Arachnologische Mitteilungen 58

Infraspecific spider taxa of Embrik Strand 33 because it appeared darker than the nominate species, had a different shape of the central of three bulbus processes and a different number of tibial spines. Bonnet (1955: 390) listed this subspecies as a synonym of Aranea annulella Strand, 1907 (replacement name for Epeira annulata Lenz, 1891, preoccu- pied by Keyserling, 1886), meanwhile a synonym of Neoscona triangula (Keyserling, 1864).The nominate form occurs from Cape Verde and Africa to India and shows a high degree of morphological variation across its range. Describing one specimen from this wide area as a subspecies is meaningless in the absence of further data.The type material should be in the museum Lübeck, but this has been destroyed completely. Also, we could not detect it in any of the other contacted mu- seums, and so we treat this name as a synonym of the nomi- nate form which meanwhile has been transferred to the genus Neoscona . Aranea börneri clavimacula Strand, 1907 = syn. nov. of the nominate form Araneus boerneri (Strand, 1907) Aranea börneri obscurella Strand, 1907 = syn. nov. of the nominate form Araneus boerneri (Strand, 1907) Both taxa were described as varieties from one female each by Strand (1907f: 188 & 189) and are listed as subspecies in the World Spider Catalog (2019). Ironically, they are from the same location (Merkara, now Madikeri/India) where he also described the nominate form. Reasons for the descrip- tion of two separate varieties are differences in colour pattern and size. Types of the nominate form are destroyed (Renner 1988), of the two varieties presumably too. Given also the syntopic occurrence of the three forms, the mentioned differ- ences do not justify subspecies level. Therefore, both are new synonyms of the nominate form. Aranea cereolella setaceola Strand, 1913 = subspecies inquirenda as Neoscona cereolella setaceola (Strand, 1913) Strand (1913a: 373) mentioned differences in colouration, leg spination and epigynal structures to justify a new variety from DR Congo. Bonnet (1955: 396) listed it as a synonym of the nominate form, in the World Spider Catalog (2019) it is a subspecies. Its scapus is distally broader than at its basis, in contrast to Aranea cereolella Strand, 1907 (Strand 1907c: 732), described from Nosy Be/Madagascar (also written Nossibé and Nosse Be), where the scapus is distally smaller than at its basis (Fig. 3). Strand did not provide drawings. Tullgren (1910: 163) identified his specimens from Tanza- nia according to Strand’s verbal description and illustrated the nominate species (Fig. 3a). De Lessert (1930: 647–650) illustrated and described both taxa from former Congo (sev- eral specimens from various sites) and he probably could also identify Strand’s taxa on the basis of his verbal descriptions. De Lessert’s drawings indicate that the epigynes have differ- ent structures when seen from below (Fig. 3b, c). Following Grasshoff (1986), both taxa are now in the genus Neoscona . The nominate species had been described from material in the Stuttgart museum, that was completely destroyed during the Second World War. The subspecies was described when Strand worked in Berlin and its type (an adult female) could be found in the ZMB (9337). Given the obvious differences between nominate species and subspecies, we feel that both could belong to different species but a more in-depth study of both and related taxa is needed (subspecies inquirenda), as already was stated by Tullgren (1910: 163): “Es scheint mir nötig, dass die Verwandtschaftsverhältnisse der Arten cereola , cereolella , strupifer , eresifrons etc. einer eingehenden Revision unterworfen werden” [It seems to be necessary to analyse the relationship of the species of cereola, cereolella, strupifer, eresi- frons etc. in an intensive revision]. Aranea dehaani octopunctigera Strand, 1911 = Parawixia dehaani octopunctigera (Strand, 1911) subspecies inquirenda This name has been published as an aberration of the nomi- nate form (Strand 1911a) because of its specific opisthoso- mal colour pattern. This taxon was meanwhile transferred to the genus Parawixia . Following Bonnet (1955: 392) this is a synonym of the nominate form, the World Spider Catalog (2019) lists it as a subspecies. The type material (two female syntypes) is available in the SMF (3223) and has been in- vestigated (PJ vid.). It exhibits indeed a unique opisthosomal colour pattern but to describe it as something new, examina- tion of males from the locus typicus and/or genetic analyses are recommended: subspecies inquirenda. Fig. 2: Epigynes . a. Mistaria jumbo (Strand, 1913); b. Mistaria kiwuensis , (Strand, 1913) (from Roewer 1955b: Figs 11b, 12) Fig. 3: a. Neoscona cereolella (Strand, 1907), epigyne, illustration fromTull- gren (1910: pl. IV, Fig. 110a, b); b. Neoscona cereolella (Strand, 1907), epigy- ne from below, illustrations from de Lessert (1930: Fig. 21a); c. Neoscona cereolella setaceola (Strand, 1913), epigyne ventral view and from below, illustrations from de Lessert (1930: Fig. 22a, b)