Vacrothele, Tang & Wu & Zhao & Yang, 2022

Tang, Ya-Ni, Wu, Ya-Ying, Zhao, Yu & Yang, Zi-Zhong, 2022, Description of a new genus and two new species of the funnel-web mygalomorph (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Macrothelidae) from China with notes on taxonomic amendments, Zootaxa 5125 (5), pp. 513-535 : 515

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5125.5.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6983B9C9-7AD7-49AD-8D4E-C3B4F25B2CEC
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6458193
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E32706-3941-FFFA-FF1B-FCF0FB2D2DA8
treatment provided by	Plazi (2022-04-13 07:27:53, last updated 2024-11-27 10:30:38)
scientific name	Vacrothele
status	gen. nov.

Treatment

Genus Vacrothele View in CoL View at ENA gen. nov.

Chinese name: (ffiǖAM)

Type species: Macrothele hunanica ( Zhu & Song, 2000) View in CoL comb. nov., by original designation.

Etymology: The scientific name is a combination of letters inspired by Macrothele ; the gender is feminine.

Diagnosis: All species have the common characteristics of Macrothelidae , such as fovea transverse; labium and maxillae provided with numerous cuspules; sternum with three pairs of sigilla. In Macrothele , some species such as M. gigas Shimojana &Haupt, 1998 , M. guizhouensis Hu & Li, 1986 , M. monocirculata Xu & Yin, 2000 , M. raveni Zhu, Li & Song, 2000 have lateral paddle spines of basal palp coxa absent in all species of Vacrothele . Males can be easily distinguished from males of Macrothele by the possession of a trumpet-shape end of the embolus ( Fig. 3G View FIGURE 3 , 6H View FIGURE 6 , 9H View FIGURE 9 , 11H View FIGURE 11 , 13H View FIGURE 13 ), palp tibia with stout dorsal spines ( Fig. 3J–L View FIGURE 3 , 6J–L View FIGURE 6 , 9J–L View FIGURE 9 , 11J–L View FIGURE 11 , 13J–L View FIGURE 13 ), whereas in Macrothele , the terminal of the embolus is aciform, palp tibia with longer but no stout spines and arrangement of spines is not so regular. Additionally, in Vacrothele , male tibia II usually with 5-9 thick long ventral spines on the middle, arrangement regular ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 ). Females differ from those of Macrothele by copulatory aperture is wide at base, tapering gradually from base to distal end ( Fig. 18 View FIGURE 18 ). PMS white; PLS slenderness, basal, distal end white ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 , 4C View FIGURE 4 , 6I View FIGURE 6 , 7D View FIGURE 7 , 9I View FIGURE 9 , 10E View FIGURE 10 , 11D View FIGURE 11 , 12B View FIGURE 12 , 13B View FIGURE 13 , 14C View FIGURE 14 ).

Description: Male. Small. Carapace dark chestnut, smooth. Fovea transverse. Both eye rows recurved. Chelicerae light black with 12 stout promarginal teeth plus three small teeth ( Fig. 16A View FIGURE 16 ). Palp tibia incrassate, with 10 stout dorsal spines ( Fig. 3J–L View FIGURE 3 ), embolus thick and long, tapering from base to end ( Fig. 3D–F View FIGURE 3 ), end trumpet-shaped ( Fig. 3G View FIGURE 3 ); labium and maxillae chestnut with numerous cuspules ( Fig. 3I View FIGURE 3 ). Sternum with three pairs of sigilla ( Fig. 3H View FIGURE 3 ). Legs: coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus chestnut, tarsus brown; no lyra spines on palp coxa. Leg II tibia with five thick long ventral spines ( Fig. 17A View FIGURE 17 ); STC with curved row of long teeth; ITC curved ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ); spinnerets terminal segment of posterior laterals white ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ).

Female: Carapace dark chestnut, smooth. Fovea transverse. Both eye rows recurved. Chelicerae black; labium, maxillae, light brown with numerous cuspules ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 ). Sternum with three pairs of sigilla ( Fig. 4E View FIGURE 4 ). Legs coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus chestnut, tarsus brown. STC with curved row of long teeth; ITC curved, with few fine teeth ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Copulatory aperture wide at base, tapering gradually from base to distal end, spermathecae finger shaped ( Fig. 18A View FIGURE 18 ). Spinneret base and terminal segments white ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ).

Composition: This new genus includes two new species: V. pseudohunanica sp. nov., V. uncata sp. nov. and three new transfers from Macrothele : V. hunanica ( Zhu & Song, 2000) comb. nov., V. digitata ( Chen & Jiang, 2020) comb. nov., V. palpator ( Pocock, 1901) comb. nov..

Distribution: China (Anhui, Guangxi, Chongqing, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan, Yunnan).

References

Chen, H. M., Jiang, X. K. & Yang, Z. Z. (2020) Two new species of the genus Macrothele of China (Araneae, Macrothelidae). Journal of Guangxi Normal University (Natural Science Edition), 38 (1), 114 - 119. http: // doi. org / 10.16088 / j. issn. 1001 - 6600.2020.01.015

Hu, J. L. & Li, F. J. (1986) On two species of Macrothele from China (Araneae: Dipluridae). Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica, 11, 35 - 39.

