THE GROUND-SPIDER GENERA SETAPHIS, TRACHYZELOTES, ZELOTES, AND DRASSYLLUS (ARANEAE: GNAPHOSIDAE) IN ISRAEL

ABSTRACT

Gnaphosid spiders from Israel of the genera Setaphis, Trachyzelotes, the species-rich Zelotes, and Drassyllus have been revised. Thirty-six species, more than in the whole of Central Europe, are recognized, including 16 species new to science and six that have never before been recorded from this region. All types and pertinent non-type material deposited in a great number of European collections have been re-examined, and the systematics, ecology, and the Zoogeographie distribution of all taxa treated are discussed. Many species have never been adequately described, and detailed illustrations of diagnostic characters along with updated records are provided for each species. The following new synonyms are defined: Zelotes longestylus (Caporiacco, 1936), Z. caporiaccoi Roewer, 1951, and Z. stylus Di Franco, 1992 = Setaphis fuscipes (Simon, 1885); Zelotes costatus Denis, 1952 = Trachyzelotes bardiae (Caporiacco, 1928) new combination; Zelotes inauratus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872) and Z. tristiculus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1874) = Zelotes laetus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872); Zelotes picinus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872), Z. scutatus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872), Z. curinus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1874), Setaphis bicolor Simon, 1908, Drassodes cofiniotes Roewer, 1928, and Zelotes simplex Denis, 1937 = Zelotes scrutatus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872) new combination; Zelotes pyrethri (Strand, 1915) = Zelotes tenuis (L. Koch, 1866); Scotophaeus blepharotrichus Strand, 1915 = Zelotes rusticus (L. Koch, 1872); Drassodes citipes Simon, 1893 and D. lutorius Tullgren, 1910, in part: fig.15b = Zelotes infumatus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872) new combination. The new species described are: Zelotes xerophilus, Z. eremus, Z. galuni, Z. meronensis, Z. bashaneus, Z. parascrutatus, Z. zin, Z. shaked, Z. bokerensis, Z. hierosolymitanus, Z. solstitialis, Z. incisupalpis, Z. aradensis, Z. helvoloides, Z. sumchi, and Drassyllus jubatopalpis.