Oedignatha menglun Lu & Li, 2023

Lu, Ying, Chu, Chang, Li, Shuqiang & Yao, Zhiyuan, 2023, On two new Oedignatha species from Xishuangbanna, China, and the first description of the female of Jacaena menglaensis Mu & Zhang, 2020 (Araneae, Liocranidae), ZooKeys 1144, pp. 197-215 : 197

Oedignatha menglun Lu & Li sp. nov.

Figs 7 , 8 , 9 , 10

Type material.

Holotype: 1 ♂ (IZCAS-Ar 43823), China, Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, Mengla County, Menglun Town, XTBG, Primary tropical seasonal rain forest, 21°57.445'N, 101°12.997'E, 744 m, hand catch in leaf litter, 4-11 May 2007, G. Zheng leg. Paratypes: 1 ♂ (IZCAS-Ar 43824), same data as holotype, but 21°55.035'N, 101°16.500'E, 558 m, 19-26 May 2007; 1 ♀ (IZCAS-Ar 43825), same data as holotype, but secondary tropical seasonal moist forest, 21°54.984'N, 101°16.982'E, 656 m, collected by pitfall traps in leaf litter, 1-9 September 2006; 1♀ (IZCAS-Ar 43826), same data as holotype, but 21°55.035'N, 101°16.500'E, 558 m, 5-12 October 2006.

Etymology.

The specific name refers to the type locality and is a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

The new species resembles O. jocquei (cf. Figs 7 - 10 with Deeleman-Reinhold 2001: 268, figs 357-361): males have a similar embolus (Figs 9B , 10B ) and females have a similar spermatheca (Figs 7F , 8B ). Males can be distinguished by the tibia distally with a ventral rectangular process (arrow 1 in Figs 9A , 10A , arrow 2 in Figs 9B , 10B ; vs tibia without ventral process), by the nearly round tegular apophysis with two sharp, sclerotized apophyses (Figs 9A-C , 10A-C ; vs tegular apophysis bottle gourd-shaped, sclerotized apically), and by the retrolateral tibial apophysis curved in two parts: larger weakly sclerotized ventral apophysis with semitranslucent margin and thinner entirely sclerotized retrolateral apophysis (Figs 9A-C , 10A-C ; vs two parts of retrolateral tibial apophysis entirely sclerotized); females can be distinguished by the reniform bursae (Figs 7E , 8A ; vs spherical bursae), and by the tubular, curved copulatory ducts connecting bursae to the spermathecae (Figs 7F , 8B ; vs vulva without obvious copulatory ducts).

Description.

Male (holotype, IZCAS-Ar 43823; Fig. 7A, B ). Total body length 5.16: carapace 2.50 long, 1.71 wide; opisthosoma 2.66 long, 1.64 wide. Carapace reddish brown, sclerotized, with distinct radial grooves and covered with pits, oval but strongly constricted at first coxae, lateral margins slightly sinuous; fovea as longitudinal slit-like. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.11, ALE 0.11, PME 0.09, PLE 0.09; AME-AME 0.11, AME-ALE 0.08, PME-PME 0.23, PME-PLE 0.19, ALE-PLE 0.07; MOA 0.32 long, anterior width 0.33, posterior width 0.41. Clypeus with conical hump. Chelicerae reddish brown strongly protruding (length: 0.98) in anterior part and knee-shaped, and with basal protuberance, covered with long setae, bearing unique thin macrosetae medially crossing each other, with three promarginal teeth, five retromarginal teeth. Endites and labium yellowish brown; endites constricted in middle, median margin grooved, subapically with large, semicircular membranous area, apical margin with long, curved setae. Labium 1.36 times longer than wide, with subbasal constriction. Sternum reddish brown. Legs yellowish. Leg spination as shown in Table 3 . Leg measurements: I 7.12 (1.80, 0.65, 1.84, 1.80, 1.03); II 5.78 (1.60, 0.57, 1.33, 1.44, 0.84); III 5.19 (1.36, 0.59, 1.03, 1.36, 0.85); IV 6.93 (1.75, 0.60, 1.52, 1.98, 1.08). Opisthosoma reddish brown with faint reticulate pattern, oval, with large scutum covering the entire dorsum surface; venter yellowish, laterally with pale stripes. Spinnerets grey.

