Vesubia Simon 1909

Genus Vesubia Simon, 1909 Vesubia Simon, 1909: 402. TYPE SPECIES BY MONOTYPY. — Trabea jugorum Simon, 1881. COMPOSITION AND HISTORY. — Vesubia jugorum (Simon, 1881) was described based on a female specimen collected in high alpine habitat near Saint-Martin-Vésubie (France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur). The species was described in the genus Trabea Simon, 1876 and later transferred by the same author to Lycosa Latreille, 1804, in the second section of Lycoseae together with other species bearing two retromarginal teeth, a character shared with representatives of the genus Alopecosa (Simon 1898). The genus Vesubia was later described by Simon (1909) based on the presence of two retromarginal teeth, spination pattern and the eye configuration. It remained monotypic until, without specific justification, Roewer (1955) added Arctosa gertschii Fox, 1935, Tarentula vivax Thorell, 1875, Lycosa ligata O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869, L. magallanica Karsch, 1880 and L. caduca Karsch, 1880, merely by mentioning them in his catalogue. Subsequent nomenclatural revisions (Roewer 1960; Tongiorgi 1977; Yu & Song 1988; Logunov 2023) have led to the current assignment of two species to the genus Vesubia: V. caduca of which only the female type specimen is known from Olinda in the Maui Island on Hawaii and V. jugorum, the type species of the genus. The last author who discussed the composition of the genus Vesubia was Tongiorgi (1969), who also described the male of V. jugorum for the first time. Tongiorgi provided observational data about the natural history of the species and discussed several hypotheses about its evolutive origins. Additionally, he provided a diagnosis for the genus based on a combination of somatic morphology characters and concluded that Lycosa caduca and Tarentula vivax were not congeneric with V. jugorum. However, no formal nomenclatural act was proposed. Recently, Logunov (2023) analyzed the type specimen of Tarentula vivax and concluded that this species belongs to the genus Alopecosa and proposed its transfer. DIAGNOSIS. — Vesubia differs from all other Lycosinae genera by the combination of the following characters: presence of two retromarginal teeth, a posterior epigynal pocket, a wide embolus, an apical projection of the palea and the shape of the median apophysis, with a dorsal concavity but without a dorsal channel as in other Lycosinae (see Kronestedt 1990: Fig. 4). DESCRIPTION Medium-sized wolf spiders (11-18 mm), carapace uniform dark brown, in live specimens a distinguishable paler median band, formed by setae (Fig. 1). Sternum, labium and maxillae reddish brown. Chelicerae dark brown with three promarginal and two retromarginal teeth. Abdomen uniform dark brown in fixed specimens, in live specimens a distinguishable cardiac mark followed by a series of paler marks (Fig. 1B), venter brownish yellow. Legs dark brown with a paler annulation at the middle of the femur (Fig. 1B), leg formula 4123. Palp of male with tibia as long as wide (Fig. 4F). Cymbium with several distal macrosetae (Fig. 4F) and a patch of strong setae dorsally (Fig. 4F); subtegulum not visible in ventral view, tegulum strongly sclerotized, with rounded conductor (Fig. 5A); median apophysis transverse with apical spur, directed anterodorsally (Fig. 6E), and a dorsal concavity but without a dorsal channel (Figs 5C, 6E); palea region projected apically (Figs 4B; 6E), synembolus reduced (Fig. 6D). Embolus wide, C-shaped with pars pendula (Figs 4D; 6D). Epigyne with two anterior semicircular atria, divided by a septum, leading to a pair of anterior hood (Figs 2C; 3A). Internal genitalia composed of a tri-partite spermatheca with a rounded head, that connects to the base of spermatheca by a thinner stalk (Fig. 2D).