Wuliphantes yaan Yao & Li, 2023

Yang, Lan, Yao, Zhiyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2023, A new species of Wuliphantes from Sichuan, China, with re-description on the type specimens of W. tongluensis (Araneae, Linyphiidae), Biodiversity Data Journal 11, pp. 114390-114390 : 114390

Wuliphantes yaan Yao & Li sp. nov.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Lihong Tu ; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 1FDFF9D1-30ED-5862-8799-440BE5DA8A8E; Taxon : order: Araneae ; family: Linyphiidae ; genus: Wuliphantes ; Location : country: China; stateProvince: Sichuan; municipality: Ya'an ; locality: Lushan County ; Event : year: 2004; month: 7; day: 7; Record Level : institutionID: IZCAS-Ar 44644 Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Lihong Tu ; individualCount: 3; sex: 2 males, 1 female; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 898F1FA5-1B10-56DB-B083-694DF010D429; Taxon : order: Araneae ; family: Linyphiidae ; genus: Wuliphantes ; Location : country: China; stateProvince: Sichuan; municipality: Ya'an ; locality: Lushan County ; Event : year: 2004; month: 7; day: 7; Record Level : institutionID: IZCAS-Ar 44645- Ar 44647

Description

Male (Holotype). Total length: 2.09. Carapace 1.05 long, 0.83 wide, yellowish-brown. Sternum 0.45 long, 0.52 wide. Clypeus 0.14 high. Chelicerae promargin with 3 teeth, retromargin with 3 teeth. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.08, PME 0.08, PLE 0.09, AME-AME 0.01, PME-PME 0.02, AME-ALE 0.04, PME-PLE 0.06, coxae IV separated by 1.44 times their width. Leg measurements: I 5.09 (1.38, 0.28, 1.43, 1.27, 0.73), II 4.34 (1.20, 0.26, 1.17, 1.04, 0.67), III 3.14 (0.90, 0.22, 0.77, 0.76, 0.49), IV 4.12 (1.15, 0.23, 1.13, 1.01, 0.60). Leg formula: I-II-IV-III. TmI 0.21, TmIV absent. Tibial spine formula: 2-2-2-2. Abdomen grey, dorsum with transverse brown chevrons, ventral side grey (Fig. 7 a and b).

Palp (Figs 4 , 5 b). Tibia with two retrolateral and one dorsal trichobothria; paracymbium U-shaped in retrolateral view, with wide base and narrow end; tegulum wider than long; protegulum conspicuous, membranous and trapezoid; embolic plate well-developed, with long ventral projection extending upwards with curved pointed tip distally; embolus spiral with one and a half coils, originating at 11 o’clock position in prolateral view.

Female (Paratype). Total length: 1.93. Carapace 0.76 long, 0.60 wide. Similar to male, habitus as in Fig. 7 c and d. Sternum 0.47 long, 0.52 wide. Clypeus 0.12 high. Chelicerae promargin with 3 teeth, retromargin with 3 teeth. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.09, PME 0.07, PLE 0.08, AME-AME 0.01, PME-PME 0.03, AME-ALE 0.03, PME-PLE 0.05, coxae IV separated by 1.50 times their width. Legs measurements: I 4.52 (1.20, 0.24, 1.24, 1.12, 0.72), II 3.92 (1.09, 0.23, 1.04, 0.93, 0.63), III 2.84 (0.84, 0.22, 0.67, 0.62, 0.49), IV 3.72 (1.03, 0.22, 0.99, 0.90, 0.58). Leg formula: I-II-IV-III. TmI 0.25, TmIV absent. Spine formula as in male.

Epigyne (Figs 2 b, 6 ). Ventral plate wider than long; copulatory openings apparent, near the posterior margin of ventral plate; dorsal plate inverted triangle; copulatory ducts forming two loops; spermathecae spiral; fertilisation ducts pointing antero-medially.

Diagnosis

The new species resembles Wuliphantes tongluensis with similar palp and epigyne, but can be distinguished by the embolus forming 1.5 coils (Figs 4 , 5 b; 2.5 coils in W. tongluensis ); by the ventral projection of embolic plate having hooked distal protrusion (Fig. 4 b; sharp and narrow in W. tongluensis ); and by the copulatory ducts only having two wide loops (Fig. 6 b; five loops in W. tongluensis ).

Etymology

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

Distribution

China (Sichuan, type locality).

Remarks

Compared with the illustrations of type species of Microbathyphantes : M. palmarius (Marples, 1955) and another species M. spedani (Locket,1968) provided by van Helsdingen (1985) (figs 11-17), the genital structures of the new species show significant differences that identify that the new species does not belong to genus Microbathyphantes . Wuliphantes yaan sp. nov. can be distinguished from Microbathyphantes by the embolus spiralling into a clock shape and approaching the length of the cymbium, but the embolus is a single coil and 1/2 length of cymbium in Microbathyphantes ; by the base of the embolic plate completely covered by the embolus, but the embolic plate (lamella in Microbathyphantes ) broad and uncovered by the embolus in Microbathyphantes ( van Helsdingen 1985, figs 15 and 17); and by copulatory ducts transparent with several coiled loops, but without coiled loops in Microbathyphantes ( van Helsdingen 1985, fig. 13). Therefore, these diagnoses suggest that the new species should belong to Wuliphantes rather than Microbathyphantes .

Figures

Figure 4. Wuliphantes yaan sp. nov., holotype male, left palp. a prolateral view; b ventral view; c retrolateral view. Scale bar: 0.10 mm (a-c).

Figure 6. Wuliphantes yaan sp. nov., paratype female. a epigyne, ventral view; b vulva, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.10 mm (a, b).

Figure 7. Wuliphantes yaan sp. nov., holotype male (a, b), paratype female (c, d). a, c habitus, dorsal view; b habitus, lateral view; d habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.50 mm (a-d).