Corusca, Zhou, Yuanye & Li, Shuqiang, 2013

Zhou, Yuanye & Li, Shuqiang, 2013, Two New Genera of Jumping Spiders from Hainan Island, China (Araneae, Salticidae), Zootaxa 3712 (1), pp. 1-84 : 4

Genus Corusca gen. nov.

Type specis: Corusca gracilis sp. nov.

Etymology. The generic name is from Latin coruscus (flashing), in reference to the male palp that covered with white setae, which is coruscant under sunshine. Feminine in gender.

Diagnosis. The jumping spiders of Corusca gen. nov. can be distinguished from the Salticoida species by the presence of median apophysis and the varying compound terminal apophysis of male palp (except in C. viriosa sp. nov. and C. wuzhishanensis sp. nov.); from Lyssomaninae , Hisponinae and Eupoa by the presence of varying tegular apophysis on hemispheric bulbus and the absence of paired copulatory openings on epigyne; and from Insula gen. nov. by the presence of median apophysis and the densely white setae on male palp.

Description. Small sized spiders ranging from 1.5 to 3.1 mm in length. Sexes similar in general body form, but female lighter in colour than male, especially at the edge of opisthosoma. Prosoma square-built, with dark sides. Opisthosoma cylindrical or oval, yellowish white, with paired grayish black segments ( Figs 29–30 ). Palp covered with long white setae; patella without apophysis (except in C. viriosa sp. nov. and C. wuzhishanensis sp. nov.); tibial apophysis short and pointed. Bulbus mostly hemispherical; tegular apophysis and median apophysis varying in shape; embolus long and convoluted; compound teminal apophysis originating from median bulb, pointing to the retrolateral side of palp ( Figs 19, 20 , 23–26 ). Female epigyne moderately sclerotized, without paired copulatory openings ( Figs 22 , 27 ). Copulatory ducts long, coiled and merged ( Figs 21 , 28 ). Spermathecae small and oblong. Glandular duct absent.

Eleven species are included in genus Corusca gen. nov.: Corusca acris sp. nov., C. bawangensis sp. nov., C. falcata sp. nov., C. gracilis sp. nov., C. jianfengensis sp. nov., C. liaoi (Peng & Li, 2006), C. sanyaensis sp. nov., C. setifera sp. nov., C. viriosa sp. nov., C. wuzhishanensis sp. nov.. C. liaoi (Peng & Li, 2006) is transferred from Eupoa . All of the specimens were collected from Hainan, Southern China.

Remark. The placement of C. wuzhishanensis sp. nov. and C. viriosa sp. nov. is according to the slender embolus which with bend embolic apophysis, and the big tibial apophysis, that particular belong to genus Corusca . C. viriosa sp. nov. and C. wuzhishanensis sp. nov. are considered as the derived group of Corusca .

Figures

FIGURES 27 – 31. Corusca gracilis sp. nov., male holotype and female paratype. 27, epigyne; 28, vulva; 29, male habitus, dorsal view; 30, female habitus, dorsal view; 31, female habitus, ventral view.

FIGURES 19 – 22. Corusca gracilis sp. nov., male holotype and female paratype. 19, palp, ventral view; 20, palp, retrolateral view; 21, vulva; 22, epigyne. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 23 – 26. Corusca gracilis sp. nov., male holotype. 23, palp, prolateral view; 24, palp, retrolateral view; 25, palp, ventral view; 26, bulbus, retrolateral view.