Ptocasius geminus, Yang & Peng, 2023

Yang, Su-Fang & Peng, Xian-Jin, 2023, A review of the Ptocasius Simon, 1885 spiders of Gaoligong Mountains, China (Araneae: Salticidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 903 (1), pp. 1-61 : 22-26

Ptocasius geminus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:33D1E30D-1B0C-4A6B-8DF1-45B602413528

Figs 15–17 , 44

Diagnosis

The male of the new species resembles that of P. falcatus ( Zhu et al., 2005) ( Zhu et al. 2005: fig. 13d–e) in having a similar morphology of the male palp, but can be distinguished by: (1) genital bulb distinctly longer than wide in ventral view ( Figs 15B , 17A ), while almost as long as wide in P. falcatus ( Zhu et al. 2005: fig. 13d); (2) genital lobe thumb-shaped in ventral view ( Figs 15B , 17A ), while somewhat rectangular in P. falcatus ( Zhu et al. 2005: fig. 13d); (3) tibial apophysis knife-shaped in retrolateral view ( Figs 15C , 17B ), while finger-shaped in P. falcatus ( Zhu et al. 2005: fig. 13e). The female of the new species resembles that of P. falcatus ( Zhu et al. 2005: fig. 13a–c) in having a similar morphology of the epigynum, but can be distinguished by: (1) top of pockets below posterior margin of copulatory openings in ventral view ( Figs 16B , 17D ), while anterior margin present between copulatory openings in P. falcatus ( Zhu et al. 2005: fig. 13b); (2) posterior margin of pockets two times as wide as long in ventral view ( Figs 16B , 17D ), while as long as wide in P. falcatus ( Zhu et al. 2005: fig. 13b).

Etymology

The specific name is derived from the Latin adjective ‘ geminus ’ (‘twin-born’), referring to the form of epigynum pockets.

Type material

Holotype

CHINA • ♂; Yunnan Province, Nujiang Prefecture, Gongshan County, Danzhu , 15.7–16.0 km Southwest of Gongshan ; 27°37′37″ N, 98°35′31″ E to 27°37′19″ N, 98°35′14″ E; 2800–3425 m a.s.l.; 2 Jul. 2000; Heng-mei Yan, David Kavanaugh, Charles Griswold, Hong-bin Liang, Darrell Ubick and Da-zhi Dong leg.; HNU-00–GDS–2A.

Paratypes (14 ♁♁, 18 ♀♀)

CHINA – Yunnan Province • 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; HNU-00–GDS–2P • 10 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀; Nujiang Prefecture, Nujiang State Nature Reserve, No. 12 bridge Camp area , 16.3 km West of Gongshan; 27°42′54″ N, 98°30′08″ E; 2775 m a.s.l.; 15–17 Jul. 2000; Heng-mei Yan, David Kavanaugh, Charles Griswold, Hong-bin Liang, Darrell Ubick and Da-zhi Dong leg.; HNU-Yan000715 • 1 ♂; Nujiang Prefecture, Gongshan County, Nujiang State Nature Reserve , Qiqi , 9.9 km West of Gongshan; 27°42′55″ N, 98°33′55″ E; 2000 m a.s.l.; 9–14 Jul. 2000; Heng-mei Yan, David Kavanaugh, Charles Griswold, Hong-bin Liang, Darrell Ubick and Da-zhi Dong leg.; HNU-00–QF–5 • 3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; Nujiang Prefecture, Gongshan County, Danzhu , 13.5 km Southwest of Gongshan; 27°37′50″ N, 98°37′14″ E; 2700 m a.s.l.; 30 Jun.–5 Jul. 2000; David Kavanaugh, Charles Griswold, Hong-bin Liang, Darrell Ubick, Heng-mei Yan and Da-zhi Dong leg.; HNU-Yan000730 .

