A Study in Scarlet: Integrative Taxonomy of the Spider Genus Loureedia (Araneae: Eresidae) Author Szűts, Tamás Molecular Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Rottenbiller utca 50, 1071 Budapest, Hungary szuts.tamas@univet.hu Author Szabó, Krisztián Molecular Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Rottenbiller utca 50, 1071 Budapest, Hungary szabo.krisztian@univet.hu Author Zamani, Alireza Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland Author Forman, Martin Laboratory of Arachnid Cytogenetics, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viniˇcná 5, 128 44 Prague, Czech Republic Author Miller, Jeremy Understanding Evolution Research Group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR Leiden, The Netherlands Author Oger, Pierre Rue du Grand Vivier 14, 4217 Waret l’Evêque, Belgium Author Fabregat, Magali Association Française Arachnologie, Rue Buffon 61, 75005 Paris, France Author Kovács, Gábor Londoni Krt. 1., 6724 Szeged, Hungary Author Gál, János Department of Exotic Animal and Wildlife Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, István u. 2, 1078 Budapest, Hungary text Diversity 2023 238 2023-02-08 15 2 1 26 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d15020238 journal article 55120 10.3390/d15020238 599bbd8c-b321-40fe-9ac9-10b7ef4dfa8a 7630144 Loureedia annulipes (Lucas, 1857) . Figure 1A,B , Figures 2E , 4C , 5 , 6C , 7C and 8C . Eresus annulipes Lucas, 1857: 21 ( ♂ ) [4] (original description). Eresus semicanus Simon, 1908: 83 ( ♂ ) [9]. Eresus semicanus : Simon 1911: 294 , Fig 5 ( ♂ ) [24]; El-Hennawy 2004: 28, Figs 2A,B , 3A–C and 4A,B ( ♂♀ ) [10]. Stegodyphus annulipes : Kraus & Kraus 1992: 15 , 19 [5]. Loureedia annulipes : Miller et al. 2012: 88 , Figs 1G–H , 4I , 9I–L , 13G–I , 18A, D, 62A–J, 63A–F, 64A–D, 65A–F, 66A–F, and 67A–F ( ♂♀ ) [1]; Henriques et al. 2018: 5, Fig 2a–h ( ♂♀ ) [3]; Zamani and Marusik 2020: 242, Fig 3g ( ♂ ) [6]. Type material. Holotype : male ( AR5391 , NMHN ), Patria Ignota (unknown site) (not examined). Other examined material. One male ( HUJ Ara 16551), ISRAEL : Southern District : Negev desert, 1 km north of Kibbutz Retamim, 29.X.2016 (leg. Reut A. Ein-Gil). Figure 6. Male palps of five species of Loureedia (retrolateral view). ( A ) L. phoenixi ; ( B ) L. jerbae ; ( C ) L. annulipes ; ( D ) L. maroccana , holotype (after conductor was broken); ( E ) L. maroccana , holotype (conductor still intact); ( F ) L. colleni . Scale bar: 0.25 mm. Diagnosis. The male palp of L. annulipes ( Figures 4C , 6C , 7C and 8C ) is most similar to that of L. colleni ( Figures 4F , 6F , 7F and 8F ), with the retrolateral arm of the conductor being much longer than the prolateral arm and bearing a gradual curvature and a blunt tip (see Figure 4C,F ). The male of L. annulipes can be distinguished from that of L. colleni by the wider stem of the conductor ( Figure 4C ), bearing a distinct concavity on the mesal margin ( Figure 4C ) vs. a narrower stem ( Figure 4F ) with an almost straight mesal margin ( Figure 4F ), the curved tip of the retrolateral arm ( Figures 4C , 6C and 7C ) of the conductor, and the abdominal coloration pattern consisting of numerous white spots ( Figure 1A,B and Figure 2E ) and two longitudinal, interrupted yellowish stripes ( Figures 1B and 2E ) vs. one or two white semi-foliate patterns in some individuals in the form of two large patches ( Figures 1E and 2A ). The females of the two species can be differentiated by the epigynal fovea (i.e., the median lobe described by Miller et al. [1]), which is almost as long as it is wide in L. annulipes (see Miller et al. [1]: Fig 18A) vs. longer than wide in L. colleni (see Henriques et al. [3]: Fig 9C ). Description. Male. Habitus as in Figure 1A,B and Figure 2E . Total length: 8.01. Carapace: 4.40 long and 3.65 wide. Abdomen: 3.79 long and 3.20 wide. Eye sizes and inter-eye distances: AME 0.27, PME 0.23, ALE 0.12, PLE 0.12, AME–AME 0.34, and ALE– AME 0.93. The carapace, sternum, labium, chelicerae, and maxillae dark brown. The carapace mostly covered with fine, long, black and shorter white and orange setae. The pars cephalica in most individuals with a localized triangular patch of red scales (absent in some individuals, see Miller et al. [1]: Fig 1G ). The center of the pars cephalica covered with orange setae, and the posterior part covered with fine white setae. Legs covered with thin black hairs, with distinct regions of white hairs at the joints of all segments, forming distinct white annulations. Abdomen velvet black; a foliate pattern with a black median elongated patch forming four pairs of elongated dots with orange markings on the inner parts and white markings on the outer parts. White patches unify at the posterior part of dorsum. Measurements of legs: I: 8.59 (2.99, 1.37, 1.71, 1.57, 0.94); II: 7.91 (2.47, 1.59, 1.41, 1.53, 0.89); III: 6.63 (2.31, 1.10, 1.21, 1.29, 0.70); IV: 9.56 (3.05, 1.82, 2.01, 1.77, 0.89). Palp as in Figures 4C , 6C , 7C and 8C . The stem of the conductor ca. 1.5 times longer than wide. The mesal and ectal margins of the conductor with slight curvatures. The retrolateral arm of the conductor ca. 2.5 times longer than the prolateral arm, and with blunt tip; prolateral arm with a pointed tip. Female. Deciphering the identity of females of this species is still in progress. Miller et al. [1] described the females based on both L. jerbae and L. annulipes specimens. The two females are indeed very similar, and comparative material is still being collected. Variation. The number of white patches on the dorsal surface of the abdomen varies, typically from four to six pairs. They may be connected to each other at their inner margins in some specimens. There is also variation in the width of the median black stripe and the extent of the orange markings. Some specimens have a white band on the anterior portion of the abdomen. Figure 7. Male palps of five species of Loureedia (ventral view). ( A ) Loureedia phoenixi ; ( B ) L. jerbae ; ( C ) L. annulipes ; ( D ) L. maroccana , holotype (after conductor was broken); ( E ) L. maroccana , holotype (conductor still intact); ( F ) L. colleni . Scale bar: 0.25 mm. Natural history. Known from the sandy dunes of the Negev desert ( Figure 9A,B ). Phenology. The males are active during October–November. Distribution. Reliably known only from Israel ( Southern District ) (see Figure 5 ).