New species and new records of ant-eating spiders from Mediterranean Europe (Araneae: Zodariidae)

Abstract. The following new Zodarion species are described from Italy: Zodarion pantaleonii Bosmans & Pantini spec. nov. and Z. pseudonigriceps Bosmans & Pantini spec. nov., both from Sardinia, Z. montesacrense Bosmans spec. nov. and Z. valentii Bosmans, Loverre & Addante spec. nov., both from Puglia, Z. valentii also occurs in Sicily. Zodarion sp., described from Greece in 2009, is the unknown female of Zodarion zorba Bosmans, 2009. Zodarion gracilitibiale Denis, 1934 is new for Italy. New records for 43 other European Zodarion species are presented.

. Etymology. The species is dedicated to Roberto Pantaleoni, Director of CNR, Istituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi Sassari which supports and promotes faunistic studies in Sardinia. Diagnosis. Zodarion pantaleonii spec. nov. belongs to the italicum group of Zodarion. Males differ from other species in this group by the distal branch of the median apophysis being twice as long as the basal branch, equal to slightly longer in all other species (Fig. 2i); females by the trapezoid median plate in the epigyne (Fig. 2j-k). Description. Measurements: Male: Total length 2.0-2.4; prosoma 1.02-1.21 long, 0.71-0.90 wide. Female: Total length 2.7-2.8; prosoma 1.22-1.24 long, 0.84-0.86 wide. Colour : Prosoma yellowish brown with darkened eye region and greyish brown anastomosing striae; patellae pale yellowish, femora yellowish orange with pale base, other segments orange brown; opisthosoma sepia, venter for a small or greater part whitish. Eyes: AM = 1 (0.1); AL = 0.5; PM = 0.5; PL = 0.6; a = 0.5; b = 0.2; c = 1.3; d = 0.3; MOQ: AW = 1.1PW; L = 0.9 PW. Opisthosoma: With a of row of 10-22 bristles before the spinnerets, thicker and only slightly longer than the scattered hairs on the rest of the venter; in several specimens many bristles have been lost and in the two females only one and three bristles are present. Palp : Tibial apophysis elongated, slightly curved, longer than the tibia's diameter, narrow from its base, with small denticule at prolateral margin, terminally strongly pointed; median apophysis with distal branch longer than basal branch, strongly pointed terminally; embolus abruptly narrowing in distal third, terminally strongly pointed. Epigyne : With relatively large trapezoid median plate, clear white, contrasting with the lateral and anterior borders of the epigyne. Vulva ( Fig. 2l- (Simon, 1873). Diagnosis. Zodarion pseudonigriceps spec. nov. belongs to the italicum group. By the needle-like tibial apophysis (Fig. 3 f, g) the male is very close to Z. nigriceps, also occurring in Sardinia but this species has a bicoloured contrasting prosoma. Females are distinguished by the simple trapezoid plate in the epigyne (Fig. 3 j, k). Description. Measurements: Male (n = 4): Total length 2.5-2.8; prosoma 1.02-1.45 long, 0.72-1.02 wide. Female (n = 3): Total length 3.0-3.2; prosoma 1.38-1.64 long, 1.02-1.17 wide.
Colour : Prosoma yellowish brown, clypeus and two stripes converging towards the fovea grey; patellae pale yellowish, femora yellowish orange with pale base, other segments orange brown; opisthosoma dark sepia with large, elongate postero-dorsal whitish spot, venter whitish. Eyes large: AM = 1 (0.1); AL = 0.5; PM = 0.6; PL = 0.6; a = 0.5; b = d = 0.4; c = 1.8; MOQ: AW = 1.1 PW; L = 1.1 PW. Opisthosoma with a row of 14-15 bristles before spinnerets, more than twice as wide as normal hairs. Palp ( Fig. 3d-i): All palps are expanded, so drawings show the bulb and the median apophysis in an abnormal position. Tibial apophysis needle-like as long as the tibia's diameter with subterminal bend forming an angle of 30° with base of the tibial apophyis; median apophysis relatively small, basal branch slightly shorter than the pointed distal branch; embolus with relatively broad base gradually narrowing with blunt tip. Epigyne   Comments. Studying the Simon collection in the MNHN, the first author examined a tube labelled 'Zodarion algiricum Alger AR1540'. It contained material of two closely related species. The first species (three males) is identical to the abundant material of Z. algiricum collected by the first author near Alger (see: Comparative material examined). In the same tube, 3 other males are identical to the material collected by P. Loverre in Puglia. It is well known that Simon used to mix material from different localities in the same tube, so it can be assumed that these males are from Sicily, mentioned as a locality of Z. algiricum by Simon (1870). Other localities mentioned for Z. algiricum (Morocco, South Spain) must also be doubted.
The male palp and epigyne of Z. algiricum are quite different from the palp and epigyne of Z. valentii, as can be seen in Fig. 4j-l. A detailed redescription of Z. algiricum is in preparation. All existing figures of this species are erroneous. Etymology. The specific name derives from the Latin name Valentius, referring to the village of Valenzano, in which the type specimens were collected. Diagnosis. Zodarion valentii spec. nov. is closely related to Z. affine (Simon, 1870) from the south of Spain. Males differ by the longer tibial apophysis and the longer, oblique lateral groove in Z. affine . Moreover, the length of the whole tibia, including tibial apophysis, is only half the length of cymbium, whereas in Z. affine it reaches about three quarters. Females differ by the sausage-shaped postero-median depression in the epigyne of Z. valentii (Fig. 4e), nearly separated into two depressions in Z. affine (Fig. 4i). The species is quite different from Z. algiricum (Fig. 4j-l). Description. Measurements (n = 6): Male: Total length 2.2-3.0; prosoma 1.02-1.30 long 0.95-1.12 wide. Colour: Prosoma yellowish clypeus and two oblique stripes converging towards the fovea grey; chelicerae sternum and legs pale yellowish; opisthosoma dorsally dark grey posterdorsally with three oval spots and one terminal whitish spot; venter also whitish.  (Bosmans 1994), and here cited much more to the north from Setúbal.

