Lasaeola tengchongensis, Tang & Liu & Liu & Yang & Peng, 2024

Tang, Gang, Liu, Feng, Liu, Zi-Yue, Yang, Su-Fang & Peng, Xian-Jin, 2024, Two new species of the comb-footed spider genus Lasaeola Simon, 1881 (Araneae: Theridiidae) from China, Zootaxa 5453 (3), pp. 379-386 : 383-385

Lasaeola tengchongensis new species

Figs 3−4 , 5

Type material. Holotype ♂: CHINA, Yunnan Province: Tengchong County, Mingguang Township, Zizhi Village , 25.78277ºN, 98.61633ºE, elevation 2200m, 21 May 2006, Ming-wei Yang (HNU-YHY10-3) . Paratypes: 1♀, Tengchong County, Mingguang Township, Zizhi Village , 25.78277ºN, 98.61633ºE, elevation 2200m, 21 May 2006, Ming-wei Yang (HNU-YHY10-6) ; 2♂, Fugong County, Lumadeng Township, old Shibali , 27.07831ºN, 98.77426ºE, elevation 2305m, 15, 21 August 2005, Guo Tang (HNU-Tang-05-07) ; 1♀, Fugong County, Maji Township, Flum above Gaxai R. near, Majimi Village , 54.7 km, Due N of Fugong, 27.40298ºN, 98.82447ºE, elevation 1500m, 28 April 2004, Charles Griswold & D. H. Kavanaugh (HNU-CGY18) ; 1♂, Forest along shelf above Yamu He , 0.4 km SE Shibali, elevation 2475m, 27.16337ºN, 98.78208ºE, 5 May 2004, Charles Griswold & D. H. Kavanaugh (HNU-CGY29) .

Etymology. The specific name refers to type locality: Tengchong County.

Diagnosis. The male of the new species resembles that of L. pinna n. sp. (see Fig. 1 D−F) by the shape of the subtegulum and the tegulum, but can be distinguished by: (1) the embolus is straight when observed in ventral view ( Fig. 3E ) (vs. is hook-shaped); (2) the median apophysis with a depression in the middle when observed in ventral view ( Fig. 3E ) (vs. with a triangular protuberance on the prolateral edge); (3) the conductor is thumb-shaped when TWO observed in retrolateral view ( Fig. 3F ) (vs. is triangular). Furthermore, the male of the new species is also similar to that of the L. coracina (see Wunderlich 2015, figs 1−7; Zamani et al. 2021, fig. 10 K−L) in having brown male palps and slender embolus, but differs in: (1) the conductor is thumb-shaped when observed in retrolateral view ( Fig. 3F ) (vs. is pear-shaped); (2) the subtegulum is larger, about one-half the area of the entire genital bulb when observed in ventral view ( Fig. 3E ) (vs. is smaller, about one-third); (3) the median apophysis with a depression when observed in ventral view ( Fig. 3E ) (vs. is absent). The female of the new species is similar to that of Lasaeola yoshidai Ono, 1991 (see Yoshida 2003, figs. 479−482) in shape of spermathecae and position of atrium ( Fig. 4 D−E), but differs in: (1) the atrium nearly triangular and near the middle of the epigynum when observed in ventral view ( Fig. 4D ) (vs. oval and near the posterior end of the epigynum); (2) the spermathecae I below the lower edge of the atrium and come into contact with each other when observed in ventral view ( Fig. 4D ) (vs. at the sides of the atrium and about one diameter distance from each other); (3) the spermathecae II is oval when observed in dorsal view ( Fig. 4E ) (vs. is round); (4) the copulatory duct is thicker, near above of the vulva when observed in dorsal view ( Fig. 4E ) (vs. is thinner, near both sides).

