Pronoides brunneus Schenkel, 1936

Zhang, Xiao-Xiao, Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2010, A review of the Asian orb weaving spider genus Pronoides (Araneae: Araneidae), Zootaxa 2642 (1), pp. 59-67 : 61-63

Pronoides brunneus Schenkel, 1936

( Figs 1–9 )

Pronoides brunneus Schenkel, 1936: 120–122 , fig. 42; Hu, 1984: 126–128, figs. 127.1–4; Yin et al., 1997: 101–102, figs. 29a–f; Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 309, figs. 183A–D, 185G; Song, Zhu & Chen, 2001: 222–224, figs. 136A–F; Marusik et al., 2007: 40; Tanikawa, 2007: 89, figs. 275–277, 741–742.

Wixia minuta Saito, 1939: 13 , f. 3.1, pl. 1, f. 20; Yaginuma, 1960: 58, fig. 55 (synonymy established by Marusik et al. 2007).

Pronous minutus Yaginuma, 1965: 26 , fig. 1.5; Zhu, Shi & Yang, 1983: 85–86, figs. 74a–c; Yaginuma, 1986: 108, fig. 57.5; Namkung, 2002: 291, figs. 19.52a–b.

Type material. “ 1♀ juv”, “ Tan-chang , Acker am Gebirgshang, c. 1900m ”, 5 October 1930, Dr. Hummel leg. ; “2 Pulli ”, “ Passhöhe Shue-ling-shan bis Tan-chang , Laubwald, Wiesen 2400– 1800 m ”, 12 September 1930, Dr. Hummel leg. ; “1 Juv ”, “ Tan-chang ”, 28 September 1930, Dr. Hummel leg. ; “1 Juv ”, “ Gahöba , Äcker und trockene Berghänge, 2100–2500 m ”, 23 October 1930, Dr. Hummel leg. ; “16 Pull ”, “ohne Fundortsangaben ”; listed in Schenkel (1936) from Gansu Province, China (deposited in MNHN, not examined) .

Diagnosis. P. brunneus can be distinguished from P. sutaiensis n. sp. by the following characters: (1) female abdominal humps extending anteriorly, while extending laterally in P. sutaiensis ; (2) epigynal plate triangular, while oval in P. sutaiensis ; (3) male femora I with 6–7 long prolateral macrosetae, while with 13– 14 long prolateral macrosetae in P. sutaiensis ; (4) embolus tip broadly bifurcated, while tapering to a single point in P. sutaiensis .

Redescription. Female (based on one of specimens from Liupanshan National Natural Reserve, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region). Total length 4.08: cephalothorax 1.63 long, 1.33 wide; abdomen 2.96 long, 2.65 wide. Carapace ( Fig. 1 ) yellow brown, cervical groove and radial grooves inconspicuous, fovea shallow. Clypeal height 0.15. Both eye rows recurved, posterior eye row wider than anterior one. Eye diameters: AME 0.05, ALE 0.08, PME 0.13, PLE 0.08; eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.15, AME–ALE 0.25, PME–PME 0.20, PME–PLE 0.33. MOA ( Fig. 4 ) trapezoidal, wider than long (0.40: 0.30), narrower in front than in back (0.28: 0.40). Chelicerae yellow brown, with four promarginal teeth (third the largest) and three retromarginal teeth. Labium wider than long (0.38: 0.23), distal part triangular ( Fig. 5 ). Endites yellow brown, inner margins yellowish. Sternum yellow, longer than wide. Legs yellow brown, with a few macrosetae. Leg measurements: I 5.09 (1.68 + 1.88 + 1.02 + 0.51), II 4.69 (1.53 + 1.73 + 0.92 + 0.51), III 2.71 (0.97 + 0.92 + 0.51 + 0.31), IV 3.32 (1.28 + 1.07 + 0.56 + 0.41). Leg formula: 1243.

Abdomen ( Fig. 1 ) oval, covered with brown patches. Dorsum blackish-brown at anterior part, with two central longitudinal yellow stripes and a pair of humps; posterior part with a large brown folium-like pattern. Venter yellow brown, with a triangular yellow spot on each side of spinnerets.

Epigynum with an oval depression on each lateral side. Scape ligulate; copulatory openings situated along the prolateral margin of the depressions; copulatory ducts long and thin; spermathecae spherical ( Figs. 2–3 ).

