 KF824990" MT955957 $c20 ALGSt Se poe | AJ506916" L JQ775958 Sc10 KF824088" MT955935 Sclt MT955936 Sci | as MT955934 Sci1 JN885953 Sc18 JN885952 Sc18 MT955945 Sc15 ————MT955944 Sc15 — . = MT955943 Sc15 —— JQ775953" L JQ775954 Sc12 JQ775959 Sc13 M-mar-JF700145 out2 . —— M.gib-KF997876 out3 C-vit-DQ127507 Outl — tye i) ty Un un 6 — a l l — Ss .y Out groups = Out group Fig. 4. Bayesian inference tree showing the position of Algerian Buthus species based on partial sequences of mtCOI (modified by following the global tree). Bars indicate molecular operational taxonomic units (mOTUs) derived from two different methods: mPTP and ASAP. 407 The sequences of Algl and Alg5 were morphologically identified as Buthus tunetanus. They are arranged in mOTU 17, where the specimen collected from Tozeur region (Tunisian Sahara) was the closest one (AJ506916). This specimen was identified as Buthus tunetanus (Gantenbein & Largiadér, 2003) which confirms once again the geographical distribution of this species and reinforces our identification. The other sequences (JQ775958 and KF824988) were correspondent to specimens collected from the central Aures (Sousa et al., 2012; Pedroso et al., 2013). This group is ranked as a sister clad to the clad which includes three sequences (MT955934, MT955935, MT955936) (mOTU 18) that were sampled from Tell Atlas Mountains in Tunisia (Ain Draham) (Klesser et al., 2021). This result shows that Buthus tunetanus occupies a large area from the Tellian Atlas through the Saharan Atlas to the beginning of the northern Sahara (Vachon, 1952; Gantenbein & Largiadér, 2003; Kovarik, 2006; Sadine et al., 2018; Ouici et al., 2020). Furthermore, the distribution of these sequences into two subclades is confirmed by Klesser et al. (2021). The presence of these subclades in two different mOTUs (Motull and mOTU1O0 respectively) indicates the possibility of the existence of a cryptic taxon. The mOTU 6 with mono sequence MT955957 from Buthus of Ghassira region probably represents supplement taxa in addition to the identified Buthus in Aures region. The mOTU 6 comprises a single sequence MT955957 from sample collected from Ghassira region (about 15 km away from our study area) probably represents a supplement taxon in addition to the identified Buthus species in Aures region. The sequences Alg2, Alg3, Alg4 morphologically identified as Buthus aures belonged to the mOTU 21 with other 5 sequences; KF824991 and MT955916 from the southern part of Aures Mountain (Pedroso et al., 2013; Klesser et al., 2021) and JQ775955, KF824989, and KF824990 sampled from geographical area (high steppe plains) not very far from the natural habitat of Buthus aures species (Sousa et al., 2012; Pedroso et al., 2013). This result probably indicates that Buthus aures occurring on a larger geographical scale and greatly expanding its distribution to reach a medium altitude (800 m and 1000 m) and the climate ranges to the