Palp (Figs 9A-C , 10A-C ). Tibia length/width: 0.71/0.40, distally with ventral rectangular process (arrow 1 in Figs 9A , 10A , arrow 2 in Figs 9B , 10B ), and with retrolateral tibial apophysis (length/width: 0.17/0.20) curved in two parts: larger weakly sclerotized ventral apophysis with semitranslucent margin and thinner, entirely sclerotized, retrolateral apophysis. Cymbium nearly cylindrical. Bulbus length/width: 0.51/0.44, 1/2 length of cymbium. Tegulum with distinct, sinuous sperm duct. Tegular apophysis large, nearly round and with two sharp, sclerotized apophyses. Embolus filiform, slightly curved, larger at base, entirely sclerotized, originating from 8:00-9.30 o’clock on tegulum.

Female (paratype, IZCAS-Ar 43825; Fig. 7C, D ). Total body length 4.03: carapace 2.08 long, 1.44 wide; opisthosoma 1.95 long, 1.16 wide. Color and somatic morphology as in male, except as noted. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.10, ALE 0.09, PME 0.09, PLE 0.07; AME-AME 0.08, AME-ALE 0.08, PME-PME 0.17, PME-PLE 0.16, ALE-PLE 0.06; MOA 0.29 long, anterior width 0.29, posterior width 0.35. Endites and labium reddish brown. Legs brown. Leg measurements: I 6.21 (1.64, 0.60, 1.59, 1.56, 0.82); II 5.24 (1.46, 0.55, 1.24, 1.26, 0.73); III 4.56 (1.26, 0.52, 0.89, 1.19, 0.70); IV 6.48 (1.71, 0.57, 1.42, 1.80, 0.98). Venter of opisthosoma with reddish brown epigastric scutum, the posterior part dark brown with grey patterns. Spinnerets yellowish.

Epigyne (Figs 7E, F , 8A, B ). Epigyne simple, with rectangular plate, length/width: 0.61/1.01. Vulva with small spherical spermathecae, separated by less than their diameter from each other, reniform bursa and pair of fertilization ducts pointing antero-laterally. Copulatory openings not seen. Copulatory ducts tubular and curved, connecting bursae to spermathecae.

Variations.

Paratype male: total body length 4.70. Second paratype female: total body length 4.91.

Distribution.

China (Yunnan, type locality; Fig. 11 ).

Figures

Figure 7. Oedignatha menglun sp. nov., holotype male (A, B) and paratype female (C-F) A habitus, dorsal view B habitus, ventral view C habitus, dorsal view D habitus, ventral view E epigyne, ventral view F vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: B = bursa, CD = copulatory duct, FD = fertilization duct, SP = spermathecae. Scale bars: 1 mm (A-D); 0.2 mm (E, F).

Figure 8. Oedignatha menglun sp. nov., paratype female (A, B) A epigyne, ventral view B vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: B = bursa, CD = copulatory duct, FD = fertilization duct, SP = spermathecae. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 9. Oedignatha menglun sp. nov., holotype male A-C palp A prolateral view, arrow 1 points at ventral process B ventral view, arrow 2 points at ventral process C retrolateral view. Abbreviations: E = embolus, RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis, SD = sperm duct, TA = tegular apophysis. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.

Figure 10. Oedignatha menglun sp. nov., holotype male A-C palp A prolateral view, arrow 1 points at ventral process B ventral view, arrow 2 points at ventral process C retrolateral view. Abbreviations: E = embolus, RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis, SD = sperm duct, TA = tegular apophysis. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.

Figure 11. New distribution records of liocranid species from XTBG. Solid circle = Jacaena menglaensis; square = Oedignatha dian sp. nov.; triangle = O. menglun sp. nov.