Murricia caishen, Lin & Li, 2022

Lin, Yejie & Li, Shuqiang, 2022, Taxonomic notes on seven species of the family Hersiliidae (Arachnida: Araneae) from China and the Philippines, Zoological Systematics 47 (2), pp. 132-145 : 144-145

Murricia caishen sp. nov. ( Figs 1F , 8–9 )

Type material. Holotype ♀ (IZCAS-Ar42723), China, Hainan, Wuzhishan City, Wuzhishan Nature Reserve , 18.9070°N, 109.6792°E, elev. ca 744 m, 8.VIII.2007, Shuqiang Li leg.

Diagnosis. The female of the new species resembles all Murricia species by the central part of the copulatory duct expanded, the primary spermathecae slender, with complex folding ( Figs 8A–B ), and the secondary spermathecae with multiple branches with spherical end.

Description. Female holotype ( Figs 1F , 8 ). Total length 5.76. Carapace 2.41 long, 3.12 wide. Clypeus height 0.27, brown anteriorly. Chelicerae yellow-brown, terminus dark brown, with five retromarginal denticles. Eye area dark brown around PME and PLE; eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.19, ALE 0.04, PME 0.11, PLE 0.10, AME–AME 0.06, AME–ALE 0.13, PME–PME 0.13, PME–PLE 0.12, AME–PME 0.05, ALE–PLE 0.09. Legs yellow-brown, with black stripe. Leg measurements: leg I: 13.28 (3.76 + 3.82 + 3.06 +2.03 + 0.61), leg II: 14.42 (4.04 + 4.36 + 3.33 + 2.14 + 0.55), leg III: 5.00 (1.57 + 1.62 + 1.14 + 0.67), leg IV: 12.47 (3.59 + 3.43 + 3.07 + 1.79 + 0.59). Leg formula: 2143. Abdomen 3.12 long, 4.29 wide, yellow-brown, middle with a black horizontal stripe; laterally black.

Epigyne ( Fig. 8 ). Epigynal field triangular. Median septum absent. Copulatory openings located posteriorly, conspicuous, separated. Copulatory ducts long and slender. Two pairs of spermathecae; primary spermathecae slender, complexly coiled, secondary spermathecae short; spermathecal ducts short. Fertilization ducts paddle-shaped.

Etymology. The species is named after Caishen, the god of prosperity and profit in Chinese culture; noun.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality.

Funding The study was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (31972869).

Acknowledgements The English was checked by Sarah Crews. Guo Tang, Guo Zheng, Qingyuan Zhao, Zhigang Chen, Jianglang Wu, Francesco Ballarin and Yunchun Li helped in field collections. Wenhui Zhu helped checking paratypes of Hersilia yunnanensis .

Figures

Figure 1. Habitus of four new Hersiliidae species, dorsal view. A–B. Hersilia aoqin sp. nov., male holotype and female paratype; C–D. H. sagada sp. nov., male holotype and female paratype; E. H. long sp. nov., female holotype; F. Murricia caishen sp. nov., female holotype. Scale bars=2.0mm.

Figure 8. Murricia caishen sp. nov., female holotype. A. Epigyne; B. Vulva, dorsal view. Green: primary spermathecae; blue: secondary spermathecae; red: copulatory duct and copulatory opening; black: merged spermathecal duct. Scale bars=0.1mm.

Figure 9. New records and new species of hersiliids species in China and the Philippines.