Table Of Content2006. The Journal of Arachnology 34:444-447
NEPHILA HIRTA, A NEW SYNONYM OF
EUSTALA EUSCOVITTATA (ARANEAE, ARANEIDAE)
Matjaz Kuntner': Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., and Department of Biological Sciences,
George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052 USA
Herbert W. Levi: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts 02138 USA
ABSTRACT. Nephila Ihirta Taczanowski 1873 was described from French Guiana, but is currently
listed underNephilengys L. Koch. It is here redescribed and transferred fromNephilinae (Tetragnathidae)*
to the araneid genus Eiistala Simon, and proposed as a junior synonym of E. fuscovittata (Keyserling
1864). Eustala appears to be the most speciose American araneid genus and is in need of revision.
Keywords: Nephila, Nephilengys, Nephilinae, Tetragnathidae, Araneidae, taxonomy, French Guiana
—
Taczanowski (1873) described Nephila Type species. Epeira anastera Walcken-
Ihirta from Cayenne, French Guiana. Roewer aer 1842 by o—riginal designation.
(1942) placed the species in Nephilengys L. Diagnosis. Simon (1895) diagnosed Eus-
Koch 1872, where it currently remains (PlaF tala by the anteriorly projecting epigynal
nick 2005), contra. Bonnet (1958) who re= scape, among other features (Simon 1895:
tained it in Nephila Leach 1815. Taczanows- 796): "'Uncus vulvae brevis et acutus antice
ki’s description of both sexes is sufficient to directus.” Levi (1977) revised the 13 species
establish that the species is neither a nephiline north ofMexico including the type species, E.
nor a tetragnathid* [NB: the male syntype is anastera (Walckenaer). He confirmed Simon's
immature]. Our examination of the types con- epigynal diagnosis (Levi 1977: figs. 118, 138,
firmed the need for a taxonomic transfer. 140; see also Figs 1, 3) and added the diag-
Museum abbreviations: ANSP = Academy nostic feature of the male palp, notably a pro-
of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; truding white cone-shaped median apophysis
BMNH = Natural History Museum, London, (Levi 1977: figs. 126, 147, 232-m). The type
USaKn; CFrAaSnci=scoCa,liUfoSrAn;ia MAcCaZdem=y MofusSceiuenmceso,f s1p3e-c1i5e)s.is also —illustrated in Levi (2002: figs.
Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachu- Systematics. Simon (1895) placed Eus-
setts, USA; PAN = Muzeum i Instytut Zool- tala in the group Mangoreae within Argiopi-
ogii, Polska Akademia Nauk (PolishUAScNaMdem=y nae (equivalent to Araneidae). In a cladistic
of Sciences), Warsaw, Poland; study by Scharff & Coddiegton (1997), Eus-
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, tala is sister to the doublet Wixia O.P.-Cam-
USA.
bridge 1882 plus Acacesia Simon 1895 within
TAXONOMY
the subfamily Araneieae, but that relationship
Family Araneidae Simon 1895 depended on a single homoplasious synapo-
Genus Eustala Simon 1895 morphy. Their study used genera as terminals
and so did not include genus-level autapo-
Eustala Simon 1895: 795; Levi 1977: 96; Levi
morphies, but Eustala has two (the anteriorly-
2002: 532, 550.
directed scape and cone shaped median
' Current address: Institute of Biology, Slovenian apophysis) that would likely plot as synapo-
Academy of Sciences and Arts, Novi trg 2, P.O. morphies of—the genus.
Box 306, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-mail: Diversity. For the 89 currently deemed
[email protected] valid Eustala species (all American) more
444
KUNTNER & I.EVI—EUSTALA FUSCOVITTATA 445
—
Figures 1-3. Eustalafuscovittata (Keyserling), female from Cayenne, French Guiana (syntype ofNe-
phila hirta Taczanowski): 1. Lateral view (note the epigynal scape projecting anteriorly); 2. Dorsal view;
3. Epigynum, ventral view. CO = copulatory opening.
than 100 names are available (Platnick 2005). forest hectare (Kuntner pers. obs., specimens
Eustala seems to be the most speciose neo- in USNM). Although likely to be new, none
tropical araneid genus (H.W.L. pers. obs.). It of these can be currently identified without
is in need of revision. For example, a recent original descriptions and type specimen ex-
inventory of spiders of southern Guyana amination. A further impediment in Eustala
found four sympatric species in a single rain taxonomy is the difficulty to diagnose species
.
446 THE JOURNAL OF ARACHNOLOGY
morphologically, and the potential for appar- soma oval, with narrow cephalic region, high-
ent hybridization (H.W„L. pers. obs.). est in posterior thoracic region (Figs 1-2).
mm mm
Prosoma 3.1 long, 2,1 wide. Lateral
Eustalafuscovittata (Keyserling 1864)
Figs. 1-3 eyes widely separated from the medians, al-
most juxtaposed. Posterior median eyes sep-
Epeira fusco-vittata Keyserling 1864: 129, pi. 6, arated by one diameter. Posterior median eyes
Nepfihgis.la7-I8h;irtKaeyTsaecrzlainnogws1k89i3:1827531:,1p4i9..1N3,EfWig.SY18N7-. pwoiotrhlya fpurlelysemrveeddianspeccainmoeenst,apenottumdaisspilnacaeldl
ONYMY.
