Anelosimus seximaculatum ( Zhu, 1998 ) Zhu, 1998

Zhang, Bao-Shi, Liu, Long & Zhang, Feng, 2011, The cobweb spiders of the genus Anelosimus Simon, 1891 (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Hainan Island, China, Zootaxa 2833, pp. 49-59 : 53-55

Anelosimus seximaculatum ( Zhu, 1998) new combination

( Figs 10–14 )

Theridion seximaculatum Zhu, 1998: 141 , f. 84A – C; Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 142, f. 79G – H.

Type material. Female holotype and 2 female paratypes, from Jianfengling Mountain (19°07ʹN, 109°13ʹE), Hainan Island, China, 15 August 1990, M. B. Gu leg., examined.

Other material examined. Hainan Province: Bawangling Mountain (19°07ʹN, 109°04ʹE), 2 males and 3 females, 31 July 2007, C. Zhang leg.; 6 females, 8 November 2008, G. X. Han leg.; 3 males and 11 females, 22 May 2009, C. Zhang leg.; 4 males and 8 females, 25 May 2009, C. Zhang leg.; Yajia village, 2 males and 6 females, 19 May 2009, C. Zhang leg.; Wuzhi Mountain (18°39ʹN, 109°19ʹE), 2 males and 3 females, 16 August 2007, F. Zhang leg.; 4 females, 17 November 2008, G. X. Han leg.; 2 males and 12 females, 23 November 2008, G. X. Han leg.; Limu Mountain (19°10ʹN, 109°39ʹE), 7 females, 21 July 2008, G. X. Han leg.; Jianfengling Mountain, 9 females, 12 November 2008, G. X. Han leg.; 11 females, 31 May 2009, C. Zhang leg.; Diaoluo Mountain (18°45ʹN, 109°45ʹE), 8 females, 5 June 2009, C. Zhang leg.; Baoting County, Qixianling Mountain (18°14ʹN, 109°37ʹE), 1 female, 8 June 2009, C. Zhang leg.

Diagnosis. Males can be distinguished from all other Anelosimus species except A. kohi Yoshida, 1993 by the simple, short embolus. It differs from A. kohi by the shape of embolic base and the embolic origination ( Figs 11– 12 ). Females can be distinguished from all other Anelosimus species except A. linda and A. membranaceus by the short and straight copulatory ducts, and differ from A. linda and A. membranaceus by having only one copulatory opening ( Figs 13 – 14 ).

Description. Male (from Jianfengling Mountain), total length 1.71: prosoma 0.81 long, 0.68 wide; opisthosoma 1.12 long, 0.90 wide.

Color. Carapace ( Fig. 10 ) yellow brown. Cervical groove, radial furrows and median furrow gray black, anterior median part between cervical grooves gray black. Eyes with black ring. Chelicerae and sternum yellow brown. Endites yellow brown, gray distally. Labium brown. Legs yellow brown, reddish-brown on femora I. Dorsum of opisthosoma gray yellow, with thin, ripple-shaped lateral striates, covered with some white patches, median stripe dark and posterior margin with several dispersive gray black patches; venter gray yellow with gray black median stripe. Spinnerets gray black.

Prosoma ( Fig. 10 ). Carapace longer than wide, with several black setae anteriorly. Both the eye rows recurved from dorsal view. Eye measurements: AME 0.08, ALE 0.08, PME 0.09, PLE 0.08; AME–AME 0.08, AME–ALE 0.03, ALE–ALE 0.39, PME–PME 0.08, PME–PLE 0.07, PLE–PLE 0.41, ALE and PLE contiguous. MOA long 0.21, front width 0.22, back width 0.21. Clypeus height 0.14 and covered with few setae. Promargin of chelicerae with three teeth, with the third one largest; retromargin with five small teeth. Anterior margin of endites armed with gray scopula. Labium 0.10 long, 0.18. Sternum 0.54 long, 0.50 wide and covered with sparse black setae, with anterior lightly procurved margin.

Legs. Thin except femora I sturdy. Measurements of legs: leg I 3.88 (1.17, 0.41, 0.99, 0.86, 0.45), II 2.57 (0.90, 0.27, 0.54, 0.50, 0.36), III 1.86 (0.68, 0.23, 0.32, 0.36, 0.27), IV 2.48 (0.81, 0.27, 0.54, 0.50, 0.36). Leg formula: 1243.

