Bathyphantes c. Menge, 1866: fig. 41.

Bolyphantes c.: Wiehle 1956: fig. 268-272; Miller 1971: plate XLIII, figs 7-8; Palmgren 1975: fig. 9.23-24; Pichka 1983: fig. 2.

Lepthyphantes c.: Simon 1884: figs 18-19; Thaler et al. 1994: fig. 30-39.

Incestophantes c.: Saaristo and Tanasevitch 2000: p. 257.

Figs 1, 2d-f, 3e-h

Material. Ukraine: Volyn region, Shatsk Distr., Shatsky Nature Park, 51°30’N 23°55’E, Quercus – Pinus forest, male, female, IV-X.1990, K. V. Evtushenko leg. (Evtushenko’s private collection); Chernovtsy region, Vyzhnitsa Distr., Dolishny Shepot environs, 48°01’N 25°16’E, Chiuchelka Mt. slope, Picea, in needle litter and in moss on the ground, 3 females, 2.VII.2001; Sumy region, Konotop Distr., 2 km to the North of Kuzky village, 51°18’N 33°17’E, Pinus, sparse Quercus, Betula, Sorbus with Frangula, Vaccinium myrtillus and Calluna vulgaris, at the base of Pine trunk and in litter, 3 females 2 males, 22.V.2003, Yampol Distr., Prudishche environs, 51°57’N 33°43’E, Pinus, sparse Sorbus, at the base of Pine trunk, 6 females 1 male, 7.V.2000; Seredinobuda Distr., Staraya Guta environs, Desnyansko-Starogutsky Nature Park, 52°19’N 33°46’E, Pinus, sparse Quercus, Sorbus with Frangula, at the base of Pine trunk, female, 22.VI.2000; moss, 6 females, 13.V.2001, 5 females, 15.V.2001; Pinus, Betula, sparse Quercus, Sorbus with Frangula and Vaccinium myrtillus, in litter, female, 16.V.2001; Sphagnum - Eriophorum bog, on the rising ground in the grass near the base of Betula trees, female, 8.V.1990, 2 females, 22.VI.2000, 2 females, 17.IX.2000, 5 females 1 male, 18.IX.2000, all collected by V. Gnelitsa (all preserved in the VGC).

Description. Male. Total length 1.69, carapace: 0.94 long, 0.74 wide, yellow with dark border and median longitudinal stripe; sternum: 0.56 long, 0.55 wide, caudally extended between coxae IV, yellow with slightly darker margin; posterior median eyes 0.6 diameter apart. Anterior margin of chelicerae at the base of the fang with five medium sized teeth and a small one remotely positioned, posterior margin with tiny tooth at the base of fang; stridulating files distinct. Abdomen with dorsal pattern of two longitudinal rows of dark patches on a light background. Legs yellow, femur, tibia and metatarsus all with dark ring, tibia darkened distally; spination: FeI – 1p, TiI – 2d:1p:1r, MtI – 1d; TiII – 2d:1r, MtII – 1d; TiIII – 2d and 2 spines (1p, 1r) at the distal end, MtIII – 1d; TiIV – 2d and 2 spines (1p, 1r) at the distal end, MtIV – 1d; position of metatarsal trichobothrium: I – 0.20, II – 0.19, III – 0.18.

Palp: see Fig. 2 d-f.

Female. General appearance as in the male. Total length 2.23; carapace 0.78 long, 0.62 wide, yellow with dark gray border and median longitudinal stripe; sternum 0.49 long, 0.45 wide, caudally extended between coxae IV, yellow-gray with slightly darker border. Posterior median eyes 0.6 diameter apart. Anterior margin of chelicerae with three (two medium sized, one small) teeth, posterior margin with five tiny teeth close together; stridulating files as in male. Position of metatarsal trichobothrium: I – 0.25, II – 0.23, III – 0.20.

Epigyne: see Fig. 3 e-g; vulva: see Fig. 3h.

Remarks. Incestophantes crucifer is known from Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the former Yugoslavia (Van Helsdingen 2007). The spiders usually inhabit dry coniferous forests as well as bogs. Their webs are spanned in a slanting direction from tree trunks towards the litter.