Arachnologische Mitteilungen 58

Infraspecific spider taxa of Embrik Strand 41 comparison with drawings of urbana from de Lessert (1915) and Saaristo (2010) (Fig. 7a-b) makes it even more difficult to decide whether hova is a synonym of the nominate form or a species of its own. For Trochosa , such a comparison has to include male spiders and, most importantly, should include molecular data. Therefore, we conclude that this subspecies needs an in-depth analysis: subspecies inquirenda. Nephilidae Nephila maculata malagassa Strand, 1907 = Nephila pilipes malagassa Strand, 1907 nomen dubium Strand (1907a: 533, 1907h: 609) described a colour morph of N. maculata (Fabricius, 1793) as a subspecies malagassa from Madagascar (exact location not known). Bonnet (1958: 3066) synonymized it with the nominate form. Harvey et al. (2007) synonymized maculata and many Asian maculata subspecies with pilipes (Fabricius, 1793) and concluded that this species is restricted to the Asian-Pacific area, thus all pilipes records for Africa or Madagascar are thought to be misidentifica- tions. Several Nephila and Trichonephila species are known from East Africa, Madagascar and adjacent islands, but in the absence of a type (destroyed according to Renner 1988), it can only be concluded that Strand’s subspecies is a nomen dubium. Oecobiidae Hersiliola brachyplura demaculata Strand, 1914 = subspecies inquirenda as Oecobius brachyplura demaculatus (Strand, 1914) Based on a single male from Israel, Strand (1913d: 148) de- scribed the nominate form as Hersiliola brachyplura Strand, 1913 in the family Hersiliidae. From the same location Strand (1914a: 182) described a female of the nominate form and introduced the new variety demaculata for other females. Levy stated (2003: 25) that they are misplaced and belong to Oecobius . Fet (2008: 67) saw the type material at the SMF again (male of brachyplura : SMF 2930; females and juveniles of brachyplura demaculata : SMF 2928, 2929, 2931, 2932), came to the conclusion that it is in fact an Oecobius species (Oecobiidae), and made the formal taxonomic transfer. The variety demaculata (a synonym of the nominate form for Bonnet (1957: 2179) and a subspecies in the World Spider Catalog 2019) differs only by having different colour patterns on legs and opisthosoma. As Fet (2008) did not synonymize demaculatus with the nominate form, it remains a subspe- cies inquirenda (as well as the nominate form is a species in- quirenda) and we confirm Fet’s opinion (2008), that a revision of the Eastern Mediterranean Oecobius is needed. Oxyopidae Oxyopes javanus nicobaricus Strand, 1907 = syn. nov. of the nominate form of Oxyopes javanus Thorell, 1887 In his discussion on differences between Oxyopes javanus Thorell, 1887 and his newly described Oxyopes subjava- nus Strand, 1907, both from Java, Strand (1907g: 447) cites Thorell (1891: 71) that “tuberculum vulva in apice suo rotun- dato et nitidissimo sulco transverso distincto caret” [the tip of the epigynal bump is rounded and without transversal fur- row] in Thorell’s specimens from the Nicobar Islands.Thorell had one male (no difference to typical O. javanus mentioned) and two females with the above cited difference.Then, Strand named, on the base of this difference in Thorell’s specimens, var. nicobarica . Strand had clearly not seen any specimens and there is no type material from Strand involved.The respective specimen must be inThorell’s collection and were not marked as type material. We see this very short description of less than two lines more as a personal comment toThorell than as a formal description and valuate it as a new synonym of the nominate form. Oxyopes variabilis Strand, 1906 = nomen dubium Oxyopes variabilis dorsivittatus Strand, 1906 = nomen dubium Oxyopes variabilis nigriventris Strand, 1906 = nomen dubium Oxyopes embriki Roewer, 1951 = nomen dubium Strand (1906b: 661) described the nominate form O. variabi- lis Strand, 1906 from Ethiopia, mentioned its high variability with respect to colouration ( variabilis !), and then described two colour variants in this population as new varieties (Strand 1906b: 662). If the opisthosoma is black (instead of brown), it is nigriventris , if the central line on the opisthosoma is a broader yellowish band, it is dorsivittata . Roewer (1951) no- Fig. 7: Trochosa urbana O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876; epigynes, ventral view a. from O. Pickard-Cambridge (1876: Fig. 14d); b. from de Lessert (1915: Fig. 69); c. from Saaristo (2010: Fig. 14.8); d. from Roewer (1960: Fig. 390a); e. Tarentula urbana hova Strand, 1907, epigyne from Roewer (1960: Fig. 391)