Meizhelan muhong, 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

Meizhelan muhong sp. nov.

Figs 9A-D , 10A, B , 11A-H

Type material.

Holotype: ♂ (IZCAS-Ar44456), China, Yunnan: Menglun Town: Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve, 21.9117°N, 101.2816°E, ca 656 m, 13.11.2009, Lùshilin tropical rain forest, fogging, Guo Zheng leg. Paratype: 1♀ (IZCAS-Ar44457), same data as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Same as for the genus diagnosis.

Description.

Male holotype (Fig. 11A, C, E-H ). Total length 3.19; carapace 1.61 long, 1.23 wide, opisthosoma 1.47 long, 1.10 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.12, ALE 0.11, PME 0.10, PLE 0.10, AME-AME 0.01, AME-ALE 0, PME-PME 0.07, PME-PLE 0.02, AME-PME 0.10, ALE-PLE 0.02. Anterior eye row procurved, posterior eye row recurved. Chelicerae with two promarginal and one retromarginal teeth. Legs with long brown hairs, with scopula under claw. Leg measurements: I 2.80 (0.91, 1.13, 0.45, 0.31), II 2.80 (0.90, 1.07, 0.46, 0.37), III 2.52 (0.78, 0.83, 0.54, 0.37), IV 3.59 (1.08, 1.24, 0.87, 0.40). Opisthosoma oval, venter brown with long brown setae, dorsal scutum almost 1/2 the length of the opisthosoma. Spinnerets yellow brown.

Palp (Fig. 9A-D ). Tibia much shorter than patella. Retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) long, tip slightly curved, almost 3 × longer than tibia and more than 1/2 of cymbial length. Cymbium almost 3 × longer than wide, with fold for retrolateral tibial apophysis. Subtegulum (ST) almost oval in prolateral view. Tegulum almost oval. Sperm duct (SD) with S-shaped turn in retrolateral view. Tegular apophysis (TA) absent. Conductor (C) leaf-shaped, huge, with serrations. Embolus (E) whip-like, with a paraembolic process.

Female paratype (IZCAS-Ar44457) (Fig. 11B, D ). Total length 2.70; carapace 1.54 long, 1.18 wide, opisthosoma 1.71 long, 1.14 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.12, ALE 0.10, PME 0.11, PLE 0.12, AME-AME 0.03, AME-ALE 0, PME-PME 0.06, PME-PLE 0.02, AME-PME 0.10, ALE-PLE 0.02. Anterior eye row procurved, posterior eye row recurved. Chelicerae as in male. Legs with long brown hairs, with scopula under claw. Leg measurements: I 2.45 (0.82, 0.96, 0.36, 0.31), II 2.69 (0.87, 1.13, 0.36, 0.33), III 2.51 (0.74, 0.85, 0.54, 0.38), IV 3.53 (1.01, 1.23, 0.82, 0.47). Opisthosoma oval, venter yellow-brown with long brown hair. Spinnerets pale yellow.

Epigyne (Fig. 10A, B ). Epigynal plate longer than wide, with pair of lateral pockets (P), almost triangle shape. Copulatory openings (CO) indistinct, hidden under edge of epigynal plate, separated by median septum (MS). Copulatory duct (CD) membranous, connected each other with a sclerotized lamella, connect the middle of spermatheca. Spermathecae (S) with two chambers, one large, oval, and other small, globular, the length of the larger one is 3 × the diameter of the smaller one. Fertilization ducts (FD) directed at 2.30 o’clock position from spermathecae.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality.

Etymology.

The species is named after Mu Hong, one of the 108 outlaws in the classical Chinese literature 'Outlaws of the Marsh’; noun in apposition.

Figures

Figure 9. Meizhelan muhong sp. nov., holotype male A prolateral view B ventral view C retrolateral view D embolus. Abbreviations: C = conductor, E embolus, PP = paraembolic process, RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis, SD = sperm duct, ST = subtegulum.

Figure 10. Meizhelan muhong sp. nov., paratype female A epigyne, ventral view B vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD = copulatory duct, CO = copulatory opening, FD = fertilization duct, GA = glandular appendage, MS = median septum, P = pocket, S = spermatheca.

Figure 11. Meizhelan muhong sp. nov., male holotype (A, C, E-H) and female paratype (B, D) A, B habitus, dorsal view C, D eye area E chelicerae F spinnerets G metatarsus IV H shallow indentation on trochanter.