Euochin zegangi, Wang & Zhang, 2023

Wang, Weihang & Zhang, Junxia, 2023, On fourteen species of Euochin Prószyński, 2018 from China (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini), Zootaxa 5297 (3), pp. 337-379 : 369-371

Euochin zegangi sp. nov. (ṬNJƙẅss)

Figs 208–224

Type material. Holotype: ♁ (MHBU-ARA-00022198), CHINA: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Fangchenggang City, Fangcheng District , Nasuo Town , Naqin Village , Huangwu Group , Pingshuiding (ḆẆDZḆ ṼḤØOEÑṮṁữ), 21.749122°N, 108.074811°E, 322 m a.s.l., 10 December 2020, leg. Z. Feng. Paratype: 1♀ (MHBU-ARA-00025231), same data as holotype .

Etymology. The specific epithet is in honor of Zegang Feng, who collected the type specimens of the new species.

Diagnosis. Males can be easily distinguished from all known congeners by the presence of an apophysis on the embolic disc ( Fig. 216 ). The female epigyne has a pair of leaf-like sclerotized bands ( Figs 219 , 223 ), which is also unique in Euochin .

Description. Male. Habitus see Figs 208, 210 .Carapace length 1.468; abdomen length 1.142. Eye measurements: AME 0.250, ALE 0.171, PME 0.058, PLE 0.156. Leg measurements: I 2.003 (0.723, 0.217, 0.355, 0.372, 0.336),

II 1.530 (0.494, 0.222, 0.339, 0.247, 0.228), III 1.738 (0.546, 0.268, 0.377, 0.279, 0.268), IV 1.841 (0.629, 0.210, 0.408, 0.347, 0.247); leg formula: 1432. Color in ethanol: ocular area dark, posterior carapace light and strikingly contrasted, with sparse light-yellow setae. Abdomen yellowish-brown, with light bands and patches. Chelicera ( Fig. 211 ) with two promarginal teeth and one retromarginal compound tooth with five cusps. Palp ( Figs 213–218 , 221–222 ): embolus finger-like, embolic base shielded by apical edge of tegulum; embolic disc with pronounced apophysis and separated from embolus when distal haematodocha inflated; salticid radix independent; cymbial flange undeveloped; RTA notably short; ventral patella with hump.

Female. Habitus see Fig. 209 . Carapace length 1.521; abdomen length 1.589. Eye measurements: AME 0.252, ALE 0.167, PME 0.054, PLE 0.158. Leg measurements: I 1.817 (0.565, 0.286, 0.389, 0.294, 0.283), II 1.580 (0.500, 0.221, 0.353, 0.262, 0.244), III 1.923 (0.638, 0.230, 0.413, 0.360, 0.282), IV 2.307 (0.739, 0.234, 0.487, 0.498, 0.349); leg formula: 4312. Color in ethanol: like that of male. Promargin of chelicera as in male, retromargin with compound tooth with four cusps ( Fig. 212 ). Epigyne ( Figs 219–220 , 223–224 ): copulatory opening located anteriorly, near upper rim of epigynal window; ventral surface with paired leaf-like sclerotized bands; copulatory duct thick and straight, with thin accessory gland.

Remark. Although some genital features of the new species (e.g., the presence of apophysis on the embolic disc of male palp and sclerotized band on the female epigyne) are unique among its congeners, we placed this species in Euochin because its body form and general characteristics of genitalia (i.e., the robust embolus and RTA, and the tip of embolus that is raised above the plane of the embolic disc in the male palp; the short copulatory ducts and the spermathecae that are situated within the epigynal window of female epigyne), which indeed fit the diagnosis of the genus. Similar to E. atrata and E. bulbus , the retromarginal tooth of the new species is furcated with multiple cusps (see description in Zha et al. 2014). Additionally, we suspect that the unusual apophysis of the embolic disc found in this new species might be homologous with the sharpened tip of embolic flange that appears in other congeners (e.g., E. tianhe sp. nov., Fig. 162 ).

Distribution. China (Guangxi).

Figures

FIGURES 208–212. Euochin zegangi sp. nov., holotype male (208, 210–211) and paratype female (209, 212). 208–209. Habitus, in dorsal view; 210. Male carapace, in frontal view; 211–212. Left chelicera.

FIGURES 213–220. Genitalia of Euochin zegangi sp. nov.. 213–215. Left male palp, in prolateral (213), ventral (214) and retrolateral (215) view; 216–217. Inflated left male palp, in prolateral (216) and retrolateral (217) view; 218. Detail of embolus; 219–220. Epigyne, in ventral (219) and dorsal (220) view.

FIGURES 221–224. Genitalia of Euochin zegangi sp. nov.. 221. Left male palp of holotype, in ventral view; 222. RTA, in retrolateral view; 223–224. Epigyne of paratype, in ventral (223) and dorsal (224) view.

FIGURES 159–165. Genitalia of Euochin tianhe sp. nov.. 159–161. Left male palp of holotype, in prolateral (159), ventral (160) and retrolateral (161) view; 162. Detail of embolus; 163. Detail of copulatory duct; 164–165. Epigyne of paratype, in ventral (164) and dorsal (165) view.