semiarid. Conclusion This work constitutes the first study that combines between the morphometric, the phylogenetic, and the species delimitation of two Buthus species from Aures region in North Africa. The morphological authentication was well supported by the phylogeny and species delimitation results (mPTP), in which the two morphospecies were situated in two separate clades and mOTUs. The phylogenetic and geographical data showed the presence of same genetic lineage in Aures region (Batna, Khanchela, and Tebessa) and in a high steppe (Tiaret). A possible new record of an endemic Moroccan species; Buthus boumalenii Touloun & Boumezzough, 2011 in Algeria is expected. Furthermore, mPTP results showed very important scorpion diversity in Aures region which may contain at least four Buthus species. Finally, further study in larger territories and with a greater number of samples is in preparation. Acknowledgments We wish to thank Dr. Benmeddour Tarek, Mohamed Khider University, Biskra, Algeria who identified the dominant plant species of the study area. 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Decouverte au Maroc de Buthus occitanus tunetanus var. neeli Gysin, 1969 (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Arachnides, 41: 28-30. Vachon, M. 1952. Etude sur les scorpions. Institut Pasteur d'Algérie. Alger. 479 pp. Vachon, M. 1974. Etude des caractéres utilisés pour classer les familles et les genres de Scorpions (Arachnides). 1. La trichobothriotaxie en arachnologie. Sigles trichobothriaux et types de trichobothriotaxie chez les Scorpions. Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, 3e sér., n° 140, Zool. 104: 857-958. Ythier, E., Sadine, S.E., Haddadi, M.L. & Lourencgo, W.R. 2021. A new species of Buthus Leach, 1815 from Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae) and an interesting new case of vicariance. Faunitaxys, 9(21): 1-9. (Supplement material 1) (Supplement material 2) 411 Supp material 1: Bayesian Inference tree of the Mediterranean Buthus species developed on COI gene. For each sequence, accession number and mOTU (SC in the study of Klasser et al. 2021) are given. (*) Shows the sequences newly analysed ( ALG1, ALG2, ALG3, ALG4, and ALGS5D) and those which are not incorporated in the study of Klasser et al. (2021). JQ775954 Sc12 JQ775953* JN885920 Sc1i8 JN885922 Sc18 JN885921 Sc18 JN885952 Sc18 JN885924 Sc18 JN885925 Sc18 JN885923 Sc18 JN885926 Sc18 JN885953 Sc18 JN885927 Sc18 MT955954 Sc18 JN885936 Sc18 JN885937 Sc18 JN885938 Sc18 JN885935 Sc18 JN885933 Sc18 JN885932 Sc18 JN885934 Sc1i8 JN885931 Sc18 MT955955 Sc18 MT955956 JN885940 Sc17 JN885910 Sc17 JN885939 Sc17 JN885911 Sc1i7 JN885930 Sc1i8 JN885928 Sc18 MT955953 Sc18 MT955951 Sc18 MT955952 Sc18 JN885929 Sc18 JN885901 Sc1i5 JN885900 Sc1i5 MT955944 Sc15 MT955943 Sc15 JN885905 Sc1i5 JN885904 Sc1i5 JN885915 Sc1i5 JN885914 Sc1i5 JN885916 Sc15 MT955946 Sc15 JN885956 Sc1i5 JN885918 Sc1i5 MT955945 Sc15 