Otacilia wugongshanica Liu, 2020

Mu, Yannan & Zhang, Feng, 2023, Further additions to the guardstone spider fauna from China (Araneae: Phrurolithidae), Zootaxa 5338 (1), pp. 1-104 : 73

Otacilia wugongshanica Liu, 2020 (ǨĖƜŴṚff)

Otacilia wugongshanica Liu, 2020: 17 , fig. 12–14; Liu et al., 2022: Suppl. 2: 68, figs 128C, 137J, 138J, 139J, 140J, 141K, 142K, 143K.

Otacilia dawushan Liu & Li, 2022: 354 , Suppl. 2: 50, figs 75– 77, 125E –F. syn. nov.

Otacilia xingguo Liu & Li, 2022: 355 , Suppl. 2: 72, figs 116, 129. syn. nov.

Otacilia zhonglong Liu & Li, 2022: 355 , Suppl. 2: 74, figs 120–124. syn. nov.

Comments: With the discovery of Otacilia species, our study found that the difference between O. dawushan and O. wugongshanica exists in the abdominal color pattern, the angle of the retrolateral tibial apophysis curvature, and the size of the sclerotized fovea on the epigynal plate. The differences between O. zhonglong and O. dawushan are only based on the abdominal color pattern and curvature of the retrolateral tibial apophysis. The differences between O. xingguo and O. zhonglong are recorded as “…by the ventral abdomen lacking an H-shaped dark brown mark (Fig. 116C) (vs present) and the connecting tubes are transverse posteriorly (Fig. 116D) (vs obliquely)” by Liu & Li (2022). Our study found that these four species share the same characteristics in the male palp and female epigyne, e.g., the shape of the embolus, tegular apophysis, retrolateral tibial apophysis, and femoral apophysis in the male palp, and the atrium, median septum, copulatory openings, copulatory ducts, connecting tubes, and spermathecae in the female epigyne. As a result, we suggest that O. dawushan , O. xingguo , and O. zhonglong should be considered junior synonyms of O. wugongshanica .