Work

An Overlooked Species of Enigmatic Wolf Spider (Araneae: Lycosidae) Clarifies the Mysterious Distribution of its Sibling

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Several wolf spiders exhibit a peculiar geographical distribution. One good example of this is Pardosa aenigmatica Tongiorgi, 1966, recently recognized in Italy and the Middle East but missing in the Balkans. A comparison of populations from the disjunctive areas revealed that they would be better described as two distinct species. As a result, here we describe Pardosa sepidehae sp. nov. The paper includes detailed descriptions and comparative illustrations of male and female copulatory organs for the newly discovered species and P. aenigmatica. Pardosa sepidehae sp. nov. is distributed in the Middle East, whereas P. aenigmatica remains endemic to the Apennine Peninsula.

Source: Annales Zoologici

DOI: 10.3161/00034541anz2026.76.29.29

Authors: Adile Akpinar, Petr Dolejš

Institutions: Gaziantep University, National Museum

Language: English

Topic: Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Univerzita Karlova v Praze

OpenAlex ID: W7220946041