Sphingius hainan, Zhang, Feng, Fu, Jian-Ying & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009

Zhang, Feng, Fu, Jian-Ying & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, Spiders of the genus Sphingius (Araneae: Liocranidae) from China, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 2298, pp. 31-44 : 35

Sphingius hainan sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–8 )

Type material. Holotype male, CHINA: Hainan Province, Changjiang County, Mt. Bawangling [N 19.3°, E 109.1°], November 5, 2008, M. S. Zhu leg. ( MHBU) .

Diagnosis. The new species is very similar to Sphingius vivax (Thorell, 1897) (cf. Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001, 494, figs. 840–842) in carapace (both with many small granulations) and palpal organs, but can be easily distinguished from the latter by having a broader base of tibial apophysis; a distal anterior tubercle on the chelicerae; a membranous conductor arising apical, while S. vivax lacks conductor.

Etymology. The species name is a noun in apposition, derived from the type locality.

Description. Male (holotype). Total length 5.62: carapace 2.47 long, 2.02 wide; abdomen 3.15 long, 1.62 wide. Carapace ovoid in dorsal view, deep reddish brown, with numerous small granulations, lateral and posterior margins with angular granulations. Eyes in two transverse rows; AER slightly recurved, PER straight or slightly recurved in dorsal view and longer than AER ( Fig. 4 ). Eye diameters: AME 0.07, ALE 0.08, PME 0.08, PLE 0.07. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.10, AME–ALE 0.09, PME–PME 0.10, PME– PLE 0.11; MOA 0.19 long, front width 0.16, back width 0.21. Chelicerae with three promarginal and two retromarginal teeth, anterior side with a tubercle ( Fig. 3 ). Endites brown, longer than wide, constricted at middle on lateral margin, anterior edge with clear serrula and scopula ( Fig. 5 ). Labium slightly rectangular, anterior margin with a slight concavity centrally ( Fig. 5 ). Sternum light brown, shield-shaped, covered with sparse granulations, posterior margin slightly extending between coxae IV, lateral margin with precoxal triangles and intercoxal sclerites. Space above the coxae and below the carapace with longitudinal, sclerotized pleural bars. Legs brown, anterior tibiae and metatarsi spineless, tarsi I–III almost as long as metatarsi. Leg spination: femora I-II with one small dorsal spines, tibia III v2-2 -2, p0-1-1, r0-0-1; metatarsus III v2 -0-0; tibia IV v1-1 -1, p0-0-1, r0-0-1, metatarsus IV p0-1-0, v2-1 -0, r0-1-0. Leg formula: 4123 ( Table 1).

Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus Tarsus Total I 1.85 0.63 1.35 1.38 1.35 6.56 II 1.58 0.81 1.26 0.90 0.85 5.40 III 1.48 0.54 0.95 1.04 0.99 5.00 IV 1.90 0.72 1.62 1.94 1.30 7.48 Abdomen ( Fig. 1 ) ovoid, dark brown, light brown centrally; dorsal scutum covering nearly all, and dorsum with one pair of muscular impression on middle part. Venter of abdomen yellow brown ( Fig. 2 ), epigastric scutum tripartite (to some degree, at least in the color) divided into a central plate and two lateral plates, postgenital scutum relatively small, about two thirds of abdomen length, venter with two rows of longitudinal lines of spots.

Male palp ( Figs. 6–8 ) with short and broad retrolateral tibial apophysis, beak-shaped at distal end. Genital bulb longitudinally pear-shaped in ventral view ( Fig. 6 ), tegulum rounded at base; sperm duct a distinct, long loop encircling the tegulum, often originating from upper part of tegulum; subtegulum small, darker than tegulum, visible prolaterally ( Figs. 6–7 ); embolus filiform, thin and short, emerging from tegulum prolaterally, and reaching beyond tip of tegulum ( Fig. 6 ); conductor membranous, apical, behind the embolus; median apophysis slighty blocky, on distal-retrolateral sector of tegulum.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Presently known only from the type locality, Mt. Bawangling, China.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Sphingius hainan sp. nov. 1. Male body, dorsal view. 2. Male abdomen, ventral view. 3. Left chelicera of male, anterior view. 4. Eye region of male, dorsal view. 5. Endites, labium and sternum of male, ventral view. 6. Left male palp, ventral view. 7. Same, prolateral view. 8. Same, retrolateral view. c = conductor; e = embolus; es = epigastric scutum; is = intercoxal sclerites; ma = median apophysis; pt = precoxal triangles; sd = sperm duct; st = subtegulum; t = tegulum; vs = ventral scutum. Scale bars: 1 mm (1, 2, 4, 5); 0.3 mm (3); 0.4 mm (6 – 8).