Mysmenella yinae, Lin, Yucheng & Li, Shuqiang, 2013

Lin, Yucheng & Li, Shuqiang, 2013, Five new minute orb-weaving spiders of the family Mysmenidae from China (Araneae), Zootaxa 3670 (4), pp. 449-481 : 470-476

Mysmenella yinae new species.

Figs 18–22 , 26

Type material: Holotype: male ( SCUM), the moss under the forest shrub in the side of Heishui River (33°33.966´N, 103°40.2432´E; altitude 2495 m), Dalu Town, Jiuzhaigou County, Sichuan, China, 28 June 2011, Y. Lin. Paratypes: 14 males and 65 females, same data as holotype ( SCUM); 6 males and 31 females, the forest shrub, at a fork in the road of Dalu Town and Zoige County (33°34.2366´N, 103°40.1658´E; altitude 2462 m), Dalu Town, Jiuzhaigou County, Sichuan, China, 28 June 2011, Y. Lin. ( SCUM).

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honor of Prof. Changmin Yin, a well-known arachnologist from Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China; noun.

Diagnosis. Male is similar to Mysmenella illectrix (Simon, 1895) (see Brignoli 1980: 731, figs 5–6), M. job ( Kraus 1967: 392, figs 19–20) and M. samoensis (Marples, 1955) (see Lopardo et al. 2011: 286, figs 8a, 9b) especially in the structure of the pedipalpi and the embolus. Female is close to M. gongi Yin, Peng & Bao, 2004 (see Lin & Li 2008: 510, figs 15F–H) and M. ogatai Ono, 2007 in the inner structure of the epigynum. This new species is differs from other in the genus by the intricate structure of embolic distal end ( Figs 19 D, 21D–E), the presence of an apical cymbial process ( Fig. 21 F) and the shape of conductor ( Fig. 21 C), and by the egg-shaped spermathecae, the course of copulatory ducts and the section start of fertilization ducts ( Figs 20 A–B, 22A–B).

Description. Male: Holotype ( Figs 18 A–C), total length 0.93. Prosoma 0.45 long, 0.50 wide, 0.43 high. Carapace of prosoma dark grey, with black margin, subround dorsally, trapeziform laterally. Thoracic pars smooth. Cephalic pars sharply elevated, nearly flat on top and forward sharply vertical down. Ocular area black, covered with few setae along the midline of carapace. Eight eyes in two rows. AER and PER distinctly procurved, AER as wide as PER; lateral eyes contiguous. AME black, others white. All eyes with dark brown rings. Clypeus 0.29 high, equal to 5.7 x AME diameter; ALE separated by about 4.2 x its diameter from anterolateral edge of carapace. Chelicerae pale brown, as long as endites. Endites with serrula. Labium pale yellow, fused to sternum. Sternum 0.30 long, 0.27 wide, heart-shaped, flat, pale brown, with a vertical stripe in midline. Legs yellow, proximally pale and distally darkish in each segment. Legs formula: I-II-IV-III. Leg measurements: I 1.49 (0.46, 0.19, 0.32, 0.23, 0.29); II 1.27 (0.39, 0.16, 0.27, 0.20, 0.25); III 0.96 (0.30, 0.13, 0.18, 0.14, 0.21); IV 1.21 (0.39, 0.14, 0.25, 0.19, 0.23). Leg I with a ventral sclerotized spot on femur subdistally, two prolateral large mating spines on tibia distally, a clasping spine near proximal 1/3 position of metatarsus prolaterally ( Fig. 21 G). Patellae I–IV with a dorsal spine distally. Tibiae I–IV with a dorsal spine proximally and 4 trichobothria. Opisthosoma 0.57 long, 0.55 wide, 0.64 high, round dorsally, black, with 3 pair of white spots dorsally, and white stripes laterally, abdominal cuticle rugose at lateral and rear. Spinnerets grey black, the anterior part larger in size and denser color than the posteriors.

