Sergei Zonstein

A review of the Spider Genus Atmetochilus of Sumatra, Indonesia, with First Analysis of Male Characters and Description of Three New Species (Araneae, Nemesiidae)

Sergei L. Zonstein and Yuri M. Marusik (2016) The first Sumatran representatives of Atmetochilus Simon, 1887, the genus formerly known only from two species from Myanmar and one species from India, are currently revealed and reviewed. Three new species (listed below) are described and the current concept of Atmetochilus is redefined following study of the male characters previously almost completely unknown. Most of these characters are studied, illustrated and discussed for the first time. The studied genus is found to be represented in Sumatra by three new species described here: A. koponeni sp. n. (♂♀), A. lehtineni sp. n. (♂♀) and A. sumatranus sp. n. (♂).

Redescription of three species of Filistatidae (Araneae) described by C.F. Roewer from Afghanistan

Types of three filistatid species described by Roewer (1960, 1962) from Afghanistan are redescribed and two of them transferred to other filistatid genera. The new combinations proposed are: Zaitunia afghana (Roewer 1962) comb. n. (ex. Filistata Latreille, 1810) and Tricalamus lindbergi (Roewer, 1962) comb. n. (ex. Pritha Lehtinen, 1967). The taxonomic position of Pholcoides afghana Roewer, 1960 is discussed and the species is placed in the filistatid subfamily Prithinae Gray, 1994.

On Levymanus, a remarkable new spider genus from Israel, with notes on the Chediminae (Araneae, Palpimanidae)

Abstract Levymanus gershomi gen. n. et sp. n., is described from southern Israel. The eye arrangement and structure of the male palp indicate that this genus belongs to Chediminae Simon, 1893. Levymanus gen. n. differs from other chedimine genera by its unusually long and slender legs, an elongate body, a unique shape of the bipartite thoracic fovea, reduced leg scopulae, smaller spinnerets, and other characters, which are presumably apomorphic. We propose two taxonomic changes: 1) based on widely spaced lateral eyes the Western African genus Badia Roewer, 1961 is transferred from Chediminae to Palpimaninae, and 2) Fernandezina gyirongensis Hu & Li, 1987 from China, based on palpal morphology, is transferred to the Asian genus Steriphopus Simon, 1887 for a new combination Steriphopus gyirongensis (Hu & Li, 1987) comb. n.

Checklist of the spiders (Araneae) of Israel

This checklist records 631 spider species and subspecies belonging to 49 families in Israel. Species distributions are given in both generalised (by main geographic areas of the country) and detailed (by localities) form. Twenty-seven records are considered as doubtful and another ten are based on misidentifications. A historical survey is provided. Each record is presented in its original combination. The list is dominated by members of the families Gnaphosidae and Salticidae (20.0% and 17.1% of total species, respectively). The level of regional endemism exceeds 37.0%.

Raveniola niedermeyeri from Iran: redescription and new data on distribution (Araneae, Nemesiidae)

Abstract Raveniola niedermeyeri (Brignoli, 1972), a poorly known species, is rediagnosed and redescribed from the types and from recently collected material from northern and central regions of Iran. This species differs from its congeners in having the male embolus curved distally, as well as in the unique conformation of the spermathecae. New data on the distribution of Raveniola niedermeyeri in Iran are also provided.

A review of the genus Raveniola (Araneae, Nemesiidae) in China, with notes on allied genera and description of four new species from Yunnan.

Abstract The Chinese representatives of Raveniola Zonstein, 1987 are currently recognized to comprise seven species. Four new species – Raveniola montana sp. n. (♂♀), Raveniola shangrila sp. n. (♂), Raveniola songi sp. n. (♂) and Raveniola yunnanensis sp. n. (♂) – are described from the highlands of Yunnan Province, China. According to some characters (shape of the palpus, palpal tibia and tibia I in males) they can be placed together with Raveniola hebeinica Zhu, Zhang & Zhang, 1999 and with Raveniola guangxi (Raven & Schwendinger, 1995), comb. n., transferred here from Sinopesa Raven & Schwendinger, 1995. The current generic position of Raveniola xizangensis (Hu & Li, 1987) is confirmed. Other Chinese nemesiids referred previously to Raveniola are transferred to Sinopesa: Sinopesa chinensis (Kulczyński, 1901), comb. n., Sinopesa sinensis (Zhu & Mao, 1983), comb. n. and Sinopesa chengbuensis (Xu & Yun, 2002), comb. n. The relationships between these Asian genera and their relations to Afrotropical nemesiids are discussed.

Redescription of Phrurolithus flavipes (Araneae: Phrurolithidae), with the first description of the male.

Phrurolithus C.L. Koch, 1839, with 71 named species, is the largest genus of the family Phrurolithidae, which contains 188 species belonging to 14 genera (Platnick 2014). It has an almost exclusively Holarctic distribution: 34 species are known from the Palaearctic, 35 are known from the Nearctic and two species are known from Hispaniola. The genus is rather poorly studied and has never been the subject of wide-scale revision. Almost half of its species are known from a single sex: 23 from females and nine from males. Additionally, 45 species are known from the original description only, and one species has never been illustrated (Platnick 2014).

Eight new species of the spider genera Raveniola and Sinopesa from China and Vietnam (Araneae, Nemesiidae).

Abstract Eight new species, seven Raveniola Zonstein, 1987 and one Sinopesa Raven & Schwendinger, 1995 from China and Vietnam are described: Raveniola alpina sp. n., Raveniola bellula sp. n., Raveniola chayi sp. n., Raveniola gracilis sp. n., Raveniola rugosa sp. n., Raveniola spirula sp. n. and Raveniola yajiangensis sp. n. and Sinopesa ninhbinhensis sp. n. Keys to all East-Asian congeners, diagnoses of the new species, and new distribution data of Raveniola montana Zonstein & Marusik, 2012, with a first record for Sichuan, China, are provided.

The First Record of Andoharano Lehtinen, 1967 (Araneae: Filistatidae) from Mainland Africa

ABSTRACT The first mainland African representative of Andoharano Lehtinen, 1967, A. ansieae sp. n., is described from north-eastern Namibia on the basis of both sexes. The new species differs from other congeners in peculiarities of coloration in both sexes, as well as in possessing a small thorn at the base of the embolus. The receptacles of Andoharano are studied for the first time. An unexpected occurrence of Andoharano in Namibia, with the genus formerly known only from Madagascar, is briefly discussed.

A synopsis of East-Mediterranean Synaphris Simon, 1894 (Araneae, Synaphridae) with a description of a new species from Israel

Abstract Three species of Synaphris occurring in the East Mediterranean – Synaphris orientalis Marusik & Lehtinen, 2003, Synaphris lehtineni Marusik, Gnelitsa & Kovblyuk, 2005 and Synaphris letourneuxi (Simon, 1884) – are surveyed; and a new species – Synaphris wunderlichi sp. n. – is described from southern Israel on the basis of males. The new species differs from other East- Mediterranean congeners by its smaller size, a smaller lamella with fewer ridges, and a thick palpal femur. Comparative figures are provided for all species from the East Mediterranean.