&
Cyclosa thorelli McCook 1894: 228, pi. 19, fig. 11. [Scharff Coddington (1997) report dis-
Synonymy by F.O.R-Cambridge 1904. placement as araneid feature in freshly pre-
Epeira caudata Banks 1898: 255, pi. 15, fig. 5. served specimens]. Chelicerae narrow, with
Synonymy by F.O.R-Cambridge 1904. four promarginal and three retromarginal
Eustala fuscovittata: F.O.R.-Cambridge 1904: 505, teeth, cheliceral furrow denticulate. Sternum
mm mm
pi. 48, figs 3-4, ?c5'; Grasshoff 1970: 216, fig. longer than wide: 1.3 long, 0.9 wide,
2a-c, $S with slight paired elevations adjacent to first
Nephilengys hirta: Roewer 1942: 934; Rlatnick and third coxae. The two preserved legs with
2005.
numerous tibial and metatarsal and few fem-
Eustala fusco-vittata: Chickering 1955: 398, figs. mm
oral spines. Leg I 13.1 long (femur 3.3
1-5,
Nephila hirta: Bonnet 1958: 3073. mm; patella 1.6 mm; tibia 3.1 mm; metatarsus
— 3.1 mm; tarsus 1.0 mm). Opisthosoma elon-
Types and comments. Epeira fusco-vit- gate, cylindrical, extends beyond spinnerets
tata: female holotype from Santa Fe de Bo- (Figs. 1-2). Opisthosoma 7.3 mm long, 2.8
gota, N.“Granada [Bogota, Colombia, mm
wide. Posterior median spinnerets with an
04°15'N, 74°11'W] (BMNH), examined by
extensive aciniform spigot field. Epigynum
H.W.L.
with a wrinkled, anteriorly projecting scape
Nephila Ihirta: 1 female, penultimate male, and ventral, conspicuous copulatory openings
juvenile syntypes from Cayenne [04°56'N,
52°20'W] and Saint Laurent de Maroni (Figs. 1, 3). Male: For descriptions, see Key-
serling (1893), O.R-Cambridge (1904), Chick-
[05°30'N, 54°02'W], French Guiana (PAN),
ering (1955) and Grasshoff (1970).
examined. The original handwritten label
Malgorzata Adamczewska kindly loaned
reads—: ''Nephila hirta Taczanovski, Cay- the specimens. We thank Jonathan Codding-
enne Guyane frangoise, leg. K. Yelski, detm.
WT. Taczanovski”. A newertyped labelreads: ton, Jeremy Miller and Ingi Agnarsson for
“PAN, Nephila hirta Taczanowski, $ PARA- comments on the manuscript. Useful com-
LECTOTYPES = Eustala, design. Levi 1970. ments by Mark Harvey, Paula Cushing, Dan
GUYANE FRANC. Cayenne, K. Jelski”. Mott, Nikolaj Scharff and an anonymous re-
With the latter label H.W.L. indicated the need viewer improved the paper. The first author
of the transfer to Eustala. The syntypes are acknowledges the support ofthe U.S. National
poorly preserved with most legs missing or Science Foundation (grant DEB-9712353 to
softly attached. The female genital morphol- G. Hormiga and J. Coddington), the Ministry
ogy of the only adult syntype (Figs 1-3) jus- of Science of the Republic of Slovenia, the
tifies synonymy with the widespread Ameri- George Washington University, the Smithson-
can E. fuscovittata. ian Institution and the Research Center of the
Cyclosa thorelli: female holotype from Key Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
West, Florida, USA [24°33'N, 8r46'W] (from (ZRC SAZU). —
Marx collection, thus locality uncertain) Note added in proof. Since the accep-
(ANSP). tance of this paper, Kuntner (2005, 2006a, b)
Epeira caudata: female holotype from Te- has presented phylogenetic analyses, which
pic, Baja California, Mexico (CAS, probably dispute the tetragnathid placement of
destroyed). Locality uncertain, as there does nephilines, and elevate the clade (Clitaetra
not seem to be—a Tepic in Baja California. (Herennia(Nephila+Nephilengys) to family
Description. Female syntype of Nephila rank, Nephilidae (see also Kuntner, 2006c).
hirta (Figs 1-3). Habitus elongate, pale yel- Accordingly, Platnick’s (2006) catalogue lists
low (in alcohol). Total length 9.9 mm. Pro- Nephilengys hirta in Nephilidae.
KUNTNER & LEVI—Et/5rAL4. FUSCOVITTATA 447
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