Synagelides shuqiang Liu, 2022

Liu, Ke-ke, Zhao, Zi-Yi, Xiao, Yong-hong & Peng, Xian-Jin, 2022, Five new species of Synagelides Strand, 1906 from China (Araneae, Salticidae), ZooKeys 1102, pp. 59-82 : 59

Synagelides shuqiang Liu sp. nov.

Figs 9 , 10 , 11

Material examined.

Holotype ♂, 24°55'35.36"N, 115°27'25.09"E, 716 m, Guiz-humao Parking lot, near the county-boundary between Xunwu and Anyuan County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, China, 7 October 2020, K. Liu, Y. Ying, M. Zhang & J. Yan leg.

Etymology.

The species is named in honor of Dr Shuqiang Li, a well-known arachnologist (Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing); noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

The male of this species is most similar to that of Synagelides hamatus Zhu et al. 2005 ( Zhu et al. 2005: 541, fig. 12D, E) and S. palpalis Żabka, 1985 ( Wang et al. 2020: 16, fig. 17D) in having a convoluted embolus reaching cymbial tip and the shape of tegulum, but differs from them in having (Figs 9C-I , 10 ) a L-shaped terminal apophysis in ventral view (vs broadly hook-shaped in S. hamatus and S-shaped in S. palpalis ) and the sword-shaped retrolateral tibial apophysis (vs forked in S. hamatus and spine-like in S. palpalis ) slightly longer than 1/2 length of cymbium (vs much longer than 1/2 length of cymbium in S. hamatus and S. palpalis ) in retrolateral view. It also resembles seven species, S. birmanicus Bohdanowicz, 1987 (see Bohdanowicz 1987: 84, figs 66-72), S. cavaleriei (Schenkel, 1963) (see Bohdanowicz 1987: 66, figs 1, 2), S. gosainkundicus Bohdanowicz, 1987 (see Bohdanowicz 1987: 78, figs 45, 46), S. kosi Logunov & Hereward, 2006 (see Logunov and Hereward 2006: 285, figs 21, 22), S. martensi Bohdanowicz, 1987 (see Logunov and Hereward 2006: 287, figs 37-40), S. oleksiaki Bohdanowicz, 1987 (see Bohdanowicz 1987: 79, figs 47, 48), and S. walesai Bohdanowicz, 1987 (see Bohdanowicz 1987: 72, figs 23, 24), but can be easily distinguished from them by the very short and broad postero-retrolateral cymbial apophysis in retrolateral view (vs relatively long and thin) and the triangular terminal apophysis in retrolateral view (vs C-shaped).

Description.

Habitus as in Figs 9A, B , 11 . Total length 4.63. Carapace 1.98 long, 1.44 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.48; ALE 0.23; PME 0.13; PLE 0.25; AME-AME 0.10; AME-ALE 0.10; PME-PME 1.14; ALE-ALE 1.06; PME-PLE 0.42; PLE-PLE 1.24; ALE-PLE 0.83; AME-PME 0.48; AME-PLE 0.96. MOA: 0.74 long; 0.92 anterior width, 1.28 posterior width. Fovea (Fig. 9A ) round, hollowed. Chelicerae (Fig. 9B ) with two promarginal teeth (proximal larger) and one large laminar retromarginal teeth. Sternum (Fig. 9B ) shield-shaped, longer than wide, anterolateral sloping, posterior end arch-shaped. Leg measurements: I 5.03 (1.54, 1.44, 1.24, 0.49, 0.32); II 3.37 (1.03, 0.51, 0.83, 0.69, 0.31); III 3.25 (0.97, 0.48, 0.78, 0.68, 0.34); IV 4.35 (1.25, 1.29, 0.57, 0.84, 0.4). Femur width: I 0.42; II 0.26; III 0.28; IV 0.28. Leg spination (Fig. 9A, B ): I tipv 0-3-1, rv 0-3-1; Met pv 1-0-1, rv 1-0-1. Pedicel 0.20. Abdomen 2.46 long, 1.01 wide.

