Evippa onager Simon, 1895 sensu Šternbergs 1979 Figs 3 C–D, 4C, 5C, 6C, 7C, 8C, 10C, 11C Evippa onager Simon, 1895: 341 (♀, China). Evippa caucasica Zamani et al., 2016: 107, figs 28–30 (♂, Iran). (misidentification corrected by Zamani et al. 2017) Evippa? onager – Šternbergs 1979: 67, fig. 1 (misidentified fide Marusik et al. 2003: 50) (♂ ♀, Turkmenistan). Evippa? onager sensu Šternbergs 1979 – Marusik et al. 2003: 50, figs 19–22, 28–29 (♂ ♀, Turkmenistan). Diagnosis Recognized by short, robust legs (carapace longer than ¼ of leg I), coloration and its genital morphology. Prosoma of preserved specimens dark brown (other Evippinae in Israel are yellow after preservation). Male palp: tegular apophysis parallel to cymbium, with single, small, subapical process oriented ventrad (Figs 6C, 7C, 8C). It is the only Evippa in Israel with a subapical process directed ventrad at 90° to the tegular apophysis. In the similar Evippa caucasica Marusik, Guseinov & Koponen, 2003, the base of the subapical process reaches the tip of the tegular apophysis, whereas in E. onager, the tip and the process are distinct. Epigyne: atria distinct, widest in middle. Septum narrow, slightly constricted in middle, broadened distally (Figs 10C, 11C). Material examined ISRAEL – Dead Sea Area • 1 ♂; Qalya; [31.74° N, 35.46° E]; 15 Feb. 1941; A. Shulov leg.; HUJ INV- Ar 16510. – Negev • 1 subadult ♀; Nahal Hiyyon; [30.191° N, 35.008° E]; 30 Jul. 2019; HUJ INV-Ar 20315 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 30 Jul. 2019; HUJ INV-Ar 20316 • 1 ♀; Biq’at ‘Uvda (‘ Uvda valley); [29.998° N, 34.973° E]; 18 Mar. 2018; E. Gavish-Regev leg.; HUJ INV-Ar 20314. Description Male MEASUREMENTS (n =2, specimen HUJ INV-Ar 20316 (the smaller of the two) was raised in the laboratory and might not be representative of sizes found in wild populations). AME diameter: 0.24–0.2; PME diameter: 0.51–0.4; carapace length: 3.97–3.58; carapace width: 2.94–2.67; abdomen length: 2.81–3.4; leg I (Fe, Pa, Ti, Mt, Tr): 2.99–2.74 (rest missing in specimen HUJ INV-Ar 16510), 1.26, 2.38, 2.3, 1.27; leg II: 2.91–2.44, 1.27–1.17, 3.04–2.3, 2.91–2.4 (rest missing in specimen HUJ INV-Ar 16510), 1.19; leg III: 2.29–2.6, 1.38–1.22, 2.59–2.22, 3.51–2.86, 1.51–1.34; leg IV: 3.83–3.34, 1.64–1.37, 3.43–2.9, 5.13–4.13, 1.99–1.61. COLOR. Carapace brown, darker on margins and in ocular area, sparsely radiated. Clypeus center dark, margins white. Chelicerae dark yellow, striated brown. Legs yellow, dorsum with wide brown annulations. Palps yellow, tarsus darkest. Sternum brown to black. Abdomen dorsum brown to black with white setae. Abdomen venter black to brown, with sparse white setae. Spinnerets yellow (Fig. 4C). Live specimens dark yellow; legs with faint annulations. CARAPACE. Transverse depression posterior to ocular area. CHELICERAL TEETH. 2 promarginal, 2 retromarginal. GENITALIA. Palpal organs weakly sclerotized. Tegulum flat. Part of sperm duct visible through tegulum makes two sinoid curves. Tegular apophysis large, somewhat transparent, oriented distad, with subapical process oriented ventrad. Subapical process sharp, distinct from sharp tip of tegular apophysis (Figs 6C, 7C, 8C). LEGS. Pseudoarticulation of tarsi not evident, but tarsi curved. Metatarsus I ventral spination: 3 pairs + apical triplet; tibia I ventral spination: 5 pairs + apical pair. Female MEASUREMENTS. AME diameter: 0.2; PME diameter: 0.56; carapace length: 3.88; carapace width: 2.8; abdomen length: 4.44; leg I (Fe, Pa, Ti, Mt, Tr): 2.54, 1.37, 2.35, 1.94, 1.03; leg II: 2.55, 1.36, 2.26, 1.96, 0.96; leg III: 2.58, 1.31, 2.22, 2.39, 1.1; leg IV: 3.31, 1.47, 2.93, 3.9, 1.41. COLOR. Carapace blackish, with some orange setae and orange fringe of setae. Clypeus blackish. Chelicerae reddish brown. Legs yellow, dorsum annulated grey. Palps yellow. Sternum black. Abdomen dorsum dark brown. Abdomen venter grey, spotted yellow. Spinnerets yellow (Fig. 4C). Live specimens yellow, legs mildly annulated (Figs 3 C–D). CARAPACE. Transverse depression posterior to ocular area. CHELICERAL TEETH. 3 promarginal, 2 retromarginal. GENITALIA. Epigyne septum wider posteriorly, margins with small tooth or terrace in middle. Atria distinct (Fig. 10C), width variable (compare Šternbergs 1979). Spermathecae round, unbent, distinct from sperm ducts (Fig. 11C). LEGS. No clear pseudoarticulation on tarsi. Metatarsus I ventral spination: 3 pairs + apical triplet; tibia I ventral spination: 6 pairs + apical pair. Natural history Outside Israel inhabits steppes. In Israel inhabits hyperarid deserts. Specimens were found at night, on and in the cracks of fine-grained floodplain deposits (Fig. 15C). Adult female collected in March, adult male collected in February, juveniles collected in July (Table 3). The short legs, not typical of Evippinae, may be an adaptation for a somewhat fossorial lifestyle. Distribution Turkmenistan (Šternbergs 1979), Iran (Zamani et al. 2016), Israel. Records Israel: Dead Sea area (Qalya), Negev (Biq’at ‘Uvda, Nahal Hiyyon) (Fig. 16). Remarks The female of Evippa onager was originally described from China by Simon (1895), and redescribed from both sexes by Šternbergs (1979) from Turkmenistan. It is very unlikely that these later specimens are conspecific with the holotype (fide Marusik et al. 2003). As we have not examined Simon’s type specimen, we avoided describing a new species and instead have chosen to treat the species as Evippa onager sensu Šternbergs, following Marusik et al. (2003). The species’ population in Israel is by far the southernmost and westernmost of the three known localities, and the only one not in a steppe habitat. Nevertheless, cool steppe habitats are found in Israel and it would be helpfull to search them for E. onager. See Phylogenetic relationships of Evippinae based on COI and NADH for a partial molecular phylogeny and a discussion of the placement of E. onager.

Published as part of Steinpress, Igor Armiach, Alderweireldt, Mark, Cohen, Mira, Chipman, Ariel & Gavish-Regev, Efrat, 2021, Synopsis of the Evippinae (Araneae, Lycosidae) of Israel, with description of a new species, pp. 87-124 in European Journal of Taxonomy 733 on pages 111-113, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2021.733.1225, http://zenodo.org/record/4505891