MT955947 Sc15 JN885957 Sc1i5 JN885919 Sc15 MT955948 Sc15 JN885917 Sc1i5 JN831986 Sc14 JN831984 Sc14 MT955938 Sc14 JN831988 Sc14 JN831991 Sc14 JN831987 Sc14 MT955939 Sc14 JN831972 Sc14 JN831990 Sc14 JN831989 Sc14 JN831971 Sc14 MT955937 Sc14 JN831982 Sc14 JN831973 Sc14 MT955942 Sc14 JN831985 Sc14 JN831983 Sc14 MT955941 Sc14 MT955940 Sc14 JN831993 Sc14 JN831994 Sc14 JN831992 Sc14 KF824991* ALG4* JQ775955 Sc1 KF824990* KF824989* MT955916 Scl1 ALG3* ALG2* MT955917 Sc2 MT955919 Sc2 MT955920 Sc2 MT955918 Sc2 MT955935 Sc11 MT955936 Sci MT955934 Sc1i1 JQ775958 Sc10 AJ506916* KF824988* ALG1* ALG5* MT955950 Sc16 MT955949 Sc16 GQ168535 Sc19 GQ168538 Sc19 GQ168536 Sc19 GQ168533 Sc19 GQ168534 Sc19 GQ168526 Sc19 GQ168521 Sc19 GQ168532 Sc19 GQ168537 Sc19 GQ168542 Sc19 GQ168519 Sc19 GQ168520 Sc19 GQ168528 Sc19 GQ168527 Sc19 GQ168531 Sc19 GQ168539 Sc19 GQ168525 Sc19 GQ168529 Sc19 GQ168530 Sc19 GQ168540 Sc19 MT955957 Sc20 MT955963 Sc23 MT955964 Sc23 MT955965 Sc23 MT955962 Sc23 MT955961 Sc23 MT955968 Sc23 MT955972 Sc23 MT955967 Sc23 MT955969 Sc23 MT955973 Sc23 MT955974 Sc23 MT955971 Sc23 MT955966 Sc23 MT955970 Sc23 GQ168524 Sc21 GQ168523 Sc21 MT955958 Sc23 MT955960 Sc23 MT955959 Sc23 GQ168522 Sc22 MT955977 Sc24 MT955975 Sc24 MT955976 Sc24 MT955981 Sc24 MT955979 Sc24 MT955980 Sc24 MT955982 Sc24 MT955978 Sc24 MT955986 Sc24 MT955983 Sc24 MT955987 Sc24 MT955989 Sc24 MT955991 Sc24 MT955990 Sc24 MT955988 Sc24 MT955984 Sc24 MT955985 Sc24 JN832010 Sc3 JN832009 Sc3 JN832011 Sc3 JN832008 Sc3 JN832014 Sc4 JN832013 Sc4 JN832015 Sc4 JN832012 Sc4 JN885948 Sc5 MT955921 Sc5 MT955923 Sc5 MT955922 Sc5 MT955930 Sc9 MT955931 Sc9 MT955929 Sc9 MT955932 Sc9 MT955933 Sc9 MT955928 Sc9 JN885946 Sc8 JN885945 Sc8 JN885943 Sc8 JN885944 Sc8 JN885942 Sc8 JN885941 Sc8 JN885913 Sc8 JN885912 Sc8 JN885947 Sc8 JN885908 Sc8 JN885907 Sc8 JN885909 Sc8 JN885906 Sc8 JN832001 Sc6 JN832000 Sc6 JN832002 Sc6 JN831999 Sc6 JN832006 Sc6 JN832005 Sc6 JN832004 Sc6 JN832007 Sc6 JN832003 Sc6 JN831995 Sc7 MT955925 Sc7 JN831996 Sc7 JN831981 Sc7 JN831979 Sc7 MT955927 Sc7 MT955926 Sc7 JN832019 Sc7 JN831978 Sc7 JN832021 Sc7 JN831977 Sc7 JN832020 Sc7 JN832029 Sc7 JN832032 Sc7 JN832031 Sc7 JN832030 Sc7 JN832028 Sc7 JN832026 Sc7 JN832025 Sc7 JN832024 Sc7 JN832027 Sc7 JN832023 Sc7 JN831998 Sc7 JN831997 Sc7 JN831980 Sc7 JN831974 Sc7 JN831976 Sc7 JN831975 Sc7 JN832017 Sc7 JN832016 Sc7 MT955924 Sc7 JN832018 Sc7 M-mar-JF/700145 out2 M-gib-KF997876 out3 C-vit-DQ127507 Out1 Figure S2: The following figures show the results of the species delimitation tools. We analyzed our data set using Multi-rate Poisson tree processes (mPTP) (Kapli et al. 2017) and Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP) (Puillandre et al. 2021) method. Results from Multi-rate Poisson tree processes -mPTP Species 1: JQ775959_Sc13 Species 2: JN885920_Sc18 JN885922 _Sc18 JN885921_Sc18 JN885935_Sc18 JN885932_Sc18 JN885931_Sc18 JN885934_Sc18 JN885933_Sc18 JN885936_Sc18 MT955954_Sc18 JN885938_Sc18 JN885937_Sc18 