Cteniza sauvagesi Rossi 1788

(Figs. 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 36, 37, 40 – 46, 49 – 65)

Description. Female neotype (Figs. 49 – 50). General appearance: robustly built, short legged spider with elevated, caudally truncated cephalic part of the carapace, deep procurved fovea and ovoid abdomen. Legs III and IV stronger than legs I and II, palps leg-like. Color: dorsal prosoma and legs almost uniform dark somewhat greenish brown, ventrally lighter brown, chelicerae darker reddish brown, abdomen dark grey dorsally lighter. Carapace (as Fig 41): shiny, glabrous except for some fine bristles around the eye-group and on the crest of the cephalic part, posterior edge concave. Eye-group (as Fig. 37): slightly longer than half the its width (EL / PR = 0.6), trapezoidal with posterior row slightly longer than anterior row (AR / PR = 0.9). ALE largest, PME larger than PLE, AME further than their diameter apart. Chelicerae: very strong, fine bristles dorsally in longitudinal zone, distally in triangular group, rastellum compact group of strong rigid short spiky spines on the inner apex of the basal segment, partly placed on distinct rastellar process, cheliceral furrow lined on both sides with irregular row of teeth (prolateral row extending forward), few smaller denticles on furrow bottoms, fangs, strong, proximally hooked, ventrally flattened between two sharp ridges. Sternum (as Fig. 40): evenly spread fine erect bristles, large sub-central sigilla, small lateral sigilla. Labium (as Fig. 40): dome shaped with few distal cuspules, separated from sternum by wide, shallow labial furrow. Maxillae: short, rounded, distal apophyses, pinkish scopula along the ventral-prolateral edge, irregular double row of cuspules along proximal edges. Palps: leg-like, groups of strong lateral dagger-type spines on tarsus, tibia and a single prolateral patella spine. Legs I and II: with dagger-type spines in the ventral halves of the prolateral and retrolateral distal three segments (as Fig. 15). Leg III (as Fig. 18): shortest and strongest of legs with spine-groups on distal tarsus, dorsal half metatarsus, and prolateral patella and a single distal spine on prolateral tibia, ventral tarsus with thin scopula. Leg IV: longest of legs with few fine spines on the prolateral tarsus and metatarsus, retrolateral spines absent, ‘ rake- like’ structure around the dorsal femur-patella joint. Claws: palp-claw one large curved proximal bifid tooth (Fig. 51), Leg I ATC slightly sigmoid, STC with large proximal side teeth, few tiny subsidiary teeth (Fig. 52), Leg IV ATC regularly curved, STC with bifid side tooth on posterior claw (Fig. 53). Abdomen: ovoid, dense cover of fine bristles. Spinnerets (as Fig. 22): PMS club shaped, apical spigot field, PLS three segmented, basal segment longer than median plus distal segment, spigots concentrated in the distal parts of all segments. Spigot differentiation distinct with a single larger spigot on apical PMS and a few conspicuously larger spigots on all PLS segments, particularly prominent on the distal parts of the median segment. Spermathecae (Fig. 54): “ mushroom-shaped ”, tripartite receptacles with distally narrowing, membranous, flattened proximal part, sclerotized medial part and “ donutshaped ” glandular distal part. Measurements. Female neotype (id. Isaia- 137). TBL = 28.8, CL = 9.2, CW = 7.9, SL = 5.7, SW = 4.3, LL = 1.2, LW = 1.6, AR = 1.51, PR = 1.75, EL = 0.96, dALE = 0.44, dPLE = 0.25, dAME = 0.15, dPME = 0.22, disAME = 0.27, disPME = 0.75, PaL = 12.9, LegI = 16.0 LegII = 14.6, LegIII = 14.8, LegIV = 20.3, Int = 0.39, Ext = 0.89, LRL = 0.46, LRR = 0.55. Description. Male (id. NHMB- 011). General appearance (Fig. 36): robustly built, long legged spider with small ovoid abdomen and slender, strongly elongated palps. Color (in ethanol): dorsal view prosoma and legs almost uniform dark brown, chelicerae slightly lighter brown, abdomen purplish, mottled, spinnerets yellow. Ventral sternum yellow with slightly darker edges and sigilla, labium and ventral coxae light brown, maxillae light brown