Paratus bagmati Li & Yao, 2023

Chu, Chang, Lu, Ying, Li, Shuqiang & Yao, Zhiyuan, 2023, Three new species of liocranid spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from China and Nepal, Zootaxa 5285 (1), pp. 176-186 : 181-182

Paratus bagmati Li & Yao sp. nov.

Figs. 3–5

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D862287D-C063-47D6-9EF6-4781EDEF30FF

Type material. Holotype: ♁ (IZCAS-Ar44321), Mude (27°41.118′N, 85°56.136′E, 2653 ± 6 m a.s.l.), Bagmati, Nepal, 23 March 2019, leg. X. Zhang and J. Liu.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality and is a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. The male is similar to P. sinensis Marusik, Zheng & Li, 2008 in having a straight, spine-shaped retrolateral tibial apophysis, but can be distinguished by the embolus originating anterolaterally to bulb (vs. medially in P. sinensis ), bulb with a circular depression under the embolus (absent in P. sinensis ), bulb without a tegular outgrowth (present in P. sinensis ), and the thin part of the sperm duct without a circular twist (present in P. sinensis ) (cf. Figs 3A–C , 4A–B with Marusik et al. 2008: figs 12–18).

Description. Male (holotype, IZCAS-Ar44321; Fig. 5A–B ): total length 3.01, carapace 1.33 long, 1.26 wide, opisthosoma 1.68 long, 1.34 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.09, ALE 0.10, PME 0.11, PLE 0.10; AME– AME 0.07, AME–ALE 0.05, PME–PME 0.09, PME–PLE 0.09, ALE–PLE 0.04; MOA 0.29 long, anterior width 0.24, posterior width 0.28. Carapace bright yellow, with two pairs of dark brown bands laterally. Highest point of carapace at fovea. Fovea reddish, long and straight. Cervical groove indistinct, radial groove distinct. Chelicerae same color as carapace, with three pro- and three retromarginal teeth. Endites yellowish with light brown patterns, longer than wide, narrower at middle. Labium yellow with brown patterns. Sternum yellowish with brown patterns. Legs colored as carapace, femora II–IV with two distinct black annuli that divide femora into three almost equal parts. Leg spination: tibia I plv 6 rlv 6, II plv 5 rlv 5, metatarsi I–II plv 3 rlv 3. Palp and leg measurements: palp 1.57 (0.52, 0.22, 0.20, -, 0.63), I 4.06 (1.18, 0.47, 1.06, 0.86, 0.49), II 4.00 (1.20, 0.45, 1.01, 0.84, 0.50), III 4.07 (1.20, 0.44, 0.91, 0.94, 0.58), IV 4.45 (1.33, 0.41, 1.01, 1.03, 0.67). Leg formula: 4312. Dorsal opisthosoma grey, with brown patches and irregular white guanine spots. Lateral and ventral opisthosoma grey, with brown patches. Spinnerets yellowish, base of anterior lateral spinnerets with dark brown bands.

Palp ( Figs 3A–C , 4A–B ). Retrolateral tibial apophysis straight, spine-shaped, with blunt tip, vertical in retrolateral view ( Fig. 3C ). Bulb globular, with circular depression under embolus ( Fig. 3B ). Embolus originating anterolaterally to bulb, strongly curved and sclerotized along margin, with wide base and narrow, blunt tip directed at 2 o’ clock ventrally ( Figs 3A–C , 4A–B ). Sperm duct long, basal thick part forming loop, distal thin part with two twists, one nearly inverted C-shaped, hidden at base of embolus, the other nearly U-shaped in ventral view ( Fig. 4A–B ).

Female. Unknown.

Natural history. This species was found in Rhododendron leaf litter.

Distribution. Nepal (Bagmati, type locality; Fig. 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution records of new liocranid spiders from China and Nepal. 1 Oedignatha shaanxi sp. nov., 2 Paratus bagmati sp. nov., 3 P. ledong sp. nov.

FIGURE 3. Paratus bagmati sp. nov., holotype male. A–C. Flipped right palp (A. Prolateral view; B. Ventral view; C. Retrolateral view). B = bulb, E = embolus, SD = sperm duct, RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis. Scale bar: 0.20 mm (A–C).

FIGURE 4. Paratus bagmati sp. nov., holotype male.A–B. Bulb (A. Prolateral view; B. Ventral view). B = bulb, E = embolus, SD = sperm duct. Scale bar: 0.10 mm (A–B).

FIGURE 5. Paratus bagmati sp. nov., holotype male. A–B. Habitus (A. Dorsal view; B. Ventral view). Scale bar: 0.50 mm (A–B).