Argiope caesarea Thorell, 1897

Xiaoqi, Mi, Zhang, Tong & Wang, Cheng, 2024, Description of two species of the orb-weaver spider genus Argiope Audouin, 1826 (Araneae, Araneidae) from Xizang, China, Biodiversity Data Journal 12, pp. e 125601-e 125601 : e125601-

Argiope caesarea Thorell, 1897

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Xiaoqi Mi et al.; individualID: TRU- Araneidae - 317–318; sex: 1 male, 1 female; occurrenceID: 6FA32B3E-0A35-54E0-A122-D608290F770C; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Xizang Autonomous Region; county: Medog; locality: Beibeng Township, De’ergong Village ; verbatimElevation: ca 1510 m; verbatimLatitude: 29 ° 12.46 ′ N; verbatimLongitude: 95 ° 9.39 ′ E; Identification: identifiedBy: Xiaoqi Mi; identificationReferences: Levi 1983; Yin et al. 1997; Event: samplingProtocol: hand collceting; year: 2023; month: 8; day: 14

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Xiaoqi Mi et al.; individualID: TRU- Araneidae - 319; individualCount: 1; sex: male; occurrenceID: 823D7CF3-3A37-5996-AA57-381E97CEC1B4; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Xizang Autonomous Region; county: Medog; locality: Beibeng Township, De’ergong Village ; verbatimElevation: ca 1700 m; verbatimLatitude: 29 ° 10.81 ′ N; verbatimLongitude: 95 ° 8.51 ′ E; Identification: identifiedBy: Xiaoqi Mi; identificationReferences: Levi 1983; Yin et al. 1997; Event: samplingProtocol: beating shrubs; year: 2023; month: 8; day: 15

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Xiaoqi Mi et al.; individualID: TRU- Araneidae - 320–321; individualCount: 2; sex: females; occurrenceID: D9B009DB-2D17-5DB0-9F72-8E3759781A13; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Xizang Autonomous Region; county: Medog; locality: Beibeng Townsip, Xigong resettlement areas ; verbatimElevation: ca 1130 m; verbatimLatitude: 29 ° 14.57 ′ N; verbatimLongitude: 95 ° 14.82 ′ E; Identification: identifiedBy: Xiaoqi Mi; identificationReferences: Levi 1983; Yin et al. 1997; Event: samplingProtocol: hand collceting; year: 2023; month: 8; day: 15

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Xiaoqi Mi et al.; individualID: TRU- Araneidae - 322; individualCount: 1; sex: male; occurrenceID: AD3090C1-C4B3-543D-95D6-18625B591C02; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Xizang Autonomous Region; county: Medog; locality: Beibeng Townsip, Xigong resettlement areas ; verbatimElevation: ca 1560 m; verbatimLatitude: 29 ° 12.36 ′ N; verbatimLongitude: 95 ° 19.07 ′ E; Identification: identifiedBy: Xiaoqi Mi; identificationReferences: Levi 1983; Yin et al. 1997; Event: samplingProtocol: beating shrubs; year: 2023; month: 8; day: 17

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Xiaoqi Mi et al.; individualID: TRU- Araneidae - 323; individualCount: 1; sex: male; occurrenceID: 00532F2D-CAB1-5E75-A237-6E165F0C6B6A; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Xizang Autonomous Region; county: Medog; locality: Dexing Township, Deguo Village ; verbatimElevation: ca 780 m; verbatimLatitude: 29 ° 23.81 ′ N; verbatimLongitude: 95 ° 22.35 ′ E; Identification: identifiedBy: Xiaoqi Mi; identificationReferences: Levi 1983; Yin et al. 1997; Event: samplingProtocol: beating shrubs; year: 2023; month: 8; day: 20

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Cheng Wang, Hong Yao; individualID: TRU- Araneidae - 324–325; individualCount: 2; sex: males; occurrenceID: 2E2D8B75-306B-5E26-87EC-8DDA08CF2018; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Xizang Autonomous Region; county: Medog; locality: Damu Township, along the G 219 road from Kabu Village to Damu Village ; verbatimElevation: ca 1380 m; verbatimLatitude: 29 ° 28.70 ′ N; verbatimLongitude: 95 ° 27.20 ′ E; Identification: identifiedBy: Xiaoqi Mi; identificationReferences: Levi 1983; Yin et al. 1997; Event: samplingProtocol: beating shrubs; year: 2023; month: 8; day: 19

Description

Male (TRU- Araneidae - 317). Total length 5.10. Carapace 2.80 long, 2.30 wide; abdomen 3.10 long, 2.10 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.15, ALE 0.10, PME 0.15, PLE 0.13, AME – AME 0.15, AME – ALE 0.10, PME – PME 0.25, PME – PLE 0.20. Legs: I 13.20 (3.80, 4.00, 3.90, 1.50), II 12.80 (3.80, 4.00, 3.70, 1.30), III 6.80 (2.20, 2.00, 1.70, 0.90), IV 10.60 (3.50, 3.10, 3.00, 1.00). Carapace (Fig. 4 D) acutely narrowed in cephalic region and rounded in thorax region, yellowish brown with dark brown radial markings. Fovea depressed. Chelicerae (Fig. 4 E, F) yellowish brown, with four promarginal and two retromarginal teeth. Endites and labium (Fig. 4 E) dark brown at base, pale at tip. Sternum (Fig. 4 E) heart-shaped, yellow with white patches medially. Legs (Fig. 4 G – J) yellow to dark brown, spiny. Abdomen (Fig. 4 D – F) oval, dorsum grayish brown with pale patches. Venter abdomen dark with a pair of white patches laterally. Spinnerets reddish brown.

