Micythus torquentus, Cui, 2023

Cui, Bohan, 2023, A new species of genus Micythus Thorell, 1897 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Hainan, China, Zootaxa 5301 (3), pp. 397-400 : 397-398

Micythus torquentus sp.nov.

Type material: Holotype male, Chengmai , Hainan Province, China, April 2020, leg. Xinghui Chen.

Paratype: 1m, Chengmai , Hainan Province, China, April 2020, leg. Xinghui Chen ; 2f, Chengmai , Hainan Province, China, March 5 th, 2022, leg. Xinghui Chen.

Etymology. The species is named according to its twisted RTA.

Diagnosis. This new species is similar to M. pictus ( Thorell,1897) , but male can be distinguished from the warp on RTA, and the shape of the conductor. RTA of the new species is rectangular and a bit bifurcated at the end in retrolateral view, but cuneate in M.pictus ; RTA is obviously twisted in ventral view. Tibiae I, II only spined on the ventral side.

Female of the new species is a bit similar to M. rangunensis (Thorell, 1895) , but they can be distinguished from the shape of the spermathecae. Spermathecae in M. rangunensis is sausage-like ( Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001), but in the new species it becomes obviously constricted in the middle.

Description ( Figures 1–2 ). Male holotype ( Figure 1A , Figure 2 ) total length 5.19. Carapace orange, length 2.36, width 1.80, length/width 1.31; Thoracic groove brown; radial groove dark grey, forked; fovea deep, longitudinal, black line shaped. AME-AME=0.04, AME-ALE=0.03, PME-PME=0.08, PME-PLE=0.04. AER strongly procurved. PER nealry straight, white. Chelicerae anteriorly with long setae, promargin with three teeth, retromargin with a small tooth. Labium tongue-shaped, longer than wide, brown, the upper end less colored with macrosetae. Endites light brown, longer than wide, anterior edge white, hollow in the middle. Sternum orange, oval, with small setae and coxa apophysis. Legs the same color with the carapace. Leg III with a shallow notch on trochanter, trochanter IV with a deep notch. Leg spination pattern (following Song et al., 2004): femora: I, II d1-1-1, p0-1-1; III d1-1-1, p0-1-1, r0-1-1; IV d1-1-1, r0-0-1; patellae: none; tibiae: I, II v0-1-1; III p2-1-1, r0-1-1, v2-2-2;IV p1-0-1, r1-0-1, v2-2-2; metatarsi: I, II v2-0-0; III d0-2-0,p1-0-1, r1-0-1, v2-2-2; IV d0-2-2, p1-1-0, r0-1-1, v2-2-2. Leg formula: 4123. Metatarsus I, II and tarsus I, II with ventral scopula; tarsal claws thin.

Leg measurements:

Abdomen grey, length 2.25, width 1.47, length/width 1.53, with a small triangular dorsal scutum. Spinnerets long, light brown.

Male palp ( Figure 2 ): tibia short, as long as wide, with a tongue-shaped retrolateral apophysis in retrolateral view. RTA evidently curved, with furcating terminal end. Tegulum narrow; seminal duct U-shaped. Embolus short. Conductor thin and curved. Median apophysis unconspicuous.

Female ( Figures 1B–D ) total length 6.17. Carapace length 2.97, width 2.23, length/width 1.33. AME-AME 0.08, AME-ALE 0.02, PME-PME 0.13, PME-PLE 0.14. Abdomen length 3.12, width 2.09, length/width 1.49. Leg measurements: I 6.05 (1.84, 2.30, 1.12, 0.79); II 6.19 (1.87, 2.31, 1.19, 0.82); III 6.16 (1.81, 2.15, 1.36, 0.84); IV 8.01 (2.23, 2.81, 2.11, 0.86). Leg fomula: 4231. Appearance of cephalothorax as male.

Epigyne ( Figures 1C–D ) nearly U-shaped in ventral view. Spermathecae long, divided into two lobes, the ventral one larger. The second pair of spermathecal lobes thick-walled, bubble-shaped. Copulatory opening almost oval.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Micythus torquentus sp. nov. A. Holotype male habitus, dorsal view. B. Female habitus, dorsal view. C. Epigyne, ventral view. D. Epigyne, dorsal view. E. Scopula on metatarsus I and tarsus I. BS: bursae; SP: spermathecae.

FIGURE 2. F. Left male palp, prolateral view. G. Left male palp,ventral view. H. Left male palp, retrolateral view.