Liocranum atlasicum Zamani & Marusik, 2025, sp. nov.
Year: 2025
Type: other
Abstract: Liocranum atlasicum sp. nov. Figs 1C, 6A–B Material. Holotype ♀ (ZMUT) and paratypes 3♀ (ZMUT): MOROCCO: Al Haouz Prov.: Oukaïmeden, High Atlas, 31°10'25.1"N, 7°50'40.0"W, 2900 m, 29.V–11.V.2024 (leg. C. Reuter). Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality of the species in the Atlas Mountains. Diagnosis. The epigyne of the new species resembles the illustration for that of Liocranum majus Simon, 1878 by Bosselaers (2024), a species distributed from the Iberian Peninsula to Italy. It differs by having almost oval receptacles that extend to the lateral margins of the epigyne (vs. round and not reaching the lateral margins). Description. Female (holotype). Habitus as in Fig. 1C. Total length 9.55. Carapace 3.6 long, 2.9 wide. Carapace and sternum light brown; chelicerae, maxillae and labium reddish brown, chelicerae with 3 pro- and 2 retromarginal teeth. Palps light brown, legs yellowish brown. Abdomen greyish beige. Spinnerets pale beige. Measurements of palp and legs: palp: 4.5 (1.5, 0.85, 1.1, -, 1.05), I: 13.5 (3.65, 1.95, 3.5, 2.8, 1.6), II: 12.15 (3.4, 1.8, 3.0, 2.6, 1.35), III: 11.0 (3.0, 1.5, 2.55, 2.75, 1.2), IV: 15.7 (4.0, 1.6, 3.85, 4.7, 1.55). Ventral spines of tibiae: I: 7 pairs, 1; II: 6 pairs; III: 3 pairs; IV: 2 pairs, 2. Epigyne as in Fig. 6A–B; epigynal plate 1.2× longer than wide; anterior hood wide, ~0.4 of epigynal plate’s width; lateral margins of fovea strongly sclerotized, slightly diverging, with roundly bent anterior part, distance between anterior parts equals width of anterior hood; receptacles (Re) suboval, converging anteriorly, 2× longer than wide, spaced by ~0.5 their width. Male. Unknown. Comment. Illustrations of the epigyne of L. majus provided by Barrientos et al. (2019: fig. 2b) and Bosselaers (2024: fig. 6L) differ considerably and may in fact represent different species. Liocranum majus was originally described from a juvenile specimen, and the species currently treated as its junior synonyms— L. segmentatum Simon, 1878 and L. pallidulum Simon, 1878 —lack published figures of the epigyne. Habitat. Semi-arid rocky mountain with sparse vegetation (Fig. 14A). Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Al Haouz Province, Morocco.
Authors: Zamani, Alireza, Marusik, Yuri M.
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7087930292
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