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2003. The Journal of Arachnology 31:142–144 SHORT COMMUNICATION A NEW SUBSPECIES OF PHILODROMUS RUFUS (ARANEAE, PHILODROMIDAE) Bruce Cutler: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534 USA. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT. AnewsubspeciesofPhilodromusrufus,P.r.jenningsiisdescribedfromthesouthcentral and southeastern UnitedStates.Itischaracterizedbyalightbrownunicolorouscarapace,exceptfordark semicircularmarks at the central rear carapaceedge. Keywords: Philodromus rufus jenningsi, crab spider, philodromid The Philodromus rufusspecies-complexconsists Paratypes: All with same locality and habitat of 23 related species in America north of Mexico. data as the holotype: 1(cid:47), same data as holotype Two species, Philodromus exilis Banks 1892, and (depositedinFSCA);1(cid:63),8April1995,matured13 P. rufus Walckenaer 1826, are very similar mor- April 1995 (deposited in the AmericanMuseumof phologically.Further,P.rufuscomprisesthreesub- Natural History, New York(AMNH)); 1(cid:47), 8 April species in this region, and others in the Palearctic 1995, matured 24 April 1995 (deposited in (Dondale & Redner 1968). About a decade ago it AMNH); 1(cid:63), 28 April 1995 (deposited in the Na- became apparent that an undescribed Philodromus tionalMuseumofNaturalHistory,Washington,DC occurred innortheasternKansas.Whilegenitalical- (NMNH)); 1(cid:47), 2 April 1995, matured 17 April ly indistinguishable from P. rufus, its colorpattern 1995(depositedinNMNH);1(cid:63),28April1995(de- wasstrikinglydifferentfromthatofanymemberof posited in Museum of Comparative Zoology, Har- the P. rufus group, and is closer to that of some vardUniversity(MCZ));1(cid:47),8April1995,matured members of the P. aureolus group, such as P. key- 18 April 1995 (deposited in MCZ); 1(cid:63), 2 April serlingi Marx 1890. More specimens have become 1995, matured 12 April 1995 (depositedintheCa- available since then from the south central and south-eastern parts of the United States. Because nadianNationalCollections,Ottawa(CNC));1(cid:47),2 thegenitaliaareidenticaltothoseoftheothersub- April 1995, matured 16 April 1995 (deposited in species of P. rufus, and the males vibratethefront CNC). legs during courtship, it is appropriate to describe Other material examined: USA: ARKANSAS: this taxon as a subspecies, since the currently Lonoke County, Prairie County; GEORGIA: For- knowndistributionisallopatrictothatofanyofthe syth County (in winter websof Anelosimusstudio- other subspecies. I wish to acknowledge Hank sus (Hentz 1850)); KANSAS: Douglas County(10 Guarisco, Lawrence, Kansas and Jamel Sandidge, males and 17 females, same locality data as holo- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, type, a few from woody vegetation other than J. University of Kansas who collected specimens of virginiana), Jefferson County, Shawnee County; this subspecies and shared information with me, MISSISSIPPI: Lafayette County, Madison County, and Daniel T. Jennings, Garland, Maine who sent Marshall County (in winter webs of A. studiosus); specimensofP.exilisandP.rufusvibransDondale NORTH CAROLINA: Gaston County (in winter 1964, for comparativestudy. webs of A. studiosus). Specimens in collections of Philodromus rufus jenningsi new subspecies the author, Hank Guarisco, and DanielT.Jennings. Figs. 1–4 Unless mentioned all were from J. virginiana. Etymology.—ThistaxonisnamedforDr.Daniel Material examined.—Holotype male: U.S.A.: KANSAS: Douglas County, Lawrence, University T. Jennings of Garland, Maine, USDA, Forest Ser- ofKansas,WestCampus,28April1995,B.Cutler, vice Insect Ecologist, retired. Awellknownspider beating Juniperus virginiana L., deposited in Flor- ecologistandexpertoncrabspiders,andlongtime idaStateCollectionofArthropods(FSCA),Gaines- friend and colleague of the author, who first rec- ville, Florida. ognized these spiders as new. 142 CUTLER—NEWSUBSPECIESOF PHILODROMUSRUFUS 143 Figure 4.—Distribution of Philodromus rufus jenningsiinthesouthcentralandsoutheasternUnit- ed States (filled circles); open circles are localities for P. r. vibrans from Dondale & Redner (1968). Figures 1–3.—Philodromus rufus jenningsi new (Fig. 4) is allopatric to all other known subspecies subspecies, female: 1. Dorsalviewofprosomaand of P. rufus except in North Carolina. P. rufus vi- opisthosoma; 2. Dorsal view of prosoma; 3. Prola- brans occurs in the Smoky Mountains in the ex- teral view of leg I. tremesouthwesternpartofthatstate,butatahigher elevation,notatthelowerelevationswhereP.rufus jenningsi was taken. Diagnosis.