Miagrammopes bifurcatus Dong, Yan, Zhu & Song, 2004

Liang, Yun, Cai, Qu, Liu, Jinxin, Yin, Haiqiang & Xu, Xiang, 2021, Three species of hackled-orb web spider genus Miagrammopes from China (Araneae, Uloboridae), Zootaxa 5004 (4), pp. 564-576 : 570-574

Miagrammopes bifurcatus Dong, Yan, Zhu & Song, 2004

Figures 7–12

Miagrammopes bifurcatus Dong et al. 2004: 66 , fig. 2A–C (specimen not examined).

Material examined. 3♂ 1♀ (Ulob-0003–0006- HNU) CHINA, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chongzuo City, Jiangzhou District , Zuozhou Town , Guanghe Village , Nongheng , 22°34.74'N, 107°24.92'E, 271 m, 29 VIII, 2015, Bing Zhou, Wang Liu, Qu Cai and Jihe Liu leg.

Diagnosis. The male of this species resembles that of M. scoparius Simon, 1892 in having the similar tibial extend and terminal apophysis ( Figs 8B , 9B ; Chickering, 1968: fig. 36), but can be distinguished by relative narrow and long cymbium with a small hook-shaped apophysis ( Figs 8B , 9B ), while cymbium relative wide and short and without a hook-shaped apophysis in M. scoparius ( Chickering, 1968: fig. 36). The female of this is similar to that of M. auriculatus n. sp. in having similar spermathecae including prolateral bursae, retrolateral bursae and connecting tubes between them both, but can be distinguished by the presence of conspicuous copulatory openings, and longitudinal and almost straight copulatory ducts ( Figs 11 , 12 ), while copulatory openings inconspicuous and copulatory ducts strongly curved to form a half loop in M. auriculatus n. sp. ( Figs 5 , 6 ).

Description. Male (Ulob-0006-HNU). Total length 4.16, carapace 1.28 long, 0.96 wide, abdomen 2.88 long, 0.55 wide. Carapace ( Fig. 7A, D ) deep brown, approximately oblong, with yellowish longitudinal stripes medially. Anterior eye row absent and posterior eye row straight or slightly recurved. Eye diameters: PME 0.10; PLE 0.10. PME-PME 0.38; PME-PLE 0.26. Chelicerae ( Fig. 7D ) yellowish, without teeth, and with tubercular apophyses and bristles along margins of fang groove. Endite ( Fig. 7E ) pale yellowish, drop-shaped. Labium ( Fig. 7E ) yellowish, lanceolate apically, fused with sternum in the base. Sternum ( Fig. 7E ) yellow brown, divided into two unequal parts, with a black longitudinal stripe medially. Leg measurements: I 5.08 (1.80, 0.51, 0.38, 1.84, 0.55); II 2.64 (1.05, 0.26, 0.47, 0.51, 0.35); III 1.63 (0.39, 0.21, 0.46, 0.37, 0.20); IV 3.40 (1.17, 0.33, 1.11, 0.53, 0.26). Leg formula 1423. Leg I ( Fig. 7F ) brown, extremely long and strong, with several longitudinal stripes on dorsal sides. Legs –II ( Fig.

7A–C) thin and gray, with some brown patches. Tibia of Leg II bearing a few macrosetae dorsally.Abdomen brown, long, with four pairs of grayish spots dorsally.

Palp ( Figs 8 , 9 ). Tibia with terminal extremely developed and extended (tibial extend, TE), equal to cymbium in length, with several some setae dorsally. Cymbium relative narrow and long, with some hairs distally. Tegulum membranous. Sperm duct conspicuous. Embolus transparent, wrapped by radix except distal end. Radix sclerotized, broad at the base and narrow at the distal end. Terminal apophysis divided into two parts, primary terminal apophysis (namely terminal apophysis 1 in Logunov 2018) and secondary terminal apophysis (namely terminal apophysis 2 in Logunov 2018). Terminal apophysis 1 horizontally extended, long and slender, but terminal apophysis 2 longitudinally extended, short and strong.