Pedipalp (Fig. 5 A – E) patella with a long bristle; tibia swollen; paracymbium fingerlike; median apophysis bifurcated, dorsal ramus filamentous distally; conductor flat, slightly curled; embolus extended at middle part, ventral surface with two crests, distal end coiled.

Female (TRU- Araneidae - 318). Total length 30.10. Carapace 11.10 long, 9.00 wide; abdomen 20.20 long, 17.40 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.40, ALE 0.25, PME 0.35, PLE 0.35, AME – AME 0.40, AME – ALE 0.90, PME – PME 0.75, PME – PLE 1.50. Legs: I 51.60 (16.30, 15.80, 16.20, 3.30), II 50.70 (15.80, 15.90, 16.00, 3.00), III 31.20 (11.20, 9.40, 8.20, 2.40), IV 48.30 (17.20, 14.50, 14.10, 2.50). Carapace (Fig. 4 A) narrowed in cephalic region and rounded in thorax region, dark brown, covered with pale hairs. Fovea depressed. Chelicerae (Fig. 4 B, C) dark bown, with four promarginal and three retromarginal teeth. Endites (Fig. 4 B) dark at base, pale on the inner side. Labium (Fig. 4 B) pale with dark brown lateral edges. Sternum (Fig. 4 B) heart-shaped, dark brown laterally, with a longitudinal white constricted band. Legs dark brown without annuli. Abdomen (Fig. 4 A – C) pentagonal, truncated broadly in front and slightly pointed posteriorly, dorsal yellowish brown with three whitish transverse bands. Venter abdomen grayish-brown with a pair of white longitudinal bands laterally and three pairs of white spots in the middle. Spinnerets reddish brown.

Epigyne (Fig. 6 A – E) wider than long, rimmed anteriorly and laterally, with a wide septum; posterior plate with parallel edges, almost 1 / 3 the epigynal width; copulatory openings located on each side of the posterior plate in posterior view; copulatory ducts about equal length to the spermathecae; spermathecae reniform, separated, anterior end directed downward.

Diagnosis

The male of this species resembles A. pulchella Thorell, 1881 and A. versicolor (Doleschall, 1859) in general shape of the pedipalp, but differs in: 1) ventral surface of middle embolus with two crests (Fig. 5 D) versus lacking in A. pulchella ( Levi 1983: fig. 248) and A. pulchella ( Levi 1983: fig. 259); 2) embolus lacking a pendant (Fig. 5 A) versus with a pendant in A. pulchella ( Levi 1983: fig. 248) and A. pulchella ( Levi 1983: fig. 259); 3) tip of embolus coiled (Fig. 5 A – D) versus curved in A. pulchella ( Levi 1983: fig. 249) and A. pulchella ( Levi 1983: fig. 260); and 4) median apophysis spur filamentous (Fig. 5 A, B, E) versus thorn-shaped in A. pulchella ( Levi 1983: fig. 249) and A. pulchella ( Levi 1983: fig. 260). The female of this species closely resembles A. amoena L. Koch, 1878 in appearance, but differs in: 1) median septum wider in anterior than posterior (Fig. 6 B) versus about equal width in A. amoena ( Yin et al. 1997: fig. 6 c); 2) median septum not constricted (Fig. 6 A, B) versus constricted in middle part in A. amoena ( Yin et al. 1997: fig. 6 c); and 3) dorsal abdomen lacking white spots (Fig. 4 A) versus middle transverse band with five white spots presented in A. amoena ( Yin et al. 1997: fig. 6 a).

Distribution

China - Xizang, Yunnan (Fig. 7 ), India, Myanmar.

Notes

Female TRU- Araneidae - 318 and male TRU- Araneidae - 317 were collected in the same web, and matching of male and female was also justified by DNA barcoding.

Figures

Figure 4. Argiope caesarea Thorell, 1897 A – C female TRU- Araneidae - 318, D – K male TRU- Araneidae - 317. A, D habitus, dorsal view; B, E ibid., ventral view; C, F ibid., lateral view; G leg I, prolateral view; H leg II, prolateral view; I leg III, prolateral view; J leg IV, prolateral view. Scale bars: 5.0 mm (A – F); 1.0 mm (G – J).

Figure 5. Argiope caesarea Thorell, 1897 male TRU- Araneidae - 317. A pedipalp, prolateral view B ibid., retrolateral view C ibid., ventral view D ibid., apical view E median apophysis. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figure 6. Argiope caesarea Thorell, 1897 female TRU- Araneidae - 318. A epigyne, ventral view B ibid., posterior view C ibid., lateral view D vulva, dorsal view E ibid., lateral view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figure 7. Distributional records of Argiope species.