Description. Male (holotype) ( Fig. 3 A−C). Total length 2.01. Carapace 0.88 long, 0.75 wide; abdomen 1.13 long, 1.00 wide. Clypeus 0.25 high, slightly concave. Carapace cylindrical, upper part brown, lower part yellowish, back-brown, elevated with dorsal grooves. Each eye with 1 black ring, ALE and PLE close to each other. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.10, PLE 0.10, AME 0.10, PME 0.10, AME−AME 0.05, AME−ALE 0.03, PME−PME 0.05, PME−PLE 0.05, MOA 0.18 long, anterior width 0.22, posterior width 0.19. Chelicerae yellow, anterior portion black. Endites and labium light yellow. Sternum yellow, slightly protruding outward. Legs yellowish, usually with black annuli on ends of femora, patellae, tibiae and metatarsi. Measurements of legs: I 2.65 (0.95, 1.00, 0.65, 0.05); II 2.63 (0.75, 0.88, 0.50, 0.50); III 2.27 (0.63, 0.68, 0.48, 0.48); IV 2.87 (0.88, 0.93, 0.58, 0.48). Leg formula: IV, I, II, III. Abdomen gray black, with irregular dots on the dorsum. Venter yellow. Spinnerets yellowish, white at the end, covered with sparse hairs.

Palp ( Fig. 3 D−F). Cymbium longer than wide, thinner on top. Conductor thumb-shaped. Embolus slender, median apophysis with depression in center.

Female (one of paratypes, HNU-YHY10-6) ( Fig. 4 A−C). Total length 2.50. Carapace 0.90 long, 0.90 wide; abdomen 1.63 long, 1.50 wide. Clypeus 0.25 high, concaved. Carapace yellow, eye region black. Both eye rows recurved. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.08, PLE 0.08, AME 0.10, PME 0.08, AME−AME 0.08, AME−ALE 0.03, PME−PME 0.05, PME−PLE 0.05, MOA 0.14 long, anterior width 0.21, posterior width 0.21. Sternum yellow, protruding outward. Abdomen gray black, with irregular dots on the dorsum. Venter yellow, with black dots on each side of epigastric furrow. Measurements of legs: I 3.21 (1.05, 1.00, 0.63, 0.53); II 2.91 (0.95, 0.88, 0.55, 0.53); III 2.31 (0.80, 0.65, 0.43, 0.43); IV 3.13 (1.05, 1.00, 0.58, 0.50). Leg formula: I, IV, II, III. Others similar to those of male.

Epigynum ( Fig. 4 D−E). Epigynal plate brown, with a transverse rim. Spermathecae I two times bigger than spermathecae II; copulatory ducts long, thick and bent slightly to inside; fertilization duct short.

Distribution. China (Yunan).

Natural biology. This spider inhabits bushes.

Discussion.

The two new species are placed in the genus Lasaeola on the basis of these characters ( Simon 1881; Yoshida 2002): male carapace cylindrical, very high, cervicle groove with conspicuous depression, ocular region high and protruding outward, each eye almost equal in size. The conductor of male palp is large; the epigynal atrium is TWO conspicuous. Chelicerae without teeth at base. Fourth pair of legs longest. The genus Lasaeola is similar to Dipoena in general appearance, this genus had been synonymized with Dipoena , but removed from Dipoena as an separate genus by Wunderlich (1988). Lasaeola is distinguished from Dipoena by high male carapace and dusky coloration of abdomen. At present, only four species were described from China, the discovery of the two new species in this paper enriches the records of Chinese species of Lasaeola , but due to the limitation of collection methods, we only know that the above two new species inhabit the leaves or trunks of shrubs, their specific living habits and the molecular information are unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lasaeola pinna n. sp., male holotype (HNU-HB-IV-1615). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Ditto, lateral view; C. Ditto, ventral view; D. Left palp, prolateral view; E. Ditto, ventral view; F. Ditto, retrolateral view. Scale bars, A−C = 0.5 mm; D−F = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Lasaeola tengchongensis n. sp., male holotype (HNU-YHY10-3). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Ditto, lateral view; C. Ditto, ventral view; D. Left palp, prolateral view; E. Ditto, ventral view; F. Ditto, retrolateral view. Scale bars, A−C = 0.5 mm; D−F = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Lasaeola tengchongensis n. sp., female paratype (HNU-YHY10-6). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Ditto, lateral view; C. Ditto, ventral view; D. Epigynum, ventral view; E. Vulva,dorsal view. Scale bars, A−C = 0.5 mm; D−E = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 5. Collection localities of Lasaeola pinna n. sp. and Lasaeola tengchongensis n. sp..