Male (based on one of specimens from Liupanshan National Natural Reserve, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region). Total length 3.32: cephalothorax 1.53 long, 1.27 wide; abdomen 1.89 long, 1.79 wide. Fovea longitudinal. Clypeal height 0.10. Eye diameters: AME 0.08, ALE 0.08, PME 0.13, PLE 0.05; eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.10, AME–ALE 0.18, PME–PME 0.15, PME–PLE 0.23. MOA ( Fig. 4 ) wider than long (0.38: 0.25), narrower in front than in back (0.25: 0.38). Chelicerae with four promarginal teeth (third the largest) and two retromarginal teeth. Legs yellow. Coxa I ( Fig. 5 ) with a small hook and femur II with opposing groove; femur I ( Fig. 6 ) with 6 long prolateral macrosetae. Leg measurements: I 5.00 (1.53 + 1.68 + 1.28 + 0.51), II 4.59 (1.53 + 1.58 + 1.07 + 0.41), III 2.76 (0.92 + 0.97 + 0.56 + 0.31), IV 3.43 (1.28 + 1.18 + 0.66 + 0.31). Leg formula: 1243. Abdomen almost triangular, lacking a pair of anterior humps.

Palp with two long patellar macrosetae. Terminal apophysis strongly sclerotized, with an abruptly thinning needle-like end; conductor membranous; embolus curved and L-shaped in prolateral view, embolus tip broadly bifurcating; median apophysis proximally wide, with a conical distal hook ( Figs. 7–9 ).

Variation. Body lengths range from 3.16 to 4.44 in females (N=41) and from 2.96 to 3.47 in males (N=19). Femora I with 7 prolateral macrosetae in four males.

Material examined. CHINA: Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Liupanshan National Natural Reserve, Sutai Forest Farm (N 35°54ʹ, E 106°57ʹ), 14♀ 8♂, 2 July 2008, C. Zhang and Z. Y. Di leg. ( MHBU) ; Guizhou Province, Daozhen County, Dasha River , (N 28°51ʹ, E 107°36ʹ), 10♀, 31 May 2004, H. M. Chen leg. ( MHBU) ; Guizhou Province, Leigong County (N 26°58ʹ, E 108°48ʹ), 1♀ 1♂, 4 June 2005, H. M. Chen leg. ( MHBU) ; Guizhou Province, Fanjing Mountains (N 27°54ʹ, E 108°36ʹ), 4♀, 1 August 2001, J. X. Zhang and Z. S. Zhang leg. ( MHBU) ; Hebei Province, Tang county, Damao Mountain (N 39°02ʹ, E 114°30ʹ), 9♀ 8♂, 5 June 2001, J. X. Zhang leg. ( MHBU) ; Fujian Province, Wuyi Mountains (N 27°49ʹ, E 117°50ʹ), 2♀ 2♂, 24 May 2004, F. Zhang leg. ( MHBU) ; Guangxi Province, Tianlin County (N 24°17ʹ, E 106°13ʹ), 1♀, 27 May 2002, C. Zhang leg. ( MHBU) .

Distribution. China (Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Beijing, Ningxia, Guizhou, Hebei, Fujian, Guangxi); Russia (Khabarovsk, Sakhalin); Korea (Chungju); Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu).

Remarks. In his list of specimens, Schenkel (1936) did not explicitly designate a holotype for P. brunneus , and all specimens collected during the 1930 expedition could possibly be syntypes. But according to his description, we deduced P. brunneus to be originally described based on a female juvenile from “K8”, i.e. China, Gansu Province, “Tan-chang, Acker am Gebirgshang”. In his original description, Schenkel identified detailed somatic characters, e.g. cephalothorax is about 1.5 times as long as wide; MOA is trapezoidal; PMEs is largest; both eye rows are recurved; sternum is shield-shaped; chelicerae have three retromarginal teeth; leg formula is 1243; and the peculiar, abdomen has two obvious anterior humps dorsally. All these characters fit the diagnostic characters of P. brunneus .

Hu (1984) identified as P. brunneus the adult female specimens he collected from Shaanxi and Gansu (the type locality). Subsequently, Yin et al. (1997) also described P. brunneus from Shanxi, Shaanxi and Sichuan Provinces, and they described the male of this species for the first time. Geographically, the Chinese distribution areas are widespread.

Additionally, P. brunneus is a common and often collected species in China. We have collected a large number of P. brunneus specimens from various areas of China, e.g. Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Guizhou, Hebei, Fujian and Guangxi Provinces. We base our identifications of adult P. brunneus specimens on the descriptions by Hu (1984) and Yin et al. (1997) which we believe accurately follow and expand Schenkel’s description of the juvenile.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Pronoides brunneus Schenkel, 1936, 1–4, female. 1. Body, dorsal; 2. Epigynum, ventral; 3. Vulva, dorsal; 4. Cephalic region, frontal; 5–9, male. 5. Endites, labium and coxa I, ventral; 6. Femur I, prolateral; 7. Left male palp, expanded; 8. Same, retrolateral; 9. Same, prolateral. C = conductor; E = embolus; M = median apophysis; TA = terminal apophysis. Scale bars: 1, 1.0mm; 2–3, 7–9, 0.2mm; 4, 6, 0.5mm; 5, 0.25mm.