Oecobius armiachi, Marusik & Zonstein, 2024

Marusik, Yuri M. & Zonstein, Sergei, 2024, The spider genus Oecobius (Araneae: Oecobiidae) in Israel, with description of a new species and new synonymies, Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 53 (17), pp. 49-62 : 50-55

Oecobius armiachi n. sp.

( Figs 1–3)

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:76A9FF26-D137-4966-8D9E-8C2A7E4E1D1E

Etymology: The new species is named after our colleague Igor Armiach Steinpress (formerly from the National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, currently in the Plant Protection and Inspection Services, the Ministry of Agriculture, Bet Dagan, Israel).

Diagnosis: Male of the new species is somewhat similar to those of O. affinis O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872 and O. cambridgei Wunderlich, 1995 in having a small embolic division thinner than the tegulum, but differs in having several loops (Ls) of the sperm duct baso-prolaterally (vs. one loop) and 5 spines on the cymbial tip (vs. 2). The structure of the epigyne in the new species is distinguishable due to the presence of a square-shaped epigynal plate with a wide slightly biconcave septum. Among the congeners with known females, a somewhat similar epigynal structures are known only for O. nadiae (Spassky, 1936) , but in the latter species the epigynal plate is much wider and transversely ellipsoidal, and the septum is considerably narrower ( Fig. 3 cf. Zarikian et al. 2022, fig. 7D).

Description: Male (holotype). Habitus as in Fig. 1B, C. Total length 2.33.

Color in alcohol: Carapace brown with irregular blackish pattern, pair of dark stripes separating cephalic part from thoracic, thoracic part with mesal dark stripe. Sternum brownish lacking distinct pattern, margins dark. Labium light brown, endites pale yellow.Abdomen dorsum variegated, with dark spots in mesal part, pair of subtransverse dark bands posteriorly and numerous white guanine spots; venter: epigaster dark brown, postgaster with median dark band widening posteriorly, sides brownish, laterally from band with lighter area with few small white guanine spots. Spinnerets and cribellum pale yellow in ventral view, posterior lateral spinnerets dorsally brown. Legs pale yellow with dark annulation on femora, tibiae, metatarsi

and tarsi; femora, tibiae and metatarsi with two rings, tarsi with dark proximal parts; palps: trochanter, femur, patella and tibia pale yellow in lateral view, with dorsal spot on femur and tibia, cymbium and bulb orange.

Carapace: 0.84 long, 1.02 wide. Eyes: AME 0.05, ALE 0.04, PLE 0.07, PME (long-oval) 0.07, AME–AME 0.09, AME–ALE 0.04, ALE–PLE 0.05, PLE–PME 0.01, PME–PME 0.06.

Palp and legs: Length as indicated below:

Palp I II III IV

Femur 0.43 0.87 0.85 0.83 0.90

Patella 0.25 0.39 0.37 0.31 0.38

Tibia 0.14 0.65 0.59 0.71 0.84

Metatarsus – 0.62 0.71 0.69 0.87

Tarsus 0.66 0.47 0.48 0.45 0.47

Total 1.48 3.00 3.00 2.99 3.46

Palp ( Fig. 2): femur ca. 2.6× as long as wide; patella longer than tibia; tibia 1.3× as wide as long; cymbium ca. 1.5× as long as wide, with short tip, tip with 5 spines; bulb ovate, ca. 1.2× as long as wide; sperm duct (Sd) encircling tegulum not forming any loops from retrolateral to prolateral side, but only in basal-prolateral part forming 3 loops (Ls); anterior part of tegulum with heavily sclerotized beak (Tb) above embolic division (Ed); embolic division not protruding, 2× as thin as tegulum in retrolateral view; terminal apophysis (Ta) large but not protruding, with claw-like extension (Ce) directed retrolaterally, radical apophysis subdivided in 2 parts, anterior with 2 processes, anterior (Ra) and posterior (Rp); embolus (Em) short, thorn-like.

Female (paratype). Habitus as in Fig. 1A, D. Total length 2.38.

Color in alcohol: Carapace, sternum, endites, labium and legs as in male. Abdomen dorsally lacking distinct pattern; venter with light epigaster and blacking book lungs, postgaster with mesal light band surrounded with pair of dark stripes and light submarginal bands with few large guanine spots.

Carapace: 0.81 long, 1.01 wide. Eyes: AME 0.06, ALE 0.05, PLE 0.08, PME (long-oval) 0.07, AME–AME 0.06, AME–ALE 0.03, ALE–PLE 0.04, PLE–PME 0.02, PME–PME 0.06.

Palp and legs: Length as indicated below:

Palp

I II III IV

Femur 0.39 0.83 0.79 0.75 1.06

Patella 0.18 0.36 0.35 0.31 0.39

Tibia 0.23 0.61 0.62 0.56 0.68

Metatarsus – 0.58 0.46 0.63 0.72

Tarsus 0.40 0.45 0.46 0.42 0.45

Total 1.20 2.83 2.68 2.67 3.30 Epigyne ( Fig. 3): Epigynal plate as long as wide, almost square-shaped, with distinct septum (Se), 2× as long as wide; bursae (Bu) large, 1.75× as long as epigynal plate, and almost as wide as plate; receptacles (Re) closely spaced, globular, as wide as septum.

Holotype: ♂ (SMNHTAU), Israel: Judean Hills : Ben Shemen Forest Park , Mizpe Modi'in, 31°57'N 34°57'E, 160 m, 27.iv.2021, S. Zonstein.

Paratypes: 1♂, 2♀ (SMNHTAU), same collection data; collected together with the holotype .

Other material examined: Israel: Judean Hills : 20♂, ' Adullam Forest Nature Reserve south of Bet Shemesh, 300–350m, pitfall traps, 20.v.2002, Y. Mandelik & A. Landsman (SMNHTAU) ; 1♂, same but 20.v.2008, O. Skutelsky (SMNHTAU); 6♂, foothills near Yishpro , 3 km W Modi'in, 31°53'N 34°59'E, 200 m, 9–17.v.2012, I. Bernstein (SMNHTAU) ; 1♂, Qedoshim Forest 7 km NE Bet Shemesh, 31°47.1'N 35°03.9'E, 600 m, 30.vi.2014, G. Kapp (SMNHTAU). Northern Negev : 1♂, Nahal haBesor, 31°18'N 34°29'E, 70 m, 8.iv.2010, L. Friedman & C. Drees (SMNHTAU) .

Distribution: Israel: Judean Hills and Northern Negev.

Habitat: The entire type series was collected from the old-planted rocky woodland, dominated by the Aleppo pine, Pinus halepensis Mill. The spiders were found sitting on the lower surface of the rocks. Most of the additional specimens were collected from pitfall traps in the plain and foothill habitats covered with ‘batha’ shrubland or planted pine woods .