Ebelingia forcipata (Song & Zhu, 1993) Liu & Ying & Fomichev & Zhao & Li & Xiao & Xu, 2022

Liu, Ke-Ke, Ying, Yuan-hao, Fomichev, Alexander A., Zhao, Dan-chen, Li, Wen-hui, Xiao, Yong-hong & Xu, Xiang, 2022, Crab spiders (Araneae, Thomisidae) of Jinggang Mountain National Nature Reserve, Jiangxi Province, China, ZooKeys 1095, pp. 43-74 : 43

Ebelingia forcipata (Song & Zhu, 1993) comb. nov.

Figs 4 , 5 , 6

Misumenops forcipatus Song & Zhu, in Song, Zhu & Li, 1993: 879, fig. 50A-C (♂); Song and Zhu 1997: 139, fig. 99A-C (♂); Song et al. 1999: 482, fig. 279H (♂).

Ebrechtella forcipata : Lehtinen 2004: 165.

Material examined.

China: Jiangxi Province, Ji’an City, Jinggangshan County Level City, Jinggang Mountain National Nature Reserve : 1 ♂: Luofu Town, Changguling Forest Farm, 26°38'28"N, 114°14'6"E, 583 m, 5.X.2014, K. Liu et al. leg .; 1 ♀, Luofu Town, Pingtou Village, Changguling Forest Farm, road side, 26°39'18"N, 114°14'2.4"E, 438 m, 5.X.2014, K. Liu et al. leg .; 2 ♂, Ciping Town, Xingzhou Village, Baimukeng , 26°31'4.8"N, 114°11'9.6"E, 669 m, 3.X.2014, K. Liu et al. leg .; 1 ♀, Ciping Town, Xiazhuang Village, Zhushachong Forest Farm, 26°33'7.2"N, 114°11'27.6"E, 683 m, 4.X.2014, K. Liu et al. leg .; 2 ♀, Luofu Town, Pingtou Village, Tea forest , 26°38'14.4"N, 114°13'48"E, 419 m, 5.X.2014, K. Liu et al. leg .; 1 ♀, Huang’ao Town, Shantang Group , 26°28'22.8"N, 114°13'55.2"E, 315 m, 5.X.2015, K. Liu et al. leg .

Diagnosis.

The species differs from both congeners by the retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) with two equally long and thick branches (vs. dorsal branch much thinner and shorter than the ventral) (cf. Figs 4E , 5B, C, E, F ; Song and Zhu 1997: fig. 100F; and Logunov 1992: fig. 9) in male and by thick and swollen copulatory ducts (CD) (vs. tube-shaped) (cf. Fig. 6D ; Song and Zhu 1997: fig. 100D; and Kim and Gwon 2001: fig. 34) in female.

Description.

Male. Habitus as in Fig. 4A, B . Total length 2.60. Carapace: 1.35 long, 1.50 wide, with dense setae dorsally. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.11, PME 0.06, PLE 0.08, AME-AME 0.16, AME-ALE 0.16, PME-PME 0.27, PME-PLE 0.21 AME-PME 0.13, AME-PLE 0.37, ALE-ALE 0.61, PLE-PLE 0.75, ALE-PLE 0.15. MOA 0.24 long, front width 0.29, back width 0.40. Sternum (Fig. 4B ) slightly wider than long, anteromedial margin procurved, lateral margins serrulate, posterior end blunt. Abdomen (Fig. 4A, B ): 3.58 long, 3.67 wide, with dense setae dorsally. Leg measurements: I 7.28 (2.25, 0.83, 1.82, 1.58, 0.80); II 6.63 (2.11, 0.80, 1.75, 1.18, 0.79); III 2.83 (0.87, 0.44, 0.69, 0.50, 0.33); IV 2.80 (0.87, 0.38, 0.71, 0.51, 0.33). Leg spination: I Fe: d3, p4, r2; Pa: p1, r1; Ti: d2, r3, v6; Mt: p4, r4, v4; II Fe: d4, p1; Pa: p1, r1; Ti: d2, p3, r3, v4; Mt: p4, r4, v4; III Fe: d3, p1; Pa: d1; Ti: d2, p1, r1, v2; Mt: p2, r2, v2; IV: Fe: d3, p1; Pa: d2, p1, r1; Ti: d2, p2, r1, v1; Mt: p2, r1.

