Agyneta floridana (Banks 1896)

Figs 550–556, map 37

Bathyphantes floridana Banks 1896: 68 . (Description 3).

Meioneta floridana Ivie 1969: 6 . (Transferred 3 from Bathyphantes; not Ƥ, = Mermessus bryantae). Meioneta fuscipes Chamberlin & Ivie 1944: 85, f. 158-159. (Description Ƥ). (Holotype 3, Allotype Ƥ from Georgia: North

of 7 mi. River Cr., Sylvania, April 13, 1943, AMNH). EXAMINED. NEW SYNONYMY. Agyneta floridana Buckle et al. 2001: 100 . (Transferred from Meioneta).

Type material: Bathyphantes floridana Banks 1896, 3 HOLOTYPE from Punta Gorda, Florida, N. Banks Coll. (unique number 21340). MCZ, EXAMINED. Holotype vial contains 2Ƥ Mermessus .

Diagnosis: Males are distinguished from all other species by the two sharply pointed cymbial tubercles (Fig. 551) and their elongated spine-like retrolateral palpal tibial apophysis (Fig. 550). Females are distinguished from most species in the genus by the large depressions on the surface of the epigynum (Fig. 554 arrow) and the narrow proximal part of scape enlarging apically (Fig. 554). Females differs from A. spicula, A. crista and A. tuberculata by their large rounded epigynal slits (Fig. 554), narrow in A. spicula (Fig. 322) and triangular in A. crista and A. tuberculata (Figs 365, 373).

Description: Male: Total length 1.48; carapace length 0.65, width 0.50.

CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace light yellow-brown, shiny, finely reticulate; radiating lines, margin suffused with gray; trident mark present. Sternum yellow-brown suffused with gray. Clypeus height 2. Chelicerae yellow with transverse dark band, not excavated; seta-tipped tubercles absent; promargin six teeth, retromargin five denticles. Cheliceral stridulatory organ ~18 striae, well spaced throughout. ABDOMEN: Uniformly dark gray. LEGS: Yellow, basal half of femurs darker; total length leg I: 2.88, total length leg III: 2.03; Tm I: 0.22, Tm IV: absent. GENITALIA: Palpal retrolateral tibial apophysis long and thin, smooth; dorsal tibial apophysis wide, with several pointed smooth tips; two retrolateral trichobothria and one dorsal (Fig. 550). Cymbium rounded; glabrous depression absent (Fig. 550); dorsal and ventral cymbial tubercles black, sharply pointed and smooth; prolateral notch shallow (Fig. 551). Paracymbium apical pocket long, anterior pocket short, posterior pocket absent (Fig. 550). Embolus tip rounded, broad; basally with large prong; Fickert’s gland absent; ventral lamella reduced or absent; thumb long, extending over the embolus proper (Fig. 552). Embolus proper set apically on a vertical ridge, not associated with the embolus tip, ventral and dorsal part about equal (Fig. 552). Anterior terminal apophysis large, with numerous, long protrusions and with associated large prong basally; posterior terminal apophysis large well sclerotized, pointed; lamella characteristica large, with one narrow transparent flagellum and a large rounded process with a sharp point (Fig. 553).

Female: Total length 1.60; carapace length 0.64, width 0.48.

CEPHALOTHORAX: Coloration as in male. Chelicerae yellow with dark transverse band; promargin six teeth, retromargin five denticles. Cheliceral stridulatory organ ~15 striae, well spaced throughout. ABDOMEN: As in male. LEGS: Same coloration as male; palpal segments dark, claw absent; total length leg I: 2.69, total length leg III: 1.81; Tm I: 0.28, Tm IV: absent. GENITALIA: Female epigynum with two large, circular depressions (Fig. 554 arrow); proximal part of scape narrow expanding apically; epigynal slits oval; pit hook depression indistiguishable (Fig. 554); lateral lobes short but wide; stretcher small; pit small (Fig. 555). Median part of scape short and wrinkled; genital pores situated at base of lateral lobes (Fig. 556). Internal genitalia with elongated receptacula with basal bulge (Fig. 555).

Other material examined: USA: Florida: 4.8km S Florida City, 01.iv.1957, 1Ƥ, W. Gertsch, R. Forster (AMNH); Everglades National Park, 1.5 km NW Royal Palm, 01.xi.1984 – 03.iii.1985, malaise-FIT in hardwood hammock forest, 1Ƥ, S., J. Peck (AMNH); Everglades National Park, Long Pine Key, 08.vi–26.viii.1986, malaise in pinelands, 13, S., J. Peck (AMNH); Everglades National Park, 40km S South Bay, 29.xii.1963, 134Ƥ, J., W. Ivie (AMNH)

Distribution: Southeastern USA.