Tegenaria mirifica
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| Thaler , 1987 |
Tegenaria mirifica is a species from the genus of the angle spiders ( Tegenaria ) in the family of the funnel spiders (Agelenidae). The very rarely found species is endemic to the European Alps.
features
The species reaches a body length of 6.3 to 6.4 millimeters and is one of the smaller species within the genus. Like the related species, it is predominantly dark brown in color with contrasting or ringed legs. The belly plate (sternum) has a light central stripe and three light spots on both sides. It differs from the similar rust-red angle spider ( Tegenaria ferruginea ) by the lack of a rust-red longitudinal stripe on the abdomen (opisthosoma). The front of the two rows of eyes is curved forward in this species (procurv).
Tegenaria mirifica is indistinguishable from the other species of the ferruginea species group, in particular also the common (syntopically) occurring species wood-angle spider ( Tegenaria silvestris ) and Tegenaria tridentina in terms of shape, color and pattern. For an exact determination, the shape of the pedipalp and the epigyne , i.e. the male and female reproductive organs, must be compared, which is species-specific.
Biology and way of life
The species was detected in the montane to subalpine altitude range, at sea levels between 900 and 1500 meters. The few finds come from trunks, roots and stems of conifers (larches and spruces) in light subalpine coniferous forests, mostly in the area of log heaps, or from stone blocks from such forests.
distribution
The spider species is restricted to the western section of the Eastern Alps . Type locality is the valley of the Piburger Bach in the Ötztal , North Tyrol, Austria. The only other Austrian find comes from the Samnaun group in the Stubental, municipality of Pfunds . There are also finds from Ramosch , Canton of Graubünden, in the Lower Engadine , Switzerland. Further find information comes from the Bergamasque Alps in northern Italy and from Liechtenstein . In total, only six finds of the rare species have been published, covering a distribution area of around 1000 square kilometers, which nevertheless extends over four countries.
It is considered critically endangered in Austria. In addition to the natural rarity, silvicultural measures are considered a threat factor.
Taxonomy
The species belongs to the genus Tegenaria s. st. (in the narrow sense). According to genetic data, the sister species is Tegenaria mercanturensis Bolzern & Hervé, 2010 , which was newly described from the Western Alps in 2010. The species name is derived from the Latin mirifica, wonderful, amazing. A derivation was not given by the descriptor, but a reference to the unexpected new discovery of this species in well-researched Austria is to be assumed. The trivial name proposed by Christian Komposch, “Amazing angle spider”, has not caught on and is not used except by the author.
Literature and Sources
- Konrad Thaler (1987): Three remarkable large spiders in the Eastern Alps (Arachnida, Aranei: Agelenidae, Thomisidae, Salticidae). Communications from the Swiss Entomological Society 60: 391–401. (First description).
- Angelo Bolzern (2007): Second evidence of Tegenaria mirifica Thaler, 1987 (Araneae, Agelenidae) for Switzerland - or the importance of precise location information. Announcements of the Entomological Society Basel 57 (1): 22–28.
- Christian Komposch: Spiders (Araneae). In Wolfgang Rabitsch & Franz Essl: Endemites. Treasures in Austria's flora and fauna. published by the Natural Science Association for Carinthia and the Federal Environment Agency, 2009. ISBN 978-3-85328-049-2 . Pp. 408-463.
- Christian Komposch (2011): Endemic harvestmen and spiders of Austria (Arachnida: Opiliones, Araneae). Arachnological Notes 40: 65-79.
- Angelo Bolzern, Daniel Burckhardt, Ambros Hänggi (2013): Phylogeny and taxonomy of European funnel-web spiders of the Tegenaria – Malthonica complex (Araneae: Agelenidae) based upon morphological and molecular data. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 168 (4): 723-848. doi: 10.1111 / zoj.12040 . (open access)
- Tegenaria mirifica in araneae - Spiders of Europe. edited by Wolfgang Nentwig, Theo Blick, Daniel Gloor, Ambros Hänggi & Christian Kropf. As of May 9, 2016.