Serket (2015) vol. 14(3): 116-121.
The first record of Mermessus fradeorum (Berland, 1932)
(Araneae: Linyphiidae) in Saudi Arabia
Hisham K. El-Hennawy 1*, Khalid A. Asiry 2, Mahmoud Desouky 2,3
& Ibrahim A. Al-Khuraiji 2
1
2
41 El-Manteqa El-Rabia St., Heliopolis, Cairo 11341, Egypt
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Hail, Saudi Arabia
3
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Egypt
*
Corresponding e-mail address: el_hennawy@hotmail.com
Abstract
Mermessus fradeorum (Berland, 1932) of family Linyphiidae is recorded from
Saudi Arabia for the first time.
Keywords: Spiders, Linyphiidae, Mermessus fradeorum, Hail, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Introduction
Family Linyphiidae Blackwall, 1859 is the second greatest spider family (4547
species) after Family Salticidae Blackwall, 1841 (5813) and the first one in number of
genera (601). Genus Mermessus O.P.-Cambridge, 1899 includes 81 species, mainly
recorded from North and Central America, and northern South America with the
exception of six species recorded from the Old World too. Mermessus fradeorum
(Berland, 1932) is a cosmopolitan species (World spider Catalog, 2015).
Berland (1932) described both the male and the female of Parerigone fradeorum
as a new species from Azores, Portugal and proposed a generic replacement name in the
same year to be Anerigone fradeorum. Ivie & Barrows (1935) described the male and the
female of the same species as a new one called Eperigone banksi from Florida, USA.
Marples (1960) described the male of the same species again as a new genus and species
called Aitutakia armata from Aitutaki, The Cook Islands (Pacific Ocean). Denis (1964)
redescribed the female of Anerigone fradeorum from Azores.
Twenty years later, and until 1999, the same species was recorded and redescribed
as Eperigone fradeorum from South Africa (Jocqué, 1984), North America (Millidge,
1987), New Zealand (Millidge, 1988), Micronesia and Polynesia (Beatty, Berry &
Millidge, 1991), China (Gao, Ren & Zhu, 1994; Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999), and from
Netherlands (Prinsen, 1996). Genus Eperigone Crosby & Bishop, 1928 was synonymised
with genus Mermessus O.P.-Cambridge, 1899 by Miller (2007: 122). Mermessus
fradeorum was recorded from the United Arab Emirates (Al-Ain, Al-Ajban, Dubai, and
Sharjah) by Tanasevitch (2010) who described seven linyphiid species, three of them
were new to science, from the UAE for the first time and stated that "The Arabian
Peninsula ... remains a real ‘terra incognita’ as regards the linyphiid spider fauna".
Last year, a preliminary list of spiders and other arachnids of Saudi Arabia was
published by El-Hennawy (2014) including 25 families, 69 genera, 77 species of Order
Araneae. Family Linyphiidae is represented in Saudi Arabia by Prinerigone vagans
arabica (Jocqué, 1981), Lepthyphantes sp., and Mermessus sp.; the last one was
represented by one female collected by Abd El-Wakeil et al. (2014) from Wadi Al-Arj,
Taif, Saudi Arabia.
During an ecological study, spiders were collected from a private farm located in
Al-Hommamh village (East of Hail city, 27°54.746'N, 42°03.306'E, elevation 783.8m) in
spring of 2013. In this farm, conventional barley crop (Hordeum vulgare L.) was planted
on 29th December 2012. The spiders were collected between 15th of February to 30th of
March 2013 using pitfall traps (8.5 diameter x 13cm deep) contained 50% Propylene
Glycol and were left in field for a week. After a week, pitfall traps were collected and
returned to the laboratory for subsequent storage, sorting and identification. This study is
based on 10 males and 3 females collected in March by pitfall traps in addition to the
female specimen of Taif which could be identified to species level. Only 3 males and 2
females were measured. Abbreviations used: CL = cephalothorax length; CW =
cephalothorax width; L = length; TL = total length. All measurements were taken in
millimetres.
Fig. 1. Mermessus fradeorum (Berland, 1932) ♂, from Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Habitus, lateral view.
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2
3
4
5
6
7
Figs. 2-7. Mermessus fradeorum (Berland, 1932) ♂, from Hail, Saudi Arabia.
2-3. Habitus. 2. dorsal view. 3. ventral view. 4-7. Pedipalp. 4, 7. retrolateral view.
5. mesoventral view. 6. prolateral view. 4-5. Chelicerae, lateral view.
