Argiope cameloides Zhu & Song, 1994

Wang, Cheng, Gan, Jiahui & Mi, Xiaoqi, 2021, On four species of the genus Argiope Audouin, 1826 (Araneae, Araneidae) from China, ZooKeys 1019, pp. 15-34 : 15

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1019.59521

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E82C1123-AD82-411D-B10D-66D029574647

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/357E358A-0E40-512E-AF12-0AB93467AAFE

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Argiope cameloides Zhu & Song, 1994
status

 

Argiope cameloides Zhu & Song, 1994 Figures 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 , 3 View Figure 3 , 10 View Figure 10

Argiope cameloides Zhu & Song in Zhu et al. 1994: 33, fig. 8A-C (♂, holotype from China, locality Jianfengling National Nature Reserve of Hainan Province and deposited in Hebei University, not examined); Yin et al. 1997: 82, fig. 14a-c (♂); Song et al. 1999: 261, figs 152P, 153J (♂); Jäger 2012: 307, figs 123-125 (♂).

A. macrochoera Yin et al., 1989: 63, fig. 3A-C (♀, the specimens from Guangdong Province of China, locality unspecified and deposited in Hunan Normal University, not examined); Yin et al. 1997: 68, fig. 2a-f (♀); Song et al. 1999: 261, figs 151Q-S, 153L (♀) (misidentified).

Material examined.

China - Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region • 4♂1♀ (TRU- Araneidae -31-35), Beihai City, Yinhai District, Yajishan Forestry Station (21°35.37'N, 109°18.41'E, ca 30 m), 12.viii.2017, Xiaoqi Mi et al. leg. • 1♀ (TRU- Araneidae -36), same locality, night of 03.x.2018, Xiaoqi Mi et al. leg. • 2♂ (TRU- Araneidae -37-38), Beihai City, Tieshangang District, Xinggang Township, Xiaomatou Village, Caobiaotang (21°33.11'N, 109°29.22'E, ca 10 m), 04.x.2018, Xiaoqi Mi et al. leg. • 2♀ (TRU- Araneidae -39-40), Fangchenggang City, Shangsi County, Wenlingshan Park, night of 06.x.2018, Xiaoqi Mi et al. leg.

Diagnosis.

The male of this species resembles A. dang Jäger & Praxaysombath, 2009 in having a similarly shaped median apophysis and broad, flat conductor, but it differs in: 1) the embolus is almost directed towards 6 o’clock apically in prolateral view (Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ), versus almost 9 o’clock in A. dang ( Jäger and Praxaysombath 2009: fig. 38); 2) the distal end of the embolus is not expanded (Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ), versus expanded in A. dang ( Jäger and Praxaysombath 2009: fig. 39); 3) the embolus has a distinct lamellar pendant (Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ), versus absent in A. dang ( Jäger and Praxaysombath 2009: fig. 38). The female of the species resembles A. macrochoera Thorell, 1891 in having the broad epigynal scape incrassated on the posterior-lateral margin but it differs in: 1) the epigynal scape is distinctly longer than wide in ventral view (Fig. 3A View Figure 3 ), versus almost as long as wide in A. macrochoera ( Levi 1983: fig. 19); 2) the septum is narrowest anteriorly in the posterior view (Fig. 3C View Figure 3 ), versus narrowest medially in A. macrochoera ( Levi 1983: fig. 20).

Description.

