Pacifantistea ovtchinnikovi Marusik, 2011, sp. n.

Pacifantistea ovtchinnikovi sp. n.

Figs 1–6, 11–18, 23

Neoantistea sp.: Marusik & Koponen 2000: 61. Neoantistea sp.: Marusik & Crawford 2006: 180.

Type material: Holotype 3 (ZMMU) from RUSSIA, Sakhalin Area, Moneron Island, SE shore near Vostochnyye Isles, 46°14.387’N, 141°15.101'E, seashore ‘herbs’, 23.08.2001 (Y.M. Marusik). Paratypes: 1173Ƥ and juv. (shared between AMNH, ISEA, IZCAS, NSMT, SMF, ZMMU, ZMUT), together with the holotype; 43, 5Ƥ, 6 juv. (ZMMU), Shikotan Island, E coast, small bay opposite to Island of Greag, 43°45.80’N, 146°47.19’E, seashore, 16.07.1997 (Y.M. Marusik); 13 (ZMMU), Shikotan Island, SW shore, Delfin Bay, 43°44.90’N, 146°36.41’E, seashore, 13.09.1997 (Y.M. Marusik); 1Ƥ 2 juv. (ZMMU), Shikotan Island, N coast of Krabovaya Bay, 43°50’N, 146°44’E, shore cliffs, 11.09.1997 (Y.M. Marusik); 153, 14Ƥ, 2 juv. (ZMMU), Ketoi Island N part, Storozheva Cape W of Kaskad Waterfall, 47°22.60’N, 152°27.48’E, 15.08.1995 (Y.M. Marusik); 1 juv. (ZMMU), Kunashir Island, Goryachiy Plyazh Village, 43°59.30’N, 145°47.30’E, on shore, 9.09.1997 (Y.M. Marusik). Maritime Province: 2Ƥ, 1 juv. (ZMMU), Khasan District, environs of Andreevka Village, 42°35–36'N, 131°13'E, 11.– 15.08.1998 (Y.M. Marusik); 3Ƥ (ZMUT), same locality and dates (S. Koponen); 1 juv. (ZMMU), Khasan District, Far Eastern Marine Reserve, Matveev Island, 2.07.1997 (T.S. Vshivkova). JAPAN, Hokkaido: 11 juv. including subadult 3 and subadult Ƥ (TRPM), Rumoi City, Ôgon-misaki Point, 6.07.1984 (N. Tsurusaki).

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honour of my late friend and colleague Sergei Ovtchinnikov from Kyrgyzstan, who made a huge contribution to the study of spiders in Central Asia. He alerted me to the difference between the new genus and Neoantistea (cf. Figs 1–2, 9, 26–27).

Diagnosis. The new species can be easily distinguished from other East Palaearctic Hahniidae by its large size, lack of stridulatory files and in having the carapace lighter in colour than the abdomen.

Description. Measurements (male/female). Total length 3.00–4.75/5.10–5.30. Carapace: 1.25–2.13/2.13–2.38 long, 0.87–1.62/2.15–2.38. Body and appendages uniformly coloured except for abdomen which has a dorsal pattern composed of ^-shaped light stripes (chevrons). Pattern and coloration are equal in both sexes and not variable (Figs 1–2). Legs without annulations. Carapace longer than wide. Sternum longer than wide. Clypeus low (Fig. 11), less than diameter of the anterior lateral eyes. Endites in male unmodified, with parallel sides, subequal in width to labium. Labium as long as wide. Chelicera with three teeth on each margin (Fig. 6). Abdomen without scuta. Spiracle placed midway between spinnerets and epigastral fold. Abdominal stridulatory organ above the pedicel is absent. Spinnerets are situated in one row, not spaced; distal segment of lateral spinnerets about half the length of the proximal one. Legs in both sexes with well developed spines (Figs 1–2), leg I in male not modified. Leg formula in 3 4-1-2-3, in Ƥ 4-1-3-2.

Female. Leg segments of specimen with dimensions: 5.10, carapace: 2.43 long, 1.83 wide.

Leg Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus Tarsus Total I 1.93 0.79 1.57 1.57 1.00 6.86 II 1.86 0.77 1.57 1.57 0.93 6.70 III 1.79 0.79 1.43 1.81 1.03 6.85 IV 2.21 0.93 2.00 2.36 1.21 8.71 Male palp as in Figs 4–5, 12–16. Femur slightly longer than patella + tibia and longer than cymbium. Patella thicker than the other segments, with long patellar spur (Pa). Tibia thin, tibial apophysis (Ta) long (longer than tibia), almost straight and perpendicular to the axis of the tibia. Cymbium about twice as long as wide, terminal part (above the bulbus) long, about 1/3 of the cymbial length. Tegulum oval, embolus long, filamentous, starting at 6 o’clock, running a loop of approximately 270° around the tegulum. Seminal duct forming a small (shallow) loop (Sl) on the retrolateral side in the proximal region of the tegulum. Conductor absent.

Epigyne as in Figs 3, 17–18, 23. Very simple, with two small copulatory openings (Co) in the anterior part of epigynal plate and translucent oval shaped spermatheca midway between the openings and the epigastral fold. Vulva also very simple with transparent, weakly sclerotized insemination ducts (Id) running down from the openings into oval shaped spermatheca.

Variation. There is considerable variation in the size of males. Carapace of the smallest male 1.7 times shorter than in the largest one. Males are always smaller than females (males larger than females in Neoantistea).

Habitats. All specimens were collected on the seashore among pebbles or on sandy beaches. It is easy to recognize if this species occurs among pebbles due to the characteristic white egg cocoons attached to the stones. Egg sacs look like that figured by Opell and Beatty (1976: fig. 2). The new species sometimes occurs in large numbers on sandy beaches. In Moneron and on Ketoi Islands one hundred specimens were collected within half an hour by scrubbing (raking up) the sand. Disturbed specimens start to run and became easily visible. Each large sample contained specimens of different age.

Distribution. It is known from the southern region of the Maritime Province, Moneron, South and Middle Kuril Islands, from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski and western Hokkaido (Fig. 40). P. ovtchinnikovi sp. n. was not found in Sakhalin, Paramushir, Onekotan and Shumshu islands, despite being searched for. Its occurrence in the adjacent Korean Peninsula is very likely.