Cicurina tetragongylodes Liao & Xu, 2022

Liao, Rongrong, Yin, Haiqiang, He, Ailan & Xu, Xiang, 2022, Description of three new species of the genus Cicurina Menge, 1871 from Guangdong, China (Araneae, Hahniidae), Zootaxa 5188 (5), pp. 477-488 : 484-486

Cicurina tetragongylodes Liao & Xu , spec. nov.

(四IJ洞叶Ħ)

Figures 6–8

Type material. Holotype female ( HNU614 ): China, Guangdong Province, Shaoguan City, Ruyuan County, Nanling National Forest Park , Laopengkeng , 24°54.75'N, 112°59.67'E, 1254 m, 23 July 2016, Haiqiang Yin, Guchun Zhou, Chaomin Li, Ailan He, Wang Liu, Jinxin Liu, Zhuo’er Chen and Chen Zeng leg.

Etymology. The specific name is a word treated as adjective derived from the Greek “ tetra ” and “ gongylos ”, meaning “four” and “ball” respectively, and refers to the two pairs of bursae in the female’s vulva.

Diagnosis. The female of this new species is similar to that of C. daweishanensis Wang, Zhou & Peng, 2019 . Both species have similar atria postero-medially located on the epigyne but can be distinguished by the distinct constriction of each spermatheca into rounded anterior and posterior bursae in C. tetragongylodes spec. nov. ( Figs 6D–E , 7A–D ), versus the kidney-shaped unconstricted spermathecae in the vulva of C. daweishanensis (figs 1, 2B–C in Wang et al. 2019).

Description. Female (Holotype): Total length 2.99, carapace 1.32 long, 1.01 wide, opisthosoma 1.65 long, 1.03 wide. Carapace yellowish-brown and pyriform, with several rows of small setae on the anterior half of carapace. AME smaller than other eyes, and both eye rows almost straight ( Fig. 6C ). Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.01, ALE 0.10, PME 0.07, PLE 0.10; AME–AME 0.01, AME–ALE 0.01, PME–PME 0.05, PME–PLE 0.03, ALE–PLE 0.03. MOA 0.10 long, anterior width 0.04, posterior width 0.21. Clypeus height 0.10. Chelicerae yellowish-brown, 3 promarginal and 8 retromarginal teeth. Leg measurements: I 3.20 (1.03, 0.35, 0.73, 0.67, 0.42); II 2.73 (0.79, 0.35, 0.58, 0.56, 0.45); III 2.54 (0.75, 0.29, 0.59, 0.51, 0.40); IV 3.27 (1.07, 0.36, 0.75, 0.67, 0.42). Opisthosoma pale, elliptical and hairy.

Copulatory organ ( Figs 6D–E , 7A–B ). Atrium (At) large, wider than long, adjacent to the posterior margin of epigyne with large, paired copulatory openings (CO) near the anterior margin of atrium. Copulatory ducts (CD) long, originating at the anterior margin of atrium, first extending along the outer edges of spermathecae, then strong twisting many times and ultimately connecting spermathecae at the posterior ends of posterior bursa. Spermathecae dumbbell-shaped, including anterior bursae, posterior bursae and connecting tube. Anterior bursae larger than posterior ones and slightly separated from each other, whereas posterior bursae separated far from each other. Fertilization ducts membranous, relatively small, originated from posterior bursae.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality, China (Guangdong) ( Fig. 8 ).

Figures

FIGURES 6A–E. Cicurina tetragongylodes spec. nov., holotype female. A–C Habitus (A dorsal, B ventral, C frontal). D Epigyne, ventral; E Vulva, dorsal. Scale bars: A–B 0.5 mm, C 0.2 mm, D–E 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: AB—anterior bursa, At— atrium, CD—copulatory duct, CO—copulatory opening, CT—connecting tube, FD—fertilization duct, PB—posterior bursa.

FIGURES 7A–B. Cicurina tetragongylodes spec. nov., holotype female. A Epigyne, ventral; B vulva, dorsal. Scale bars:A–B 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: AB—anterior bursa, At—atrium, CD—copulatory duct, CO—copulatory opening, CT—connecting tube, FD—fertilization duct, PB—posterior bursa.

FIGURE 8. Collection localities for three new Cicurina spp. in China.