Nesticella vanlang, Lin, Yucheng, Ballarin, Francesco & Li, Shuqiang, 2016

Lin, Yucheng, Ballarin, Francesco & Li, Shuqiang, 2016, A survey of the spider family Nesticidae (Arachnida, Araneae) in Asia and Madagascar, with the description of forty-three new species, ZooKeys 627, pp. 1-168 : 49-50

Taxon classification Animalia Araneae Nesticidae

Nesticella vanlang sp. n. Figs 61, 83

Type material.

Holotype ♀ (IZCAS), VIETNAM: Ninh Thuan Province, Nui Chua National Park (11.73305°N, 107.18550°E, 102 m), 31.VIII.2015, Q. Zhao, Y. Li & Z. Chen leg.

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from Van Lang, an ancient name for Vietnam; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

This new species is distinguished from all the other species of the nepalensis -group with the exception of Nesticella sogi by the straight fertilization ducts (Fd) and the wide spermathecae (S) which are close to each other, separated by less than a half of their diameter (Fig. 61 E–F). Nesticella vanlang sp. n. can be distinguished from Nesticella sogi (see Lehtinen and Saaristo1980: 57, fig. 21) by the smaller size of the spermathecae (S) and the longer copulatory ducts (Cd) (Fig. 61F vs. fig. 21).

Description.

Habitus as in Fig. 61 A–C. Carapace greyish and faintly pigmented. Cephalic area with several long setae along the midline and the thoracic groove. Cervical groove and fovea distinct. Thoracic area pigmented at margins. Mouthparts pale yellow. Labium very wide. Sternum smooth and greyish. Legs and female palps yellowish, metatarsi and tarsi distally darker. Opisthosoma pale greyish, darker ventrally.

Epigyne (Fig. 61 D–F): strongly clerotized, reddish-brown (Fig. 61E). Scape rectangular, very short and barely visible, (Fig. 61 E–F). Copulatory openings near the posteromargin of the epigyne, separated from each other by more than a half of the spermathecal diameter (Fig. 61 E–F). Spermathecae almost round, close to each other and separated by less than a half of their diameter (Fig. 61F). Fertilization ducts thick, coiled into a single loop before reaching the spermathecae (Fig. 61 E–F). Copulatory ducts thick and short (Fig. 61F).

Female (holotype). Total length 2.23. Carapace 1.11 long, 0.96 wide. Opisthosoma 1.45 long, 1.55 wide. Clypeus height 0.17. Sternum 0.61 long, 0.65 wide. Leg measurements: see Appendix A.

Male. Unknown.

Habitat.

Forest leaf litter.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality (Fig. 83).