Abstract
Harpactea dufouri (Thorell, 1873) was collected in the Gavarres protected natural area in Catalonia, Spain. The specimens were compared with specimens from Mallorca, Balearic Islands, and found to be conspecific. The female of the species is described here for the first time. The new finding proves that Harpactea dufouri occurs outside the Balearic Islands. The species, however, may be endemic to Catalonia.
Highlights
The genus Harpactea Bristowe, 1939 (type species: Harpactea hombergi (Scopoli, 1763)) is the second most speciose genus of the family Dysderidae (Řezáč 2008)
Harpactea dufouri differs from H. corticalis (Simon, 1882) by the more slender bulbus of the male palp, the more straight conductor and embolus and the larger number of spines on femora III and IV
Harpactea dufouri somewhat resembles H. heizerensis Bosmans & Beladjal, 1991, but differs from it by the knife-shaped, pointed conductor with very sharp teeth, the posterior diverticulum of the vulva consisting of a small ventral and a larger dorsal lobe and by the larger number of spines on femorae III and IV
Summary
The genus Harpactea Bristowe, 1939 (type species: Harpactea hombergi (Scopoli, 1763)) is the second most speciose genus of the family Dysderidae (Řezáč 2008). The World Spider Catalog (2016) lists 175 valid and accepted species for the genus, which is almost one third of the 534 species described for the family. The focus of distribution of the genus is the Mediterranean area, extending to the Caspian region in the East, and, for some species, to central and northern Europe in the North. Almost all species of Harpactea have a relatively small distribution area. H. hombergi (Scopoli, 1763), H. lepida (C.L. Koch, 1838), H. rubicunda (C.L. Koch, 1838) and H. saeva (Herman, 1879) are widespread species. The majority of Harpactea species have been described after the publication of Roewer’s first spider catalogue (1942). Most of the additional Harpactea species have since been described by Alicata, who described 12 species (Alicata 1966a, 1966b, 1966c, 1973, 1974), Brignoli, who described 35 species (Brignoli 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978a, 1978b, 1978c, 1979a, 1979b, 1979c, 1979d, 1980a, 1980b, 1984), Bosmans and coworkers, who described 31 species
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