JN885940_Sc17 JN885910_Sc17 JN885911_Sc17 JN885939_Sc17 MT955956 MT955955_Sc18 JN885928_Sc18 JN885930_Sc18 MT955951_Sc18 MT955953_Sc18 JN885929_Sc18 MT955952_Sc18 JN885923_Sc18 JN885927_Sc18 JN885953_Sc18 JN885926_Sc18 JN885952_Sc18 JN885925_Sc18 JN885924 Sc18 Species 3: JN885901_Sc15 Species 4: JN831986_Sc14 JN831984_Sc14 JN831983_Sc14 JN831985_Sc14 JN831993_Sc14 JN831992_Sc14 JN831994_Sc14 MT955940_Sc14 MT955941_Sc14 MT955942_Scl14 JN831973_Sc14 JN831982_Sc14 MT955937_Sc14 JN831971_Sc14 MT955939_Scl14 JN831989_Sc14 JN831990_Sc14 JN831972_Scl4 JN831988_Scl4 JN831987_Scl4 JN831991_Scl4 MT955938_Sc14 Species 5: MT955943_Sc15 MT955944_Sc15 JN885918_Sc15 JN885956_Sc15 MT955945_Sc15 JN885957_Sc15 JN885919_Sc15 JN885917_Sc15 MT955948_Sc15 MT955947_Sc15 JN885904_Sc15 JN885905_Sc15 JN885914_Sc15 JN885915_Sc15 MT955946_Sc15 JN885916_Sc15 JN885900_Sc15 Species 6: MT955957_Sc20 Species 7: JN831995_Sc7 MT955925_Sc7 JN832019_Sc7 JN831978_Sc7 JN831977_Sc7 JN832021_Sc7 JN832029_Sc7 JN832032_Sc7 JN832030_Sc7 JN832031_Sc7 JN831974_Sc7 JN831975_Sc7 JN831976_Sc7 JN832016_Sc7 JN832017_Sc7 JN832018_Sc7 MT955924_Sc7 JN831980_Sc7 JN831997_Sc7 JN831998_Sc7 JN832026_Sc7 JN832028_Sc7 JN832025_Sc7 JN832024_Sc7 JN832023_Sc7 JN832027_Sc7 JN832020_Sc7 JN831996_Sc7 JN831981_Sc7 JN831979_Sc7 MT955926_Sc7 MT955927_Sc7 Species 8: JN832006_Sc6 JN832005_Sc6 JN832004_Sc6 JN832003_Sc6 JN832007_Sc6 JN832001_Sc6 JN832000_Sc6 JN831999_Sc6 JN832002_Sc6 Species 9: MT955929_Sc9 MT955933_Sc9 MT955932_Sc9 MT955931_Sc9 MT955930_Sc9 MT955928_Sc9 JN885945_Sc8 JN885946_Sc8 JN885912_Sc8 JN885913_Sc8 JN885947_Sc8 JN885907_Sc8 JN885906_Sc8 JN885909_Sc8 JN885908_Sc8 JN885943_Sc8 JN885941_Sc8 JN885942_Sc8 JN885944_Sc8 Species 10: JN832010_Sc3 JN832009_Sc3 JN832008_Sc3 JN832011_Sc3 Species 11: JN832014_Sc4 JN832013_Sc4 JN832012_Sc4 JN832015_Sc4 Species 12: JN885948_Sc5 MT955922_Sc5 MT955923_Sc5 MT955921_Sc5 Species 13: MT955977_Sc24 MT955976_Sc24 MT955975_Sc24 MT955981_Sc24 MT955979_Sc24 MT955978_Sc24 MT955982_Sc24 MT955980_Sc24 MT955986_Sc24 MT955983_Sc24 MT955987_Sc24 MT955989_Sc24 MT955990_Sc24 MT955991_Sc24 MT955988_Sc24 MT955985_Sc24 MT955984_Sc24 MT955958_Sc23 MT955960_Sc23 GQ168522_Sc22 MT955959_Sc23 Species 14: GQ168523_Sc21 GQ168524_Sc21 Species 15: MT955961_Sc23 MT955962_Sc23 MT955968_Sc23 MT955967_Sc23 MT955972_Sc23 MT955969_Sc23 MT955971_Sc23 MT955970_Sc23 MT955966_Sc23 MT955974_Sc23 MT955973_Sc23 MT955963_Sc23 MT955965_Sc23 MT955964_Sc23 Species 16: MT955917_Sc2 MT955919_Sc2 MT955918_Sc2 MT955920_Sc2 Species 17: JQ775958_Sc10 KF824988* AJ506916* ALGS* ALG1* GQ168536_Sc19 GQ168542_Sc19 KF824989* Species 18: GQ168538_Sc19 GQ168520_Sc19 KF824990* MT955935_Sc11 GQ168521_Sc19 GQ168519_Sc19 MT955916_Sc1 MT955934_Scl1 GQ168526_Sc19 GQ168537_Sc19 ALG2* MT955936_Sc11 GQ168527_Sc19 GQ168532_Sc19 ALG3* GQ168528_Sc19 GQ168534_Sc19 Species 19: GQ168531_Sc19 GQ168533_Sc19 Species 22: MT955949_Sc16 GQ168539_Sc19 JQ775953* MT955950_Sc16 GQ168525_Sc19 