Pocock, R. I. (1901) On some new trap-door spiders from China. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 70 (2): 207 - 215. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1469 - 7998.1901. tb 08540. x

Shimojana, M. & Haupt, J. (1998) Taxonomy and natural history of the funnel-web spider genus Macrothele (Araneae: Hexathelidae: Macrothelinae) in the Ryukyu Islands (Japan) and Taiwan. Species Diversity, 3, 1 - 15. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4822.1.8

Xu, X. & Yin, C. M. (2000) A new species of genus Macrothele (Araneae: Hexathelidae) from China. Acta Laser Biology Sinica, 9, 200 - 202.

Zhu, M. S. & Song, D. X. (2000) Review of the Chinese funnel-web spiders of the genus Macrothele, with descriptions of two new species (Araneae: Hexathelidae). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 48, 59 - 64.

Zhu, M. S., Li, T. H. & Song, D. X. (2000) A new species of the genus Macrothele (Araneae: Hexathelidae) from China. Journal of Hubei University, 20, 358 - 361.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Vacrothele hunanica (Zhu & Song, 2000), male holotype. A. Male (holotype); B. Three claws on left leg, retrolateral view; C. Spinnerets, right retrolateral view; D. Embolus, prolateral view; E. Same, dorsal view; F. Same, retrolateral view; G. Same, the end; H. Sternum; I. Maxillae and labium; J. Left palp tibia, prolateral view; K. Same, dorsal view; L. Same, retrolateral view.

FIGURE 4. Vacrothele hunanica (Zhu & Song, 2000), female paratype. A. Female (paratype); B. Three claws on left palp, prolateral view; C. Spinnerets, right retrolateral view; D. Maxillae and labium; E. Sternum.

FIGURE 6. Vacrothele pseudohunanica sp. nov., male holotype. A. Male (holotype); B. Three claws on left leg, prolateral view; C. Maxillae and labium; D. Sternum; E. Embolus, prolateral view; F. Same, dorsal view; G. Same, retrolateral view; H. Same, the end; I. Spinnerets, right retrolateral view; J. Left palp tibia, prolateral view; K. Same, dorsal view; L. Same, retrolateral view.

FIGURE 7. Vacrothele pseudohunanica sp. nov., female paratype. A. Female (paratype); B. Three claws on left palp, prolateral view; C. Maxillae and labium; D. Spinnerets, right retrolateral view; E. Sternum.

FIGURE 9. Vacrothele uncata sp. nov., male holotype. A. Male (holotype); B. Maxillae and labium; C. Three claws on left leg, retrolateral view; D. Sternum; E. Embolus, prolateral view; F. Same, dorsal view; G. Same, retrolateral view; H. Same, the end; I. Spinnerets, right retrolateral view; J. Left palp tibia, prolateral view; K. Same, dorsal view; L. Same, retrolateral view.

FIGURE 10. Vacrothele uncata sp. nov., female paratype. A. Female (paratype); B. Maxillae and labium; C. Three claws on left palp, prolateral view; D. Sternum; E. Spinnerets, right retrolateral view.

FIGURE 11. Vacrothele palpator (Pocock, 1901), male holotype. A. Male (holotype); B. Maxillae and labium; C. Three claws on left leg, prolateral view; D. Spinnerets, left retrolateral view; E. Embolus, prolateral view; F. Same, dorsal view; G. Same, retrolateral view; H. Same, the end; I. Sternum; J. Left palp tibia, prolateral view; K. Same, dorsal view; L. Same, retrolateral view.

FIGURE 12. Vacrothele palpator (Pocock, 1901), female paratype. A. Female (paratype); B. Spinnerets, right retrolateral view; C. Three claws on left palp, prolateral view; D. Maxillae and labium; E. Sternum.

FIGURE 13. Vacrothele digitata (Chen, Jiang & Yang, 2020), male holotype. A. Male (holotype); B. Spinnerets, ventral view; C. Maxillae and labium; D. Three claws on left legs, retrolateral view; E. Embolus, prolateral view; F. Same, dorsal view; G. Same, retrolateral view; H. Same, the end; I. Sternum; J. Left palp tibia, prolateral view; K. Same, dorsal view; L. Same, retrolateral view.

FIGURE 14. Vacrothele digitata (Chen, Jiang & Yang, 2020), comb. nov., female paratype. A. Female (paratype); B. Three claws on left palp, retrolateral view; C. Spinnerets, right retrolateral view; D. Sternum; E. Maxillae and labium.

FIGURE 16. Chelicera of three new species transfers to Vacrothele gen. nov. A. V. hunanica (Zhu & Song, 2000) comb. nov. B. V. palpator (Pocock, 1901) comb. nov. C. V. digitata (Chen, Jiang & Yang, 2020) comb. nov.

FIGURE 17. Left leg II tibia ventral spines of five Vacrothele species. A. V. hunanica (Zhu & Song, 2000) comb. nov. B. V. pseudohunanica sp. nov. C. V. uncata sp. nov. D. V. palpator (Pocock, 1901) comb. nov. E. V. digitata (Chen, Jiang & Yang, 2020) comb. nov.

FIGURE 18. Genitalia of five Vacrothele species. A. V. hunanica (Zhu & Song, 2000) comb. nov. B. V. pseudohunanica sp. nov. C. V. uncata sp. nov. D. V. palpator (Pocock, 1901) comb. nov. E. V. digitata (Chen, Jiang & Yang, 2020) comb. nov.