Zootaxa,calommata (atypidae) and new spider species (araneae) from israel.

Calommata (Atypidae) and new spider species (Araneae) from Israel
Department of Evolution, Systematics and Ecology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel. Table of contents
Abstract .2Introduction .2Material and methods .2Taxonomy .3ATYPIDAE .3 Zoropsis thaleri n. sp. .6
Paracedicus Fet, 1993 .7
Paracedicus baram n. sp. .8
Paracedicus geshur n.sp. .12
Oxyopes elifaz n. sp. .12
Zodarion geshur n. sp. .13
Zodarion odem n. sp. .15
Hahnia carmelita n. sp. .15
Cerbalus aravaensis n. sp. .17
Tmarus hazevensis Levy, 1973 .19
Ozyptila clavigera (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872) .22
Ozyptila sedotmikha n. sp. .22
Xysticus sansan n. sp. .25
Theridion zekharya n. sp. .25
Singa ammophila n. sp. .27
Neoscona lotan n. sp..27
Accepted by C. Kropf: 12 May 2007; published: 15 Aug. 2007 Abstract
The extraordinary finding in Israel of Calommata, a unique mygalomorph atypid, is reviewed. Another new find out of
range concerns the cybaeid genus Paracedicus, represented in Israel by two new species: P. baram and P. geshur. Pitfall
trapping yielded several new species disclosing among others populations inhabiting the sands of the southern Arava
Valley of Oxyopes elifaz n. sp. or Cerbalus aravaensis n. sp. that resemble very closely psammophilous species living in
the Haluza sands of the Negev. The unknown males of Ozyptila clavigera (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872), Tmarus hazevensis
Levy, 1973, and Ebo eremus Levy, 1999 are described. In addition the following new species are described: Zoropsis tha-
leri, Zodarion geshur, Z. odem, Hahnia carmelita, Ozyptila sedotmikha, Xysticus sansan, Theridion zekharya, Singa
ammophila and Neoscona lotan.
Key words: Spider fauna, new species, Israel
Introduction
The problem to recognize even common spiders frequently arises in ecological studies. Undetermined speci- mens have accumulated in the collections, mainly from pitfall trapping projects implemented in a few areas in Israel. Apart from the Atypidae and the cybaeid genus Paracedicus, all the other species addressed below are new additions to genera and spider families formerly revised in Israel. The study on new gnaphosid species is still pending. The capture of the rare atypid Calommata, a unique mygalomorph spider, is remarkable, in par- ticular, for its occurrence in Israel. Pitfall trapping in the sands along the Arava, in the southern Rift Valley, revealed also that the sandy enclave is inhabited by unique populations that differ from their close congeners living in the sand dunes of Haluza, in the northern Negev. The species considered are Oxyopes elifaz n. sp. of
the Arava that closely resembles O. badhyzicus Mikailov & Fet from Haluza, or Cerbalus aravaensis n. sp.,
the largest sparassid of the Middle East, that resembles C. psammodes Levy known from Haluza. A similar case of allopatry is known from psammophilous scorpions of the genus Buthacus (Levy & Amitai 1980). Pit- fall traps frequently contain more males than females, possibly due to the mate searching activity of males.
The capture, thereby, of certain males solved some riddles. Thus, the unknown male of Ozyptila clavigera (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872) was eventually discovered, as well as the enigmatic males of Tmarus hazevensis Levy, 1973, and of Ebo eremus Levy, 1999; the latter represents along with another local Ebo species, a pecu- liar line of Ebo males with patellar apophyses on their palpi. Material and methods
The present study is based on material deposited in the collections of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN), and Hope Entomological Collections, Oxford (HECO). Localities in Israel are listed from north to south and UTM coordinates are given for less well- known places. Scales of drawings are in mm. Measurements (mm) are from preserved adult specimens. The abbreviations AME, PME refer to the anterior median and posterior median eyes, respectively. The length of the leg is the combined length of all segments (each measured separately) from femur to tarsus; the more proximal segments are excluded. The proportional indices used are the carapace index (length divided by width), clypeus index (height of clypeus divided by diameter of one AME), and patella-tibia index (combined length of both segments of first leg divided by length of carapace).
2 · Zootaxa 1551 2007 Magnolia Press

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