Species 21: JQ775954_Sc12 GQ168529_Sc19 KF824991* Species 20: GQ168540_Sc19 ALG4* GQ168535_Sc19 GQ168530_Sc19 JQ775955_Scl Results from Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning -ASAP) Partition 5 Score: 5 Proba: 7.045908e-01 nb groups:27 (26) Group[ 1 ] n: 20 sid: GQ168519_Sc19 GQ168520_Sc19 GQ168532_Sc19 GQ168537_Sc19 GQ168542_Sc19 GQ168525_Sc19 GQ168527_Sc19 GQ168528_ Sc19 GQ168539_Sc19 GQ168531_Sc19 GQ168529_Sc19 GQ168530_Sc19 GQ168540_Sc19 GQ168533_Sc19 GQ168534_Scl9 GQ168535_Sc19 GQ168536_Sc19 GQ168538_Sc19 GQ168521_ Sc19 GQ168526_Sc19 Group[ 2 ] n: 1 3id: GQ168522 Sc22 Group[ 3 |] n: 2 3id: GQ168523_ Sc21 GQ168524 Sc21 Group[ 4 ] n: 22 ;id: JN831971_Sc14 JN831972_Sc14 JN831973_Sc14 JN831992_Sc14 JN831993_Sc14 JN831994_Scl14 MT955942_Sc14 JN831983_Sc14 JN831985_Scl4 MT955940_Sc14 MT955941_Sc14 JN831982_Scl14 MT955937_Sc14 JN831984_ Scl14 MT955938_ Sc14 JN831986_Sc14 JN831987_Sc14 JN831988_ Sc14 JN831991_ Scl4 MT955939_Sc14 JN831989_Sc14 JN831990_ Sc14 Group[ 5 ] n: 32 ;id: JN831974_Sc7 JN831975_Sc7 JN831976_Sc7 JN832016_Sc7 JN832017_Sc7 JN832018_Sc7 MT955924 Sc7 JN831980_Sc7 JN831997_Sc7 JN831998_Sc7 JN832023_ Sc7 JN832024 Sc7 JN832025_Sc7 JN832027_Sc7 JN832026_Sc7 JN832028_ Sc7 JN831977_Sc7 JN831978_Sc7 JN832019_Sc7 JN832021_Sc7 JN831979_Sc7 JN831981_Sc7 MT955926_Sc7 MT955927_Sc7 JN832020_Sc7 JN831996_Sc7 MT955925_Sc7 JN831995_Sc7 JN832029_Sc7 JN832030_Sc7 JN832031_Sc7 JN832032_Sc7 Group|[ 6 |] n: 9 ;id: JN831999_Sc6 JN832000_Sc6 JN832001_Sc6 JN832002_Sc6 JN832003_Sc6 JN832005_Sc6 JN832007_Sc6 JN832006_Sc6 JN832004_Sc6 Group[ 7 ] n: 4 ;id: JN832008_Sc3 JN832011_Sc3 JN832009_Sc3 JN832010_Sc3 Group[ 8 ] n: 4 ;id: JN832012_Sc4 JN832013_Sc4 JN832014_Sc4 JN832015_Sc4 Group|[ 9 ] n: 18 ;id: MT955943_Sc15 MT955944_Sc15 MT955945_Sc15 JN885900_Sc15 JN885904_Sc15 JN885905_Sc15 JN885917_Sc15 JN885919_Sc15 JN885957_Sc15 MT955947_Sc15 MT955948_Sc15 JN885918 Scl5 JN885956_Sc15 JN885914_Sc15 JN885915_Sc15 JN885916_Sc15 MT955946_Sc15 JN885901_Sc15 Group[ 10 ] n: 13 ;id: JN885906_Sc8 JN885907_Sc8 JN885909_Sc8 JN885908_Sc8 JN885947_Sc8 JN885941_Sc8 JN885942_Sc8 JN885944_Sc8 JN885943_Sc8 JN885912_Sc8 JN885913_Sc8 JN885945_Sc8 JN885946_Sc8 Group[ 11 ] n: 4 sid: JN885910_Sc17 JN885911_Sc17 JN885939_Sc17 JN885940_Sc17 Group[ 12 ] n: 27 ;id: JN885952_Sc18 JN885953_Sc18 JN885920_Sc18 JN885921_ Sc18 JN885922 Sc18 JN885928_Scl8 MT955952_Sc18 MT955953_Sc18 JN885930_Sc18 MT955951_Sc18 JN885931_Scl8 JN885932_Sc18 JN885933_Sc18 JN885934_Sc18 JN885938_Sc18 JN885935_Sc18 JN885937_Sc18 JN885929_Sc18 JN885936_Sc18 MT955954_Sc18 MT955955_Sc18 MT955956 JN885923_Sc18 JN885926_Scl18 JN885927_Sc18 JN885924 Sc18 JN885925_Sc18 Group[ 13 ] n: 4 3id: JN885948_Sc5 MT955921_Sc5 MT955922_Sc5 MT955923_Sc5 Group[ 14 ] n: 2 3id: JQ775954_Sc12 JQ775953* Group[ 15 ] n: 5 sid: JQ775955_Scl MT955916_Scl ALG3* KF824989* KF824990* Group[ 16 ] n: 2 ;id: JQ775958_Sc10 KF824991* Group[ 17 ] n: 1 3id: JQ775959_Sc13 Group[ 18 ] n: 