Dictis edwardsi ( Barrion, Barrion-Dupo & Heong, 2013 ) Lin & Wu & Cai & Li & Barrion & Heong, 2023

Lin, Yejie, Wu, Lingbing, Cai, Ducheng, Li, Shuqiang, Barrion, Alberto Tomas & Heong, Kong-Luen, 2023, Review of 43 spider species from Hainan Island, China (Arachnida, Araneae), Zootaxa 5351 (5), pp. 501-533 : 517

Dictis edwardsi ( Barrion, Barrion-Dupo & Heong, 2013) , comb. nov.

Figs 11 , 12A–C

Scytodes edwardsi Barrion, Barrion-Dupo & Heong , in Barrion et al., 2013: 28, fig. 31A–D (♀).

Type material of Scytodes edwardsi (examined). Holotype ♀ (coll. no. S062), CHINA: Hainan Island , Panja Town, Songtao Reservoir , 3.IV.2011, leg. A. T. Barrion et al .; Paratypes: 2♀, same data as holotype .

Description and diagnosis. See Barrion et al. (2013) for the original description of the species. The holotype female habitus is depicted in Fig. 12 and its vulva is shown in Fig. 11 . The females (males unknown) can be distinguished from other species of Dictis L. Koch, 1872 by the outer spermathecae that are larger than the inner spermathecae, and by the distance between the postepigastric foveae being narrower than their width.

Distribution. China (Hainan).

Comments. As S. edwardsi only possesses two tarsal claws, it belongs to the genus Dictis L. Koch, 1872 . Although the female of D. edwardsi is similar to D. elongata Dankittipakul & Singtripop, 2010 by the outer spermathecae being larger than the inner spermathecae, the foveae of this species are similar to Scytodes tardigrada Thorell, 1881 ( Chrysanthus 1967: fig. 12). In females of both species, the pairs of foveae and the internal genital receptaculae are variable and not reliable for taxonomic decision-making; it is therefore essential to discover and describe the male. This taxonomic question should be revisited again in the future.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Dictis edwardsi comb. nov., holotype female, vulva, dorsal view.

FIGURE 12. Dictis edwardsi comb. nov., holotype female,: A Habitus, dorsal view; B Same, ventral view; C Original labels.