Artoria parvula Thorell, 1877

Li, Zongxu, Framenau, Volker W. & Zhang, Zhi-Sheng, 2012, First record of the wolf spider subfamily Artoriinae and the genus Artoria from China (Araneae: Lycosidae), Zootaxa 3235, pp. 35-44 : 36-40

Artoria parvula Thorell, 1877

( Figs 1–3 , 6 )

Artoria parvula Thorell, 1877: 531 ; Thorell, 1892: 185; Bonnet, 1955: 751; Roewer, 1955: 233; Chrysanthus, 1967: 423, figs 68–69; Platnick, 1998: 550; Framenau, 2002: 223 –224, figs 17A–D, 18; Framenau, 2005: 286, figs 11A–B, 12. (Male holotype from Kandari, Sulawesi, Indonesia, 3°58ˏS 122°35ˏE, 1874, O. Beccari leg., deposited in MSNG, not examined.) Artoria luwamata Barrion & Litsinger, 1995: 364 –365, fig. 213; Platnick, 1998: 550. Synonymy established in Framenau (2002).

Diagnosis. Artoria parvula is similar to A. palustris Dahl, 1908 ( Framenau 2002: 222, figs 15A–F), but can be distinguished by the apical branch of median apophysis with a small, semicircular protrusion ( Figs 1 F, 2A) rather than with a large triangular protrusion ( Framenau 2002: 222, fig. 15B) and by the epigyne with a wide posterior lip ( Fig. 2 D) rather than an ovate plate ( Framenau 2002: 222, figs 15E–F).

Redescription. Male (SWUC-Ar Ly1000-1) ( Figs 1 A, 1C, 3A–B). Total length 2.58. Prosoma 1.52 long, 1.02 wide; opisthosoma 1.06 long, 0.74 wide. Carapace brown, with light brown submarginal bands; eye region black, raised PLE in lateral view (as in female, Fig. 1 D), the head region flanks steep in frontal view ( Fig. 3 A); median band light yellow, wedge-shaped, radial pattern indistinct. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.05, ALE 0.04, PME 0.21, PLE 0.17; AME–AME 0.08, AME–ALE 0.05, PME–PME 0.31, PME–PLE 0.32. Clypeus height 0.12. Chelicerae with two promarginal and two retromarginal teeth. Labium light yellow, with dark base. Endites greyish-yellow. Sternum light yellow. Leg measurements: I 3.37 (0.91, 1.16, 0.82, 0.48); II 3.23 (0.90, 1.05, 0.81, 0.47); III 3.53 (1.00, 1.04, 0.98, 0.51); IV 5.21 (1.37, 1.64, 1.55, 0.65). Leg formula: 4312. Femora, patellae and distal half of tibiae of pedipalps and leg I with black pigmentation; femora with shiny surface induced by the oblique band; other legs uniformly light yellow. Opisthosoma yellowish, with lanceolate cardiac mark in anterior half, pair of irregular patterns laterally and yellowish chevron-like marking in posterior half ( Fig. 1 A). Venter of opisthosoma yellow, with small, yellow spinnerets.

Pedipalp ( Figs 1 E–G, 2A–C) with very narrow embolus tip; terminal apophysis functioning as conductor, with groove and pointed process situated distally ( Fig. 2 C); cymbium dorsally with dense cover of white setae. Median apophysis with narrow, folded stalk and inflated, somewhat bifurcated terminal part; one branch blunt and broad, the other folded ventrally.

Female (SWUC-Ar Ly1000-2) ( Figs 1 B, 1D, 3C–E). Total length 3.00. Prosoma 1.68 long, 1.14 wide; opisthosoma 1.33 long, 1.08 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.05, PME 0.21, PLE 0.17; AME– AME 0.07, AME–ALE 0.05, PME–PME 0.28, PME–PLE 0.34. Clypeus height 0.13. Leg measurements: I 3.51 (1.01, 1.24, 0.78, 0.48); II 3.38 (0.96, 1.18, 0.77, 0.47); III 3.31 (0.99, 1.01, 0.91, 0.40); IV 4.95 (1.38, 1.56, 1.44, 0.57). Leg formula: 4123. Coloration and pattern similar to that of male with the exception of black annulations on legs II–IV and indistinct submarginal bands of carapace ( Fig. 1 B).

Epigyne ( Figs 1 H–I, 2D–E) with simple atrium, copulatory openings small, on lateral margin of atrium; copulatory ducts indistinct; large pair of spermathecal organs present dorsally.

Variation. Female (male) range, mean ± SD. TL, 2.65–3.38, 3.02 ± 0.19; CL, 1.49–1.8, 1.65 ± 0.09; CW, 1.04–1.24, 1.15 ± 0.06; n=21 (TL, 2.35–3.48, 2.72 ± 0.25; CL, 1.5–1.79, 1.61 ± 0.08; CW, 1.03–1.2, 1.1 ± 0.06; n=15).

Material examined. 11 males and 21 females (SWUC-Ar Ly1000), China, Yunnan Province, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Mengla County, near Mannasang Bridge, 21°26′15.6″N, 101°33′26.2″E, alt. 632m, 26 May 2011, Z.X. Li & G.C. Zhou leg.; 4 males (SWUC-Ar Ly1001), China, Yunnan Province, Pu’er Prefecture, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, near Menglang Reservoir, 22°34′14.28″N, 99°56′6.24″E, alt. 1059m, 30 May 2011, Z.X. Li & G.C. Zhou leg.

Distribution. China (Yunnan) ( Fig. 6 ), Philippines, Indonesia, Australia ( Framenau 2002, 2005).

Biology. In China, this species was found in the moist soil crevices of banana plantations.

Remarks. The redescription of Artoria parvula is given based on Chinese individuals, in order to show its variation and for comparison with specimens from other localities outside of China.

Glistening setae are often found on the carapace and opisthosoma of some small web-building wolf spiders, for example in some genera of the subfamily Zoicinae (except Zoica Simon, 1898 and Lysania Thorell, 1890 ) and in most Venonia ( Framenau et al. 2009; Hippa & Lehtinen 1983; Yoo & Framenau 2006). In Artoria parvula ( Figs 3 A–B), a glistening cuticula on the leg femora is reported, the biological function of which is unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Artoria parvula Thorell, 1877 from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. A. Male habitus, dorsal view; B. Female habitus, dorsal view; C. Carapace, frontal view; D. Female carapace, lateral view; E. Apical part of bulb, ventral view; F. Male left pedipalp, ventral view; G. Same, retrolateral H. Epigyne, ventral view; I. Internal genitalia, dorsal view.

FIGURE 2. Artoria parvula Thorell, 1877 from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. A. Male left pedipalp, ventral view; B. Same, retrolateral view; C. Apical part of bulb, ventral view; D. Epigyne, ventral view; E. Internal genitalia, dorsal view. Arrow indicates pointed process. Abbreviations: A = atrium; BEA = basoembolic apophysis; E = embolus; FD = fertilization duct; MA = median apophysis; MAB = apical branch of median apophysis; SO = spermathecal organ; SP = spermatheca; TA = terminal apophysis.

FIGURE 3. Artoria parvula Thorell, 1877 from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. A – B. The shiny surface on the femur of male pedipalp; C – E. The shiny female legs at oblique angles.

FIGURE 6. Distribution records of A. parvula and A. ligulacea in Yunnan, China.