Smerasia, Zhao, Qingyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2014

Zhao, Qingyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2014, A survey of linyphiid spiders from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, China (Araneae, Linyphiidae), ZooKeys 460, pp. 1-181 : 38

Taxon classification Animalia Araneae Linyphiidae

Genus Smerasia gen. n.

Type species.

Smerasia obscurus sp. n.

Etymology.

The generic name is a combination of ‘smer’ and ‘Asia’, ‘smer’ is the first a few letters of the genus name Smermisia , which is similar to this new genus by the conformation of the male palp. Gender is masculine.

Diagnosis.

This genus resembles Neotropical genera Smermisia Simon, 1894 and Myrmecomelix Millidge, 1993 in the general appearence of the male palp and the conformation of embolic division ( Miller 2007). They all have a fig-like radix, and an erect anterior radical process. Smerasia gen. n. differs from similar genera by having short and weakly sclerotized, less pointed, membranous embolus (Fig. 89 C–D) ( Miller 2007: figs 63-64, 104), and the paracymbium in Smerasia gen. n. is attenuated at apex and much more curved in general (Fig. 89B). The epigyne in Smerasia gen. n. is wide and with a convex dorsal fig (Fig. 91A), which is quite different from that in Smermisia and Myrmecomelix .

Description.

Small sized Erigoninae. Carapace uniformly yellow. Male with modified carapace: PME area elevated with sulci behind PME and pit in them. Carapace unmodified in female. Abdomen pale with dark spinnerets area. Chelicerae in male with 5 promarginal and 5 retromarginal teeth, while female with 4 promarginal and 4 retromarginal teeth. Tibial spine formula: 2-2-1-1. TmI ca 0.80, TmIV ca 0.70.

Male palp: tibia with one short and straight dorsal apophysis; paracymbium with black, attenuated apex (Fig. 89B); protegulum small (Figs 89B, 92B); radix simple, fig-like, with short, broad tailpiece (Figs 89A, 92A); anterior radical process straight, curved, with a pointed tip (Figs 89A, 92A); distal suprategular apophysis with a broad tip (Fig. 89 C–D); embolus short, inconspicuous (Fig. 89A).

Epigyne: ventral fig wide, with rounded posterior margin (Figs 91A); dorsal fig mesally concave; copulatory ducts straight (Figs 91C); spermathecae with multi-chambers, the bigger one elliptical (Fig. 91C); fertilization ducts rather short (Fig. 91B).

Species composition.

Type species only: Smerasia obscurus sp. n.

Distribution.

China.