Pharta xizang Liu & Yao sp. nov.

Fig. 4

Type material.

Holotype ♀: China, Tibet, Linzhi City, Motuo County, near Lianhua Hotel, 29°19'31.07"N, 95°19'59.51"E, 1101 m, 17 July 2017, Jian Chen, Jie Liu, Man Fang, Zengtao Zhang and Fengxiang Liu leg. (Tho-296, ASM-JGSU).

Etymology.

The specific name derived from the Chinese Pinyin for Tibet; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

The male of this new species resembles Pharta tengchong (Tang, Griswold & Yin, 2009) (see Tang et al. 2009: 47, fig. 6A-F) in having the prosoma with an inverted triangular black-brown marking and the touching anterior spermathecae with a bent part, but differs from it by the copulatory openings being hidden by cambered atrial lateral margins directed medially (vs. bilaterally in P. tengchong) and the separated posterior spermathecae (vs. closely touching in P. tengchong) (Fig. 4F, G).

Description.

Female. Habitus as in Fig. 4A, B. Total length 4.62, prosoma length 1.98, width 1.89, anteriorly narrowed to 0.50 × its maximum width. Eye diameters (Fig. 4C): AME 0.05, ALE 0.13, PME 0.10, PLE 0.11; interdistances: AME-AME 0.10, AME-ALE 0.07, PME-PME 0.13, PME-PLE 0.14, AME-PME 0.19, AME-PLE 0.32, ALE-ALE 0.32, PLE-PLE 0.59, ALE-PLE 0.14. MOA 0.32 long, front width 0.20, back width 0.31. Chelicerae (Fig. 4D) with three small promarginal teeth and three retromarginal teeth (median and distal touching). Endites (Fig. 4B) nearly quadrilateral, slightly longer than wide. Labium (Fig. 4B) rectangular, wider than long, anteriorly with strong setae. Sternum (Fig. 4B) oval, longer than wide, with notch anteromedially. Legs measurements (Fig. 4A, B, E): I 6.12 (1.73, 0.78, 2.21, 1.04, 0.36); II 7.21 (2.27, 0.86, 2.09, 1.4, 0.59); III 3.19 (0.88, 0.4, 1.02, 0.45, 0.44); IV 4.67 (1.51, 0.58, 1.17, 0.91, 0.5); spination (Fig. 4A, B, E): I Fe: d5, p2, r1; Ti: p2, r2, v10; Mt: p1, r1, v8; II Fe: d2; Pa: p1; Ti: p3, r3, v10; Mt: p1, r1, v8; III Fe: d2; Pa: p1; Ti: d2, v2; Mt: d5, v1; IV: Fe: d1; Pa: d1; Ti: d2, p2, v1; Mt: d1, p2. Opisthosoma (Fig. 4A, B) length 2.63, width 2.40.

Colouration (Fig. 4A, B). Prosoma yellow-brown, medially with single broad, dark brown, mottled band, laterally with fringe-shaped dark brown, mottled stripe. Chelicerae yellowish to dark brown. Endites yellow. Labium yellow-brown. Sternum yellow. Legs: tibia and metatarsus I yellow-brown, other segments yellow with a few dark spots, distal parts of tibiae and metatarsi III and IV with dark brown annulations. Opisthosoma grey to dark, with net-like mottled markings and sparse white guanine spots; venter yellow to dark brown, laterally with sparse white guanine spots.

Epigyne (Fig. 4F, G). Epigyne heart-shaped, 1.2 × wider than long. Copulatory openings (CO) visible, hidden by hood-shaped atrium (At). Copulatory ducts not visible, possibly absent. Spermathecae (Sp) C-shaped, ca. 2 × longer than wide, anterior part of spermathecae closely touching, posterior parts slightly separated. Fertilisation ducts (FD) slightly less than the length of spermatheca, directed laterally.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality in Tibet, China (Fig. 10).