Diaea mikhailovi Zhang, Song & Zhu, 2004

Guo, Chen-Hui & Zhang, Feng, 2014, First description of the male of Diaea mikhailovi (Araneae: Thomisidae), Zootaxa 3815 (3), pp. 447-450 : 447-449

Diaea mikhailovi Zhang, Song & Zhu, 2004

( Figs 1–10 )

Diaea mikhailovi Zhang et al. 2004: 7 , fig. 1 (♀).

Type material: Holotype (by original designation): female, Xiaowutai Mountains, Yu County, Hebei Province, China, 11 July 1999, Feng Zhang leg. ( MHBU, examined).

Other material examined. CHINA: Hebei Province: Yu County, Xiaowutai Mountains (N 39°58′, E 114°49′), 8♂ 13♀, Shuigou Valley, 23 August 2012, Feng Zhang leg; 10♂ 10♀, Shuigou Valley, 14 August 2013, Long Liu leg; 4♂ 4♀, Zhengjiagou Valley, 2 September 2013, Zhi-Yue Li leg.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to D. simplex Xu, Han & Li, 2008 ( Xu et al. 2008: 14, figs 1a–e) and D. gyoja Ono, 1985 ( Ono 2009: 523, figs 274–277) in having similar RTA and VTA in the males, but can be distinguished from D. simplex by the absence of an intermediate tibial apophysis, and can be distinguished from D. gyoja by the embolus with an ear-shaped base that extends about two loops along the margin of tegulum. The female can be distinguished by the epigyne with a triangular hood anteriorly, the distinct, medially situated, contiguous copulatory openings, and the long and twisted copulatory ducts.

Description. Male: Total length 3.30–4.55 (n=22). One specimen measured: body length 3.97; cephalothorax 1.88 long, 1.89 wide; abdomen 2.18 long, 1.35 wide ( Fig. 2 ). Carapace slightly convex, two margins yellow green and medially yellowish. Clypeus 0.19 high. Both eye rows recurved. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.11, PME 0.07, PLE 0.07; AME–AME 0.16, AME–ALE 0.13, PME–PME 0.22, PME–PLE 0.27. MOA 0.35 long, front 0.30 wide, back 0.36 wide. Chelicerae yellowish, without teeth. Endites and labium yellow, sternum margins yellow green, medially yellowish. Labium longer than wide. Sternum nearly as long as wide. Legs yellowish with sparse spines. Leg I, II with conspicuous red brown annuli in the distal parts of femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus and tarsus. Leg measurements: I 10.83 (3.14, 0.84, 2.97, 2.83, 1.05); II 9.83 (2.98, 0.69, 2.57, 2.41, 1.18); III 5.21 (1.68, 0.54, 1.33, 1.02, 0.64); IV 5.34 (1.76, 0.53, 1.47, 1.01, 0.57), leg formula: 1243. Abdomen ( Fig.2 ) nearly oval, dorsally white with a circle of red brown markings at the rim, and 6 pairs of thick dark brown spots in the markings symmetrically. Cardiac pattern and muscular impressions visible. Abdomen ventrally yellowish.

Palp ( Figs 5–8 ). VTA short, digitiform; RTA long and wide, with a sharp tip, and with a blunt median process. Bulb flat and rounded; embolus long filiform, arising near the centre of tegulum, tapering gradually in about two loops around the tegulum, terminating on retrolateral side.

Female: Total length 3.72–4.77 (n=27). One specimen measured: body length 4.77, cephalothorax 1.84 long, 2.04 wide; abdomen 2.89 long, 2.33 wide ( Fig. 1 ). Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.11, PME 0.07, PLE 0.07; AME–AME 0.22, AME–ALE 0.17, PME–PME 0.28, PME–PLE 0.29. MOA 0.39 long, front 0.37 wide, back 0.42 wide. Clypeus 0.21 high. Leg measurements: I 7.95 (2.39, 0.93, 2.01, 1.69, 0.93); II 7.81 (2.43, 0.84, 2.03, 1.60, 0.91); III 4.31 (1.44, 0.47, 1.12, 0.70, 0.58); IV 4.48 (1.47, 0.53, 1.15, 0.80, 0.53), leg formula: 1243. Abdomen ( Fig. 1 ) nearly round, sides white, medially greyish with symmetrical white markings. Other characters as in male.

Epigyne/vulva ( Figs 3–4 , 9–10 ). Epigyne slightly sclerotized, anteriorly with a triangular hood. Atrium transparent and slightly deepened. Septum narrow. Copulatory openings in the midline of atrium. Copulatory ducts twisted about 2.5 coils; spermathecae kidney-shaped.

Distribution. China (Hebei).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Diaea mikhailovi Zhang, Song & Zhu, 2004. 1 female habitus, dorsal view; 2 male habitus, dorsal view; 3 epigyne, ventral view; 4 vulva, dorsal view; 5 – 6 left male palp (5 ventral, 6 retrolateral). Scale bars: 1 mm (1); 2 mm (2); 0.2 mm (3 – 6).

FIGURES 7 – 10. Diaea mikhailovi Zhang, Song & Zhu, 2004. 7 – 8 left male palp, (7 ventral, 8 retrolateral); 9 epigyne, ventral view; 10 vulva, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.25 mm (7 – 8); 0.15 mm (9 – 10).