Speocera songae, Tong & Li, 2007

Tong, Yanfeng & Li, Shuqiang, 2007, First Records Of The Family Ochyroceratidae (Arachnida: Araneae) From China, With Descriptions Of A New Genus And Eight New Species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 55 (1), pp. 63-76 : 72

Speocera songae , new species

( Figs. 9A–D , 10 )

Material examined. – Holotype: female ( IZCAS), Luobi Cave (18 ° 20'N 109 ° 33'E), Lizhigou Town, Sanya City, Hainan Island, China, coll. Y. Song, 10–11 Apr.2005.

Paratypes: 6 females ( IZCAS), same data as holotype .

Diagnosis. – The new species is similar to the female of S. leclerci Deeleman-Reinhold, 1995 , but can be distinguished by the presence of eyes, the straight metatarsus IV, and the larger body size.

Remarks. – Most genera of Ochyroceratidae are frequently met in caves, yet most of them do not show any morphological adaptations. The pale body color and especially the long legs of this new species are typical morphological adaptation to cave environment.

Description. – Females: Total length 1.36–1.39. Carapace 0.59–0.62 long, 0.46–0.48 wide; abdomen 0.76–0.80 long, 0.53–0.58 wide. Carapace pale yellow without pattern, only near the eyes with some pigment, but nearly absent in one specimen. Sternum, abdomen and legs pale yellow. Chelicerae unmodified. Legs spineless, metatarsus IV as in S. leclerci , distally provided with three pairs of small strong setae ventrally, but straight. Leg measurements: I 3.43 (1.02, 0.19, 1.09, 0.78, 0.35); II 3.15 (0.98, 0.18, 0.94, 0.70, 0.35); III 2.70 (0.82, 0.19, 0.73, 0.64, 0.32); IV 3.53 (1.08, 0.19, 1.05, 0.85, 0.36). Leg formula: 4 1 2 3. Palp measurements: 0.62 (0.20, 0.09, 0.15, 0.18). Chitinous ducts very long, surrounding the abdomen.

Male: Unknown.

Etymology. – The species is named after the collector Mrs. Yanjing Song (Y. Song, IZCAS).

Figures

Fig. 9. Speocera songae, new species: A, carapace of female, dorsal view; B, vulva, dorsal view; C, abdomen of female, ventral view; D, abdomen of female, lateral view. Scale bars: A, C, D = 0.2 mm, B = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 10. Collection localities of Chinese Ochyroceratidae.