Clubiona grucollaris, Yu, Hao, Zhang, Jianshuang & Chen, Jian, 2017

Yu, Hao, Zhang, Jianshuang & Chen, Jian, 2017, Checklist of the Clubionajaponica-group spiders, with the description of a new species from China (Araneae, Clubionidae), ZooKeys 715, pp. 1-16 : 3-4

Clubiona grucollaris sp. n. Figs 1-2, 4-5, 6, 13-14, 15-19, 20

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (HUBU-GZ-IV-140057): China, Guizhou Province, Tongren City, Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve (578 m; 21°51'12"N, 108°46'45"E), 3 August 2014, Jian Chen and Jianyong Li leg. Paratypes: 2 ♂ and 18 ♀, same data as holotype; 11 ♀, Tongren City, Mayanghe Nature Reserve (394 m; 28°46'53"N, 108°12'32"E), 15 August 2014, Mu Yan and Yaqian Fu leg; 1 ♂ and 1 ♀, Tongren City, Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve (539 m; 27°50'42"N, 108°46'48"E), 6 April 2016, Hao Yu and Yang Zhong leg. 1 ♂, Hainan Province, Qiongzhong County, Limu Mountain Nature Reserve (417 m; 19°50'06"N, 109°47'52"E), 1 October 2009, Hao Yu and Zhenyu Jin leg.

Etymology.

The specific name is an adjective and is derived from the combination of two Latin words: gru (crane) + collaris (with neck), referring to the long and cylindrical conductor base, which is like the neck of crane.

Diagnosis.

Clubiona grucollaris sp. n. resembles the other japonica -group species by the similar habitus (Figs 1-3), but is consistently separable by its genitalia. Males of Clubiona grucollaris sp. n. appear to be closely related to C. circulata ( Zhang and Yin 1998: 9, f. 1-3), C. calycina ( Wu and Zhang 2014: 211, f. 1-12), and C. suthepica ( Dankittipakul and Singtripop 2008: 42, f. 22-23, 56-58) in having the filiform embolus, and heavily sclerotized distal apex of beak-shaped conductor, but can be easily distinguished from these species by the crane’s neck-shaped conductor base, and by the nearly U-shaped sperm ducts (Figs 4-6, 15-17). Females of C. grucollaris sp. n. are similar to C. circulata ( Zhang and Yin 1998: 9, f. 4-5), C. filifera ( Dankittipakul et al. 2012: 57, f. 18-19, 23-24) and C. octoginta ( Dankittipakul and Singtripop 2008: 39, f. 17-19, 45-46) by the broad atrium situated anteriorly, and the membranous bursae situated posteriorly, but can be recognized by the more or less inverted trapezoidal atrium with M-shaped anterior margin, and by the spiral spermathecae (Figs 13-14, 18-19).

Description.

Male. Total length 6.23-7.75. Holotype (Fig. 1): body 7.54 long; carapace 3.75 long, 2.42 wide; abdomen 3.96 long, 1.76 wide. Carapace brownish red, with a distinctive pattern on pars cephalica consisting of a pair of dark lateral bands and Ψ-shaped markings behind posterior eyes, markings starting from behind PME and PLE almost reaching dark fovea. Fovea longitudinal. In dorsal view, AER recurved and slightly narrowed than procurved PER. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.16, ALE 0.18, PME 0.16, PLE 0.15; AME–AME 0.14, AME–ALE 0.19, PME–PME 0.38, PME–PLE 0.32. MOQL 0.51, MOQA 0.46, MOQP 0.72. Chelicerae protruding and coloured as carapace, three promarginal teeth and two retromarginal teeth. Endites brown, longer than wide. Labium dark brown, longer than wide. Sternum 2.10 long, 1.45 wide. Abdomen oval, brown, with conspicuous anterior tufts of hairs, dorsum with dense grey hairs and two pairs of muscle impression, and with broken dark median band, reaching half of opisthosoma length, posteriorly with paired dark markings consisting of numerous stripes and spots; venter brown. Legs brownish yellow, all legs with conspicuous dark brown annuli in the distal parts of femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus and tarsus. Measurements of legs: I 8.60 (2.52, 3.20, 1.70, 1.20), II 9.07 (2.64, 3.46, 2.00, 0.97), III 7.49 (2.20, 2.40, 2.06, 0.83), IV 10.43 (2.86, 3.57, 2.82, 1.19).

Palp (Figs 4-6, 15-17). RTA dark, small but strong, triangular; cymbium longer than wide, bulb nearly spherical and proapically membranous; sperm duct distinct and sinuate, U-shaped or reversed S-shaped; embolus slender and filiform, originated at 8-9 o’ clock position in prolateral view, its tip slightly overpasses the genital bulb; conductor with a heavily sclerotized and beak-shaped apex, its base part membranous and crane’s neck-shaped; tegular apophysis small and petal-shaped in retrolateral view.

Female. Total length 6.53-7.83. One paratype (Fig. 2) measured, body 7.70 long; carapace 3.03 long, 2.08 wide; abdomen 4.55 long, 2.41 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.13, ALE 0.14, PME 0.15, PLE 0.12; AME–AME 0.14, AME–ALE 0.16, PME–PME 0.34, PME–PLE 0.27. MOQL 0.49, MOQL 0.42, MOQP 0.66. Sternum 1.71 long, 1.18 wide. Measurements of legs: I 6.40 (1.83, 2.36, 1.24, 0.97), II 7.04 (2.02, 2.71, 1.41, 0.89), III 5.02 (1.60, 1.83,1.33, 0.27), IV 8.43 (2.32, 2.82, 2.44, 0.86). General characters as in male, but slightly larger in size and darker in colour.

Epigyne (Figs 13-14, 18-19). Atrium large and nearly inverted trapezoidal, with a shallow depression, located at anterior portion of epigynal plate, anterior atrial margin " M" shaped; spermathecae and burse are prominently through epigynal plate in ventral view; two copulatory openings located at basolateral atrial borders; spermathecae consisting of papilliform base, tubular stalk and ovoid head, ascend spirally; bursae globular and translucent; fertilization ducts short, acicular.

Natural history.

Clubiona grucollaris sp. n. mainly inhabit the upper levels of the forest and most specimens were collected by canopy fogging, while a few spiders were obtained by beating twigs and branches of vegetation. The type locality, Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve, extending from 27°49'50" to 28°01'30"N and 108°49'30"to 108°18'30"E, is the core zone and the highest peak of the Wuling Mountains, and is known for its high floral biodiversity ( Wang et al. 2015). The evergreen broad-leaved forests, where the holotype was obtained, are located in low elevation areas (alt. 300-600 m) of the Reserve.

Distribution.

Guizhou Province (Mt. Fanjing, Mayanghe natural reserves) and Hainan Island (Mt. Limu), China (Fig. 20).