Oxyopes taiwanensis, Lo & Cheng & Lin, 2021

Lo, Ying-Yuan, Cheng, Ren-Chung & Lin, Chung-Ping, 2021, Species delimitation and taxonomic revision of Oxyopes (Araneae: Oxyopidae) of Taiwan, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4927 (1), pp. 58-86 : 78-81

Oxyopes taiwanensis sp. nov.

Figs 9–10 , 13 c–e

Material examined. All specimens from Taiwan.

Holotype. 1 male (TESRI Ar1313), 12–13 Apr. 2015, Ying-Yuan Lo leg., Orchid Island , Taitung County (22°04′38.8′′N, 121°30′36.4′′E; 150 m elevation).

Paratypes. 1 female (TESRI Ar 0315) and 1 male (TESRI Ar 0525), 26 Jun. 2013, Ying-Yuan Lo leg., Kenting , Pingtung County (21°56′58.2′′N, 120°47′52.1′′E; 20 m elevation) ; 2 females (TESRI Ar 1314/1317), 12–13 Apr. 2015, Ying-Yuan Lo leg., Orchid Island , Taitung County (22°04′38.8′′N, 121°30′36.4′′E; 150 m elevation) ; 1 female (TESRI Ar 1776), 13 May 2016, Hui-Ling Cheng leg., Duoliang Village , Taitung County (22°30′26.0′′N, 120°57′22.3′′E, 160 m elevation) .

Other material examined. 1 female (TESRI Ar 1777), 13 May 2016, Hui-Ling Cheng leg., Duoliang Village , Taitung County (22°30′26.0′′N, 120°57′22.3′′E, 160 m elevation) ; 2 males (TESRI Ar 0842–0843), 28 May 2014, Ying-Yuan Lo leg., Jinlun Forest Road, Taitung County (22°31′57.7′′N, 120°56′33.0′′E; 70 m elevation) ; 2 females (TESRI Ar 0536–0537), 14 Jan. 2014, Ying-Yuan Lo leg., Shihba Luohanshan , Kaohsiung City (22°56′56.0′′N, 120°38′29.6′′E, 220 m elevation) ; 1 female (TESRI Ar 2756) and 1 male (TESRI Ar 2757), 27 Jun. 2018, Yi-Lun Lin leg., Orchid Island , Taitung County, Taiwan (22°01′44.7′′N, 121°34′43.3′′E; 18 m elevation)

Diagnosis. Oxyopes taiwanensis sp. nov. is similar to O. sertatus in the morphology of male palps and to O. sertatoides in the transverse twist of copulatory ducts of the epigyne. However, it can be recognized by the following characters: (1) the dorsal retrolateral tibial apophysis of male palps is incisor-shaped in ventral view (longitudinal and ridge-shaped in O. sertatus ), and without a triangular black outgrowth (triangular outgrowth in O. sertatoides ); (2) the female copulatory duct is curved more strongly than those of O. sertatus and O. sertatoides .

Etymology. The specific name ‘ taiwanensis ’ refers to the location where the type specimen was collected.

Description. Female (TESRI Ar1776, Paratype). Total length 7.5; carapace length 3.3, width 2.5; abdomen length 4.2, width 2.1. Carapace yellowish-green, pear shaped with pair of brown lines extending from PME to posterior margin, pair of larger dark patches on submargin. Fovea longitudinal. In dorsal view, eyes arranged in four rows, AER strongly recurved, PER strongly procurved. Clypeus high with two black stripes from AME margin to front of each chelicera. Eye diameters and inter-distances: AME 0.12, ALE 0.26, PME 0.22, PLE 0.22, eye sizes ALE> PME = PLE> AME; MOA-L 1.02, MOA-AW 0.42, MOA-PW 0.74; AME-I 0.20, PME-I 0.30, AML-I 0.08, PML-I 0.32; clypeus height 0.78. Chelicerae downward with two promarginal teeth, first larger than second, one retromarginal tooth. Endites and labium longer than wide. Sternum yellowish-green with several setae. Abdomen fusiform with ivory longitudinal central band. Cardiac mark ivory with brown margin. Lateral region dark with two slant, ivory stripes connecting with central band. In ventral view, broad dark longitudinal band extending from epigastric furrow to spinnerets. Legs clothed many conspicuous long spines and with black stripes on venter of femur. Three claws. Pedipalps bear apical claw. Measurements of pedipalp and legs: pedipalp 3.4 (1.1, 0.4, 0.7, 1.2), leg I 13.5 (3.7, 1.1, 3.5, 3.8, 1.4), leg II 12.7 (3.5, 1.1, 3.2, 3.6, 1.3), leg III 10.4 (2.9, 1.0, 2.4, 3.1, 1.0), leg IV 11.0 (3.0, 1.1, 2.4, 3.4, 1.0). Leg formula: I> II> IV> III. Epigyne with central depression. Posterior edge sclerotized, incrassate, V-shaped. Copulatory ducts thick and curved, with distal transversal twist. Spermathecae rounded. Fertilization ducts slender and elongate posteriorly with hook-like apex.

