In addition to the genus diagnosis, the following features characterize the species:MALECephalothorax blackish brown, with thorax lighter brown, indistinct light brown streaks along dorsal edges of thorax, lighter streak along midheight of sides and light yellow area on sides below eyes lateral, which also extend on face below ALE. Lighter streaks and areas with remnants of sparse whitish setae, broad ventral marginal area of sides blackish grey. Abdomen blackish brown, with three narrow white lines of dense, adpressed, setae: one median and two marginal, narrow each 1/10 of abdomen width, separating two broad blackish brown longitudinal areas each 4/10 abdomen width, covered with adpressed brown setae. Upper streak on sides dark brown, remaining sides lighter grey. Dark appearance of body increased by dark general appearance of legs.Face - upper half dark with conspicuous orange or fawn orbital setae along dorsal and lateral parts of rims of eyes I; lower half divided into yellow areas under ALE and dark brown area under AME, the latter with prominent row of strikingly white setae, adpressed and set diagonally, the ventral margin of clypeus is dark brown, bald, with a sparse row of a few inconspicuous, colourless, evenly spaced longer setae hanging down from the edge. Chelicerae brown. Pedipalps blackish with white setae on patella and in a sparse row along dorsal edge of femur, tip of cymbium light grey. Examination of palpal organ difficult because of black or blackish coloration of parts, for this reason their descriptions and drawings often uncertain. Embolus long and thin, reaching anterior end of cymbium, bulbus blackish grey, tibial apophyses blackish, almost invisible on blackish background of cymbium, details visible only after separation of tibia from cymbium. Apophyses are long and narrow, separated by narrow, V-shaped slit; in various specimens differ in relative width, length and tip of each of these apophyses; significance of these minor differences is not certain, and some differences may be interpreted as related species. Legs blackish, femora I-IV blackish with two lighter, olive grey or yellowish lines separating median black line. Dorsal surfaces of patellae I-IV olive brown, tibiae and metatarsi I-IV dark brown with dark median line on dorsal surfaces, delimited by two lighter lines, tarsi I-IV lighter brown. (c) PRÓSZYŃSKI 2003 Body: Markings: dark or bright vertical stripes. Eyes: AER: dorsal edge procurve. Labium: Length: wider than long. Distribution: Geographical Distribution: Eastern Europe & Asia. Middle East. COMMENTSDiagnosis. Body blackish brown, with white streaks on abdomen and lighter brown on cephalothorax, legs black. Orbital setae above eyes I orange or fawn, clypeus with contrasting narrow row of short white setae, (distinctly narrower and less prominent than striking, long, white fur on clypeus of Ph. bresnieri).Remark. Lectotype specimen deteriorated since original description by O. Pickard-Cambridge (1872: 330-331), black colour is now, after over 120 years of preservation, faded to light brown, or even dark yellow; most hairs have been lost, remnants of the characteristic "yellow-red setae" surrounding anterior eyes now appears white. Seasonal appearance of adult specimens. Males - II-IV. (c) PRÓSZYŃSKI 2003 |