Agroeca lata, Mu & Jin & Zhang, 2019

Mu, Yannan, Jin, Chi & Zhang, Feng, 2019, A survey of Agroeca Westring, 1861 from China (Araneae: Liocranidae), Zootaxa 4615 (1), pp. 91-112 : 92-94

Agroeca lata sp. n.

Figs 3–5

Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA: Yunnan Province, Baoshan City, Tengchong County, Gaoligong Mountains National Nature Reserve (25°17.238′N, 98°42.174′E), 2275 m a.s.l., 17 Oct 2015, leg. Tian Lu. Paratype: 1♀, same data as the holotype .

Etymology. The specific name is a Latin adjective meaning “wide”. It refers to the wide embolus.

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to Agroeca mainlingensis sp. n., but the male can be distinguished by the unique shape of the tegulum and the hammer-like median apophysis ( Fig. 5A ); the female can be distinguished by: 1) the presence of two small hoods on the anterior septum (vs two large hoods); 2) the lateral copulatory openings (vs slanting obliquely upward); and 3) the differently folded copulatory ducts.

Description. Male. Holotype ( Figs 3 A–D) total length 3.22. Carapace 1.57 long, 1.25 wide; abdomen 1.65 long, 1.14 wide. Carapace yellow-brown, lighter medially than laterally, margin dark; fovea dark reddish-brown; radial groove distinct, cervical groove indistinct. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.10, PLE 0.10, PME 0.09, AME 0.05, AME–AME 0.03, AME–ALE 0.03, PME–PME 0.07, PME–PLE 0.04. MOA 0.18 long, 0.25 posterior wide, 0.12 anterior wide. Sternum grey, longer than wide. Legs fuscous; tibia I with 3 pairs of ventral spines (additional one ventral spine at apex), tibia II with one prolateral ventral spine, three retrolateral ventral spines. Metatarsus I with two prolateral spines and three retrolateral spines. Metatarsus II with two retrolateral spines and three prolateral spines. Measurements of legs: leg I 4.50 (1.26+0.60+1.05+0.88+0.71), leg II 4.07 (1.15+0.60+0.88+0.82+0.62), leg III 3.81 (1.00+0.52+0.77+0.90+0.62), leg IV 5.53 (1.47+0.58+1.20+1.46+0.82).

Palp ( Figs 3 E–G, 5A–B) brown, bulb semielliptic. RTA short and thick, distally blackish; embolus sheet-shaped, curved downwards; conductor membranous, behind embolus; median apophysis hammer-like in ventral view. Subtegulum wide, tegulum wide, sperm duct faint, U-shaped.

Female: Paratype ( Figs 4 A–D) total length 3.77, carapace 1.70 long, 1.39 wide; abdomen 2.07 long, 1.46 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.10, PLE 0.11, PME 0.10, AME 0.05, AME–AME 0.03, AME–ALE 0.03; PME–PME 0.08, PME–PLE 0.06. MOA 0.19 long, 0.27 posterior wide, 0.14 anterior wide. Chelicerae as in male. Tibia I and II with three pairs of ventral spines. Measurements of legs: leg I 4.38 (1.25+0.64+1.06+0.83+0.60), leg II 4.09 (1.16+0.63+0.93+0.81+0.56), leg III 4.03 (1.10+0.57+0.78+0.95+0.63), leg IV 5.68 (1.50+0.67+1.22+1.48 +0.81). Other characters same as male.

Epigyne ( Figs 4 E–F, 5C–D) wider than long; septum narrow; copulatory openings small, laterally located; copulatory ducts short, simply folded; epigynal plate with two small anterior hoods; spermathecae oval, adjacent to each other; fertilization ducts short.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 17 ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Agroeca lata sp. n. male: A habitus, dorsal view; B same, ventral view; C cephalothorax, ventral view; D cephalothorax, frontal view; E male left palp, prolateral view; F same, ventral view; G same, retrolateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A–B); 0.2 mm (C–G).

FIGURE 4. Agroeca lata sp. n. female: A habitus, dorsal view; B same, ventral view; C cephalothorax, ventral view; D cephalothorax, frontal view; E epigyne, ventral view; F same, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A–B); 0.2 mm (C–F).

FIGURE 5. Agroeca lata sp. n.: A male left palp, ventral view; B same, retrolateral view; C epigyne, ventral view; D epigyne, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.25 mm (A–D). Abbreviations: C, conductor; CD, copulatory duct; CO, copulatory opening; E, embolus; FD, fertilization duct; H, hood; MA, median apophysis; RTA, retrolateral tibial apophysis; S, spermatheca; SD, sperm duct; T, tegulum.

FIGURE 17. Distribution in China of the Agroeca species treated in this paper.