with anterior yellow zone, legs and chelicerae slightly darker brown, anterior abdomen creamy color, posterior abdomen greyish, spinnerets white. Carapace: finely sculptured, almost glabrous, few thin bristles around eye-group (partly on narrow clypeus), thick rim (as Fig. 43), cephalic part only slightly elevated, gradually curving down to fovea (as Fig. 42), fovea deep pro-curved. Eye-formation: as in female. Chelicerae: weaker with smaller rastellum than in female, Sternum: with more pronounced curvature of the edge compared to female. Labium and Maxillae without cuspules. Palp (Fig. 55): glabrous with only locally groups of short hairs, strongly elongated tibiae, patellae, femora, trochanters. Cymbium (Fig. 56): anterior rounded with distal group of dorsal spines (mostly broken-off in the described specimen). Legs: first leg (Fig. 45 – 46) stronger than other legs with numerous strong spines on pro- and retrolateral faces of tibia, and on prolateral patella. Prolateral femur with a field of short strong spiky bristles (Fig. 45). Claws: STC with single sigmoid curved rows (combs) of teeth (Figs. 57 – 58). Abdomen: small ovoid, dense cover of fine bristles. Spinnerets: differentiation of spigots less pronounced than in females. Bulb (Figs. 59 – 62): simple pyriform with regularly curved slender, distally narrowing embolus with a tiny ‘ scoop’ at the embolus tip. Measurements. TBL = 15.8, CL = 7.7, CW = 6.8, SL = 4.7, SW = 3.5, LL = 0.7, LW = 1.1, AR = 1.29, PR = 1.45, EL = 0.74, dALE = 0.32, dPLE = 0.23, dAME = 0.15, dPME = 0.23, disAME = 0.22, disPME = 0.66, PaL = 16.2, LegI = 20.8, LegII = 19,1, LegIII = 17.3, LegIV = 24.3, BuL = 1.91, EmL = 0.86, BuW = 0.80. Size variation. Although our samples of C. sauvagesi from geographically separated populations on Corsica, Sardinia and in Calabria are small, we did not find distinctive size differences between males (CL: av = 8.1, sd = 1.0, n = 11) and adult females (CL: av = 9.2, sd = 1.0, n = 21) collected in different regions. With respect to qualitative differences in morphological characters, Ausserer (1871: 153) reported substantial variation within the Corsican population of C. sauvagesi. We studied this variation in our samples to conclude that some of Ausserer’s characters are difficult to interpret, either because we have no information about his methods of measurement (e. g. length / width ratio of the rastellar process) or the ambiguity in interpretation of character states (e. g. fovea shape, shallower or deeper grooves in the carapace). Where we could follow Ausserer (1871), we found the same variation in sternum shape and eye configurations in all populations (Corsica, Sardinia Calabria), supporting the specific unity of different populations of C. sauvagesi. The only potentially diagnostic character we found to distinguish isolated populations of C. sauvagesi was the spine patterns on lateral faces of tarsus I in males (Fig. 63 – 65). Here, prolateral and retrolateral spines were found in the Calabrian population (n = 8); such spines were absent in the Sardinian and Corsican populations (n = 3). The variation and differences in morphology found are regarded to be insufficient to justify the recognition of different species occurring on Corsica, Sardinia and Calabria. Hence, we regard C. sauvagesi as a single species distributed in at least three currently marine isolated geographical regions. Size variation measurements. Males (n = 5): TBL = 14.6 – 18.2, CL = 7.7 – 8.8, CW = 6.8 – 7.7, SL = 4.3 – 5.2, SW = 3.4 – 4.5. AR = 1.28 – 1.41, PR = 1.45 – 1.77, EL = 0.74 – 1.05, dAME = 0.15 – 0.19, disAME = 0.22 – 0.30, PaL = 15.6 – 17.4, LegI = 20.8 – 23.1, LegII = 19.1 – 21.7, LegIII = 17.1 – 20.1, LegIV = 24.3 – 28.2, BuL = 1.98 – 2.21, EmL = 0.89 – 1.13, BuW = 0.80 – 0.95. Females (n = 11): TBL = 17.2 – 27.8, CL = 7.8 – 10.2, CW = 7.0 – 9.3, SL = 5.1 – 6.8, SW = 3.7 – 5.2, AR = 1.43 – 2.10, PR = 1.49 – 2.37, EL = 0.93 – 1.26, dAME = 0.14 – 0.20, disAME = 0.23 – 0.42, PaL = 12.3 – 16.3, LegI = 14.6 – 20.5, LegII = 13.4 – 18.4, LegIII = 14.0 – 18.4, LegIV = 18.3 – 25.5.

