Simaetha menglun, Wang & Li, 2020

Wang, Cheng & Li, Shuqiang, 2020, Seven new species of jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae) from Xishuangbanna, China, ZooKeys 968, pp. 43-69 : 43

Simaetha menglun sp. nov. Figs 11 , 12

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (IZCAS-Ar40623), China: Yunnan: Xishuangbanna, Mengla County, Menglun Town, Menglun Nature Reserve, Leprosy Village (21°53.62'N, 101°18.25'E, ca 520 m), 29.04.2019, Y. Tong et al. leg. Paratype 1♀ (IZCAS-Ar40624), same data as holotype.

Etymology.

The species name is derived from the name of the type locality; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

Simaetha menglun sp. nov. resembles S. pengi sp. nov. in the shape of the copulatory organs but can be easily distinguished by the shape of the habitus, the color pattern, and the cheliceral dentition. S. menglun sp. nov. resembles S. gongi Peng, Gong & Kim, 2000 by the general shape of the copulatory organs and the short palpal tibia but can be distinguished by the following: 1) the tip of the embolus is curved in ventral view vs straight in S. gongi ( Peng et al. 2000: fig. 14); 2) the epigynal hood is about one and a half times longer than wide vs almost two times wider than long in S. gongi ( Peng et al. 2000: fig. 11); 3) the chelicerae of the female have one bifurcated retromarginal tooth vs two retromarginal teeth in S. gongi ( Peng et al. 2000: fig. 10). The male of S. menglun sp. nov. also somewhat resembles S. deelemanae Zhang, Song & Li, 2003 in the shape of the palp, but can be easily distinguished by the palpal tibia which is wider than long rather than distinctly longer than wide in S. deelemanae ( Zhang et al. 2003: fig. 7C, D).

Description.

Male (Figs 11 , 12D, E, G, H ). Total length 2.49. Carapace 1.07 long, 1.01 wide. Abdomen 1.24 long, 0.88 wide. Clypeus 0.01 high. Eye sizes and inter-distances: AME 0.26, ALE 0.13, PLE 0.13, AERW 0.89, PERW 0.98, EFL 0.61. Legs: I 1.95 (0.68, 0.76, 0.29, 0.22), II 1.49 (0.49, 0.54, 0.24, 0.22), III 1.34 (0.44, 0.44, 0.24, 0.22), IV 1.79 (0.59, 0.61, 0.32, 0.27). Carapace nearly square, red-brown, with an irregular dark patch in the middle of the cephalic part, bearing dense, white setae on the cheeks, and dense, white and yellow setae dorsally. Clypeus dark. Fovea indistinct. Chelicerae red-brown, with two promarginal teeth and one retromarginal tooth bifurcated into two pointed tips. Endites and labium dark brown. Sternum colored as labium, covered with thin setae. Legs yellow to yellow-brown, with dark rings; legs I with dark, inflated tibia bearing dense setae ventrally. Abdomen elongated, dorsum with longitudinal, irregular, dark-brown stripe extending posteriorly from the anterior margin, followed by two chevrons, covered by dense, thin, white setae laterally; venter dark brown, with a pair of longitudinal white bands laterally.

Palp (Fig. 11A-E ): tibia wider than long, with white scales dorsally and a lamellar RTA that tapers to a pointed tip which is almost directed towards 1:30 o’clock in retrolateral view; cymbium hirsute, with a proximo-retrolateral triangular process near the RTA base; bulb round and flat; embolus originates from a plate-like base, superimposed on the surface of the bulb, apically curved towards the prolateral side.

Female (Fig. 12A-C, F, I ). Total length 3.01. Carapace 1.28 long, 1.09 wide. Abdomen 1.66 long, 1.23 wide. Clypeus 0.01 high. Eye sizes and inter-distances: AME 0.29, ALE 0.14, PLE 0.14, AERW 0.97, PERW 1.09, EFL 0.69. Legs: I 1.95 (0.66, 0.76, 0.29, 0.24), II 1.63 (0.51, 0.61, 0.27, 0.24), III 1.53 (0.49, 0.51, 0.29, 0.24), IV 2.03 (0.66, 0.76, 0.34, 0.27). Habitus similar to that of male except paler, and the chelicerae have three promarginal teeth.

Epigyne (Fig. 12A-C ): wider than long, with an anterior hood approximately 1.5 times longer than wide; copulatory openings slit-like, located medially; copulatory ducts short, connected to the anterior chambers of the spermathecae; spermathecae divided into two round chambers; fertilization ducts connected to the anterior part of the posterior chambers of the spermathecae, extending obliquely.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality in Yunnan, China.

Comments.

This species and Simaetha pengi sp. nov. are placed into this genus due to sharing a similar habitus and similar copulatory organs with S. gongi and S. deelemanae which occur in China and Singapore.

Figures

Figure 11. Male palp of the holotype of Simaetha menglun sp. nov. A prolateral B retrolateral C ventral D bulb, ventral E dorsal. Scale bars: 0.1.

Figure 12. Simaetha menglun sp. nov., female paratype and male holotype A, B epigyne, ventral C vulva, dorsal D holotype habitus, dorsal E holotype habitus, ventral F paratype habitus, dorsal G holotype carapace, frontal H holotype chelicerae, dorsal I paratype chelicerae, dorsal. Scale bars: 0.1 (A-C, H-I); 0.5 (D-G).