Zodarion arachnaio Bosmans, 2009
Zodarion arachnaio Bosmans, 2009: 266, figs 128-129, 158-159 (descr. ), (). Description of male palp. The type material of this species was not available, so it could not be redescribed by Bosmans (2009). Furthermore, the male palp figured by Weiss (2002) was expanded, which does not facilitate a correct identification. A recently collected male allows us to present new figures of the male palp. The tibial apophysis is elongated, more than twice as long as wide, gradually narrowing with median bend; tegulum bulging, with rounded boss; median apophysis with wide base, distally with terminal and prolateral tooth (Fig. 6a). Distribution. Until now the species was only known from Galati in the Moldovia province in Romania. It is here also cited in Letea in the Tulcea province in the Danube delta.

Zodarion beticum Denis, 1957
Zodarion beticum Denis, 1957 Distribution. Known only from Italy, from the provinces Abruzzo and Veneto (Bosmans 1997). The species is recorded for the first time in Toscana. Bosmans, 1994 Zodarion costablancae Bosmans, 1994: 135, figs 74-76, 127-128 (descr Distribution. Until now, the species was only known from the Costa Brava in Alicante, Spain. The distribution area of Zodarion costablancae is here extended to the north by records in the provinces Tarragona and Valencia. It was erroneously cited from Coimbra in Portugal (Crespo 2008); these specimens appeared be a new species, Zodarion costapratae Pekár, 2011(Pekár et al. 2011.

Zodarion frenatum Simon, 1884
Zodarium frenatum Simon 1884: 336 (descr. )). Zodarion frenatum ;Bosmans 1997: 271, figs 12-13, 85-86 (descr. ), (); Bosmans 2009: 286, figs 192-193, 198-199 (descr. ) Distribution. The male was described from the Var Department in France (Denis 1933), and redescribed by Bosmans (1997). The female was first discovered by Dierkens (2011) from the nearby Bouches du Rhone department. It is here cited for the first time in Puglia, Italy. Comments. The first author examined two tubes present in the SMF with an unidentified male and female from an unknown locality in Spain ('sp. 961, male, sp. 658, female'). The male palpal bulb is identical to the one of Z. isabellinum, but the tibia has a strange supplementary basal tooth on the apophysis (cfr. Fig. 6c-d, compared with Fig. 6e-f ). Until further material is discovered, and also because the exact locality is unknown, this is considered an abnormality in the male palp. Distribution. In Spain known from the southern provinces Alicante, Cádiz, Granada and Málaga The new records are within the known distribution area of the species.