Description

Male (holotype)

BODY AND HEAD. Total length 4.60. Prosoma 1.80 long, 1.40 wide. Opisthosoma 2.80 long, 1.30 wide. Clypeus height 0.10. Carapace ( Fig. 15A ) dark brown, carapace margin and eyes base black, anterior and lateral margins black; anterior and lateral margins of ocular area black with dense white hairs; PLE followed by two small slightly colored circles. Fovea thin, reddish brown, radial groove black, line-shaped. Eye diameter and interdistances: AME 0.40, ALE 0.20, PLE 0.20, AERW 1.20, PERW 1.10, EL 0.80. Sternum inverse pear-shaped, highly bulged, densely covered with fine brown hairs; yellowish brown, margin black. Clypeus dark brown, sparsely covered with long brown hairs; promargin black, sides light brown. Endites and labium brown, distal area covered with light grayish black hairs.

CHELICERAE ( Fig. 17C ). Brown, anterolateral area black, two large promarginal teeth and one small retromarginal denticle.

LEGS. Light brown to brown, with black markings or annuli; spines short. Tibiae I and II with three pairs of long ventral spines, metatarsi I and II with two pairs of ventral spines.

LEG MEASUREMENTS. I = 3.30 (1.00, 1.30, 0.50, 0.50), II = 2.95 (0.95, 1.10, 0.45, 0.45), III = 3.35 (1.00, 1.10, 0.70, 0.50), IV = 3.70 (1.20, 1.20, 0.80, 0.50). Leg formula: IV–III–I–II.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 15A ). Oval, dorsum anterior margin black; cardiac marking bar-shaped, grayish black, with two pairs of sigillae; the posterior median with two large black herring bones; sides with some irregular black twills, ventral light yellow, the median area with small black spots, sides with many black twills; the posterior area with a big black marking. Spinnerets dark brown.

PALP ( Figs 15B–C , 17A–B ). Longer than wide; embolus originates at about 8:00 o’clock position; genital bulb with a membranous structure; genital lobe thumb-shaped in ventral view; tibial apophysis knife-shaped.

Female (paratypes)

BODY AND HEAD. Total length 5.60. Prosoma 2.10 long, 1.60 wide. Opisthosoma 3.50 long, 2.40 wide. Eye diameter and interdistances: AME 0.40, ALE 0.25, PLE 0.25, AER 1.35, PER 1.30, EFL 0.90. Tibiae I and II with three pairs of long ventral spines, metatarsi I and II with two pairs of long ventral spines.

LEG MEASUREMENTS. I = 3.40 (1.10, 1.30, 0.50, 0.50), II = 3.10 (1.00, 1.20, 0.50, 0.40), III = 3.80 (1.20, 1.30, 0.70, 0.60), IV = 4.50 (1.40, 1.50, 1.00, 0.50). Leg formula: IV–III–I–II.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 16A ). Mid-ventrally with a grayish black longitudinal band. Markings and other morphological features the same as in male.

EPIGYNUM ( Figs 16B–C , 17D–E ). Almost as long as wide; the pockets almost touching, present below the copulatory openings; copulatory openings almost transverse; copulatory ducts cylindrical; spermathecae spiral, close to each other.

Distribution

China (Yunnan Province, Fig. 44 ).

Figures

Fig. 15. Ptocasius geminus sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (HNU-00–GDS–2A). A. Body, dorsal view. B. Palp, ventral view. C. Palp, retrolateral view. Scale bars: A = 0.5 mm; B–C = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 16.Ptocasius geminussp. nov.,paratype, ♀(HNU-00–GDS–2P). A. Body, dorsal view.B. Epigynum, ventral view. C. Vulva, dorsal view. Scale bars: A = 0.5 mm; B–C = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 17. Ptocasius geminus sp. nov. A–C. Holotype, ♂ (HNU-00–GDS–2A). D–E. Paratype, ♀ (HNU-00–GDS–2P). A. Palp, ventral view. B. Palp, retrolateral view. C. Chelicerae, posterior view. D. Epigynum, ventral view. E. Vulva, dorsal view. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 44. Distribution records of the species: P. geminus sp. nov. (▲), P. jietouensis sp. nov. (•) and P. tengchongensis sp. nov. (▇).