A new spider of the genus Scotinella Banks, 1911 (Araneae: Phrurolithidae) from Mexico and new combinations in Phrurolithidae
Author
Chamé-Vázquez, David
0000-0003-3433-153X
Laboratorio de Aracnología y Entomología, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste S. C., La Paz, 23096, Baja California Sur, México. & chamevazquez @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 3433 - 153 X
chamevazquez@gmail.com
Author
Jiménez, María-Luisa
0000-0002-3250-9755
Laboratorio de Aracnología y Entomología, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste S. C., La Paz, 23096, Baja California Sur, México. & ljimenez 04 @ cibnor. mx; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 3250 - 9755
ljimenez04@cibnor.mx
text
Zootaxa
2022
2022-02-11
5099
2
286
292
journal article
20628
10.11646/zootaxa.5099.2.8
a287c3df-b1e0-423f-b01d-58706108f82a
1175-5326
6048590
A2E1FBD8-E1C5-41BC-A727-772A731958D1
Genus:
Scotinella
Banks, 1911
Type
species.
Scotinella pallida
Banks, 1911
Diagnosis
(after
Dondale & Redner 1982
;
Penniman 1985
). Femur of male palp with hooked ventral apophysis and retrolateral groove; strong retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) composed of two processes (bifid), the dorsal (dRTA) longer than the ventral (vRTA); tegulum rounded, usually without apophysis; embolus usually expanded at base, becoming slender, spiniform to filamentous distally (
Dondale & Redner 1982
: figs 262, 265;
Penniman 1985
: figs 18, 22, 30, 35). Epigyne with a single or paired copulatory openings in atrial depressions; copulatory ducts short to long, with species-specific pathway; spermathecae ovoid or round in outline, located posteriorly; bursae smaller and slenderer than spermathecae, arising at the junction of copulatory tubes with spermathecae (
Dondale & Redner 1982
: figs 263–264;
Penniman 1985
: fig. 17). Eight eyes in two rows, both straight. Opisthosoma of male (and sometimes female) with large dorsal scutum.
Current composition of
Scotinella
.
S. britcheri
(Petrunkevitch, 1910)
,
S. brittoni
(Gertsch, 1941)
,
S. custeri
Levi, 1951
,
S. deleta
(Gertsch, 1941)
,
S. divesta
(Gertsch, 1941)
,
S. divinula
(Gertsch, 1941)
,
S. dixiana
Roddy, 1957
,
S. fratrella
(Gertsch, 1935)
,
S. madisonia
Levi, 1951
,
S. manitou
Levi, 1951
,
S. minnetonka
(Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1930)
,
S. pallida
Banks, 1911
,
S. pelvicolens
(Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1930)
,
S. pugnata
(Emerton, 1890)
,
S. redempta
(Gertsch, 1941)
, and
S. sculleni
(Gertsch, 1941)
.
Remarks.
Zamani & Marusik (2020)
delimited the genus
Phrurolithus
to include only those species whose males have a large unbranched retroventral tibial apophysis (referred to as RTA by
Komnenov
et al
. 2016
;
Penniman 1985
;
Platnick 2019
;
Wang
et al
. 2015
) and a small RTA. Although
Zamani & Marusik (2020)
did not provide diagnostic characteristics for female genitalia,
P. festivus
(C. L. Koch, 1835)
and other Old World
Phrurolithus
species
have additional slightly sclerotized receptacles located anteriorly, which are larger than spermathecae. These structures are referred to as secondary receptacles by
Almquist (2006)
and
Zamani & Marusik (2020)
; as bursae by
Penniman (1985)
and
Kamura (2021)
, and as anterior part of spermathecae by
Komnenov
et al
. (2016)
. Nevertheless, such receptacles may not be homologous with
Scotinella
bursae (referred to as spermathecal organ by
Dondale & Redner (1982))
, because
Penniman (1985)
used the term in a broad sense to include those “blind sac-like or tubular structures” with different sizes in relation to the spermathecae, that “may arise near the copulatory openings, near the middle of copulatory tubes, or at the junction of the copulatory tubes with the spermathecae”.
We agree with the opinions of
Kaston (1972)
,
Penniman (1978)
,
Dondale & Redner (1982)
,
Penniman (1985)
,
Wang
et al
. (2015)
,
Platnick (2019)
, and
Zamani & Marusik (2020)
that the North American
Phrurolithus
are misplaced. Furthermore, the Mexican species currently placed in
Phrurolithus
do not correspond to Old World species in several features. For example, all Mexican
Phrurolithus
have a bifid RTA, hooked femoral apophysis, and the bulb lacking a tegular “knob” (referred to as a subterminal apophysis by
Zamani & Marusik (2020)
, and as tegular apophysis by
Almquist (2006)
and
Kamura (2021))
, and the bursa (
sensu
Penniman 1985
) is a small tubular protuberance at the junction of the copulatory ducts and spermathecae.
Based on similarities in the genitalic and somatic morphology of the Mexican
Phrurolithus
to the
type
species of
Scotinella
and other North American
Scotinella
(see diagnosis), the following species are transferred:
Scotinella adjacens
(
Gertsch & Davis, 1940
)
comb. nov.
,
S. approximatus
(
Gertsch & Davis, 1940
)
comb. nov.
,
S. coahuilanus
(
Gertsch & Davis, 1940
)
comb. nov.
,
S. debilis
(
Gertsch & Davis, 1940
)
comb. nov.
,
S. diversus
(
Gertsch & Davis, 1940
)
comb. nov.
,
S. tamaulipanus
(
Gertsch & Davis, 1940
)
comb. nov.
, and
S. tepejicanus
(
Gertsch & Davis, 1940
)
comb. nov.
Although the males of
S. debilis
comb. nov.
and
S. diversus
comb. nov.
remain unknown,
Gertsch & Davis (1940)
considered these two species congeneric with
S. coahuilanus
comb. nov.
, which has an endogyne similar to other
Scotinella
species
(see
Penniman 1985: 100
, fig. 99). There are several American phrurolithids listed under
Phrurolithus
and
Phruronellus
, all of them likely misplaced. Moreover, we agree with the opinions of
Kaston (1972)
and
Penniman (1985)
that
Scotinella
is a senior synonym of
Phruronellus
; see also
Roth (1985: 10
;
1994: 83
). However, reassessment of the
types
of all
Phruronellus
are particularly needed, because many details of the male and female copulatory organs are unknown.