Opisthosoma ( Fig. 10 ). Oval, longer than wide, covered with sparse black setae.

Male palp ( Figs 11–12 ). Embolus short, thin, curved and originating from the ventral genital bulb; median apophysis and tegular apophysis large; conductor membranous. The width of tibia equal to its length.

Female (from Jianfengling Mountain), total length 2.30: prosoma 0.80 long, 0.70 wide; 1.45 long, 1.30 wide.

Color. Legs yellow. Venter gray yellow brown. Other characters as in male.

Prosoma. AER recurved and PER recurved lightly from dorsal view. Eye measurements: AME 0.06, ALE 0.08, PME 0.08, PLE 0.08; AME–AME 0.08, AME–ALE 0.03, ALE–ALE 0.43, PME–PME 0.08, PME–PLE 0.05, PLE–PLE 0.42, ALE and PLE contiguous. MOA long 0.20, front width 0.19, back width 0.21. Clypeus height 0.14. Labium 0.14 long, 0.18 wide. Sternum 0.55 long, 0.50 wide.

Legs. Femora I sturdy. Measurements of legs: leg I 4.37 (1.29, 0.27, 1.22, 1.09, 0.50), II 3.04 (0.96, 0.18, 0.84, 0.66, 0.40), III 2.14 (0.69, 0.09, 0.57, 0.46, 0.33), IV 2.94 (0.92, 0.18, 0.78, 0.66, 0.40). Leg formula: 1243.

Female genitalia ( Figs 13 – 14 ). Epigynum slightly sclerotized, copulatory opening lying between two posterior atria; spermathecae oval; copulatory ducts thin and short, connected with spermathecae posteriorly.

Variation. Coloration of opisthosoma of both sexes ranges from gray yellow to dark gray; some specimens had a darker median stripe anteriorly and posteriorly, and some with darker median stripe wholly; leg coloration ranges from yellow brown to brownish. Male total body length varies from 1.69 – 1.79 and female from 2.10 – 2.30.

Distribution. China (Hainan).

Comments. A. seximaculatum was originally placed in the genus Theridion and described from Hainan Island, based on three females. During the examination of the specimens collected from Hainan Island in 2007 – 2009, we found some pairs of male and female specimens collected in the same locality and date; these females were identified as A. seximaculatum . We consider the associated males as conspecific. We have described the male of this species here for the first time. The characters of this species fit the Anelosimus diagnosis and circumscription, namely, the dorsum of abdomen with a dark notched longitudinal central band edged by a narrow white band, and the bilateral white blotches distributed outside the dorsal band ( Figs 1, 2 , 7 , 10 , 15 ); colulus replaced by a pair of setae; entire conductor; three palpal tibial trichobothria and robust femora I ( Agnarsson 2004, 2006). Thus we transfer here T. seximaculatum to the genus Anelosimus .

Figures

FIGURES 10 – 14. Anelosimus seximaculatum (Zhu, 1998) n. comb. 10 – 12, male. 10, body, dorsal view; 11, male left palp, ventral view; 12, same, prolateral view; 13 – 14, female. 13, epigynum, ventral view; 14, vulva, dorsal view. Scale bars: 10, 0.5 mm; 11 - 14, 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 1 – 6. Anelosimus membranaceus n. sp. 1, 3 – 4, male holotype. 1, body, dorsal view; 2, opisthosoma of other male, dorsal view; 3, male left palp, ventral view; 4, same, prolateral view; 5 – 6, female paratype. 5, epigynum, ventral view; 6, vulva, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 – 2, 0.5 mm; 3 – 6, 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 7 – 9. Anelosimus subcrassipes n. sp. 7 – 9, female holotype. 7, body, dorsal view; 8, epigynum, ventral view; 9, vulva, dorsal view. Scale bars: 7, 0.5 mm; 8 – 9, 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 15 – 18. Anelosimus chonganicus Zhu, 1998. 15 – 16, male. 15, body, dorsal view; 16, male left palp, ventral view; 17 – 18, female. 17, epigynum, ventral view; 18, vulva, dorsal view. Scale bars: 15, 0.5 mm; 16 – 18, 0.1 mm.