Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 94. (Budapest 2002)

Szűts, T. ; Azarkina, G. N.: Redescription of Aelurillus subaffinis Caporiacco, 1947 (Araneae: Salticidae)

DISCUSSION The generic relationships within the family Salticidae are far from understood. Only a few relationships are clear at generic level: Spartaeinae WANLESS, 1984 and perhaps Euphrydinae PRÓSZYNSKI, 1976, which comprise about 30 genera of 500 (PRÓSZYNSKI, pers. comm.). The aelurillinid genera (Aelurillus SIMON, 1884, Asianellus LOGUNOV et HECIAK, 1996, Phlegm SIMON, 1876, Langelurillus PRÓCHNIEWICZ, 1994, Langona SIMON, 1901, Microheros WESOLOWSKA, 1999, Proszynskiana LOGUNOV, 1996, Rafalus PRÓSZYNSKI, 1999, Stenaelurillus SIMON, 1885) form a natural group, accepted by most of the specialists, characterised by the cymbial pocket (LOGUNOV 1996) of the male palp with a hardened and opaque tegulum, forming shield covering entire bulbus ventrally, and special kind of tibial apophyses (PRÓSZYNSKI pers. comm.). The genus Aelurillus SIMON, 1884 seems to be well defined as well: body hairy, male palp with two tibial apophyses, separated by broad triangular space; female epigyne with sclerotized 'wing-shaped' epigynal flaps (PRÓSZYNSKI 2002). Although many reviews and notes on the genus are presented in the literature (e.g. HARM 1977, PRÓSZYNSKI 1978, PRÓCHNIEWICZ & HECIAK 1994), the revision of the whole genus is lacking, and the description of several species is unsatisfactory. Since there are several Aelurillus species closely related to A. subaffínis, A. aeruginosus and A. faragallai, e.g. A. concolor KULCZYNSKI, 1901, A. conviniens (O. P. CAMBRIDGE, 1872) etc. (see WESOLOWSKA 1996), further taxonomic studies of all females are suggested, and an establishment of a separate species group for the valid species appears to merit further consideration. * Acknowledgements - We are very grateful to JERZY PRÓSZYNSKI (Siedice) and PAOLO PANTINI (Bergamo) for their kind assistance in getting back the Caporiacco-types belonging to the HNHM. We would like to thank DMITRI LOGUNOV (Novosibirsk) and JERZY PRÓSZYNSKI for their kind help and advice and TORBJÖRN KRONESTEDT (Stockholm) for giving information about the nomenclatorial history of A. aeruginosus. We wish to express our warmest thanks to the curators (mentioned in the Material and Methods) for giving access to the type material of the types of the examined Aelurillus species. REFERENCES CAPORIACCO, L. DI (1947): Arachnida Africae Orientális a dominibus Kittenberger, Kovács et Bornemisza lecta. - Annales historico-naturales Musei nationalis hungarici 40: 97-257'. HARM, M. (1977): Revision der mitteleuropaischen Arten der Gattung Phlegra Simon (Arachnnida: Araneae: Salticidae). - Senckenbergiana biologica 58: 61-11.