Sinocoelotes Zhao & Li

Chen, Lu, Zhao, Zhe & Li, Shuqiang, 2016, Sinocoelotes gen. n., a new genus of the subfamily Coelotinae (Araneae, Agelenidae) from Southeast Asia, ZooKeys 614, pp. 51-86 : 54-55

Taxon classification Animalia Araneae Agelenidae

Genus Sinocoelotes Zhao & Li gen. n.

Type species.

Sinocoelotes hehuaensis sp. n.

Etymology.

The generic name is derived from its similarity to Coelotes and the Latin adjective Sino- for “Chinese” referring to the main distribution region of the genus. The gender is masculine.

Diagnosis.

Sinocoelotes gen. n. is similar to Coelotes . Males of new genus can be distinguished from those of Coelotes by the longer and slenderer conductor (about 1/2 length of cymbium, while in Coelotes the conductor is broad, less than 1/4 length of cymbium in length, and with blunt tip, see Fig. 1), the shorter and truncated patellar apophysis with a blackened apex, while in Coelotes the patellar apophysis is longer than patella, and usually with a ventral part extending longer than dorsal part (see Fig. 1), the short LTA (less than 1/6 length of RTA) (cf. Figs 7 A–C and 1 A–C). Females of Sinocoelotes gen. n. can be distinguished from those of Coelotes by the longer copulatory ducts, about 1/2 length of vulva (while in Coelotes they are very short or even absent, Fig. 2 A–B), the shorter spermathecae (about 1/2 length of epigyne), which can be divided into two parts: anterior part and posterior part (while Coelotes has spermathecae subequal to the length of epigyne, and usually S-shaped), and by the oval or finger-like spermathecal heads (while in Coelotes spermathecal heads are short, rounded and situated at the anterior part of epigyne) (cf. Figs 8 A–B and 2 A–B).

Description.

Small to medium-sized, with a total length of 5-14 mm, the body brown to dark brown. Carapace narrowed in ocular area, sparsely covered with black setae, and thoracic region with longitudinal fovea and radial groove; sternum usually heart-shaped. Abdomen brown to dark brown, heavily covered with short setae; dorsum with many black irregular patches and five grey chevron-like markings, the antero-median part with one cardiac pattern, and posterior part with dark maculation. Chelicerae with 3 promarginal and 3 or 4 retromarginal teeth. Male palp with one patellar apophysis and two tibial apophyses (RTA and LTA), the patellar apophysis broad and long, its apex blackened and truncated; RTA long and broad, extending beyond distal margin of tibia, subequal to the length of tibia, and with blunt tip; LTA short; cymbium crescent-shaped, the tip long, about 1/3 length of cymbium; cymbial furrow short, less than 1/4 of the cymbium; tegulum slender, and visible part very small; conductor slender, tapered, and it’s apex not close to the tegulum; median apophysis present, spoon-like; dorsal conductor apophysis well developed. Epigyne with large atrium (occupying about 1/4 of epigynal plate square); epigynal teeth pre sent, long or short, located medially in comparison to epigynal plate height or antero-medially; spermathecae usually long and convoluted, subdivided in 2 parts: anterior and posterior; anterior part of spermathecae broad, posterior part thinner and strongly convoluted, anterior part usually larger than posterior part; spermathecal heads located at the border between anterior part of spermathecae and copulatory ducts; copulatory ducts broad, arc-shaped, situated anteriorly, connected to each other at basal part, and separated about its length at terminal part.

Comments.

In addition to morphological study, we analyzed the relationships of coelotine spiders based on molecular data (8 genes, ~ 6.5 kb) on 18 genera and 286 coelotine species. The molecular analyses (in progress) support Sinocoelotes gen. n. as monophyletic.

Distribution.

So far the genus is known only from China and Thailand (Fig. 21).