Sphingius zhangi, Zhang, Feng, Fu, Jian-Ying & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009

Zhang, Feng, Fu, Jian-Ying & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, Spiders of the genus Sphingius (Araneae: Liocranidae) from China, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 2298, pp. 31-44 : 40-41

Sphingius zhangi sp. nov.

( Figs. 21–31 )

Type material. Holotype male, CHINA: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning City [N 22.65°, E 108.39°], October 1, 2002, Y. Q. Zhang leg. ; paratypes 3♂1♀, same data as holotype ( MHBU) .

Diagnosis. This new species is very similar to Sphingius vivax (Thorell, 1897) (cf. Deeleman-Reinhold 2001, 494, figs. 840–842) in the conformation of the genital organs, but can be distinguished by having a longer and thicker male palpal retrolateral tibial apophysis ( Figs. 30–31 ), the bulb with apical membranous conductor, and by the shape of the median apophysis.

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honor of Prof. Yongqiang Zhang, who collected the type specimens and kindly sent them to us.

Description. Male (holotype). Total length 4.14: carapace 2.03 long, 1.49 wide; abdomen 2.11 long, 1.35 wide. Carapace ovoid in dorsal view, with wedge-shaped posterior margin; reddish brown, surface covered with numerous small granulations, lateral and posterior margins with angular granulations. Eyes in two transverse rows; AER slightly recurved and PER straight in dorsal view ( Fig. 21 ). Eye diameters: AME 0.05, ALE 0.08, PME 0.10, PLE 0.09. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.07, AME–ALE 0.04, PME–PME 0.06, PME–PLE 0.06; MOA 0.18 long, front width 0.23, back width 0.25. Thoracic groove obsolete, fronted by a dark triangular mark. Chelicerae reddish brown, with three promarginal and two retromarginal teeth, anterior surface somewhat swollen ( Fig. 22 ). Endites, labium and sternum dark brown. Sternum shield-shaped, lateral margin with precoxal triangles and intercoxal sclerites. Space above the coxae and below the carapace with longitudinal, sclerotized pleural bars. Leg spination: femora I-IV with one small dorsal spine, tibia III v1-1 -0, p0-0-1, metatarsus III v0-2-0; tibia IV v2-2 -1, r0-0-1, metatarsus IV p0-1-0, v0-1-0, r0-1-0. Leg formula: 4123 ( Table 4).

Abdomen ( Fig. 21 ) dark brown dorsally, with nearly entire dorsal scutum, epigastric and postgenital scutum fused to some extent, postgenital scutum relatively large, about two thirds of abdomen length; venter smooth, without longitudinal lines.

Male palp as illustrated ( Figs. 29–31 ). Tibia with long retrolateral apophysis, scimitar-shaped. Bulb ovoid in ventral view ( Fig. 30 ), tegulum straight at base; sperm duct distinctive U-shaped, originating from upper part of tegulum; subtegulum relatively large, darker than tegulum ( Fig. 29 ); embolus straight, spine-shaped, short and thin, originating from prolateral-apical tegulum, not extending beyond tegulum ( Fig. 30 ); conductor apical, corn-flake shaped; median apophysis nearly rectangular from retrolateral view, on distal-retrolateral sector of tegulum.

Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus Tarsus Total I 1.26 0.50 1.30 1.08 0.99 5.13 II 1.13 0.54 1.08 0.76 0.80 4.31 III 0.99 0.27 0.59 0.75 0.70 3.30 IV 1.58 0.63 1.08 1.67 1.04 6.00 Female. Total length 4.42: carapace 2.03 long, 1.62 wide; abdomen 2.39 long, 1.40 wide. Carapace ovoid in dorsal view, posterior margin truncate, lateral margins with curved hairs. Surface dark reddish brown, with numerous small granulations. Eye diameters: AME 0.04, ALE 0.08, PME 0.08, PLE 0.07. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.09, AME–ALE 0.06, PME–PME 0.09, PME–PLE 0.09; MOA 0.15 long, front width 0.13, back width 0.16. Chelicerae with three promarginal and two retromarginal teeth. Endites, labium and sternum brown. Leg spination: femora I-IV with one small dorsal spine, tibia III v2-2 -2, p0-0-1, r0-0-1; metatarsus III v2 -0-0, p0-1-0; tibia IV v2-2 -1, p0-1-0, r0-0-1, metatarsus IV p0-1-0, v2-1 -0, r0-1-0. Leg formula: 4123 ( Table 5).

Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus Tarsus Total I 1.62 0.59 1.08 1.04 0.99 5.32 II 1.31 0.57 0.95 0.99 1.03 4.85 III 1.08 0.40 0.68 0.78 0.76 3.70 IV 1.80 0.81 1.40 1.71 0.77 6.49 Abdomen ( Fig. 26 ) light gray dorsally, dorsum with two pairs of muscular impressions, venter light brown.

Epigyne as illustrated ( Figs. 27–28 ). Epigynal plate oval-rectangular, anterior half concave and posterior half convex. Anterior atrial hood arch-shaped. Copulatory openings situated in the corners of the depression, leading through funnel-shaped ducts to the spermathecae and bursae. Spermathecae posteriorly, large, globose; bursae anteriorly, smaller globose, thin-walled; a short connecting tube between the anterior bursa and posterior spermatheca.

Variation. Body lengths in other three males: 3.68, 3.95, 4.07.

Distribution. Presently known only from the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 21 – 26. Sphingius zhangi sp. nov. 21. Male body, dorsal view. 22. Left chelicera of male, anterior view. 23. Eye region of male, dorsal view. 24. Male abdomen, ventral view. 25. Male abdomen, lateral view. 26. Female body, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm (21, 23 – 26); 0.5 mm (22).

FIGURES 27 – 31. Sphingius zhangi sp. nov. 27. Epigyne, ventral view. 28. Vulva, dorsal view. 29. Left male palp, prolateral view. 30. Same, ventral view. 31. Same, retrolateral view. b = bursa; c = conductor; co = copulatory opening; e = embolus; h = hood; ma = median apophysis; s = spermatheca; sd = sperm duct; st = subtegulum; t = tegulum; ta = tibial apophysis. Scale bars: 0.3 mm (27 – 31).