111
Mermessus fradeorum (Berland, 1932)
(Figs. 1-11)
Parerigone fradeorum Berland, 1932: 76, f. 3-11 (D♂♀).
Anerigone fradeorum Berland, 1932: 119 (generic replacement name).
Eperigone banksi Ivie & Barrows, 1935: 12, pl. 3, f. 20-24 (D♂♀).
Aitutakia armata Marples, 1960: 386-387, f. 2a-c (D♂).
Anerigone fradeorum Denis, 1964: 80, f. 3-4 (♀).
Eperigone fradeorum Jocqué, 1984: 124, f. 3-5 (♂).
Eperigone fradeorum Millidge, 1987: 35-37, f. 124-131 (♂♀, S).
Eperigone fradeorum Millidge, 1988: 67, f. 302-303, 333-339 (♂♀).
Eperigone fradeorum Beatty, Berry & Millidge, 1991: 272 (S).
Eperigone fradeorum Gao, Ren & Zhu, 1994: 52, f. 1-6 (♂♀).
Eperigone fradeorum Prinsen, 1996: 2, f. 8 (♂).
Eperigone fradeorum Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 167, f. 93D-E, H-I (♂♀).
Mermessus fradeorum Tanasevitch, 2010: 16, f. 12-19 (♂♀).
8
10
9
11
Figs. 8-11. Mermessus fradeorum (Berland, 1932) ♀, Saudi Arabia.
8-9 (Taif). Habitus. 8. dorsal view. 9. ventral view, showing epigynum. 10-11 (Hail).
10. Eyes and chelicerae, frontal view. 11. Epigynum, dorsal view, after clearing.
111
Material examined: 10♂♂ 3♀♀, Saudi Arabia, Hail (27°54.746'N, 42°03.306'E, elevation
783.8m) (3♂, 1-8/3/2013, 2♂ 2♀, 13-20/3/2013, 5♂ 1♀, 20-27/3/2013) pitfall traps in
barley cultivation. 1♀, Saudi Arabia, Taif, Wadi Al-Arj (21º21'N, 40º30'E) 10/8/2013,
pitfall trap in a wetland.
Description: Male (Figs. 1-7): TL 2.64-2.74, CL 1.16-1.2, CW 0.8-0.86, CL/CW 1.351.5. Carapace orange, with ocular area, among eyes, mostly blackish. Anterior median
eyes smaller than other eyes, nearer to each other than to anterior lateral eyes. Posterior
eyes equidistant. Chelicerae (Figs. 4-5) with meso-frontal tooth and a row of anterolateral denticles (at base) or hook-shaped teeth (towards tip). Legs slender, orange; femur
I shorter than cephalothorax length.
Pedipalp (Figs. 4-7): Patella without spines, apically with a small ventral protrusion.
Tibia with long hairs; dorsally with a sharply pointed dark-brown apical apophysis.
Abdomen (Figs. 1-2): L 1.4-1.44; grey with faint paler chevrons dorsally, darker
posteriorly.
Description: Female (Figs. 8-11): TL 2.9, CL 1.06, CW 0.8, CL/CW 1.33, AL 1.8. Hail
(TL 2.96, CL 1.26, CW 0.7, CL/CW 1.8, AL 1.64. Taif). Colour as in male.
Habitat. Both males and females were found in pitfall traps in March (Hail) and August
(Taif), in cultivated area and wetland. They were found in pitfall traps with a few spiders
of Family Gnaphosidae and Family Theridiidae, a moderate number of Family Lycosidae
and plenty of the linyphiid spider Prinerigone vagans.
Distribution. This species is cosmopolitan (World spider Catalog, 2015). It is recorded
from: Azores (Portugal), Netherlands, Canada, USA, Micronesia and Polynesia, The
Cook Islands (Pacific Ocean), New Zealand, South Africa, China, United Arab Emirates.
In Saudi Arabia, it is recorded for the first time from Hail and Taif (Fig. 12). Also, it is
the first record of Family Linyphiidae in Hail (Desouky & El-Hennawy, 2012).
Fig. 12. Map of the Arabian Peninsula showing the distribution of Mermessus fradeorum.
* = precedent records in UAE (Tanasevitch, 2010). * = new record localities: Hail and Taif.
121
Acknowledgment
Authors would like to thank the Al-Jomaiah’s Chair of Sustainable Development
in Agricultural Communities at the University of Hail for providing financial support.
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* = Not seen
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Mahmoud Desouky