Male (TESRI Ar1313, Holotype). Body shape and coloration pattern similar to those of female, but markings more variegated and abdomen thinner. Total length 5.8; carapace length 2.7, width 2.3; abdomen length 3.1, width 1.4. Eye diameters and inter-distances: AME 0.10, ALE 0.22, PME 0.18, PLE 0.18, eye sizes ALE> PME = PLE> AME; MOA-L 0.86, MOA-AW 0.38, MOA-PW 0.58; AME-I 0.18, PME-I 0.28, AML-I 0.06, PML-I 0.30; clyp-

eus height 0.60. Measurements of pedipalp and legs: pedipalp 3.3 (1.1, 0.3, 0.4, 1.5), leg I 11.5 (2.9, 0.9, 2.8, 3.3, 1.6), leg II 10.5 (2.7, 0.9, 2.5, 2.9, 1.5), leg III 8.8 (2.5, 0.8, 1.9, 2.6, 1.0), leg IV 10.2 (2.9, 0.8, 2.2, 3.2, 1.1). Leg formula: I> II> IV> III. Palp tibia with a retrolateral depression and two separate apophyses. Dorsal retrolateral tibial apophysis incisor-shaped, while ventral retrolateral tibial apophysis protrudes ventrally with triangular apex pointing retrolaterally. In lateral view, ventral retrolateral tibial apophysis crescent-shaped. Cymbium with basal extension on retrolateral side. Conductor broad with sharp apex. Embolus slender, encompassing prolateral side of genital bulb. Median apophysis white, laminar.

Size Variation. Five female and three male specimens were measured to quantify the morphological variation. Values are mean ± SD of males (with the female in parentheses). Total length 8.2 ± 1.1 (6.4 ± 1.0); cephalothorax length 3.4 ± 0.3 (3.0 ± 0.4), width 2.6 ± 0.2 (2.4 ± 0.2); abdomen length 4.8 ± 1.0 (3.5 ± 0.6), width 2.5 ± 0.7 (1.6 ± 0.3). Diameters of AME 0.11 ± 0.02 (0.11 ± 0.01), ALE 0.24 ± 0.03 (0.24 ± 0.03), PME 0.21 ± 0.03 (0.20 ± 0.03), PLE 0.21 ± 0.03 (0.20 ± 0.03). MOA-L 1.02 ± 0.06 (0.91 ± 0.13), MOA-AW 0.44 ± 0.03 (0.39 ± 0.04), MOA-PW 0.73 ± 0.03 (0.64 ± 0.10); AME-I 0.22 ± 0.03 (0.17 ± 0.03), PME-I 0.32 ± 0.04 (0.28 ± 0.04), AML-I 0.08 ± 0.02 (0.07 ± 0.01), PML-I 0.36 ± 0.03 (0.31 ± 0.03). Clypeus height 0.77 ± 0.05 (0.62 ± 0.07). Pedipalp 3.5 ± 0.2 (3.6 ± 0.4), leg I 12.9 ± 0.8 (12.7 ± 2.1), leg II 12.0 ± 0.7 (11.5 ± 2.0), leg III 9.9 ± 0.5 (9.5 ± 1.5), leg IV 11.6 ± 0.7 (10.9 ± 1.6).

Distribution. Endemic to Taiwan.

Remark. The epigyne of Oxyopes taiwanensis is very similar to the description and illustration of O. sertatoides by Xie & Kim (1996). The copulatory ducts of both species have a transverse twist, but the curvature on the middle part is more pronounced in O. taiwanensis than in O. sertatoides . Although the specimens of O. sertatoides described by Xie & Kim (1996) were unavailable to us for comparison, the morphology of the retrolateral tibial apophysis of O. taiwanensis is different from their illustration and description of O. sertatoides (with a triangular black outgrowth, see Xie & Kim 1996). Therefore, these two closely related species can be subjectively distinguished.

Like O. sertatus and O. hasta, O. taiwanensis mainly inhabits relatively more open habitats, such as grasslands and bush fallows. However, O. taiwanensis is rare; it is only distributed in a few localities in southern and eastern Taiwan, including offshore on Orchid Island.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Oxyopes taiwanensis sp. nov. (a–b) Epigyne (TESRI Ar1776): (a) ventral; (b) dorsal. (c–e) Palp (TESRI Ar1313): (c) prolateral; (d) ventral; (e) retrolateral. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 10. Oxyopes taiwanensis sp. nov. (a–b) Epigyne (TESRI Ar1776): (a) ventral; (b) dorsal. (c–e) Palp (TESRI Ar1313): (c) prolateral; (d) ventral; (e) retrolateral. C: conductor; CD: copulatory duct; CO: copulatory opening; dRTA: dorsal retrolateral tibial apophysis; Em: embolus; MA: median apophysis; FD: fertilization duct; S: spermatheca; SE: sclerotized edge; vRTA: ventral retrolateral tibial apophysis. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 13. Habitus of Oxyopes sushilae Tikader, 1965 and O. taiwanensis sp. nov. (a) O. sushilae, female; (b) O. sushilae, male; (c) O. taiwanensis, female; (d) O. taiwanensis, female (TESRI Ar2756); (e) O. taiwanensis, male (TESRI Ar2757). Scale bars (d–e): 2 mm.