Pseudopoda gexiao Zhao & Li

Jiang, Tongyao, Zhao, Qingyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2018, Sixteen new species of the genus Pseudopoda Jaeger, 2000 from China, Myanmar, and Thailand (Sparassidae, Heteropodinae), ZooKeys 791, pp. 107-161 : 117

Pseudopoda gexiao Zhao & Li sp. n. Figs 10, 11, 37

Type material.

Holotype ♂: Myanmar, Kachin State, Putao, Hponkanrazi Wildlife Sanctuary roadside between Camp 1 to Camp 2, 27°36.067'N, 96°59.367'E, 1714 m, 10 V 2017, J. Wu & Z. Chen. Paratype: 1 ♂, same locality as holotype, 17 XII 2016, J. Wu.

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the Chinese Pinyin word for ‘small-size’ ( gè xiǎo), referring to the relatively small body size of the species; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

Small sized Pseudopoda species. Male resembles P. exigua (Fox, 1938) (see Jäger 2001: 87, figure 47 h–l), P. grahami (Fox, 1936) (see Chen and Gao 1990: 156, figure 200 a–b) and P. amelia Jäger & Vedel, 2007 (see Jäger and Vedel 2007: 12, figs 32-37) by: basal part of embolus broad, while the distal part tapering gradually and becoming filiform at distal end (Figure 11A). It can be distinguished from the three congeners by the following combination of characters: 1. RTA arising mesially from tibia, dividing into dRTA and vRTA (Figure 10B, C; arising basally in P. grahami ; single-branched RTA in P. exigua ); 2. tip of embolus bent with its end pointing distally retrolaterally (Figure 11A; bent and pointing prolaterally in P. amelia ).

Description.

Male (measurements of holotype first, those for paratype in parentheses). Body length 5.9 (5.4), DS length 2.8 (3.0), DS width 2.6 (2.6), OS length 3.1 (2.4), OS width 2.0 (1.7). Eyes: AME 0.16 (0.14), ALE 0.26 (0.25), PME 0.15 (0.19), PLE 0.28 (0.25), AME-AME 0.12 (0.13), AME-ALE 0.02 (0.06), PME-PME 0.19 (0.16), PME-PLE 0.21 (0.29), AME-PME 0.26 (0.32), ALE-PLE 0.15 (0.22), CH AME 0.20 (0.21), CH ALE 0.20 (0.15). Spination: palp 131, 101, 2111; legs: femur II-III 323, IV 321; patella I-IV 001; tibia I-III 2026, IV 2126; metatarsus I-II 1014, III 3035, IV 3036. Measurements of palp and legs: palp 3.9 (4.1) (1.1, 0.6, 0.9, -, 1.3), leg I - (-, 1.3, 2.8, 2.5, 1.1), leg II 11.2 (11.4) (3.2, 1.2, 3, 2.6, 1.2), leg III - (10.2) (-, -, -, -, -), leg IV - (11.2) (-, 1.0, 2.7, 3.1, 1.2). Promargin of chelicerae with three teeth, retromargin with four teeth. Cheliceral furrow with ca. 25 denticles.

Palp as in diagnosis. Retrolateral margin of cymbium swollen. Distal part of cymbium sub-triangular. RTA arising mesially to distally from tibia, dRTA needle-like, while vRTA broad (Figure 10 A–C). Sperm duct running submarginally retrolaterally in tegulum. Embolus sickle-shaped, arising from tegulum at 9 o’clock position. Basal part of embolus broad, then tapering as it runs and coils, resulting in a filiform tip. Conductor arising from tegulum at 11 o’clock position, leaning prolaterally and then bent in a right angle, with its end covering the tip of embolus (Figure 11A, B).

Coloration in ethanol: carapace yellow, with a pair of dark longitudinal lateral bands. Dorsal opisthosoma reddish brown with a bright transverse band in the posterior half. Legs yellowish brown, with reddish brown dots and patches (Figure 11C, D).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality.