Pseudopoda hongqi, Deng & Zhong & Irfan & Wang, 2023

Deng, Ming-Qin, Zhong, Yang, Irfan, Muhammad & Wang, Lu-Yu, 2023, Four new species of the spider genus Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 (Sparassidae) from Yintiaoling Natural Reserve of Chongqing, China, Zootaxa 5257 (1), pp. 5-16 : 6

Pseudopoda hongqi sp. n.

Figures 1 , 5–10

Type material. Holotype male (SWUC-T-SP-01-01), China, Chongqing Municipality, Wuxi County, Shuangyang Township , YNR, Hongqi Administrative Station , 31°30′32″N, 109°49′13″E, elev. 1186m, 21 June 2022, B. Luo and T. Y. Ren leg. Paratype: 1 male, with same data as for holotype (SWUC-T-SP-01-02) .

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the type locality; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. Male of Pseudopoda hongqi sp. n. resembles P. alta Jäger, 2001 and P. digitata Jäger & Vedel, 2007 ( Figs 5, 6 , 8, 9 ; Jäger, 2001, figs 43i–l; Jäger & Vedel, 2007, figs 105–107), but can be distinguished by the combination of following characters: 1) Embolic projection thumb-shaped, its apical tip extending apically beyond embolus tip and reaching distinctly beyond alveolus into cymbial tip in ventral view in P. hongqi sp. n. ( Figs 5, 6 , 8, 9 ; embolic projection like a small outgrowth in P. alta ; somewhat triangular, pointing towards the prolateral margin of cymbium in P. digitata ); 2) RTA longer than wide, gradually narrowing towards the tip in P. hongqi sp. n. ( Figs 6 , 10 ; spine-like in P. alta ; finger-like in P. digitata ); vRTA absent in P. hongqi sp. n. ( Figs 6 , 10 ; wider than long in P. alta ; like a small hump in P. digitata ); Conductor spine-like in prolateral view ( Figs 5, 6 , 8, 9 ; sheet like both in P. alta and P. digitata ).

Description. Male holotype ( Figs 1 , 7 ) total length 10.15. Prosoma 4.78 long, 4.39 wide; Opisthosoma 5.09 long, 3.15 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.22, ALE 0.34, PME 0.28, PLE 0.30; AME–AME 0.19, AME– ALE 0.12, PME–PME 0.28, PME–PLE 0.44, ALE–PLE 0.40. MOA 0.84 long, anterior width 0.57, posterior width 0.83. Clypeus height 0.43. Chelicerae with 3 promarginal and 4 retromarginal teeth. Leg measurements: I 24.04 (6.31, 9.59, 5.85, 2.29); II 25.23 (6.93, 9.89, 6.09, 2.32); III 19.32 (5.65, 7.05, 4.86, 1.76); IV 22.48 (6.51, 7.74, 6.01, 2.22). Leg formula: 2143.

Palp ( Figs 5, 6 , 8–10 ): RTA longer than wide, slightly curved, gradually narrowing towards the tip, distal half strongly overlapping the cymbium in retrolateral view; tegulum retrolatero-proximally with strong bulge; spermophor running marginally along retrolateral margin of tegulum in ventral view. Embolus arising from 10 to 10.30- o’clock-position on tegulum, strongly curved with thumb-shaped embolic projection; distal end of embolus ventrally grooved, with broad tip; conductor membranous, spine-like.

Coloration ( Figs 1A, 3A ): Carapace yellowish, with many dark dots and linear trident pattern. Chelicerae, labium, gnathocoxae and sternum yellowish. Legs yellowish, with small spots and slightly larger spine patches. Dorsal opisthosoma yellowish, with distinct pattern and two pairs of sigilla, dark pattern partly fused in posterior half; venter yellowish, with black patches.

Female: Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality, Yintiaoling Natural Reserve, Chongqing, China.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Photos of living specimens of Pseudopoda. 1. P. hongqi sp. n. (male); 2. P. shuyue sp. n. (male); 3–4. P. yintiaoling sp. n. (3 male; 4 female). (Photos by Qian-Le Lu).

FIGURES 5–6. Pseudopoda hongqi sp. n. holotype male. 5. Left male palp, ventral view; 6. Same, retrolateral view. Abbreviations: C—conductor; E—embolus; EP—embolic projection; RTA—retrolateral tibial apophysis; ST—subtegulum; T—tegulum.

FIGURES 7–10. Pseudopoda hongqi sp. n. holotype male. 7. Male habitus, dorsal view; 8. Left male palp, prolateral view; 9. Same, ventral view; 10. Same, retrolateral view.