Details - The lapidicina group of the wolf spider genus Pardosa (Araneae, Lycosidae

The lapidicina group of the wolf spider genus Pardosa (Araneae, Lycosidae

Title

The lapidicina group of the wolf spider genus Pardosa (Araneae, Lycosidae

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 1960

By

Barnes, Robert D.

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

New York, N.Y, American Museum of Natural History, [1959]

Notes

Title from caption.

"September 11, 1959."

"The lapidicina group of the genus Pardosa represents a homogeneous complex of eight species, most of which occur in the southwestern United States and Mexico."

"The members of the lapidicina complex fall into three groups based on the structure of the male palp. The first group, comprising Pardosa lapidicina, mercurialis, tumida, and steva, has an inconspicuous, weakly sclerotized conductor in the shape of a spur. In all members of this group the median accessory process is highly sclerotized and conspicuous in the unexpanded palp. Except for tumida, the female epigynum has the transverse portion occupying less than one-half of the total length of the epigynum. The combined distribution of these four species covers the North American continent without any overlap in individual ranges. As is mentioned above, males of lapidicina from Kansas and Arkansas display a less flattened and more tooth-shaped median accessory process than is found in specimens in the more eastern part of its range. When new material from Louisiana and eastern Texas becomes available for study, it is possible that mercurialis may have to be placed as a subspecies of lapidicina. In the second group the conductor is a long, weakly sclerotized fold. The median accessory process is a large and conspicuous curved tooth. The transverse portion of the female epigynum occupies one-half of the total length. This group includes two species, Pardosa vadosa and fallax. The latter species is restricted to Mexico, while vadosa also occurs not only in Mexico but in the southwestern United States. Pardosa valens and sierra comprise the third group of the lapidicina complex. In both species the conductor is strongly sclerotized, sword-shaped, and conspicuous. Both the second and third groups appear to show a closer relationship to the first group than they do to each other"--P. 16.