Cheiracanthium echinulatum, Zhang, Jianshuang, Zhang, Guren & Yu, Hao, 2018

Zhang, Jianshuang, Zhang, Guren & Yu, Hao, 2018, Four species of spider genus Cheiracanthium C. L. Koch, 1839 (Araneae, Eutichuridae) from Jinggang Mountains, Jiangxi Province, China, ZooKeys 762, pp. 33-45 : 33

Cheiracanthium echinulatum sp. n. Figs 2, 5

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (SYSU-JX-11-182): China, Jiangxi Province, Jinggang Mountains Nature Reserve, Xiangzhou village (380 m; 26°35'30.23"N, 114°15'59.93"E), 26 April 2011, Hao Yu and Zhenyu Jin leg. Paratypes: 1♂, same data as holotype.

Etymology.

The species epithet is taken from the Latin adjective echinulatus and refers to the spinule-shaped tegular apophysis.

Diagnosis.

This new species resembles C. taegense Paik, 1990 (Paik, 1990: 11, f. 39-47; Baba & Yoshitake, 2016: 39, f. 1-4) in having the similar beak-shaped cymbial spur, and stalk-like dorsal tibial apophysis, but can be distinguished by: (1) the embolus originated at 3 o’clock position (Fig. 2 B–C), vs. originated at 1-2 o’clock position in C. taegense (Paik, 1990: 11, f. 41; Baba & Yoshitake, 2016: 39, f. 3-4); (2) tegular apophysis smaller, straight and acicular (Fig. 2 A–C), instead of bigger and slightly curved in C. taegense (Paik, 1990: 11, f. 41, 43; Baba & Yoshitake, 2016: 39, f. 3-4); (3) RTA straight and digitiform (Fig. 2 A–C), but with a curved and hook-shaped apex in C. taegense (Baba & Yoshitake, 2016: 39, f. 3-4).

Description.

Male. Total length 9.06-9.12. Holotype (Fig. 2): TL 9.06; CL 3.58, CW 2.34, CI (CL/CW) 1.53; AL 4.99, AW 2.27. Carapace (Fig. 2D, F) yellow except reddish ocular area, without distinct colour pattern. Eye sizes and inter-distances: OAL 0.34, OAW 1.26; AME 0.15, ALE 0.15, PME 0.14, PLE 0.13; AME–AME 0.46, AME–ALE 0.25, PME–PME 0.54, PME–PLE 0.22; MOQA 0.43, MOQP 0.55, CLL 0.13. Chelicerae light brown and robust, with long and wine-coloured fangs, with 3 teeth on promargin and 3 on retromargin respectively. Sternum (Fig. 2E) yellowish, STL 1.79, STW 1.32. Labium and endites brown. Legs yellowish, without distinct colour markings. Leg measurements: I 23.70 (5.90, 1.05, 7.31, 7.99, 1.46), II 14.92 (3.41, 0.82, 4.14, 5.26, 1.29), III 11.10 (2.53, 1.43, 2.16, 3.94, 1.03), IV 16.42 (4.18, 1.21, 4.13, 5.66, 1.24); LL:CL 6.62. Leg spines: I 0-1p1r-1p1r, 3v-3v-1v1p, 2v-0-1v; II 0-1p1r-1p1r, 3v-2v-1v1p, 2v1p-2v1p-1v; III 0-1p1r-1p1r, 2v1p1r-1p1r-0, 2v1p1r-2v1p1r-2v1p2r; IV 0-1p1r-1p1r, 1v1p1r-1v2r-1v1r, 2v1p1r-2v1p1r-1v1p3r. Abdomen (Fig. 2 D–F) lanceolate, dorsally yellowish white, scattered numerous indistinct pigmented spots; venter yellowish without distinct pattern.

Palp (Fig. 2 A–C). Tibia twice shorter than cymbium, with three apophyses; retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) about 50% of tibia length, heavily sclerotised and with a fingerlike apex; prolateral tibial apophysis (PTA) distinctly elevated and relatively short, about 30% of tibia length, coniform in prolateral view and digitiform in ventral view; dorsal tibial apophysis (DTA) thin and stalk-shaped, about as long as RTA; cymbial spur (CS) beak-shaped, twice shorter than tibia; cymbial fold (CF) strongly developed and well visible in ventral and retrolateral view, for approximately 2/3 the length of cymbium; tip of cymbium long, about 1/3 of cymbium length. Tegulum 1.3 longer than wide, membranous and semitransparent except its margin in ventral view; tegular apophysis (TA) short and thin, spiculate; embolus (E) starts on the retrolateral flank (approximately 3 o’clock of tegulum), surrounds the base and ends at conductor (C) apex, its tip filiform and curved behind conductor; conductor large and membranous.

Female. Unknown.

Comments.

According to the World Spider Catalogue 2018, a total of 11 Cheiracanthium species are known from females only in China: C. approximatum O. P.-Cambridge, 1885, C. escaladae Barrion et al., 2013, C. fujianense Gong, 1983, C. hypocyrtum Zhang & Zhu, 1993, C. liuyangense Xie et al., 1996, C. olliforme Zhang & Zhu, 1993, C. potanini Schenkel, 1963, C. rupicola (Thorell, 1897), C. solidum Zhang et al., 1993, C. sphaericum Zhang et al., 1993, C. longtailen Xu, 1993. Among them, C. escaladae is supposedly a Clubiona species based on epigyne morphology, while C. potanini is supposededly doubtful because of the poor original illustrations and description. The other nine can be considered tentatively as valid Cheiracanthium species. However, none of them could be matched with C. echinulatum sp. n. due to their different habitus (abdomen without distinct colour pattern in C. echinulatum sp. n., but with a median heart-shaped mark in C. approximatum , C. fujianense and C. rupicola , with two pairs of muscular depressions in C. hypocyrtum , C. liuyangense and C. sphaericum ) and different number of cheliceral teeth (chelicerae with 3 promarginal and 3 retromarginal teeth in C. echinulatum sp. n., but with 3 promarginal and 2 retromarginal teeth in C. hypocyrtum , C. olliforme and C. sphaericum , with 3 promarginal and 1 retromarginal teeth in C. liuyangense , with 2 promarginal and 1 retromarginal teeth in C. solidum , with 2 promarginal and 3 retromarginal teeth in C. longtailen ).

Distribution.

Presently known only from the type locality, Jinggang Mountains, Jiangxi, China (Fig. 5).