A new species related to Pardosa atrata (Araneae, Lycosidae) from Armenia makes the distribution range of the atrata group disjunctive

Abstract

Species of wolf spiders considered in the Pardosa atrata group are surveyed, and comparative figures of all species included in the group are presented for the first time. A new species, P. armeniacasp. nov., is described from the shore of Lake Sevan (Armenia) based on both sexes. Pardosa narymica Savelyeva, 1972 from East Kazakhstan Oblast’ is synonymized with the trans-Palaearctic P. atrata (Thorell, 1873). It was found that the record of P. atrata (sub P. lapponica) by Schenkel from British Columbia and reflected in the World Spider Catalog in fact refers to P. concinna (Thorell, 1877), a member of the P. lapponica group. The distribution of three species consideredin the atrata group are mapped. The discovery of P. armeniacasp. nov. has led to a re-evaluation of the distribution range, previously thought to be continuous, now showing a disjunctive pattern.