—Thegenitaliccharacterseasilyplace Natural History.—Collector bias is marked in this taxon in the P. rufus species complex. It may therecordsofP.r.jenningsi.Mostrecordsarefrom be distinguished from all other members of the J. virginiana, because of the interest of the author complexbythesolidlightbrowncarapacewithal- and H. Guarisco in spiders from this conifer. The most no markings except for thedarkbrownsemi- records from webs of the social theridiid spider circular marks at the rear of the carapace, see Fig. Anelosimus studiosus resulted from the interest of 2. In the key to species and subspecies of the P. Jamel Sandidge in that species. There are a few rufus group in Dondale and Redner (1968), this records from beating and sweeping broad-leaved subspecieskeystocouplet3wherethecolorpattern shrubs and trees, and it is expected that, as in the does not match. Similarly in Dondale and Redner other subspecies, P. r. jenningsi will be found to (1978) this subspecies keys to couplet 21 where occuronwoodyvegetationthroughoutitsrange.In again the color pattern does not match. the laboratory, specimens of the later instars feed Description.—Male: Carapace 1.48 (cid:54) 0.11 readily on species of Drosophila and other small (range1.29–1.68)mmlongand1.47(cid:54)0.08(range insectsandcaneasilyberearedtomaturityinsmall 1.25–1.58) mm wide; femur II 2.08 (cid:54) 0.25 (range Petri dishes (55 mm in diameter by 15 mm tall). 1.39–2.34)mmlong(15specimens).Carapaceuni- Courtshipandmatingobservationswereconducted formlightbrownwithtwodarksemicircularmarks in plastictissue culturedishes100mmindiameter at rear center (Fig. 2). Legs I–III brown with dark by 20 mm tall. speckling at distal end of femur, and at proximal Courtshipwasinitiatedbymalesapproachingfe- ends of tibia and metatarsus (Fig. 3). Leg IV uni- malesandrapidlyvibratingthefirstandsecondpair form light brown. Dorsum of opisthosoma in well of legs, see Dondale (1964) for details. Egg sacs markedindividualswithacomplexpattern(Fig.1). made as a result of these laboratory matings were Female:Carapace1.58(cid:54)0.13(range1.42–1.91) lenticular, about 10 mm in diameter, and attached mm long and 1.52 (cid:54) 0.08 (range 1.32–1.62) mm to the surfaces of the Petri dishes. Up to three egg wide; femur II 1.99 (cid:54) 0.17 (range 1.68–2.18) mm sacsmaybemadebymatedfemaleswiththenum- long (15 specimens). Coloration as in male but ber of eggs decreasing in successive egg sacs. For more clearly demarcated. Genitalia and leg spina- the first egg sac, the mean number of eggs per sac tionasinothersubspecies,seeDondaleandRedner was 16.6 (cid:54) 3.8, range 12–25 (15 egg sacs). (1968). As in other subspecies of P. rufus males Attemptsweremadetoassessfertilityasaresult vibrate the first two pairs of legs during courtship of matings between specimens of P. r. jenningsi and most habitat records are from woody vegeta- and specimens from two populations of P. r. vi- tion. brans (MAINE: Penobscot County and MINNE- Distribution.—The range of this subspecies SOTA: Ramsey County). There were some cross 144 THE JOURNALOF ARACHNOLOGY population matings, but the numbers werelowand LITERATURECITED resulted in few fertile eggsacs. Future attempts us- Dondale,C.D.1964.Sexualbehavioranditsappli- ing larger cages such as those utilized by Dondale cation to a species problem in the spider genus (1964) may be more productive. Philodromus (Araneae: Thomisidae). Canadian Remarks.—Pattern intensityvariesconsiderably Journal of Zoology 42:817–827. inP.r.jenningsi.Well-markedspecimensresemble Dondale,C.D.&J.H.Redner.1968.Theimbecillus those in Figs. 1–3. Other individuals have the pat- and rufus groups of the spider genus Philodro- ternreduced.Extremereductionresultsinalossof mus in North America (Araneida: Thomisidae). all pattern, except for the dark semicircular marks Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Can- ada 55, 78 pp. at the rear of the carapace. Immaturespecimensof Dondale, C.D. & J.H. Redner. 1978. The Insects P. r. jenningsi closely resemble immature speci- and Arachnids of Canada; part 5. The crab spi- mens of P. keyserlingi, and both are found on fo- dersofCanadaandAlaska.Araneae:Philodrom- liageofJ.virginiana.Exceptfortheearliestinstars, idae and Thomisidae. Agriculture Canada, Pub- specimens of the latter species have a thin black lication 1663, 255 pp. marginaroundthecarapacewhichislackinginthe former species, except at the very rear of the car- Manuscript received 18 January 2002, revised 14 apace. August 2002.