REDESCRIPTION AND NEW DATA ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF A POORLY KNOWN PIRATE SPIDER ERMETUS INOPINABILIS (ARANEI: MIMETIDAE)

REDESCRIPTION AND NEW DATA ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF A POORLY KNOWN PIRATE SPIDER ERMETUS INOPINABILIS (ARANEI: MIMETIDAE) Yuri M. Marusik1-2, Alexander A. Fomichev3 & Seppo Koponen4 1Institute for Biological Problems of the North RAS, Portovaya Str. 18, Magadan 685000, Russia. E-mail: yurmar@mail.ru 2Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa 3Altai State University, Lenina Pr., 61, Barnaul, RF-656049, Russia. E-mail: a.fomichov@mail.ru. 4Zoological Museum, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland. E-mail: sepkopo@utu.fi


INTRODUCTION
Mimetidae Simon, 1881 is a small family comprised of 146 species placed in 11genera (WSC, 2016).The family has worldwide distribution but the majority of the species and genera occur in the tropical and subtropical areas.Only three genera, Ermetus Ponomarev, 2008, Ero C.L. Koch, 1836and Mimetus Hentz, 1832 penetrate into temperate regions of the Palaearctic and are primarily confined to its southern parts (Mikhailov, 2013;WSC, 2016).Until recently, only five species from two latter genera were known from the Northern Asia (Mikhailov, 2013).A monotypic genus Ermetus was established by Ponomarev (2008) for the new species E. inopinabilis Ponomarev, 2008, which occurs in arid southeastern regions of the Russian Plain and in the Caucasus.The original description of E. inopinabilis was supplied with sketchy drawings of the male palp (only retrolateral view), epigyne, carapace and leg I. Specific features of habitus, chelicerae and details of the male palp were not illustrated.Later, this species was found in the Central and Eastern Ukraine (Polchaninova & Prokopenko, 2013), and in Western Kazakhstan (Logunov et al., 2012).Quite recently, E. inopinabilis was recorded from South-Western Mongolia based on a single male (Fomichev, 2016).At the same time, the species was never redescribed.While studying the material collected in Altai, Tuva and Mongolia, we found several specimens of both sexes belonging to this species.Here, we provide an illustrated redescription of E. inopinabilis and discuss its distribution based on the new and literature records.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Specimens were photographed with a Canon EOS 7D camera attached to an Olympus SZX16 stereomicroscope at the Zoological Museum, University of Turku.Digital images were montaged using Combine ZP or "Zerene Stacker" image stacking software.Epigyne was cleared in a KOH/water solution until soft tissues were dissolved.Photographs were taken in a dish with paraffin on the bottom to hold the specimens in right position.Microphotographs were made with a Jeol JSM-5200 SEM in the Zoological Museum (University of Turku, Finland).All measurements are in millimetres.Abbreviations used are as follows: Fe -femur, Pt -patella, Mt -metatarsus, Ti -tibia, Ta -tarsus, d -dorsal, p -prolateral, r -retrolateral, v -ventral.Data about spination are based on examination of one specimen of each sex (one side of the body).
Diagnosis.The genus is close to Ero C.L. Koch, 1837 but differs from it by the lack of tubercles on the dorsal side of the abdomen, shorter legs, and also by a simple paracymbium composed by one cymbial extension (2 extensions in Ero).From another genus of Mimetidae occurring in the Northern Asia, Mimetus Hentz, 1832, Ermetus can be distinguished by a less extended cephalic part of the prosoma, arrangement of median eyes and by absence of retrolateral longitudinal row of spine-like setae on proximal parts of femora I and II. Composition.Monotypic.

Leg measurements in male
Distribution.The species and the genus is known from Ukraine (Dnipropetrovs'k, ca 35°E) to Central Mongolia (105°24'E) (Fig. 25).So far the known range is disjunct because E. inopinabilis is unknown from the area between Daghestan and the Altai; most likely, this disjunction is due to the lack of data from the steppe zone of Kazakhstan.
Biology.In the European part of its range, the species inhabits mainly steppe habitats: steppified meadows, sandy steppes, etc. (Polchaninova & Prokopenko, 2013;Ponomarev, 2008).In Kalmykia this species was collected in a burrow of little ground squirrel (Spermophilus pygmaeus (Pallas, 1778)) (Ponomarev, 2008).In the Asian part of the range E. inopinabilis inhabits mountain stony steppes (Fomichev, 2016;present data).This species occurs in a wide altitude range: from the sea level to 1400 m in the European part, and from 620 m to 2150 m in the Asian part of the range.