4 sid: MT955917_Sc2 MT955918_Sc2 MT955919_Sc2 MT955920_Sc2 Group[ 19 ] n: 6 sid: MT955928_Sc9 MT955929_Sc9 MT955930_Sc9 MT955932_Sc9 MT955933_Sc9 MT955931_Sc9 Group[ 20 ] n: 3 3;id: MT955934_Scl1 MT955935_Scl1 MT955936_Sc11 Group[ 21 ] n: 2 sid: MT955949_Sc16 MT955950_Sc16 Group[ 22 ] n: 1 3id: MT955957_Sc20 Group[ 23 ] n: 34 sid: MT955958_Sc23 MT955959_Sc23 MT955960_Sc23 MT955961_Sc23 MT955962_Sc23 MT955963_Sc23 MT955967_Sc23 MT955972_Sc23 MT955968_Sc23 MT955973_Sc23 MT955974_Sc23 MT955969_Sc23 MT955970_Sc23 MT955971_Sc23 MT955966_Sc23 MT955964_Sc23 MT955965_Sc23 MT955975_Sc24 MT955976_Sc24 MT955977_Sc24 MT955978_Sc24 MT955979_Sc24 MT955980_Sc24 MT955982_Sc24 MT955981_ Sc24 MT955983_Sc24 MT955984_Sc24 MT955985_Sc24 MT955988_Sc24 MT955989_Sc24 MT955987_Sc24 MT955990_Sc24 MT955991_Sc24 MT955986_Sc24 Group[ 24 ] n: 3 sid: ALG1* KF824988* AJ506916* Group[ 25 ] n: 1 ;id: ALG2* Group[ 26 ] n: 1 ;id: ALG4* Group[ 27 ] n: 1 ;id: ALGS* Serket (2022) vol. 18(3): 416-420. Mesiotelus tenuissimus (Araneae: Liocranidae) and the first record of its family in Jordan Hisham K. El-Hennawy 41 El-Mantega El-Rabia St., Heliopolis, Cairo 11341, Egypt E-mail: el_hennawy @ hotmail.com Abstract Mesiotelus tenuissimus (L. Koch, 1866) of family Liocranidae is recorded from Jordan for the first time. Only one male specimen of this species was collected in October 2013 inside a house in Amman, Jordan. This is the first record of family Liocranidae too. Keywords: Araneae, Liocranidae, Mesiotelus tenuissimus, Jordan. Introduction Genus Mesiotelus Simon, 1897 is one of the small genera of family Liocranidae Simon, 1897 which includes 309 species in 35 genera. The valid species of genus Mesiotelus are 16 species; they are distributed in: Europe (Portugal, Italy, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece), Mediterranean (North Africa, Egypt, Lebanon, Cyprus, Turkey), Canary Is., Madeira, Kenya, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Central Asia, China (World Spider Catalog, 2022). Its type species is Mesiotelus tenuissimus (L. Koch, 1866) which is recorded from Circum-Mediterranean: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Albania, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Palestine/Israel, Yemen, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco (Bosmans & El-Hennawy, 2018). The studied specimen is an adult male Mesiotelus tenuissimus (L. Koch, 1866) found moving, at night, on the ground inside a house in Abu Nseir, north of Amman, Jordan on 21" October 2013. Abu Nseir is one of the areas of the Greater Amman Municipality, Jordan. The house, "Qumei's house", has a small garden full of flowers (Fig. 1) that attracts different kinds of insects and their predators including spiders. Some spiders enter the house looking for prey or shelter or, maybe, for an arachnologist! Fig. 1. Photograph of the garden of the house where the studied male Mesiotelus tenuissimus was found (Recent