Belisana tianyang Zhang, Li & Yao, 2024

Zhang, Ludan, Wang, Ying, Li, Shuqiang, Zhang, Xiaoqing & Yao, Zhiyuan, 2024, Three new spider species of Belisana Thorell, 1898 (Araneae, Pholcidae) from karst caves, with a list of Belisana species from Guangxi, China, ZooKeys 1209, pp. 315-330 : 315-330

Belisana tianyang Zhang, Li & Yao sp. nov.

Figs 6 , 7 , 8 E, F , 9 E, F

Type material.

Holotype: China • ♂; Guangxi, Baise, Tianyang County, Dongjing Town , Liangdongyan Cave ; 23 ° 40.123 ' N, 106 ° 33.956 ' E; alt. 467 m; 7 Aug. 2011; C Wang leg.; IZCAS - Ar 44997 . Paratypes: China • 3 ♂; same data as for holotype; IZCAS - Ar 44998 –45000 • 2 ♀; same data as for holotype; IZCAS - Ar 45001 –02 .

Etymology.

The specific name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

The new species resembles B. tianlinensis Zhang & Peng, 2011 ( Zhang and Peng 2011: 65, fig. 10 A – G) by having similar bulbal apophyses and epigyne (Fig. 7 A, C ), but can be distinguished by retrolateral flap of procursus strongly curved and wide (4 times wider than long, f in Figs 6 D , 8 F vs. straight and 2 times wider than long in B. tianlinensis ), by male cheliceral distal apophyses long (6 times longer than wide) and tips widely separated (da in Fig. 7 D vs. 2 times longer than wide and tips closer to each other in B. tianlinensis ), by pore plates curved, anteriorly pointed and posteriorly wide (pp in Figs 7 B , 9 F vs. nearly triangular in B. tianlinensis ), and by male clypeus unmodified (Fig. 7 E vs. with pointed frontal apophysis in B. tianlinensis ); also distinguished from B. douqing Chen, Zhang & Zhu, 2009 ( Chen et al. 2009: 59, figs 1–11) by procursus with rectangular distal membranous lamella (arrow 3 in Figs 6 C , 8 E vs. nearly square in B. douqing ) and curved retrolateral membranous flap (f in Figs 6 D , 8 F vs. angular in B. douqing ) and by pore plates curved, anteriorly pointed and posteriorly wide (pp in Figs 7 B , 9 F vs. long elliptic in B. douqing ).

Description.

Male (holotype): Total length 1.98 (2.08 with clypeus), prosoma 0.74 long, 0.75 wide, opisthosoma 1.24 long, 0.89 wide. Leg I: 21.95 (5.51, 0.33, 5.44, 9.17, 1.50), leg II missing, leg III: 8.82 (2.44, 0.27, 2.25, 3.13, 0.73), leg IV: 12.12 (3.60, 0.28, 3.04, 4.45, 0.75); tibia I L / d: 68. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.10, PME 0.08, PME – ALE 0.02, AME absent. Sternum width / length: 0.58 / 0.56. Habitus as in Fig. 7 E, F . Dorsal shield of prosoma yellowish, with indistinct median stripe; sternum yellowish, without marks. Legs whitish, without darker rings. Opisthosoma yellowish, without spots. Thoracic furrow absent. Clypeus unmodified. Chelicerae with pair of proximo-lateral apophyses (pa in Fig. 7 D ) and pair of distal apophyses (da in Fig. 7 D ; distance between tips: 0.36). Palp as in Fig. 6 A, B ; trochanter with ventral apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 6 B ); femur with small retrolatero-proximal protrusion (arrow 2 in Fig. 6 B ); procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with prolatero-subdistal sclerite (arrow 1 in Figs 6 C , 8 E ), sclerotized prolatero-ventral lamella (arrow 2 in Figs 6 C , 8 E ), distal membranous lamella (arrow 3 in Figs 6 C , 8 E ), curved distal spine (arrow 4 in Figs 6 C , 8 E ), sclerotized dorso-subdistal apophysis (arrow in Figs 6 D , 8 F ), and retrolateral membranous flap (f in Figs 6 D , 8 F ); bulb with hooked apophysis (ba in Fig. 7 C ) and simple embolus (e in Fig. 7 C ). Retrolateral trichobothria on tibia I at 5 % proximally; legs with short vertical setae on metatarsi; tarsus I with 19 distinct pseudosegments.

