DESCRIPTION OF A NEW WOLF SPIDER IN THE GENUS PIRATA ( ARANEAE : LYCOSIDAE ) *

The genus Pirata Sundevall consists of rather small, active wolf spiders that frequent the vegetation of bogs, swamps, margins of ponds and streams, and, more rarely, salt marshes. In a recent revision, Wallace and Exline (1978) divided the North American species of Pirata into groups based on genitalia, body size, leg setation, and color pattern on the carapace. Their insularis group contained two species, namely, P. insularis Emerton, which ranges from the western part of the Northwest Territories to New Brunswick and southward to Arizona and Florida, and P. cantralli Wallace and Exline, which was known only from Michigan and Ontario. Subsequent collections of cantralli indicate that it ranges as widely in Canada as insularis, though southward only to Michigan. Wallace and Exline (1978) noted the presence of a prominent, basally-directed tooth on the median apophysis of the male palpus of both P. insularis and P. cantralli. This tooth is absent in representatives of other North American groups of Pirata, but is present in males of certain Palaearctic species of the genus such as P. piccolo Dahl (Holm, 1947, Fig. 9; Fuhn and Niculescu-Burlacu, 1971, Fig. 103c), P. japonicus Tanaka (Tanaka, 1974, Fig. 14), P. procurvus (Btisenberg and Strand) (Tanaka, 1974, Fig. 31; Song et al., 1978, Fig. 9D), and P. praedatoria Schenkel (Song et al., 1978, Fig. 8E). This suggests that the insularis group is a widespread component of the world genus Pirata. The purpose of this paper is to describe a new species of Pirata, the male of which also has a dorsal tooth on the median apophysis and which we therefore assign to the insularis group.


INTRODUCTION
The genus Pirata Sundevall consists of rather small, active wolf spiders that frequent the vegetation of bogs, swamps, margins of ponds and streams, and, more rarely, salt marshes.In a recent revision, Wallace and Exline (1978) divided the North American species of Pirata into groups based on genitalia, body size, leg setation, and color pattern on the carapace.Their insularis group contained two species, namely, P. insularis Emerton, which ranges from the western part of the Northwest Territories to New Brunswick and southward to Arizona and Florida, and P. cantralli Wallace and Exline, which was known only from Michigan and Ontario.Subse- quent collections of cantralli indicate that it ranges as widely in Canada as insularis, though southward only to Michigan.Wallace and Exline (1978) noted the presence of a prominent, basally-directed tooth on the median apophysis of the male palpus of both P. insularis and P. cantralli.This tooth is absent in representa- tives of other North American groups of Pirata, but is present in males of certain Palaearctic species of the genus such as P. piccolo Dahl (Holm, 1947, Fig. 9; Fuhn and Niculescu-Burlacu, 1971, Fig.  103c), P. japonicus Tanaka (Tanaka, 1974, Fig. 14), P. procurvus (Btisenberg and Strand) (Tanaka, 1974, Fig. 31; Song et al., 1978,  Fig. 9D), and P. praedatoria Schenkel (Song et al., 1978, Fig.  8E).
This suggests that the insularis group is a widespread component of the world genus Pirata.
Etymology: The specific name is based on the name of the country in which the type-series was collected.
Diagnosis" Individuals of P. canadensis differ from those of the other North American species in the insularis group by being smaller (range of carapace length and width, respectively, 1.52-1.90and 1.01-1.28mm, contrasted with 2.00-3.45,1.32-2.55mm for P. insularis and 2.17-2.71,1.50-2.06for P. cantralli).The carapace usually lacks the dark lateral rim found in individuals of the other species, and the venter of the abdomen often has three dark coalescent longitudinal bands, or a single broad dark area, rather than slender separate bands.The distitarsus of leg I in males is also somewhat curved rather than straight.
:Specimens oIP.canadensis do not key to either insularis or cantralli in Wallace and Exline's (1978) key owing to the frequent lack of a dark lateral rim on the carapace and to the small body size.
Female: Total length approximately 3.75 mm.Carapace 1.78+_ 0.09 mm long, 1.19+_ 0.06 mm wide (17 specimens measured).General structure and color (Fig. 4) essentially as in male but body sometimes lacking pattern; anterior median eyes sometimes equal to anter!or laterals in size; patella and tibia I not darker than other segments; tibia I with distal pair of ventral macrosetae often missing; basitarsus I lacking ventral unpaired macroseta tt tip, and distitarsus I not curved.Epigynum with plate somewhat longer than broad, rather convex, setaceous, lacking processes at posterior margin (Fig. 5).Copulatory tubes broad, each with rounded prominence postero- laterally; spermathecae (spt) longer than broad, extending antero- laterad, with minute nodules at tip (Fig. 6).
Material Examined: Only the type-series was examined.
Range: Manitoba to New Brunswick.
Natural History: All of the available specimens were collected in pitfall traps or by sifters in sphagnum bogs.The paratypes from Poltimore, Quebec were collected in a small bog with specimens of P. insularis and P. cantralli.