photo in April 2022). Taxonomic references (+ localities) Clubiona virgulata Blackwall, 1859: 257 (DQ; nomen oblitum). - Madeira Cheiracanthium tenuissimum L. Koch, 1866: 237, pl. 9, f. 154 (D@). - Dalmatia, Greece (Naxos), Algeria. Liocranum cerioi Pavesi, 1875: 122 (D¢Q). - Italy (Capri). Drassus spinulosus Thorell, 1875a: 98 (DQ); Thorell, 1875b: 96 (DQ). - Italia septentr. (Patavium). Liocranum tenuissimum Simon, 1878: 295 (4°)Vaucluse ! -- Basses-Alpes: Digne ! Manosque ! -- Var : Hyéres (A Grouvelle). -- Pyrénées-Orientales: Collioure ! Vernet (M. Nou).-- Corse !; Chyzer & Kulczyfski, 1897: 242, pl. 9, f. 75 (°).- Hungary (Buccari = Bakar, Croatia). Liocranum spinulosum Simon, 1878: 297 (D@). - Var: Les Arcs (Sédillot). Agroeca cerioi Simon, 1878: 311. - Italy (Capri). Liocranum alexandrinum Simon, 1880: 99 (DQ). - Egypt, Edko, near Alexandria. Mesiotelus alexandrinus Roewer, 1955: 566. - Aegypten. 417 Mesiotelus tenuissimus Simon, 1897: 143, f. 144 (3) - Regio mediterranea; Asia centr. et orientalis.; Simon, 1932: 939, 970, f. 1438-1439 (49) - toute la région méditerranéenne. Midi de la France et Corse. -- Italie: ile Giglio (Doria). Dalmatie. Gréce.; Brignoli & Gaddini, 1979: 11, f. 1, 4 (@Q) - Italy (several localities).; Barrientos & Urones, 1985: 354, f. 3a-b (2) - Spain (Pradochano).; Mikhailov & Fet, 1986: 173, f. 1 (49) - USSR. Turkmenistan, Central Asia; Kovblyuk et al., 2008: 19, f. 6-12 (3'°) - Ukraine (Crimea).; Bosmans et al., 2009: 35, f. 24-28 (4°) - Greece (Lesbos).; Bosmans & El-Hennawy, 2018: 101, f. la-f, 2a-e (49, S of M. alexandrinus). - Egypt (several localities). Family Liocranidae Simon, 1897 Genus Mesiotelus Simon, 1897 Mesiotelus tenuissimus (L. Koch, 1866) (Figs. 2-5) Material examined. Jordan, 14 (Fig. 2), Abu Nseir, north of Amman (32°03'17.4"N, 35°52'57.3"E elev. 1026 m), 21 October 2013 (11: 30 pm), moving on the ground inside a house, leg. Hisham K. El-Hennawy [ACE.2013.10.21.AR.001.JOR]. Measurements (in millimetres): Total length 4.79; Cephalothorax length 2.37, width 1.87; Abdomen length 2.58. Palp and palpal organ: prolateral view (Fig. 3), retrolateral view (Figs. 4-5). Fig. 2. Mesiotelus tenuissimus (L. Koch, 1866) <. Habitus, dorsal view. 418 Figs. 3-5. Mesiotelus tenuissimus (L. Koch, 1866) 3, palp. 3. prolateral view. 4-5. retrolateral view. With this new record, and after the record of Micrommata formosa Pavesi, 1878 of family Sparassidae (El-Hennawy & Al-Saraireh, 2021), the list of spiders of Jordan (El- Hennawy, 2020) 1s expanded to include 15 families, 26 genera, and 30 species. More records are expected. References Barrientos, J.A. & Urones, M.C. 1985. La coleccion de araneidos del Departamento de Zoologia de la Universidad de Salamanca, V: arafias clubionoideas y tomisoideas. Boletin de la Asociacién Espanola de Entomologia, 9: 349-366. 419 Blackwall, J. 1859. Descriptions of newly discovered spiders captured by James Yate Johnson Esq., in the island of Madeira. