Hippasa lingxianensis Yin & Wang, 1980 (Revalidation)

Figures 1, 5 A–D, 6A–G, 9

Hippasa lingxianensis Yin & Wang 1980: 57, figs C, C1–C4 (♀♂); Hu 1984: 220, figs 229.1–5 (♀♂); Yin et al. 1997: 15, figs 5a–f (♀♂); Yin et al. 2012: 768.

Hippasa pantherina: Wang et al. 1985: 67, figs V.1–3 (♀♂); Yu & Song 1988: 119. (Misidentification) Hippasa babai Tanikawa 2007: 91, figs 1 – 6 (♀♂); Tanaka 2009: 229, figs 42 – 43 (♀♂). (New synonym)

Diagnosis. The species is similar to H. holmerae Thorell, 1895 (figs 3A–D, 4C–G), but differs from the latter by the narrow conductor, the finger-like posterior arm of the MA (PA) (figs 5A–B, 6D–E) and the saddle-shaped scape of the epigyne (figs 5C–D, 6F–G).

Redescription. Male (Figs 6 A, 6C). Total length 5.86. Prosoma 3.11 long, 2.18 wide; opisthosoma 2.79 long, 1.41 wide. Dorsum of prosoma yellow brown. Eye region black. Fovea longitudinal. Cervical groove indistinct. Radial furrows distinct. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.14, ALE 0.12, PME 0.20, PLE 0.18; AME–AME 0.07, AME–ALE 0.12, PME–PME 0.20, PME–PLE 0.22. Clypeus height 0.17. Chelicerae elongate, yellow brown, with three promarginal and three retromarginal teeth. Labium yellow brown, Length equal to the width. Endites yellow brown, longer than wide. Sternum yellow brown and scutellate, median band black, with sparse brown hairs. Legs yellow brown, with black pigmentation. Leg measurements: I 10.53 (2.65, 3.40, 2.69, 1.79); II 10.28 (2.68, 3.18, 2.62, 1.80); III 9.96 (2.56, 3.16, 2.71, 1.53); IV 13.69 (3.22, 3.97, 4.30, 2.20). Leg formula: 4123. Opisthosoma long oval. Dorsum yellow brown, with diamond cardiac mark in anterior half, and with five bright chevron-like markings and black irregular markings in posterior half part. Venter of opisthosoma yellow. Spinnerets black brown, posterior lateral spinneret longer than anterior lateral spinneret.

Male pedipalp (Figs 5 A–B, 6D–E). Subtegulum located on baso-prolateral side of the bulb. Terminal apophysis hook-like. Embolus thin and long. Conductor membranous and relatively small. Median apophysis with two arms, the hook-like AA and the peak-like RA.

Female (Fig. 6 B) total length 8.49. Prosoma 3.99 long, 2.84 wide; opisthosoma 4.55 long, 2.01 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.14, ALE 0.19, PME 0.31, PLE 0.29; AME–AME 0.10, AME–ALE 0.14, PME–PME 0.23, PME–PLE 0.30. Clypeus height 0.23. Leg measurements: I 11.48 (3.13, 3.74, 2.67, 1.94); II 11.19 (3.08, 3.62, 2.56, 1.93); III 10.97 (2.88, 3.58, 2.80, 1.71); IV 14.85 (3.77, 4.62, 4.37, 2.09). Leg formula: 4123.

Epigyne (Figs 5 C–D, 6F–G). Scapus saddle-shaped, with bushy white setae. Head of spermatheca spherical. Stalk of spermatheca simple and short. Fertilization ducts crescent-shaped.

Material examined. China, Chongqing: 6 males and 4 females, Jinyun Mountain Natural Reserve, Guankou Administrative Station, 29°42.16′ N, 106°17.43′ E, Alt. 517m, 24 October 2011, D. Wang, L.Y. Wang & M.X. Liu leg. (SWUC).

Distribution. China (Hunan, Guizhou, Chongqing) (Fig. 9), Japan (Fig. 1).

Remarks. Wang et al. (1985) recorded and redescribed a species that they identified as H. pantherina in China for the first time. However, their figures are different from those of Tikader & Malhotra (1980: 277, figs 72–76), who synonymized H. pantherina with H. greenalliae on the basis of type material. This is clearly a misidentification. Yu & Song (1988) were aware that “ H. pantherina ” of Wang et al. (1985) and H. lingxianensis of Yin & Wang (1980) were the same species. However, they did not note the misidentification by Wang et al. (1985), therefore they incorrectly synonymized H. lingxianensis with “ H. pantherina ”. Based on the material from Japan, Tanikawa (2007) described a new species as H. babai, without comparison with Chinese material or figures of “ H. pantherina ” or H. lingxianensis . Although we have not been able to examine the types of Hippasa pantherina and Hippasa babai, we have made detailed comparisons of the figures of Yin & Wang (1980), Wang et al. (1985) and Tanikawa (2007), and we conclude that they are all the same species, different from H. greenalliae of India. Therefore, the specific name, H. lingxianensis Yin & Wang, 1980 should be revalidated and H. babai Tanikawa, 2007 should be a junior synonym of it.