Female (paratype, IZCAS - Ar 45001 ): Similar to male, habitus as in Fig. 7 G, H . Total length 2.14 (2.27 with clypeus), prosoma 0.70 long, 0.79 wide, opisthosoma 1.44 long, 1.32 wide; tibia I: 4.15; tibia I L / d: 52. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.10, PME 0.08, PME – ALE 0.02, AME absent. Sternum width / length: 0.55 / 0.54. Epigyne simple and flat, with pair of lateral pockets 0.36 apart (ep in Figs 7 A , 9 E ). Vulva with ridge-shaped anterior arch (aa in Figs 7 B , 9 F ) and pair of curved, anteriorly pointed and posteriorly wide pore plates (pp in Figs 7 B , 9 F ).

Variation.

Tibia I in three male paratypes ( IZCAS - Ar 44998 –45000): 5.38, 5.64, 5.77. Tibia I in another female paratype ( IZCAS - Ar 45002 ) missing.

Habitat.

The species was found in the dark zone inside the cave.

Distribution.

China (Guangxi, type locality; Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Distribution records of the Belisana species from Guangxi, China 1 Belisana colubrina Zhang & Peng, 2011 2 B. guilin Yao & Li, 2020 3 B. langping sp. nov. 4 B. lingui sp. nov. 5 B. naling Yao & Li, 2020 6 B. parallelica Zhang & Peng, 2011 7 B. tianlinensis Zhang & Peng, 2011 8 B. tianyang sp. nov. 9 B. tongle Zhang, Chen & Zhu, 2008 10 B. xuanguan Yao & Li, 2020 11 B. zhangi Tong & Li, 2007.

Figure 6. Belisana tianyang sp. nov., holotype male A, B palp (A prolateral view B retrolateral view, arrow 1 points at ventral apophysis, arrow 2 points at retrolatero-proximal protrusion) C, D distal part of procursus (C prolateral view, arrow 1 points at prolatero-subdistal sclerite, arrow 2 points at prolatero-ventral lamella, arrow 3 points at distal membranous lamella, arrow 4 points at distal spine D retrolateral view, arrow points at dorso-subdistal apophysis). Abbreviations: b = bulb, ba = bulbal apophysis, e = embolus, f = flap, pr = procursus. Scale bars: 0.10 mm (A, B); 0.02 mm (C, D).

Figure 7. Belisana tianyang sp. nov., holotype male (C – F) and paratype female (A, B, G, H) A epigyne, ventral view B vulva, dorsal view C bulb, prolateral view D chelicerae, frontal view E – H habitus (E, G dorsal view F lateral view H ventral view). Abbreviations: aa = anterior arch, b = bulb, ba = bulbal apophysis, da = distal apophysis, e = embolus, ep = epigynal pocket, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, pp = pore plate. Scale bars: 0.10 mm (A – D); 0.50 mm (E – H).

Figure 8. Procursus in prolateral and retrolateral views (arrows point at same structures as photos of each species) A, B Belisana langping sp. nov. C, D B. lingui sp. nov. E, F B. tianyang sp. nov. Abbreviation: f = flap. Scale bars: 0.10 mm.

Figure 9. Female genitalia in ventral and dorsal views A, B Belisana langping sp. nov. C, D B. lingui sp. nov. E, F B. tianyang sp. nov. Abbreviations: aa = anterior arch, ep = epigynal pocket, pp = pore plate. Scale bars: 0.10 mm.