Abstract
Citharoceps Chamberlin was diagnosed by the presence of a very distinctive stridulatory apparatus composed of two patches of ridges on the sides of the cephalic region, and a stridulatory thorn on the prolateral region of the femur I. Currently, this genus is a junior synonym of Ariadna Audouin, with the assumption that the stridulatory apparatus could constitute an exclusive feature of its unique known species, Citharoceps fidicina Chamberlin, currently senior synonym of Citharoceps californica Chamberlin & Ivie. In the present study, Citharoceps is revalidated and redescribed based on the occurrence of the stridulatory apparatus in Citharoceps fidicina and Segestria cruzana Chamberlin & Ivie, and also on the presence of distinguishable characters, such as the length of the labium-sternum junction, ventral median spine on male metatarsi I, and strong sclerotized interpulmonary fold in females, forming a conspicuous median flap. Segestria cruzana is transfered to Citharoceps, with Citharoceps californica removed from the synonym of Citharoceps fidicina, and proposed as a junior synonym of Citharoceps cruzana, due to the similarity between the additional material examined and the original description. Males of Citharoceps fidicina and Citharoceps cruzana are described for the first time.
Highlights
Segestriidae currently comprises 120 species distributed in three genera: Segestria Latreille, 1804, Ariadna Audouin, 1826 and Gippsicola Hogg, 1900 (World Spider Catalog 2015)
Ariadna is the most diverse genus, with 99 taxonomically valid species and four generic junior synonyms: Pylarus Hentz, 1842, synonymized by Emerton (1890), Macedonia Hogg, 1900, synonymized by Rainbow (1911), and Segestriella Purcell, 1904 and Citharoceps Chamberlin, 1924, both synonymized by Beatty (1970)
Citharoceps californica is removed from the synonym of C. fidicina and proposed as a junior synonym of Segestria cruzana Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935, together with the transfer of this species to Citharoceps, and the first description of its male
Summary
Segestriidae currently comprises 120 species distributed in three genera: Segestria Latreille, 1804, Ariadna Audouin, 1826 and Gippsicola Hogg, 1900 (World Spider Catalog 2015). The genus Citharoceps was described by Chamberlin (1924) to include only Citharoceps fidicina, described based on an immature holotype from Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. He distinguished this genus from other segestriids by the presence of a stridulatory apparatus composed of two distinctive patches of grooves on both sides of the cephalic region and a stridulatory thorn located on the prolateral region of femur I. After the study was submitted to publication, Beatty (1970: 485) discovered a male specimen of C. fidicina with stridulatory patches like those found on the female To the author, this characteristic, together with other structural features, confirms his assumptions on the synonymy of Citharoceps with Ariadna. Citharoceps californica is removed from the synonym of C. fidicina and proposed as a junior synonym of Segestria cruzana Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935, together with the transfer of this species to Citharoceps, and the first description of its male
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