Hylyphantes geniculatus, Tu & Li, 2003

Tu, Lihong & Li, Shuqiang, 2003, A Review Of The Spider Genus Hylyphantes (Araneae: Linyphiidae) From China, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 51 (2), pp. 209-214 : 211

Hylyphantes geniculatus , new species

( Fig. 2 )

Material examined. – Holotype – male (IZCAS-Tu0018), Hongyagou Village , Miaotaizi Town, Liuba County (33.6 N, 106.9 E), Shaanxi Province, China, alt. 1510-1700m, coll. Dr. Jun Chen, 22 Jul.1998.

Diagnosis. – This new species is similar to H. graminicola , but differs in: 1) embolus with 5 spirals, and the first two spirals bigger than others ( Figs. 2 A-D); 2) tegulum shorter and wider, with slightly bulged outer margin ( Figs. 2A, C ); 3) the dorsal apophysis of palpal tibia with a middle tooth ( Fig. 2E ).

Description of male. – Total length: 2.49, carapace: length 1.13, width 0.88, abdomen: length 1.4 0, width 0.93. Carapace: smooth and reddish brown; eyes with black surroundings and several long hairs at ocular area; AER straight, PER procurved, ALE and PLE close together; AME- AME equals to AME-ALE, less than AME diameter; PME- PME equals to PME- PLE, equal to PME diameter. Chelicerae brown, anterolaterally furnished with small warty granulations, promargin with five teeth, retromargin four; with a tooth-like process on front face ( Fig. 2F ). Legs pale brown; lengths of legs: leg I 3.89 (1.08+1.27+0.94+0.60), II 3. 5 5 (0. 9 8 + 1. 1 5 + 0. 8 7 + 0. 5 5), I I I 2. 8 3 (0.80+0.92+0.68+0.43), IV 3.56 (1.03+1.18+0.95+0.50); tibial spines: 2-2-1-1; Tm I 0.65; Tm IV present.

Palp: patella with a ventral apophysis ( Figs. 2A, C ); tibia with three trichobothria, tibia dorsal apophysis stout, and the dorsal margin with a middle tooth strongly sclerotized ( Fig. 2E ); paracymbium plate-shaped, bifurcated with thumbshaped upper ramus in retrolateral view ( Fig. 2C ); tegulum bent like a knee, protegulum membranous with numerous papillae and a tail-shaped tip ( Figs. 2A, C ); distal suprategulum apophysis triangular ( Figs. 2C, D ); embolus turbinated with 5 spirals, and seeing in the prolateral view, between the third and the forth spirals, the spiral direction changed ( Figs. 2A, B ).

Female (unknown).

Habitat. – The type specimen was found on lower branches of tree.

Etymology. – The specific name comes from Latin geniculatus , means bent like a knee, referring to the shape of palpal tegulum.

Distribution. – Known only from the type locality.

Figures

Fig. 2. Hylyphantes geniculatus, new species. A. left male palp, prolateral view; B. embolus, prolateral view; C. left male palp, retrolateral view; D. embolus division, ventral view; E. palpal tibia, dorsal view; F. right chelicera, frontal view. [Scale bars: 0.1mm.].