Nandicius xiefengi sp. nov.

Figs 14, 15, 48

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (TRU - JS 0752), China: • Xizang Autonomous Region, Medog County, Damu Township, Zhu Village (29°29.73'N, 95°25.86'E, ca 1740 m), 27. V. 2024, X. F. Wang. leg. Paratype 1 ♀ (TRU - JS 0753), same data as for holotype .

Etymology.

The specific name is a patronym in honor of the collector; noun (name) in the genitive case.

Diagnosis.

The male of Nandicius xiefengi sp. nov. resembles that of N. gyirongensis (Hu, 2001) in having similar retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA), but can be easily distinguished by the following: 1) embolus (E) curved towards antero-retrolateral side (Fig. 14 B) vs antero-prolateral side (Yang and Zhang 2024: figs 155, 161); 2) posterior tegular lobe (PL) extending posteriorly (Fig. 14 B) vs extending prolatero-posteriorly (Yang and Zhang 2024: figs 155, 161). The female of N. xiefengi sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from congeners by the anteriorly located epigynal hood (H) (Fig. 15 A) vs posteriorly located in the others (see Metzner 2024).

Description.

Male (Figs 14, 15 C, D, F, G). Total length 3.68. Carapace 1.84 long, 1.32 wide. Abdomen 1.95 long, 1.08 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.34, ALE 0.16, PLE 0.15, AERW 1.08, PERW 1.11, EFL 0.81. Legs: I 3.88 (1.05, 0.65, 0.90, 0.90, 0.38), II 2.64 (0.78, 0.48, 0.60, 0.45, 0.33), III 2.74 (0.93, 0.43, 0.50, 0.53, 0.35), IV 3.12 (0.93, 0.43, 0.70, 0.68, 0.38). Carapace mainly dark brown, with pair of elongated, dark patches centrally on cephalon, and longitudinal, orange band extending from middle between PMEs to posterior end, covered with dense pale and dark setae. Chelicerae orange, with two promarginal teeth and one retromarginal tooth. Legs pale except legs I mottled with dark. Dorsum of abdomen mainly green-brown, with longitudinal, irregular pale patch extended over whole surface, and two pairs of median muscle depressions; venter pale laterally, and dark brown centrally, with pair of longitudinal, central dotted lines.

Palp (Fig. 14 A – C): femur length / width ratio ca 3.2; patella almost as long as wide in retrolateral view; tibia ~ 1.3 × wider than long in retrolateral view; retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) strongly sclerotized, curved medially, and with rather blunt tip; dorsal tibial apophysis (DTA) sub-triangular; cymbium ~ 1.6 × longer than wide, with hollow against embolus; tegulum longer than cymbium, swollen medio-posteriorly, with posteriorly extended posterior lobe (PL), and disto-retrolateral bump (TB); embolus (E) strongly sclerotized, short, slightly curved, with rather blunt end.

Female (Fig. 15 A, B, E). Total length 4.24. Carapace 1.68 long, 1.14 wide. Abdomen 2.41 long, 1.46 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.32, ALE 0.16, PLE 0.16, AERW 0.98, PERW 1.06, EFL 0.71. Legs: I 2.56 (0.75, 0.50, 0.63, 0.38, 0.30), II 2.31 (0.70, 0.45, 0.53, 0.35, 0.28), III 2.56 (0.78, 0.43, 0.50, 0.55, 0.30), IV 3.29 (1.03, 0.48, 0.80, 0.68, 0.30). Habitus (Fig. 15 E) similar to that of male but paler.

Epigyne (Fig. 15 A, B)> 2 × wider than long, with pair of anterior hoods (H) lateral to atrium (At); atrium almost square, with pair of lateral auricle-shaped ridges (AR); copulatory openings (CO) posteriorly located on atrium, irregular; copulatory ducts (CD) strongly curved circularly at proximal, then curved to C-shape, with bar-shaped, terminal accessory glands (AG); spermathecae (S) sub-spherical, with antero-inner extensions.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality in Xizang, China (Fig. 48).