Accepted by G. Hormiga: 20 Jul. 2012; published: 10 Sept. 2012 65 ZOOTAXA ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) Copyright © 2012 · Magnolia Press Zootaxa 3475: 65–68 (2012) www.mapress.com/ zootaxa/ Correspondence urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:AA74DB72-3D1A-4646-AA8B-3749484E77E4 Comparative description of the Mediterranean erigonine spider Diplocephalus guidoi n. sp. (Araneae, Linyphiidae) HOLGER FRICK 1,2,4 & MARCO ISAIA 3 1 National office of Forests, Nature and Land Management, Department of Nature and Landscape, Dr. Grass Strasse 12, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein 2 Natural History Museum Bern, Bernastrasse 15, 3005 Bern, Switzerland 3 University of Turin, Department of Life Science and Systems Biology, Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy 4 Corresponding author: Email: holger.frick@gmx.li The genus Diplocephalus includes 52 species (Platnick 2012) with very diverse palpal morphology and is difficult to define. However, it shares many characters with other genera that form together the so-called Savignia genus group (Millidge 1977; Frick et al. 2010). New Diplocephalus species are rarely found, especially in the alpine range. Collection efforts in the framework of the European All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory conducted in the Alpi Marittime region disclosed a species new to science. It is described in the current paper and compared with four Mediterranean species showing very similar palpal conformations: D. arnoi Isaia, 2005, D. longicarpus (Simon, 1884), D. pavesii Pesarini, 1996 and D. procer (Simon, 1884). The methods used for specimen examinations, illustrations and colour descriptions (Pantone colour codes) are described in detail in Frick and Muff (2009). General terminologies and abbreviations follow Hormiga (2000). Abbreviations MCSNB: Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali “E. Caffi”, Bergamo, Italy; NMBE: Natural History Museum of Bern, Switzerland; HF: Private Collection Holger Frick; MI: Private Collection Marco Isaia, stored at Life Science and System Biology, University of Turin. ALE: anterior lateral eyes; AME: anterior median eyes; ARP: anterior radical process; DP: dorsal plate; DSA: distal suprategular apophysis; E: embolus; EM: embolic membrane; ISA: inner suprategular apophysis; PC: paracymbium; PLE: posterior lateral eyes; PME: posterior median eyes; RTP: radical tailpiece; ST: subtegulum; T: tegulum; TmI: Trichobothrium on metatarsus I; VP: ventral plate. Diplocephalus guidoi new species (Figs 1–10) Type material. HOLOTYPE male (and allotype female): Italy: Piedmont: Cuneo: Aisone, Valle Stura, Vallone della Valletta, loc. Pinet, Parco Naturale Alpi Marittime, 1540 m, in a small stream at the border of a mountain path with mosses and other aquatic vegetation [7.225 E, 44.286 N], 11.IX.2011, leg. M. Isaia and R. Galindo (MCSNB). PARATYPES from same sample as holotype, 3 8 (2 at MI; 2 , 2 at NMBE, Ar7251; 1 , 4 at MCSNB). Examined material. Italy: Piedmont: Same locality, same habitat as holotype, 1560 m [7.225 E, 44.285 E], 1 2 , 11.IX.2011, leg. M. Isaia and R. Galindo (at HF). Italy: Piedmont: A few hundred meters south from holotype locality, 1530 m, in a small spring among mosses and wet stones [7.225 E, 44.281 N], 3 , 17.VIII.2010, leg. M. Isaia, R. Galindo, A. and G. Vigna (2 at MI; 1 at HF). Etymology. The species is dedicated to Guido Badino, Professor of Ecology at the University of Turin and member of the Science Academy of Turin, for his personal and noble commitment to his work and for mentoring and supporting Marco Isaia's academic career. It also refers to Guido Frick, whose love to nature inspired his grand son Holger Frick to become a biologist. The species epithet is a name in apposition. Diagnosis. Males can be distinguished from species with similar palpal conformations by the presence of a small post PME-lobe instead of a PME-lobe (Fig. 1) and the retrolateral facing prolateral tibial apophysis being covered behind