Synaphosus lijun, Lin & Li, 2023

Lin, YeJie & Li, Shuqiang, 2023, On nine ground spiders from Xishuangbanna, China (Araneae, Gnaphosidae), including two new genera and seven new species, ZooKeys 1174, pp. 141-174 : 141

Synaphosus lijun sp. nov.

Figs 18A-C , 19A, B , 20C, D

Type material.

Holotype: ♂ (IZCAS-Ar44471), China, Yunnan: Mengla County: Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve, Xiaolongha biodiversity preservation corridor, 21.9129°N, 101.2674°E, ca 556 m, 5-12.X.2006, Paramichelia baillonii plantation, Guo Zheng leg. Paratypes: 7♂8♀ (IZCAS-Ar44472-Ar44486), same data as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Male of the new species can be distinguished from all other congeners by the embolus originating at 9 o’clock position (Fig. 18B ) (vs at 5-6 o’clock position). Females resemble those of S. dubius Marusik & Omelko, 2018 by the long, stick-like and inflexible scape (Fig. 19B ), but can be distinguished from S. dubius by the presence of epigynal fold (Fig. 19A ) [vs absent in S. dubius (see Marusik and Omelko 2018: fig. 46)], copulatory ducts separated (Fig. 19B ) [vs copulatory ducts touching in S. dubius (see Marusik and Omelko 2018: fig. 48)] and spermathecae with ten turns (Fig. 19B ) [vs six turns in S. dubius (see Marusik and Omelko 2018: fig. 48)].

Description.

Male holotype (Fig. 20C ). Total length 2.56; carapace 1.19 long, 0.94 wide, opisthosoma 1.36 long, 0.84 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.05, PME 0.05, PLE 0.04, AME-AME 0.01, AME-ALE 0, PME-PME 0.01, PME-PLE 0.04, AME-PME 0.02, ALE-PLE 0.01. Anterior eye row almost straight, posterior eye row recurved. Chelicerae with three promarginal and one retromarginal teeth. Leg measurements: I 3.56 (0.98, 1.40, 0.63, 0.55), II 2.61 (0.74, 0.96, 0.48, 0.43), III 2.16 (0.61, 0.67, 0.47, 0.41), IV 3.16 (0.86, 1.03, 0.73, 0.54). Opisthosoma oval, venter dark brown, dorsal scutum almost 1/2 the length of the opisthosoma. Spinnerets pale yellow.

Palp (Fig. 18A-C ). Tibia almost as long as patella. Retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) as long as tibia, tip with three outgrowths. Cymbium almost as long as wide. Subtegulum (ST) unobvious. Tegulum oval. Conductor (C) helically twisted, straight, basal with an apophysis, triangle shaped, tip of conductor directed prolaterally at 9 o’clock position. Embolus (E) whip-like, start at ca 9 o’clock position, basal part of embolus with serration and an embolic apophysis (EA), embolus terminates at 8:30 o’clock position.

Female paratype (IZCAS-Ar44472) (Fig. 20D ). Total length 2.36; carapace 1.12 long, 0.83 wide, opisthosoma 1.13 long, 0.77 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.03, ALE 0.04, PME 0.04, PLE 0.04, AME-AME 0.03, AME-ALE 0.04, PME-PME 0.02, PME-PLE 0.01, AME-PME 0.02, ALE-PLE 0.01. Chelicerae as in male. Leg measurements: I 2.76 (0.81, 1.06, 0.45, 0.44), II 2.20 (0.64, 0.83, 0.35, 0.38), III 1.97 (0.55, 0.62, 0.40, 0.40), IV 2.75 (0.71, 0.95, 0.63, 0.46). Opisthosoma oval, venter yellow-brown, dorsal scutum absent. Spinnerets pale yellow.

Epigyne (Fig. 19A, B ). Epigynal plate ~ 2 × longer than wide, fovea absent, with long, thin inflexible scape (SC), bearing small dorsal pit at the tip, length/width = 10/1. Copulatory openings (CO) almost oval, located in anterior part, separated by ~ 2 × width. Copulatory ducts (CD) spaced by diameter anteriorly, adjoining near anterior margin of copulatory opening, and turning to tubular spermatheca (S) with ten loops. Fertilization ducts (FD) directed at 5 o’clock position from spermathecae.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality.

Etymology.

The species is named after Li Jun, one of the 108 outlaws in the classical Chinese novel 'Outlaws of the Marsh’; noun in apposition.

Figures

Figure 18. Synaphosus lijun sp. nov., holotype male A prolateral view B ventral view C retrolateral view. Abbreviations: C = conductor, E = embolus, EA = embolic apophysis, RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis. Red arrows show the outgrowths on the retrolateral tibial apophysis.

Figure 19. Synaphosus lijun sp. nov., paratype female A epigyne, ventral view B vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD = copulatory duct, CO = copulatory opening, EF = epigynal fold, FD = fertilization duct, SC = scape, S = spermatheca.

Figure 20. Synaphosus leiheng sp. nov. (A, B) and S. lijun sp. nov., habitus (C, D), dorsal view A male holotype B female paratype C male holotype D female paratype.