Macrothele limenghuai Lin & Li, 2021

Lin, Yejie, Yan, Xunyou, Li, Shuqiang, Ballarin, Francesco & Chen, Haifeng, 2021, Five new species of Macrothele Ausserer, 1871 from China (Araneae, Macrothelidae), ZooKeys 1052, pp. 1-23 : 1

Macrothele limenghuai Lin & Li sp. nov.

Figures 9 , 10 , 13B , 14B , 15A, E , 16

Type material.

Holotype: 1♂ (IZCAS-Ar41866) China, Sichuan Province, Ya’an, Yucheng District, Sichuan Agriculture University, Laoban Mountain region, 29.9757°N, 102.9932°E, 17.VI.2014, Yejie Lin leg. Paratypes: 1♂ (IZCAS-Ar41867), same data as holotype; 1♀ (IZCAS-Ar41868), same data as holotype but 22.X.2020, Menghua Li leg.

Etymology.

The species epithet is for Mr Menghua Li who collected the paratype; noun (name) in genitive case.

Diagnosis.

Males of Macrothele limenghuai sp. nov. resemble those of M. monocirculata Xu & Yin, 2000 and M. raveni Zhu, Li & Song, 2000 by having similar palpal bulb morphology, but they can be distinguished by having five tibial spines visible in prolateral view, the embolus as long as the tibia, and the base of the embolus with a depression (vs tibia with four spines in M. monocirculata or three spines in M. raveni visible in prolateral view, embolus notably longer than tibia and without basal depression). Females of Macrothele limenghuai sp. nov. resemble those of M. monocirculata and M. raveni by the receptacula coiling almost 360°, but they can be differentiated by the copulatory ducts bending outward medially (120°) (vs copulatory ducts straight in M. monocirculata and bent 90° in M. raveni ).

Description.

Male (holotype) (Figs 9 , 10B, C , 13B , 14B , 15A, E ): total length 28.13, carapace 13.86 long, 12.43 wide; opisthosoma 15.19 long, 9.52 wide. Carapace dark brown, covered with short setae, middle of cephalic region with row of setae. Fovea deep, round. AER slightly procurved, PER recurved. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.43, ALE 0.65, PME 0.42, PLE 0.51; AME-AME 0.31, ALE-AME 0.13, ALE-PLE 0.16, PLE-PME 0.11, PME-PME 0.89. Chelicerae black, promargin with 11 stout teeth, basomesally with 27 denticles. Labium brown, with ca 104 cuspules; sternum chestnut, with three pairs of sigillae. Legs dark brown. Leg measurements: I 44.26 (12.31 + 13.63 + 11.10 + 7.22), II 46.30 (11.81 + 16.23 + 11.11 + 7.15), III 41.66 (11.10 + 12.74 + 11.60 + 6.22), IV 53.85 (13.62 + 17.83 + 14.29 + 8.11). Leg formula: 4213. Abdomen dark brown, hairy. Spinnerets: PMS one segment, 1.44 long, 0.56 wide, PMS-PMS 2.35; PLS three segments. PLS 12.18 long (4.08, 4.16, 4.10).

Male palp (Figs 9 , 13B , 14B ). Maxillae with ca 172 cuspules. Palpal trochanter with 20 lyral spines. Tibia with five spines. Bulb nearly globose; embolus needle shaped; embolus base with depression.

Female (Fig. 10A, D, E ): total length 39.30, carapace 15.14 long, 27.31 wide; opisthosoma 24.11 long, 14.26 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.44, ALE 0.77, PME 0.47, PLE 0.59; AME-AME 0.36, ALE-AME 0.14, ALE-PLE 0.15, PLE-PME 0.08. Cheliceral promargin with 11 stout teeth, basomesally with 28 denticles. Endites brown, labium with ca 127 cuspules. Palpal trochanter with lyral spines. Leg measurements: I 46.07 (13.01 + 17.03 + 11.02 + 5.02), II 47.24 (12.08 + 18.10 + 11.01 + 6.05), III 45.32 (11.07 + 15.08 + 12.05 + 6.12), IV 54.32 (14.10 + 19.02 + 14.09 + 7.11). Leg formula: 4213 Abdomen dark brown, hairy. Spinnerets: PMS one segment, 1.44 long, 0.53 wide, PMS-PMS 1.61; PLS three segments. PLS 13.63 long (2.40, 4.63, 4.48).

Female genitalia (Fig. 10A ) simple. Receptacula apically expanded; copulatory ducts narrow, C-shaped, coiled anteriorly from 180° to 300°.

Variation.

Male total length 28.13-32.62 (n = 2).

Distribution.

China (Sichuan).

Figures

Figure 9. Macrothele limenghuai sp. nov., left palp, holotype A prolateral view B retrolateral view. Black arrow pointing to the depression on the base of the embolus.

Figure 10. Macrothele limenghuai sp. nov., female genitalia, male holotype, and female paratypes A female genitalia, ventral view B male habitus, dorsal view C male habitus, ventral view D female habitus, dorsal view E female habitus, ventral view. Abbreviations: CD copulatory ducts, T terminus of receptacula.

Figure 13. Prolateral view of embolic tips of six species of Macrothele A M. emei sp. nov. B M. limenghuai sp. nov. C M. nanning sp. nov. D M. gigas E M. hungae sp. nov. F M. hanfeii sp. nov.

Figure 14. Retrolateral view of embolic tips of six species of Macrothele A M. emei sp. nov. B M. limenghuai sp. nov. C M. nanning sp. nov. D M. gigas E M. hungae sp. nov. F M. hanfeii sp. nov.

Figure 15. Male left palpal trochanter, retrolateral view, and lyral setae A, E Macrothele limenghuai sp. nov. B, F M. hungae sp. nov. C, D M. gigas.

Figure 16. Distribution records of Macrothele species in East Asia 1 M. yani 2 M. arcuata 3 M. jingzhao 4 M. yunlingensis 5 M. undata 6 M. cangshanensis 7 M. yongshengensis 8 M. jinlin 9 M. bannaensis 10 M. yunnanica 11 M. menglunensis 12 M. multispine 13 M. limenghuai sp. nov. 14 M. emei sp. nov. 15 M. sanheensis 16 M. decemnotata 17 M. proserpina 18 M. monocirculata 19 M. raveni 20 M. guizhouensis 21 M. digitata 22 M. nanning sp. nov. 23 M. hanfeii sp. nov. 24 M. hunanica 25 M. hungae sp. nov. 26 M. holsti 27 M. palpator 28 M. taiwanensis 29 M. simplicata 30 M. yaginumai 31 M. gigas.