Mygale pionnière (M. fodiens) Olivier 1811 (Ibid): 86; Lamarck 1818: 107 (ibid.); Walckenaer 1826: 4, plate 2, figs 1 – 2 (female, figs Mygale de Sauvage); Latreille 1829: 232 (description female); Dugès & Milne Edwards 1836: 35 (description female, burrow and mygale anatomy); Walckenaer 1837: 237 – 239 (burrow after Audouin).

Diagnosis. Cteniza sauvagesi differs from C. moggridgei in the larger size, as measured on the carapace length of both adult females and males. Maximal lengths recorded for C. moggridgei: females (n = 8) CL = 6.4, males (n = 8) CL = 6.2. Minimal lengths recorded for C. sauvagesi: females (n = 21) CL = 7.8, males (n = 11) CL = 7.3. The records for C. moggridgei include measurements given in Buchli (1968). Males of C. sauvagesi differ from C. moggridgei in the shape of the carapace, anterior narrowing in C. sauvagesi (Fig. 43) anterior rounded in C. moggridgei (Fig. 44), and in the spine patterns on leg I, with a dense group of short spiky bristles on the prolateral femur in C. sauvagesi (absent in C. moggridgei), and relative stronger development of spines on the prolateral patella and tibia in C, moggridgei (Figs. 45 – 48). The two species are remarkably similar in sexual morphology (compare Figs. 59 – 62 and 66 – 69). Finally, the two species are geographically and ecologically separated (see section on SDM).

Remarks. The validity of C. brevidens has never been confirmed. A study of detailed photographic material of the supposed holotype of C. brevidens, kindly provided by Christoph Hörweg (NHMW-Vienna, Inv. No. 11, “ TYPUS ”, leg. Koelbel) and a study of a specimen labeled C. brevidens by Costa in the collection of the MNHN- Paris (A. D. personal observation), indicated that only the shape of the eye-formation would distinguish C. brevidens from C. sauvagesi (see Decae 1996: figs 1 – 2). Significant variations in the general shape of the eyeformation in C. sauvagesi were first reported by Ausserer (1871: 152 - 153) and are confirmed in this study (PR / EL, n = 16, range 1.49 – 2.26, av. = 1.86, sd. = 0.18, AR / PR, n = 16, range 0.77 – 0.90, av. = 0.85, sd. 0.04). Here we judge these differences insufficient to discriminate species and hence regard C. brevidens (Doleschall, 1871) as a junior synonym of C. sauvagesi (Rossi, 1788) n. syn.

Material examined. 1 female (NEOTYPE) id. Isaia. 137, France Corsica, Cap Corse, Oreta, (42.86 ° N, 9.43 ° E), leg. S. Mammola and A. Giresi; 1 male (specimen described) id. NHMB- 011, France, Corsica, Marine de Saint Ambrogio (42.6 ° N, 8.82 ° E), leg. B. Salmini, B. and F. Giomi. 1 female id. TH. 402, Calvi, Campo di a Veta (42.57 ° N, 8.72 ° E) leg. K. Thaler and B. Knoflach; 1 female id. TH. 414 A, Calvi, Forêt de Bonifacio (42.46 ° N, 8.85 ° E) leg. K. Thaler and B. Knoflach; 1 female id. Bra. 05, Corsica (no precise location) leg. B. Rast; 2 females id. NHMP. 020 and NHMP. 021, Corsica (no precise location) leg. Unknown; 3 females id. AR 4215 a – c, Corsica, region Ajaccio (41.93 ° N, 8.74 ° E) leg. Unknown; 2 females id. AR 4211 a – b, Corsica region Ajaccio leg. Dehant; 1 female id. AR 4216, Corsica Bastia, Ravin du Lupino (42.7 ° N, 9.45 ° E); 1 female id. SMF 3481, Corsica (no precise location) leg. Unknown; 1 male id. Colo. 015 Italy, Sardinia, Sassari, Maristella (40.59 ° N, 8.21 ° E) leg. M. Colombo; 1 male id. Colo. 018 Italy, Sardinia, Maristella (40.6 ° N, 8.22 ° E) leg. M. Colombo; 1 female id. Shu. 180, Sardinia, west of Cagliari (39.15 ° N, 8.64 ° E) leg. S. Huber; 1 female id. Colo. 17, Sardinia Maristella (40.6 ° N, 8.22 ° E) leg. M. Colombo; 1 female id. Colo. 16, Sardinia Collinas (39.64 ° N, 8.84 ° E) leg. M. Colombo; 1 juv. id. NHMB. 03, Italy, Ponza, NW Mt. Guardia (40.9 ° N, 12.96 ° E) leg. V. Cotterelli. 2 males id. Isaia. 133, 134, and 1 female id. Isaia- 135, Italy, Calabria, Cosenza, Terranova da Sibari (39.66 ° N, 16.34 ° E) leg. P. Rizzo; 6 males id. Riz- 01, 0 3, 0 4, 0 8, 0 9, 0 10, Italy, Calabria, Tarsia (39.61 ° N, 16.32 ° E) leg. P. Rizzo; 2 females id. Riz- 02, 0 5 Italy, Calabria, Cosenza, Terranova da Sibari (39.66 ° N, 16.34 ° E) leg. P. Rizzo; 2 females id. Riz- 02, 0 5 Italy, Calabria, San Lorenzo Bellizzi (39.8 ° N, 16.33 ° E) leg. P. Rizzo. Type material and reference material from all locations will be deposited in MCSNEC (Bergamo).