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (3) 4(22): 255-267. Bosmans, R., Baert, L., Bosselaers, J., De Koninck, H., Maelfait, J.-P. & Van Keer, J. 2009. Spiders of Lesbos (Greece). Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging, 24(suppl.): 1-70. Bosmans, R. & El-Hennawy, H.K. 2018. Mesiotelus alexandrinus (Simon, 1880) is a junior synonym of Mesiotelus tenuissimus (L. Koch, 1866) (Araneae: Liocranidae). Serket, 16(2): 100- 104. Brignoli, P.M. & Gaddini, A. 1979. Nuovi dati su alcuni Anyphaenidae, Liocranidae e Gnaphosidae italiani. Bollettino dell'Associazione Romana di Entomologia, 34: 10-15. Chyzer, C. & Kulczyfski, W. 1897. Araneae Hungariae. Tomus II. Academia Scientarum Hungaricae, Budapest, pp. 147-366, Pl. VI-X. El-Hennawy, H.K. 2020. Segestria florentina (Rossi, 1790) in Jordan (Araneae: Segestriidae), with a list of the known records of spiders from Jordan. Serket, 17(3): 314-323. El-Hennawy, H.K. & Al-Saraireh, M. 2021. Micrommata formosa in Jordan (Araneae: Sparassidae). Serket, 17(4): 481-486. Koch, L. 1866. Die Arachniden-Familie der Drassiden. Niirnberg, Hefte 1-6, pp. 1-304. Kovblyuk, M.M., Nadolny, A.A., Gnelitsa, V.A. & Zhukovets, E.M. 2008. Spiders (Arachnida, Aranei) of the Martyan Cape Reserve (Crimea, Ukraine). Caucasian Entomological Bulletin, 4(1): 3-40. Mikhailov, K.G. & Fet, V.Y. 1986. [Contribution to the spider fauna (Aranei) of Turkmenia. I. Families Anyphaenidae, Sparassidae, Zoridae, Clubionidae, Micariidae, Oxyopidae]. Sbornik Trudov Zoologicheskogo Muzeya MGU, Moscow State University, 24: 168-186. Pavesi, P. 1875. Note araneologiche. Atti della Societa Italiana di Scienze Naturali, 18: 113-132, 254-304. Roewer, C.F. 1955. Katalog der Araneae von 1758 bis 1940, bzw. 1954. 2. Band, Abt. a (Lycosaeformia, Dionycha [excl. Salticiformia]). 2. Band, Abt. b (Salticiformia, Cribellata) (Synonyma-Verzeichnis, Gesamtindex). Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles, 1751 pp. Simon, E. 1880. Description de trois espéces nouvelles d'araignées d'Egypte. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, (5) 10(Bull.): 98-99. Simon, E. 1878. Les arachnides de France. Tome quatriéme, contenant la famille des Drassidae. Roret, Paris, 334 pp., pl. 14-16. Simon, E. 1897. Histoire naturelle des araignées. Deuxiéme édition, tome second. Roret, Paris, pp. 1-192. Simon, E. 1932. Les arachnides de France. Synopsis générale et catalogue des espéces francaises de l'ordre des Araneae. Tome VI. 4e partie. Roret, Paris, pp. 773-978. Thorell, T. 1875a. Diagnoses Aranearum Europaearum aliquot novarum. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, 18: 81-108. Thorell, T. 1875b. Descriptions of several European and North African spiders. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Handlingar, 13(5): 1-204. World Spider Catalog 2022. World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, accessed on 25 May 2022. 420