Devade Simon 1885

Genus Devade Simon, 1885 (带ḍ属) Diotima Simon, 1880: 55; type D. hirsutissima Simon, 1880. Devade Simon, 1885: 323; replacement name for Diotima, preoccupied. Pseudauximus Denis, 1955: 452; type P. libanicus Denis, 1955. Generic name preoccupied, syn. of Devade according to Lehtinen (1967: 228). Strinatinella Denis, 1957: 448; type S. spinosa Denis, 1957, considered a junior synonym of Devade by Lehtinen (1967: 228). Momius Andreeva & Tyshchenko, 1969: 380; type M. hispidus Andreeva & Tyshchenko, 1969 = Devade (Marusik 1989: 49). Type species Diotima hirsutissima Simon, 1880 (considered a junior synonym of Amaurobius indistinctus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872). Differential diagnosis Molecular analysis reveals that Saltonia Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942 is the sister taxon to Devade, and together they form a clade that is sister to another group containing Argyroneta Latreille, 1804 (Crews et al. 2020; Gorneau et al. 2023). Devade is most similar to the Palearctic monotypic water spider genus Argyroneta (Zhang & Wang 2017: fig. 7) in having a laminar retrolateral tibial apophysis, lacking distinct copulatory ducts, and having small, spherical spermathecae, but it differs by the distinct fold at the base of the cymbium in dorsal view (vs absent in Argyroneta), two large processes on the posterior arm of the conductor (vs only one), presence of a septum (vs absent), fertilization ducts originating from the posterior part of the spermathecae (vs prolateral), smaller size of less than 6 mm (vs> 8 mm), tracheal spiracle near spinnerets (vs near epigastral fold) and cribellum and calamistrum present (vs absent in Argyroneta). Devade is also similar to the Nearctic monotypic genus Saltonia Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942 (Chamberlin & Ivie 1942: 24, pl. 2 Figs 24–25; Crews et al. 2020: 914, fig. 22a–l) in having a similar habitus, morphology of the male palp, and saline habitat, but it differs in the cymbial basidorsal fold fingernail edge-shaped present dorsally (vs curved, present retrolatrally at the base of cymbium in Saltonia) and epigyne with distinct epigynal septum (vs indistinct in Saltonia). Description Small size (3–6 mm). Carapace yellowish brown to brown. Eight eyes. Fovea longitudinal. Cervical groove indistinct, radial furrows distinct. Chelicerae, yellow-brown. Labium and endites yellow-brown, longer than wide. Sternum yellow-brown and scutellate. Chelicerae with 2–3 promarginal and 2 retromarginal teeth. Legs yellow-brown. Leg formula: 4123. Calamistrum absent in male and weak in female (Fig. 1C–D). Abdomen oval, dorsum yellow-brown to dark brown, with a few light chevrons dorsally. Venter of abdomen yellowish brown, with small and undivided cribellum (Fig. 1A–B). Male palp (Figs 2A–C, 3C–E, 4A–C, 5C–E, 6A–C, 7C–E, 8A–C, 9C–E, 10C–E). Tibia as long as cymbium or shorter. Retrolateral tibial apophysis laminar and directed ventrally. Cymbium longer than wide, narrow towards tip, with basidorsal fold (BF). Posterior arm of conductor with 2 large processes: mesal process narrow and hook-like, with pointed end; retrolateral process wide and laminar. Embolus originating at about 11:30–12 o’clock position; distal part of embolus resting in long groove of conductor. Epigyne (Figs 2D–E, 3F–G, 4D–E, 5F–G, 6D–E, 7F–G, 8D–E, 9F–G, 10F–G). Septum longer than wide, located in a fovea (D. longa and D. pulla) or reaching epigastral fold (D. mongolica and D. qiemuensis). Copulatory openings slit-like. Copulatory ducts extremely short, located on the ventral or retrolateral side of spermathecae. Spermathecae spherical, ½ times as long as septum. Fertilization ducts hook-like. Composition Devade dubia Caporiacco, 1934 (♀, from Karakoram), most likely misplaced (Lehtinen 1967), D. indistincta (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) (♂ ♀, Mediterranean), D. kazakhstanica Esyunin & Efimik, 2000 (♀, Kazakhstan), D. lehtineni Esyunin & Efimik, 2000 (♀, Kazakhstan), D. libanica (Denis, 1955) (♀, Lebanon, may be a synonym of D. indistincta), D. longa sp. nov. (♂ ♀, China), D. miranda Ponomarev, 2007 (♂, Kazakhstan, may be a junior synonym of species known only from females), D. mongolica Esyunin & Marusik, 2001 (♂ ♀, China and Mongolia), D. naderii Zamani & Marusik, 2017 (♂, Iran), D. pulla sp. nov. (♂ ♀, China), D. pusilla Simon, 1911 (♂, Algeria), D. qiemuensis (Hu & Wu, 1989) stat. rev. (♂ ♀, China) and D. tenella (Tyshchenko, 1965) (♂ ♀, from Cyprus, Ukraine to West China, Iran, most references based on misidentifications). Distribution From the West Mediterranean to Eastern Transbaikalia and eastern Inner Mongolia (China), south to Algeria, Egypt, northern Pakistan, and ca 37° N in China, southern France, Serbia, South Urals (ca 52° N) and Tuva (ca 51° N) (Esyunin & Marusik 2001; WSC 2025). Comments West Mediterranean species have never been redescribed, and Strinatinella spinosa Denis, 1957 and D. hirsutissima, considered a junior synonyms of Devade indistincta, may represent valid species. Key to the species of Devade Simon, 1885 from China 1. Male .................................................................................................................................................. 2 – Female ............................................................................................................................................... 5 2. Palpal tibia as long as cymbium .............................................................................. D. longa sp. nov. – Palpal tibia shorter than cymbium .................................................................................................... 3 3. Palpal tibia shorter than half the length of cymbium .......... D. mongolica Esyunin & Marusik, 2001 – Palpal tibia longer than half the length of cymbium ......................................................................... 4 4. Posterior arm of mesal process of conductor wide and strong ................................. D. pulla sp. nov. – Posterior arm of mesal process of conductor narrow and thin ........................................................... .......................................................................................... D. qiemuensis (Hu & Wu, 1989) stat. rev. 5. Length of the epigynal septum 2 times the width ............................................................................. 6 – Length of epigynal septum 3 times the width ................................................................................... 7 6. Copulatory openings separated by 3 times the spermathecae diameter ................... D. longa sp. nov. – Copulatory openings separated by 4 times the spermathecae diameter .................... D. pulla sp. nov. 7. Posterior end of septum semi-circular ............................... D. mongolica Esyunin & Marusik, 2001 – Posterior end of septum truncate ..................................... D. qiemuensis (Hu & Wu, 1989) stat. rev.