Pedipalp large ( Figs 19 A–E; 21A–G). Femur without modification. Patella short. Tibia cup-shaped, covered with a row of long setae encircled the almost entire distal brim. Cymbium membranous, translucent, with a flattened paracymbium attaching to a cluster of long setae distally ( Figs 21 A, F). Cymbial process small, nearly at apical margin prolaterally. Bulb embedded in translucent cymbium. Subtegulum smooth, sclerotized. Conductor wide, sclerotized, with a large fingerlike apophysis apically and a short horn-shaped apophysis basally ( Figs 19 E, 21C). Embolus long, strongly sclerotized, integrated with the apical membranous cymbium after coiling into two loops under surrounding conductor. Embolic end twisted ( Figs 21 D–E). Spermatic duct long, coiled, visible through translucent subtegulum ( Figs 19 D, 21D).

Female: Total length 1.07 (one of paratypes) ( Figs 18 D–F). Prosoma 0.42 long, 0.39 wide, 0.20 high. Somatic characters same as in male, but cephalic pars distinctly low and flat. Ocular pattern as in male. Clypeus 0.10 high. Sternum 0.29 long, 0.27 wide. Legs formula: I-II-IV-III. Leg measurements: I 1.37 (0.45, 0.16, 0.29, 0.22, 0.25); II 1.22 (0.39+ 0.15, 0.25, 0.20, 0.23); III 0.96 (0.29, 0.13, 0.18, 0.16, 0.21); IV 1.18 (0.38, 0.13, 0.25, 0.20, 0.22). Femora I and II with a ventral sclerotized spot subdistally. The chaetotary and trichobothria on each leg as in male. Opisthosoma 0.71 long, 0.66 wide, 0.79 high. Abdominal characters same as in male.

Epigynum wide, cuticle rugose, covered with sparse setae, a small scape on mesial postmargin. Inter vulval structure can be indistinctly seen from translucent epigynal cuticle ( Figs 20 A, 22A). Spermathecae egg-shaped, strongly sclerotized, separated by about 2.7 x their width ( Fig. 22 B). Fertilization ducts short and slender, derived from inner side of spermathecae ventrally. Copulatory ducts arisen from inner side of spermathecae dorsally, forming a quadrate copulatory plate, and then inflected to “U”-shaped ducts. The distal copulatory ducts fused to rugose, transparent copulatory bursa ( Figs 22 A–B).

Variation. The total length ranges from 0.84 to 0.95 in males (n = 21) and from 0.80 to 1.29 in females (n = 96). Distribution. Known only from the type localities ( Fig. 26 ).

Figures

FIGURE 18. Mysmenella yinae n. sp., male holotype (A – C) and female paratype (D – F). A – C. Habitus; D – F. Ditto. A, D dorsal view; B, E ventral view; C, F lateral view.

FIGURE 19. Mysmenella yinae n. sp., male holotype. A – C. Left pedipalp. A prolateral view; B retrolateral view; C apical view. D. Pedipalpal bulb and embolic division (lactic acid-treated), anterior view; E. Conductor (lactic acid-treated), dorsal view.

FIGURE 20. Mysmenella yinae n. sp., female paratype. A. Epigynum, ventral view; B. Vulva (lactic acid-treated), dorsal view.

FIGURE 21. Mysmenella yinae n. sp., male holotype. A. Left pedipalp, prolateral view; B. Ditto, retrolateral view; C. Conductor (lactic acid-treated), dorsal view; D. Pedipalpal bulb and embolic division (lactic acid-treated), anterior view; E. Embolus, apical view; F. Cymbium, prolateral view; G. Left leg I, prolateral view. Abbrs.: C = conductor, CB = cymbium, CP = cymbial process, CS = clasping spine, E = embolus, FS = femoral spot, PC = paracymbium, ST = subtegulum, T = tegulum.

FIGURE 22. Mysmenella yinae n. sp., female paratype (A, B). A. Epigynum, ventral view; B. Vulva (lactic acid-treated), dorsal view. Abbrs.: CD = copulatory duct, FD = fertilization duct, S = spermatheca, Sp = scape.

FIGURE 26. The locality records of five new mysemids from China. 1. Mosu dayan n. sp.; 2. Mosu tanjia n. sp.; 3. Mysmena baoxingensis n. sp.; 4. Mysmenella yinae n. sp.; 5. Trogloneta uncata n. sp..