Taxon classification Animalia Araneae Phrurolithidae

Otacilia hippocampa sp. n. Figs 1, 2, 3

Type material.

Holotype ♂, China, Hunan Province: Dao County, Qingtang Town, Dajiangyuan Village, Mt. Jiucailing (25°27'37.678"N, 111°21'12.499"E), 448 m a.s.l., 29 September 2015, Chi Jin leg. Paratypes: 2♀2♂, same data as for holotype.

Etymology.

The species name is taken from the Latin generic name of the seahorse, " Hippocampus ", referring to the seahorse-shaped internal ducts (copulatory duct, connecting tube and spermatheca) in the female epigyne; adjective.

Diagnosis.

The male can be distinguished from all other armatissima group species, except Otacilia bicolor Jäger & Wunderlich, 2012, Otacilia onoi Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 and Otacilia truncata Dankittipakul & Singtripop, 2014, by having a long DTA and can be distinguished from these three species by the absence of conductor (Figs 2 A–D, 3 A–C). The female of the new species can be easily distinguished from all of the other armatissima group species by the seahorse-shaped internal ducts (except the bursae), whereas they are S-shaped or crescent-shaped in the other congeners (Figs 2 E–G, 3 D–E).

Description.

Male (Fig. 1 A–B). Total length 2.17-2.65 (n = 3). Holotype: body 2.65 long; carapace 1.28 long, 1.12 wide; abdomen 1.37 long, 0.90 wide. Carapace yellowish brown, with black marginal bands; fovea longitudinal, brown. Eye diameters: AME 0.08, ALE 0.09, PME 0.08, PLE 0.09. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.02, AME–ALE 0.01, PME–PME 0.09, PME–PLE 0.05, ALE–PLE 0.07. MOA 0.19 long, front 0.17 wide, back 0.25 wide. Clypeus 0.14 high. Chelicerae with two strong anterior bristles; promargin with three well-separated teeth, and retromargin with two teeth close to each other. Labium and sternum dark yellow. Legs light yellowish brown; all femora with distal black distal annulus; patellae I–II black, patellae III–IV with distal black annulus; tibiae I–II almost all black, tibiae III–IV with black distal annulus; metatarsi I–II distal half part black, metatarsi III–IV with black distal annulus. Measurements of legs: leg I 4.95 (1.29, 0.49, 1.39, 1.23, 0.55), II 4.09 (1.11, 0.46, 1.01, 0.98, 0.53), III 3.59 (0.91, 0.44, 0.74, 0.94, 0.56), IV 5.19 (1.36, 0.45, 1.14, 1.49, 0.75). Leg formula: 4123. Femur I with two dorsal spines and three prolateral spines, femur II with one dorsal spine and two prolateral spines, femur III lacks dorsal spine, femur IV with one dorsal spine; tibia I with six proventral spines and seven retroventral spines, tibia II with six pairs of ventral spines; metatarsus I with four pairs of ventral spines, metatarsus II with four proventral spines and three retroventral spines. Femora I–III lack dorsal spines, femur IV four with one dorsal spine, femur I with three prolateral spines; tibia I with six proventral spines and seven retroventral spines, tibia II with six proventral spines and five retroventral spines; metatarsus I with four pairs of ventral spines, metatarsus II with four proventral spines and three retroventral spines. Abdomen oval, dorsum light grey, with several chevron-like black stripes, anterior half with a small dorsal scutum; venter light grey.

Palp (Figs 2 A–D, 3 A–C). Femur distally with an inflated hump on ventral side and a retrolateral concavity. RTA basally thick, tapering to a sharp apex, bent prolaterally. DTA shaped similarly to RTA, with one spine basally. Embolus short, needle-like. Conductor absent. Tegular apophysis triangular, sclerotized.

Female (Fig. 1 C–D). Total length 2.56-2.96 (n = 2). One paratype: body 2.96 long; carapace 1.47 long, 1.22 wide; abdomen 1.49 long, 0.99 wide. Eye diameters: AME 0.07, ALE 0.09, PME 0.08, PLE 0.10. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.03, AME–ALE 0.01, PME–PME 0.09, PME–PLE 0.06, ALE–PLE 0.09. MOA 0.22 long, front 0.18 wide, back 0.27 wide. Clypeus 0.13 high. Leg measurements: I 5.40 (1.41, 0.58, 1.54, 1.32, 0.55); II 4.53 (1.21, 0.53, 1.16, 1.04, 0.59); III 3.96 (1.04, 0.46, 0.81, 1.02, 0.63); IV 5.63 (1.46, 0.50, 1.27, 1.60, 0.80). Leg formula: 4123. Leg spination as in male. Abdomen light grey, anterior half lacks dorsal scutum. Other characters as in male.

Epigyne (Figs 2 E–F, 3D): median plate narrow, with parallel lateral margin; copulatory openings situated centrally, tiny and pore-like. Vulva (Figs 2G, 3 E–F): copulatory ducts short, connected with a pair of slender tubes leading to the large, transparent ovoid bursae; spermathecae located posteriorly, small and ovoid, separated by more than one spermatheca’s diameter; connecting tubes curved and sigmoid. Glandular appendages absent.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality, Hunan, China (Fig. 13).