Anelosimus chonganicus 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 : 55-57

Anelosimus chonganicus Zhu, 1998

( Figs 15–18 )

Anelosimus chonganicus Zhu, 1998: 291 , f. 197A – B; Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 95, f. 44K.

Type material. Male holotype, from Wuyi Mountain, Wuyishan City (27°32ʹN, 117°55ʹE), Fujian Province, 10 July 1986, M. S. Zhu leg., examined.

Other examined material. Hainan Province: Bawangling Mountain (19°07ʹN, 109°04ʹE), 2 males and 3 females, 31 July 2007, C. Zhang leg.; 7 males and 4 females, 22 May 2009, C. Zhang leg.; 1 male, 25 May 2009, C. Zhang leg.; 6 males, 30 May 2009, C. Zhang leg.; Jianfengling Mountain (19°07ʹN, 109°13ʹE), 1 male, 10 November 2008, G. X. Han leg.; 2 males, 11 November 2008, G. X. Han leg.; 1 male, 2 June 2009, C. Zhang leg.; Diaoluo Mountain (18°45ʹN, 109°45ʹE), 1 male and 7 females, 6 June 2009, C. Zhang leg. Guangxi Province: Fusui County (22°38ʹN, 107°42ʹE), 2 males and 4 females, 19 August 2004, C. Zhang leg.

Diagnosis. Males can be distinguished from other Anelosimus species by the long and spiraling embolus. It resembles A. crassipes and A. taiwanicus , but can be distinguished from them by the shape of the embolic origination ( Fig. 16 ). Females can be distinguished from all other Anelosimus species by the small epigynal atrium and the shape of copulatory ducts ( Figs 17–18 ).

Description. A male (from Bawangling Mountain) total length 1.77: prosoma 0.83 long, 0.70 wide; opisthosoma 0.95 long, 0.70 wide.

Color. Carapace ( Fig.15 ) brown. Cervical groove and median furrows gray black, anterior median part between cervical grooves light gray black. Eyes with black ring. Clypeus black. Chelicerae and labium brown. Endites brown, white distally. Sternum gray black. Legs yellowish, reddish-brown on femora I. Dorsum of opisthosoma yellowish, with ripple-shaped lateral striates, covered with small white patches, the anterior of dark median stripe black, transversal stripes gray yellow; venter gray with a gray black median patch. Spinnerets gray black.

Prosoma ( Fig. 15 ). Carapace longer than wide, with several black setae anteriorly. AER recurved and PER almost straight from dorsal view. Eye measurements: AME 0.06, ALE 0.06, PME 0.06, PLE 0.06; AME – AME 0.05, AME – ALE 0.02, ALE – ALE 0.37, PME – PME 0.05, PME – PLE 0.05, PLE – PLE 0.39, ALE and PLE contiguous. MOA long 0.21, front width 0.21, back width 0.21. Clypeus height 0.11 and covered with several setae. Promargin of chelicerae with three teeth, with the third one largest; retromargin with four small teeth. Anterior margin of endites armed with gray scopula. Labium 0.12 long, 0.16 wide, armed with sparse brown setae. Sternum 0.52 long, 0.48 wide and covered with sparse brown setae, with anterior lightly procurved margin.

Legs. Thin except femora I sturdy. Measurements of legs: leg I 3.22 (1.09, 0.32, 0.69, 0.76, 0.36), II 2.74 (0.80, 0.27, 0.63, 0.63, 0.41), III 1.78 (0.66, 0.18, 0.32, 0.35, 0.27), IV 2.65 (0.86, 0.27, 0.57, 0.59, 0.36). Leg formula: 1243.

Opisthosoma ( Fig. 15 ). Oval, longer than wide, covered with sparse brown setae.

Male palp ( Fig. 16 ). Embolus flagelliform, coiled and originating from the dorsal genital bulb; median apophysis band-shaped. The width of tibia equal to its length.

Female. A female (from Bawangling Mountain) total length 1.96: prosoma 0.82 long, 0.81 wide; opisthosoma 1.17 long, 0.90 wide.

Color. As in male.

Prosoma. Both eye rows recurved from dorsal view. Eye measurements: AME 0.06, ALE 0.06, PME 0.09, PLE 0.06; AME – AME 0.07, AME – ALE 0.02, ALE – ALE 0.39, PME – PME 0.05, PME – PLE 0.08, PLE – PLE 0.40, ALE and PLE contiguous. MOA long 0.21, front width 0.20, back width 0.21. Clypeus height 0.14. Labium 0.15 long, 0.18 wide. Sternum 0.55 long, 0.50 wide.

Legs. Femora I lightly sturdy. Measurements of legs: leg I 3.38 (0.99, 0.27, 0.86, 0.81, 0.45), II 2.30 (0.77, 0.18, 0.54, 0.45, 0.36), III 1.68 (0.50, 0.09, 0.41, 0.41, 0.27), IV 2.34 (0.81, 0.18, 0.54, 0.45, 0.36). Leg formula: 1423.

Female genitalia ( Figs 17–18 ). Epigynum lightly sclerotized, epigynal atrium posterior; spermathecae oval; copulatory ducts long and curved.

Variation. Coloration of opisthosoma of both sexes ranges from yellowish to yellow brown; coloration of median stripe varies across specimens; coloration of legs ranges from yellowish to yellow. Males vary in total body length from 1.72–1.77 and female from 1.84–2.38.

Distribution. China (Hainan, Fujian, Guangxi).

Comments. During the examination of the specimens collected from Hainan and Guangxi provinces, we found some pairs of male and female specimens collected in the same locality and date, and the male is identified as A. chonganicus , thus the female should be the conspecific. The female is described here for the first time. A. chonganicus was placed sister to A. biglebowski together sister to A. dude by Agnarsson et al. (2009).

Figures

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.