Heptathela kikuyai Ono, 1998

Xu, Xin, Ono, Hirotsugu, Kuntner, Matjaz, Liu, Fengxiang & Li, Daiqin, 2019, A taxonomic monograph of the liphistiid spider genus Heptathela, endemic to Japanese islands, ZooKeys 888, pp. 1-50 : 1

Heptathela kikuyai Ono, 1998 Fig. 6

Heptathela kikuyai Ono, 1998: 16 (holotype: male, from Mt. Gozaga-dake, 20 km south of Oita-shi, Oita-ken, Kyushu, Japan, collected by N. Kikuya on 13 September 1979, deposited in NMNS, examined); Ono 2009: 81; Schwendinger and Ono 2011: 613; Ono and Ogata 2018: 26, 479.

Diagnosis.

Males of H. kikuyai differ from those of H. higoensis by the two embolus peaks of a similar height, and the hooked tegular marginal apophysis ( Fig. 6J, K ), and from those of H. yakushimaensis by only a weakly serrated prolateral margin of the conductor ( Fig. 6H, I ). Females of H. kikuyai differ from those of all other Kyushu group Heptathela species by the inner receptacular clusters with longer and slender stalks ( Fig. 6 A–D ). Moreover, H. kikuyai differs from all other Kyushu group Heptathela species by the following unique nucleotide substitutions in the standard DNA barcode alignment: G (11), A (33), C (41), C (59), C (68), A (83), A (89), C (116), T (194), A (212), T (222), A (239), A (251), C (260), T (276), T (287), C (305), C (329), A (345), T (365), C (470), G (491), T (546), T (578), T (581), G (635), C (656).

Description.

Males (N = 5). Carapace and opisthosoma brown, with dark-spotted tergites; cheliceral groove with 10-12 denticles; 6 or 7 spinnerets. Measurements: BL 7.90-9.40, CL 4.00-5.05, CW 3.55-4.30, OL 3.90-4.60, OW 2.60-3.20; ALE> PLE> PME> AME; leg I 13.65 (3.90 + 1.90 + 2.75 + 3.30 + 1.80), leg II 13.35 (3.45 + 1.60 + 2.65 + 3.55 + 2.10), leg III 14.40 (3.30 + 1.50 + 2.75 + 4.45 + 2.40), leg IV 19.25 (4.85 + 1.90 + 3.35 + 6.00 + 3.15).

Palp. Prolateral side of paracymbium unpigmented and unsclerotised, numerous setae and spines at the tip of paracymbium ( Fig. 6 E–G ). Contrategulum with serrated margin proximally and smooth margin distally ( Fig. 6H, I, K ). Tegulum wide, the dorsal extension of terminal apophysis and hooked marginal apophysis of tegulum with a serrated margin retrolaterally ( Fig. 6J, K ). Conductor wide and with an apical tooth and a deep fold ( Fig. 6I, K ). Embolus with two peaks at the slightly same level and a curved margin retrolaterally ( Fig. 6 H–K ).

Females (N = 30). Carapace and opisthosoma as in male; cheliceral groove with 12-17 pronounced denticles; tergites similar to male; 6-8 spinnerets. Measurements: BL 8.55-15.10, CL 4.30-7.90, CW 3.80-6.70, OL 4.40-8.75, OW 2.80-6.10; ALE> PLE> PME> AME; palp 9.15 (3.25 + 1.60 + 1.90 + 2.40), leg I 10.30 (3.30 + 1.90 + 1.90 + 2.00 + 1.20), leg II 10.15 (3.10 + 1.80 + 1.85 + 2.10 + 1.30), leg III 10.80 (3.00 + 1.80 + 1.80 + 2.60 + 1.60), leg IV 15.80 (4.50 + 2.20 + 2.80 + 4.10 + 2.20).

Female genitalia. A pair of depressions on the ventro-lateral part of genital atrium. Paired receptacular clusters along the anterior margin of bursa copulatrix, indistinctly divided into two parts, with many small granules, inner ones with longer and slender genital stalks ( Fig. 6 A–D ).

Material examined.

JAPAN · 6 ♀♀; Oita-ken, Bungoono-shi, Totoki, Onomachi; 33.06N, 131.52E; alt. 240 m; 20 September 2013; D. Li and B. Wu leg.; XUX-2013-394 to 396, 399 to 401 · 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; Oita-ken, Bungoono-shi, Onomachi-Ando, Mt. Gozaga-dake; 33.11N, 131.55E; alt. 630 m; 20 September 2013; D. Li and B. Wu leg.; XUX-2013-404, 405, 408, 409, 411, 412 (405, ♂ matured 2 May 2014 at CBEE) · 2 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀; Oita-ken, Usuki-shi, Takeyama; 33.10N, 131.72E; alt. 80 m; 20 September 2013; D. Li and B. Wu leg.; XUX-2013-414, 416 to 422 · 1 ♂, 8 ♀♀; Oita-ken, Usuki-shi, Inukai-machi Sasamuta; 33.09N, 131.67E; alt. 120 m; 21 September 2013; D. Li and B. Wu leg.; XUX-2013-424 to 430, 432, 433 · 6 ♀♀; Miyazaki-ken, Nishiusuki-gun, Takachiho-cho, Iwato; 32.73N, 131.35E; alt. 400 m; 22 September 2013; D. Li and B. Wu leg.; XUX-2013-442 to 444, 446 to 448.

Distribution.

The species is known from the following prefectures on the Japanese island Kyushu: Oita-ken (Bungoono-shi and Usuki-shi) and Miyazaki-ken (Nishiusuki-gun) ( Fig. 1C ).

Figures

Figure 1. General somatic morphology of Heptathela kimurai (Kishida, 1920) A dorsal view B ventral view and map showing the sampling localities of Heptathela specimens from Kyushu to central Ryukyus (C).

Figure 6. Male and female genital anatomy of Heptathela kikuyai Ono, 1998 A, C 3409 (short for XUX- 2013 - 409) B, D 3401 E-K 3405 A, B vulva dorsal view C, D vulva ventral view E palp prolateral view F palp ventral view G palp retrolateral view H-K palp distal view; 3405, 3409: Mt. Gozaga-dake, Oita-ken; 3401: Onomachi, Oita-ken. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.