Coloration (Fig. 9A, B ). Carapace reddish brown, anterior part darker than posterior, posteriorly with radial grooves, and 12-16 rows of short scale-like, black setae. Endites yellow-brown, mottled. Labium yellow-brown, anteriorly with a single row of strong setae, posteriorly dark brown. Sternum, yellow, with pale brown mottled spots around margin. Legs: trochanter I yellow, trochanters II-IV yellowish; femur I reddish brown, femora II-IV yellow; tibiae, patellae, and metatarsi yellow; tarsi yellowish. Abdomen dark brown, mottled, with one broad yellowish stripe including a semicircular dark brown marking in medial part; venter yellow to dark brown, with three dark brown adjacent stripes, posterior part fusing. Spinnerets dark yellow.

Palp (Figs 9C-I , 10 ). Femur with a thick, strong, tooth-like ventral apophysis. Patella swollen, with a length-width ratio of ca 1.76. Tibia small and narrow, with a long, strong, sword-like, retrolateral apophysis which slightly longer than 1/2 length of cymbium and a ridge-like prolateral apophysis locking cymbial postero-prolateral apophysis. Cymbium bullet-shaped in dorsal view, with a short, strong, broad, sclerotized postero-retrolateral and a long, strong, thick postero-prolateral apophysis. Tegulum very broad, lacking mastoid apophysis in ventral view, with a thin sperm duct in retrolateral view. Terminal apophysis strongly sclerotized, L-shaped, and with a horn-like tip in ventral view, arising from antero-retrolateral part of tegulum, with abundant strong, scale-like serrations on anterior surface. Embolus an anticlockwise convolute in ventral view, longer than terminal apophysis, with relatively broad curved basal part, and whip-shaped apical part, apex extending beyond the cymbial tip.

Female. Unknown.

Comments.

The male of this species is not conspecific with Synagelides triangulatus sp. nov. based on the following observations. Firstly, the male abdomen is elongated in dorsal view, nearly 2.5 times as long as wide, while in S. triangulatus , the length-width ratio is ca 1.5. Secondly, the abdomen has a clear constriction located medially (Fig. 11 ), but in the latter a constriction is absent (Fig. 12A, B ). This species seems more successful than the latter in ant mimicry based on its habitus.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality in Jiangxi Province, China (Fig. 13 ).

Figures

Figure 9. Synagelides shuqiang sp. nov., holotype male A habitus, dorsal view B same, ventral view C palp, detail of ventral femoral apophysis, prolateral view D same, prolateral view, slightly dorsal E same, ventral view F same, ventral view, slightly retrolateral G same, retrolateral view H same, retrolateral view, slightly dorsal I same, dorsal view. Abbreviations: DTA - dorso-prolateral tibial apophysis, Em - embolus, PCA - postero-prolateral cymbial apophysis, RCA - postero-retrolateral cymbial apophysis, RTA - retrolateral tibial apophysis, SD - sperm duct, SS - scale-like serrations, TA - terminal apophysis, VFA - ventral femoral apophysis. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, B); 0.1 mm (C); 0.05 mm (D-I).

Figure 10. Synagelides shuqiang sp. nov., SEMs of holotype male A palp, ventral view B same, detail of terminal apophysis and embolus, ventral view C same, detail of terminal apophysis and embolus, ventral view D same, retrolateral view E same, detail of retrolateral tibial apophysis, retrolateral view F same, detail of terminal apophysis and embolus, retrolateral view G same, detail of terminal apophysis, retrolateral view H same, dorsal view I same, detail of postero-prolateral cymbial apophysis, postero-retrolateral cymbial apophysis and dorso-prolateral tibial apophysis, dorsal view. Abbreviations: DTA - dorso-prolateral tibial apophysis, Em - embolus, PCA - postero-prolateral cymbial apophysis, RCA - postero-retrolateral cymbial apophysis, RTA - retrolateral tibial apophysis, SS - scale-like serrations, TA - terminal apophysis.

Figure 11. Photographs of living male specimens of Synagelides shuqiang sp. nov., from Ganzhou City in Jiangxi Province, China.

Figure 12. Synagelides triangulatus sp. nov., holotype female A habitus, dorsal view B same, ventral view C epigyne, ventral view D same, dorsal view. Abbreviations: AR - atrial rim, At - atrium, CD - copulatory duct, CO - copulatory opening, EH - epigynal hood, FD - fertilization duct, GA - glandular appendages, MS - median septum, Spe - spermatheca. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, B); 0.05 mm (C, D).

Figure 13. Records of Synagelides emangou sp. nov. from Gansu province; S. jinding sp. nov., S. serratus sp. nov., S. shuqiang sp. nov., and S. triangulatus sp. nov. from Jiangxi Province in China.