Cheiracanthium adjacensoides Song, Chen and Hou, 1990

Li, Zhao-Yi & Zhang, Feng, 2024, A survey of cheiracanthiid spiders (Araneae: Cheiracanthiidae) from Hainan Island, China, Journal of Natural History 58 (1 - 4), pp. 167-188 : 169-171

Cheiracanthium adjacensoides Song, Chen and Hou, 1990 , stat. resurr.

( Figures 1 , 9 )

Cheiracanthium adjacensoides Song et al. 1990: 427 , figs. 1–4 (♂ ♀); Song et al. 1999: 412, figs. 241E–F, 243C–D (♂ ♀); Yin et al. 2012: 1044, fig. 542a–e (♂ ♀); Esyunin and Zamani 2020: 1313.

Cheiracanthium approximatum Marusik et al. 2020: 341 , figs. 8, 13–15, 16–17 (♂ ♀, misidentified)

For a full bibliography and synonymy concerning this species see Esyunin and Zamani (2020).

Diagnosis

The males ( Figure 1e–g ) are similar to those of C. iranicum Esyunin and Zamani, 2020 (Esyunin and Zaman 2020: 1315, figs. 3a–f, 4) in having a similar lamellar median apophysis, beak-shaped cymbial spur and similar edge of cymbium, but can be distinguished by: (1) RTA wavy and with a pointed apex (vs RTA linear and distally slightly expanded with a lateral notch at the top in C. iranicum ; (2) the median apophysis with a slightly rounded apex (vs lanceolate in C. iranicum ). The females ( Figure 1c–d ) are similar to those of C. subinsulanum Li and Zhang, 2019 ( Li and Zhang 2019, p. 88, figs. 2B–C, 3A–B) in having a globular spermatheca, but can be distinguished by: (1) the thinner copulatory ducts (ca. 1/2 diameter of the spermathecae in C. adjacensoides vs 3/4 diameter of the spermathecae in C. subinsulanum ); (2) atrium transverse oval in ventral view, ca. 2 times wider than long (vs almost circular, width almost equivalent to length in C. subinsulanum ).

Redescription

Male. ( Figure 1b ) One specimen was measured: total length 5.18: carapace length 2.41, width 1.93; abdomen length 2.77, width 1.72. Carapace brown with indistinct radial stripes. Chelicerae dark brown, both margins with 3 teeth. Sternum, labium and endites brown. Legs yellowish, without distinct colour markings. Leg measurements: I 15.84 (4.03, 1.09, 4.45, 4.60, 1.67), II 9.95 (2.63, 0.82, 2.43, 3.04, 1.03), III 6.84 (1.89, 0.78, 1.69, 1.92, 0.56), IV 11.17 (3.29, 0.62, 2.71, 3.72, 0.83). Abdomen lanceolate, dorsally grey, with black hairs and a narrow medial longitudinal band enclosed by U-shaped light spots.

Palp as illustrated. ( Figure 1e–g ) Tibia long, about as long as cymbium; RTA long and sclerotised, ca. 1/2 of tibia length, thumb-shaped, sharply pointed and twisted around the axis from ventral view; cymbium almost 2 times longer than wide; cymbial furrow short and shallow, about 1/3 cymbium length; cymbial spur approximately as long as RTA, with beaked point at apex from retrolateral view; tegulum nearly rounded; median apophysis membranous, nearly belt-shaped and with broad tip; embolus originating from the retrolateral tegulum, about 2 o’clock position, extending clockwise along the tegular margin, then curving to the tip of conductor; conductor membranous, lying at tegular tip; sperm duct indistinct.

Female. ( Figure 1a ) Distinctly larger than male. One specimen was measured: total length 10.01: carapace length 3.64, width 2.82; abdomen length 6.37, width 4.74. Carapace brown, radial striaes colour dark than other parts besides eye area. Leg measurements: I 13.51 (3.68, 1.12, 3.56, 3.77, 1.38), II 10.67 (2.76,1.08, 2.79, 3.02, 1.02), III 8.58 (2.34, 0.97, 1.81, 2.46, 1.00), IV 11.51 (3.25, 1.01, 2.83, 3.21, 1.21). Abdomen oval, dorsally yellowish white.

