Arachnologische Mitteilungen 58

34 W. Nentwig, T. Blick, D. Gloor, P. Jäger & C. Kropf Aranea dehaani pygituberculata Strand, 1911 = syn. nov. of the nominate form of Parawixia dehaani (Doleschall, 1859) Aranea dehaani quadripunctigera Strand, 1911 = syn. nov. of the nominate form of Parawixia dehaani (Doleschall, 1859) The variety pygituberculata was described by Strand (1911a: 203) from Sulawesi (Indonesia) and the variety quadripuncti- gera by Strand (1911b: 151) from Aru Is. (Indonesia) because of size and colouration differences as new varieties. For Bon- net (1955: 393, 394) they were synonyms of the nominate form and the World Spider Catalog (2019) lists them as sub- species. The examination of the types (SMF 3219 pygituber- culata female, SMF 3220 quadripunctigera female, TB & CK vid.) showed that both epigynes lie within the high variety of the species, as illustrated by Chrysanthus (1960: Figs 26-32). Therefore, we consider both names as new synonyms of the nominate form of Parawixia dehaani (Doleschall, 1859). Strand (1908a) described six varieties of Aranea rufipalpis (Lucas, 1858) from Africa; i.e. buettnerana, fuscinotum, mada- gascarica, nigrodecorata, punctipedella and strigatella . Aranea rufipalpis büttnerana Strand, 1908 = subspecies inquirenda as Neoscona rufipalpis buettnerana (Strand, 1908) The variety Aranea rufipalpis buettnerana Strand, 1908 (Strand 1908a: 271, 288, 293) was described from Cameroon and Togo. It was treated as a subspecies by Roewer (1942: 813), synonymized by Bonnet (1955: 382) with the nominate form and listed as a Neoscona rufipalpis buettnerana (Strand, 1908) in the World Spider Catalog (2019). We examined the type material (ZMB 9341-42, CK vid.) and could not verify the diagnostic characters mentioned in Strand’s original descrip- tion but do not change the subspecific status without a re- vision of the nominate form and related species (subspecies inquirenda). Aranea rufipalpis fuscinotum Strand, 1908 = Neoscona fuscinotum (Strand, 1908) comb. nov., species inquirenda Aranea rufipalpis madagascarica Strand, 1908 = Neoscona madagascarica (Strand, 1908) comb. nov., species inquirenda Aranea rufipalpis strigatella Strand, 1908 = Neoscona strigatella (Strand, 1908) comb. nov., species inquirenda The type material of Aranea rufipalpis madagascarica Strand, 1908 (ZMB 9343-44, 22659, from Madagascar), Aranea ru- fipalpis fuscinotum Strand, 1908 (ZMB 9345, from Togo) and of Aranea rufipalpis strigatella Strand 1908 (ZMB 9346, from “Africa”) is available in the Berlin museum and was re-inves- tigated for this study (CK vid.).These three taxa were elevated to species rank by Roewer (1942: 814), Bonnet (1955: 389) synonymized madagascarica and strigatella with the nominate form rufipes and the World Spider Catalog (2019) lists them all as species in the genus Araneus Clerck, 1757.The noun fus- cinotum (meaning “the dark back”) meanwhile has erroneously been modified to “ fuscinotus ” and this is an unjustified emen- dation. Grasshoff (1986) revised the African species of the genus Neoscona and transferred Epeira rufipalpis Lucas, 1858 (described from Gabon, West Africa) to Neoscona . However, Grasshoff did not consider Strand’s varieties in his revision. After having studied Strand’s types, it is clear to us that these three “varieties” belong to the genus Neoscona Simon, 1864 as well, according to Grasshoff ’s (1986) criteria, but need further investigation. They are formally transferred here to Neoscona . It seems probable to us that these four names are synonyms of Neoscona rufipalpis (Lucas, 1858). However, we could not investigate topotypic material of N. rufipalpis , there is only a single figure of the male palp available (of a specimen from Zaire, Grasshoff 1986).The whole group is in urgent need of revision (subspecies and species inquirenda). So we do not draw any further conclusions for the moment. Aranea rufipalpis nigrodecorata Strand, 1908 = nomen dubium (in Neoscona ) Aranea rufipalpis punctipedella Strand, 1908 = nomen dubium (in Neoscona ) These two varieties were also described by Strand (1908a: 290, 292), were later elevated to species rank by Roewer (1942: 808, 811), and still are listed so (in the genus Araneus Clerck, 1757) in the World Spider Catalog (2019), while Bonnet (1955: 393) synonymized punctipedella with the nominate form. The types were found in the ZMB and re- examined for this study (ZMB 9339, 22664; ZMB 9317, 934, CK vid.). Both varieties were described from juvenile specimens, the descriptions and the type material do not allow a proper species or subspecies identification, and the names are therefore considered here nomina dubia and transferred to Neoscona . Aranea theisi feisiana Strand, 1911 = nominate form of Neoscona theisi (Walckenaer, 1841) syn. nov. Because a female from the Caroline Islands had a different colour pattern from the nominate species, Strand published it as aberration of the nominate species (Strand 1911a: 203, 1915b: 221, Fig. 19) which belongs meanwhile to Neoscona . Roewer mentioned it as a subspecies (1942: 780), Bonnet (1955: 385) treated it as a synonym of the nominate form and the World Spider Catalog (2019) followed Roewer. Chry- santhus (1960, 1971) presented different shapes of the scapus pointing to a certain degree of intraspecific variation (Fig. 4). In his revision of Neoscona , Grasshoff (1986: 69) wrote that “Mit größter Wahrscheinlichkeit sind die anderen von Roewer und Bonnet verzeichneten Synonyme und Unterar- ten in der Tat als Varianten von theisi zu betrachten.“ [With high probability all other synonyms and subspecies, listed by Roewer and Bonnet, have to be seen as variants of theisi .].The female type of A. theisi feisiana is available in the SMF (SMF 3435, PJ vid.). It was compared with several females from the same island (Feis = Fais, Micronesia; 9°45’59N, 140°30’57E) identified as the nominate form.This island is ca. 600 km SW from Guam (ca. 13°26’17N, 144°45’34E), the type locality of the nominate form.The holotype of feisiana had a somewhat shorter scapus than most of the other females examined and illustrated in the literature, but within the 12 females from the same island (SMF 3418) were at least two that had a similarly short scapus (Fig. 4).Therefore, we consider these differences intraspecific variation and propose the following synonymy: Aranea theisi feisiana Strand, 1911 = nominate form of Neo- scona theisi (Walckenaer, 1841) syn. nov. Cyrtarachne tricolor aruana Strand, 1911 = syn. nov. of the nominate form of Cyrtarachne tricolor (Doleschall, 1859) Strand (1911b: 155) described this variety from the Indone- sian island Aru (with subspecies rank in the World Spider Catalog 2019) from one female according to a less wider transversal bright stripe dorsally on the opisthosoma. This