Female (Ulob-0003-HNU). Total length 5.54, carapace 1.61 long, 1.38 wide, abdomen 3.93 long, 0.99 wide. Eye diameters: PME 0.11; PLE 0.14. PME-PME 0.72; PME-PLE 0.12. Leg I: 10.04 (3.40, 0.82, 2.48, 2.77, 0.57); leg II: 4.46 (1.53, 0.52, 0.90, 1.11, 0.40); leg III: 2.6 (0.68, 0.33, 0.53, 0.67, 0.39); leg IV: 6.02 (1.83, 0.55, 1.80, 1.37, 0.47). Leg formula 1423. General characters as in male, but slightly larger in size and lighter in color.

Epigynum ( Figs 11 , 12 ). Two copulatory openings conspicuous, situated near the posterior margin of epigynum. Retrolateral bursa (RB) pear-shaped, almost circled by connecting tube. Prolateral bursa (PB) roughly globular, almost as large as RB. Connecting tube (CT) long, strongly bent at the position connecting RB. Copulatory ducts longitudinal, almost parallel to each other, much shorter than CT. Fertilization ducts small, membranous, and with the distal ends slightly far from each other.

Distribution. China (Hainan, Guangxi) ( Fig. 13 ).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Miagrammopes rutundus n. sp., holotype, female.A, epigynum, ventral view; B, vulva, dorsal view.Abbreviations: CD, copulatory duct; CT, connecting tube; FD, fertilization duct; PB, prolateral bursa; RB, retrolateral bursa. Scale bars: A, B, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 6. Miagrammopes rutundus n. sp., holotype, female.A, epigynum, ventral view; B, vulva, dorsal view.Abbreviations: CD, copulatory duct; CT, connecting tube; FD, fertilization duct; PB, prolateral bursa; RB, retrolateral bursa. Scale bars: A, B, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 7. Miagrammopes bifurcatus Dong, Yan, Zhu & Song, male. A, habitus, dorsal view; B, habitus, ventral view; C, habitus, lateral view; D, carapace, dorsal view; E, sternum, ventral view; F, leg I, retrolateral view. Scale bars: A–C, F, 1 mm; D, E, 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 8. Miagrammopes bifurcatus Dong, Yan, Zhu & Song, palp of male. A, ventral view; B, dorsal view; C, lateral view. Abbreviations: C, cymbium; E, embolus; R, radix; T, tegulum; TA, terminal apophysis; TE, tibial extend; SD, sperm duct. Scale bars: A−C, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 9. Miagrammopes bifurcatus Dong, Yan, Zhu & Song, palp of male. A, ventral view; B, dorsal view; C, lateral view. Abbreviations: C, cymbium; E, embolus; R, radix; T, tegulum; TA, terminal apophysis; TE, tibial extend; SD, sperm duct. Scale bars: A−C, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 10. Miagrammopes bifurcatus Dong, Yan, Zhu & Song, female. A, habitus, dorsal view; B, habitus, ventral view; C, habitus, lateral view; D, carapace, dorsal view; E, sternum, ventral view; F, leg I, retrolateral view. Scale bars: A–C, F, 1 mm; D, E, 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 11. Miagrammopes bifurcatus Dong, Yan, Zhu & Song, female. A, epigynum, ventral view; B, vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD, copulatory duct; CT, connecting tube; FD, fertilization duct; PB, prolateral bursa; RB, retrolateral bursa. Scale bars: A, B, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 12. Miagrammopes bifurcatus Dong, Yan, Zhu & Song, female. A, epigynum, ventral view; B, vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD, copulatory duct; CT, connecting tube; FD, fertilization duct; PB, prolateral bursa; RB, retrolateral bursa. Scale bars: A, B, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 13. Collection localities for three Miagrammopes spp. in China. 1, M. bifurcatus Dong, Yan, Zhu & Song, 2004; 2, M. auriculatus n. sp.; 3, M. rutundus n. sp.