Colouration (Fig. 4A, B ). Carapace reddish brown, medially with yellowish band. Chelicerae, endites, and labium reddish yellow. Sternum and legs yellow. Abdomen yellow, posteriorly with two pairs of irregular yellow brown stripes, posterior one larger, with several white spots.

Palp (Figs 4C-E , 5 ). Femur 2 × longer than patella. Patella shorter than tibia. Retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) large, almost as long as tibia, with a broad base and apex split into two branches. Ventral tibial apophysis (VTA) short and blunt. Cymbium oval, length/width ratio 1.7. Tegulum almost round, with tegular ridge (TR) at the 12 o’clock position. Sperm duct (SD) wide, encircles almost the whole tegulum. Embolus (E) short, originating from ~ 11 o’clock position, free part at 12 o’clock, free part as long as ventral branch of RTA.

Female. Habitus as in Fig. 6A, B . As in male, except as noted. Total length 3.69. Carapace: 1.65 long, 1.77 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.1, PME 0.05, PLE 0.10, AME-AME 0.2, AME-ALE 0.2, PME-PME 0.36, PME-PLE 0.25, AME-PME 0.23, AME-PLE 0.44, ALE-ALE 0.72, PLE-PLE 0.92, ALE-PLE 0.19. MOA 0.34 long, front width 0.32, back width 0.48. Abdomen (Fig. 6A, B ): 2.05 long, 2.19 wide, with abundant depressed patches. Leg measurements: I 6.17 (1.99, 0.89, 1.44, 1.15, 0.7); II 6.21 (2.08, 0.9, 1.37, 1.15, 0.71); III 2.95 (0.95, 0.57, 0.64, 0.46, 0.33); IV 3.07 (1.08, 0.41, 0.72, 0.46, 0.40). Leg spination: I missing; II Fe: d1; Ti: d2, r1, v4; Mt: p3, r3, v10; III Fe: d1; Pa: d2; Ti: d2; Mt: d1; IV: Fe: d3; Ti: d1; Mt: p2.

Colouration (Fig. 6A, B ). Carapace reddish brown, medially with yellowish band. Chelicerae, endites and labium reddish yellow. Sternum and legs yellow. Abdomen, with numerous guanine spots, subposteriorly with two mottled stripes on the dorsal side, venter with few white spots.

Epigyne (Fig. 6C, D ), width/length ratio ~ 2.6. Atrium (At) small, 3 × shorter than epigynal plate, located posteriorly from bell-shaped anterior hood (AH). Anterior hood located in centre. Copulatory openings (CO) located at posterolateral part of anterior hood. Spermathecae (SP) C-shaped, with several clearly visible constrictions, separated by more than width of anterior hood. Copulatory ducts (CD) broad, slightly longer than wide. Fertilisation ducts (FD) short, directed anteriorly.

Distribution.

China: Jiangxi and Fujian Provinces ( Song et al. 1993; present data).

Note.

The left leg I was lost when we reviewed the holotype after photography.

Comments.

This species clearly belongs to Ebelingia due to the markedly bifurcated retrolateral tibial apophysis, short embolus, broad anterior hood, and kidney-shaped spermathecae.

Figures

Figure 4. Ebelingia forcipata (Song & Zhu, 1993), male. A habitus, dorsal view B same, ventral view C palp, prolateral view D same, ventral view E same, retrolateral view. Abbreviations: E - embolus, RTA - retrolateral tibial apophysis, SD - sperm duct, TR - tegular ridge, VTA - ventral tibial apophysis. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A, B), 0.1 mm (C-E).

Figure 5. SEM micrographs of Ebelingia forcipata (Song & Zhu, 1993) comb. nov., male palp. A ventral view B same, details of tibial apophysis C same, details of retrolateral tibial apophysis D same, details of embolus E retrolateral view F same, details of tibial apophyses. Abbreviations: E - embolus, RTA - retrolateral tibial apophysis, TR - tegular ridge, VTA - ventral tibial apophysis. Scale bars: 0.1 mm (A, E), 10 μm (B, C, D, F).

Figure 6. Ebelingia forcipata (Song & Zhu, 1993), female. A habitus, dorsal view B same, ventral view C epigyne, ventral view D same, dorsal view. Abbreviations: AH - anterior hood, At - atrium, CD - copulatory duct, CO - copulatory opening, FD - fertilisation duct, SP - spermatheca. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A, B), 0.1 mm (C, D).