Epigyne. ( Figure 1c–d ) Atrium large, ca. 2 times wider than long, located at middle portion of epigynal plate, with heavily sclerotised and ‘()’ shaped lateral margins, anterior and posterior margins inconspicuous; 2 copulatory openings located at lateral margins of atrium; part of dark copulatory duct and spermathecae visible through tegument of epigynal plate in ventral view; spermathecae globular, located posteriorly, spaced by about 2 diameters; the copulatory ducts ascending and then folding backward and descending into the spermathecae.

Material examined

CHINA: Hainan. 2♂ 2♀, Changjiang County, Bawangling Nature Reserve, 18 May 2009, Guangxin Han leg; 1♂, Bawangling Nature Reserve , 8 November 2008, Feng Zhang leg; 1♀, Bawangling Nature Reserve , 31 May 2011, Chao Zhang leg; 1♀, Lingao County , Gaoshanling Nature Reserve , 21 July 2007, Feng Zhang leg.

Other material examined. CHINA: Yunnan: 1♂ 2♀, Dali City, Erhai Lake , 8 March 2002, Zhizhong Yang leg; 1♂ 1♀, Mengla County, Shangyong Town , 23 May 2017, 21.2436°N, 101.7105°E, 776 m, Beibei Zhou leg; 1♂ 1♀, Mengla County , Menglun Town , 14 July 2018, 21.9642°N, 101.2108°E, 641 m, Chi Jin leg. Guangxi: 1♀, Chongzuo County, Luobai Town, Officer White-Headed Langur Ecological Park , 20 August 2004, Mingsheng Zhu leg; 1♂, Nanning City , Liangjiang Town , Neichao Village , 7 August 2018, 23.4934°N, 108.3578°E, 186 m, Baoshi Zhang leg . Xizang: 1♂, Zayu County, Xiachayu Town , 8 August 2002, Mingsheng Zhu leg . Guizhou: 1♀, Weining County, Forestry Seedling Station , 20 August 2017, 26.8024°N, 104.3442°E, 2182 m, Chi Jin leg . Hunan: 2♂ 1♀, Zhangjiajie City, Tianzi Mountain , 8 June 2002, Zhisheng Zhang leg . Sichuan: 1♀, Nanchong City, Huafeng Town , 3 November 2012, Xiangwei Meng leg . Chongqing: 1♀, Beibei District, Jinyun Mountain Nature Reserve , 11 July 2007, Fuming Shi leg .

Distribution

China (Hainan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Xizang, Taiwan, Guizhou, Hunan, Sichuan, Chongqing), Philippines.

Remarks

Marusik et al. (2020) redescribed C. approximatum O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1885 , and proposed C. adjacensoides Song, Chen and Hou, 1990 be synonymised with C. approximatum O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1885 . However, when we examined the illustrations of those two species ( Song et al. 1990, p. 427, figs. 3–4; Marusik et al. 2020, p. 342, figs. 10– 12), we found that they can be easily distinguished by the shape of the median apophysis (complex, with two lobes in C. approximatum , vs nearly belt-shaped in C. adjacensoides ). Therefore, we consider that C. adjacensoides Song, Chen and Hou, 1990 should be regarded as a valid taxon. This result is consistent with the findings of Esyunin and Zamani (2020). In addition, the specimens (1♀ 1♂) from Punjab in Marusik et al. (2020) (figs. 8, 13– 15, 17) are misidentified; they have the same genital characteristics as C. adjacensoides ( Figure 1c–g ) and in fact belong to C. adjacensoides .

Figures

Figure 1. Cheiracanthium adjacensoides Song, Chen and Hou, 1990, male and female from Hainan, China. (a) female habitus, dorsal view; (b) male habitus, dorsal view; (c) epigyne, ventral view; (d) vulva, dorsal view; (e) left male palp, prolateral view; (f) same, ventral view; (g) same, retrolateral view.

Figure 9. Distribution records of six cheiracanthiid spiders from Hainan Island, China. (a–b) Cheiracanthium adjacensoides Song, Chen and Hou, 1990; (a, c–e) C. bawanglingense sp. n.; (a, c–g) C. exquestitum Zhang and Zhu, 1993; (a, d–f) C. insigne O. Pickard-Cambridge 1874; (e) C. taegense Paik, 1990 and Eutittha hainanensis sp. n.