Male (TRU- Araneidae -37). Total length 2.62. Carapace 1.46 long, 1.34 wide; abdomen 1.38 long, 1.02 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.10, ALE 0.06, PME 0.11, PLE 0.09, AME-AME 0.13, AME-ALE 0.05, PME-PME 0.14, PME-PLE 0.16. Legs: I 5.92 (1.68, 1.85, 1.63, 0.76), II 5.78 (1.63, 1.85, 1.54, 0.76), III 3.22 (1.02, 0.93, 0.76, 0.51), IV 4.65 (1.46, 1.39, 1.24, 0.56). Carapace (Fig. 1D, E View Figure 1 ) pale and flat, acutely narrowed anteriorly and followed by rounded thorax area, with a longitudinal brown stripe medially. Fovea linear. Chelicerae (Fig. 1F View Figure 1 ) pale, mingled with green. Endites (Fig. 1F View Figure 1 ) brown laterally and white on the inner side. Labium (Fig. 1F View Figure 1 ) pale, hairy. Sternum (Fig. 1F View Figure 1 ) heart-shaped, pale medially and green-brown laterally. Legs (Fig. 1D View Figure 1 ) pale to yellow, more or less mingled with green, armed with macrosetae. Abdomen (Fig. 1D-F View Figure 1 ) oval, dorsum with a longitudinal, branched pale-brown patch, and silver spots gradually smaller from the anterior margin; venter greyish-white, with marked silver spots median-laterally. Spinnerets brown, hairy.

Palp (Fig. 2A-D View Figure 2 ): patella with a long bristle; tibia swollen; paracymbium curved medially, with a blunt tip directed towards the bulb in retrolateral view; median apophysis looks like a swan, with two wide spurs pointed apically, and a small, slender, tapered, and curved spur; conductor broad and flat, slightly curled; embolus tapered, spiraled proximally, and curved posteriorly, with a transparent short pendant directed towards the conductor.

Female (TRU- Araneidae -40). Total length 6.78. Carapace 2.72 long, 2.28 wide; abdomen 4.38 long, 3.22 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.18, ALE 0.09, PME 0.19, PLE 0.16, AME-AME 0.14, AME-ALE 0.15, PME-PME 0.24, PME-PLE 0.28. Legs: I 13.39 (3.88, 4.25, 3.88, 1.38), II 13.14 (3.75, 4.13, 3.88, 1.38), III 7.77 (2.63, 2.38, 1.75, 1.01), IV 12.39 (4.13, 3.63, 3.38, 1.25). Carapace (Fig. 1A, B View Figure 1 ) pale yellow, narrowed, and anteriorly elevated, with brown radial markings on the thorax region, bearing sparse hairs. Fovea depressed. Endites dark at base and pale apically, labium pale to white (Fig. 1C View Figure 1 ). Sternum (Fig. 1C View Figure 1 ) heart-shaped, with radial white patches and brown margins. Legs spiny. Abdomen (Fig. 1A-C View Figure 1 ) elongate-oval, with a pair of anterio-lateral humps, a white dorsum with narrow, brown bands anteriorly, and three wide, brown, posterior bands, each bearing five silver spots; venter dark brown, with a pair of cruciform, longitudinal bands laterally and three pairs of silver white spots medially. Spinnerets yellow. Epigyne (Fig. 3A-D View Figure 3 ) with a well-developed, linguiform scape incrassated on the posterior-lateral margin; median septum lamellar, widened posteriorly and fused with posterior plate; copulatory openings located on each side of the posterior plate in posterior view; copulatory ducts invisible; spermathecae reniform, separated from each other by more than their width; fertilization ducts lamellar, posterior to spermathecae.

Distribution.

China (Hainan, Guangdong, and Guangxi).

GenBank accession numbers.

TRU- Araneidae -34: MW462189, TRU- Araneidae -35: MW462190.

Comments.

Argiope cameloides is known only from the descriptions of the holotype from Hainan, China (see Zhu et al. 1994: 33, fig. 8A-C). Because the pairing has been supported by the result of DNA barcoding, and the collection site is geographically near the type locality, we identified these specimens from Guangxi, China, as belonging to A. cameloides . Moreover, the female of A. macrochoera from China differs from the holotype in some details (the differences have also been noted by Yin et al. (1997)) and is almost identical to these A. cameloides specimens, and, consequently, it is proposed as the female of A. cameloides .

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Araneidae

Genus

Argiope

Loc

Argiope cameloides Zhu & Song, 1994

Wang, Cheng, Gan, Jiahui & Mi, Xiaoqi 2021
2021
Loc

Argiope cameloides

Zhu & Song 1994
1994