Falcileptoneta alboclavata, Oh & Lee, 2023

Oh, Jong-Hwa & Lee, Seunghwan, 2023, Six new epigean species of the genus Falcileptoneta Komatsu, 1970 (Araneae Leptonetidae) from South Korea, Zootaxa 5339 (1), pp. 40-58 : 41-45

Falcileptoneta alboclavata sp. nov.

Figures 2–3 , 13 (1)

Type material. Holotype: ♁, Namsan Park , 386, Dongoe-ri , Goseong-eup, Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea (34°58ʹ12.5ʺN, 128°19ʹ41.3ʺE), 03.iv.2020, J.H. Ahn leg. ( NIBR) . Paratypes: 3 ♁, 7 ♀, same data as holotype ( SNU); 1 ♁, Mt. Hondonsan , Shinjeon-ri , Daega-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea (35°04ʹ06.6ʺN, 128°15ʹ19.1ʺE), 31.vii.2018, T. S. Kwon leg. (NIFoS) .

Other material examined. 1 juv., Deoksin-ri , Seolcheon-myeon, Namhae-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea (34°44ʹ26.3ʺN, 127°53ʹ34.6ʺE), 28.viii.2014, J.W. Kim & Y.G. Choi leg ; 1 juv., Deoksin-ri , Seolcheon-myeon, Namhae-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea (34°44ʹ26.3ʺN, 127°53ʹ34.6ʺE), 06.viii.2014, J.W. Kim ; 1 juv., Danghangri , Nam-myeon, Namhae-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea (34°46ʹ53.0ʺN, 127°53ʹ30.6ʺE), 27.viii.2014, J.W. Kim & Y.G. Choi leg ; 3 juv., Sangju-ri , Sangju-myeon, Namhae-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea, 14.viii.2019, Z. Zhao & S. T. Kim leg.

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the combination of the Latin noun albo meaning “white color” and the adjective clavatus meaning “striped” referring to the patterns of the abdomen.

Diagnosis. Falcileptoneta alboclavata sp. nov. can be separated from all Falcileptoneta species except F. moakensis Seo, 2015 by the following combination of characters: abdomen with row of white chevron patterns; tip of tibia and basal part of tarsus with many projections retrolaterally; palpal bulb with sickle-like embolus tip and three types of sclerite. Separated from F. moakensis by having finger-like RTA (conical shaped and sharply tapering in F. moakensis ).

Description. Male (Holotype). Habitus as in Fig. 2A, B . Body length 1.84. Prosoma dark purplish brown but gradually lighter towards central region, with two setae scattered between AME and PME, 0.78 long 0.72 wide, 1.08 times longer than wide; eyes six well developed. Sternum long semi-circular, 0.53 long 0.41 wide; Endite Lshaped, longer than wide. Legs thin and elongated, femur I 2.11 times longer than prosoma length, leg formula I-IV-II-III, Leg measurements: I 5.32 (1.65, 0.28, 1.92, 0.82, 0.65), II 4.59 (1.32, 0.27. 1.39, 1.01, 0.60), III 3.72 (1.03, 0.25, 1.0, 0.81, 0.63), IV 4.93 (1.37, 0.27, 1.44, 1.11, 0.74), palp 1.35 (0.45, 0.21, 0.33, 0.36). Palp ( Fig. 2C–F ): femur without row of strong spine; tibia with three trichobothrium and many projections retrolaterally that slightly increasing in size distally and with one seta above on each, retrolateral tibial apophysis finger-like curved inwards without sharp tapering process; tarsus undivided with transverse depression, with projections in basal part, apically blunt with dense of long setae; palpal bulb oval, 1.81 times longer than wide, with thin sickle-like embolus, and three types of sclerite: median sclerite shoehorn-like, prolateral sclerite dark and needle shape, retrolateral sclerite membranous. Opisthosoma dark, purplish brown and oval with six white chevron patterns, first one extended across the abdomen and decreasing in width posteriorly, 1.06 long, 0.77 wide.

Female. Habitus as in Fig. 3A, B . Similar to male in general appearance but darker than male in coloration. Total length 1.89. Prosoma dark purplish brown, with three setae scattered around PME, 0.81 long 0.76 wide, 1.06 times longer than wide; eyes six. Sternum shield shape, widely protruded posteriorly, 0.52 long, 0.47 wide. Legs thin and elongated, femur I 1.95 times longer than prosoma length, leg formula I-IV-II-III, Leg measurements: I 5.08 (1.58, 0.31, 1.85, 0.75, 0.59), II 4.34 (1.22, 0.29, 1.32, 0.93, 0.58), III 3.52 (0.99, 0.24, 0.96, 0.76, 0.57), IV 4.79 (1.34, 0.25, 1.41, 1.08, 0.71), palp 1.50 (0.48, 0.17, 0.38, 0.47). Opisthosoma dark brown with white chevron patterns, arrangement similar to male, 1.08 long, 0.83 wide. Internal gentialia ( Fig. 3C ): atrium sub-quadrangle, spermathecae stalk coiled once, spermathecae elongated oval heading downwards.

Habitat information. This species was found in litter and between rock piles in mixed forests and parks.

Distribution. South Korea (Namhae-gun & Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do) ( Fig. 13 ).

Comments. DNA barcodes of this species have been reported in Oh et al. (2022), synonym to Falcileptoneta sp 21 (GenBank Acc. No.: ON041811, ON041816, ON041817, ON041874, ON041875, ON041876, ON041877, ON041878, ON041879, ON041880, ON041881, ON041882, ON041930, ON041931, ON041934).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Falcileptoneta alboclavata sp. nov., holotype male. A–B, habitus (A: dorsal view, B: ventral view); C–F, left palp (C: prolateral view, D: retrolateral view, E: dorsal view, F: ventral view). Abbreviations: Em=embolus, MS=median sclerite, PS=prolateral sclerite, RTA=retrolateral tibial apophysis. The white circle indicates small projections. Scale bars:A–B=0.5 mm, C–F=0.1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Falcileptoneta alboclavata sp. nov., paratype female. A–B, habitus (A: dorsal view, B: ventral view); C, internal genitalia, dorsal view. Abbreviations: At=atrium, SH=spermathecae, SS=spermathecae stalk. Scale bars: A–B=0.5 mm, C=0.1 mm.

FIGURE 13. Sampling sites of collected specimens of six new Falcileptoneta species from Korea. 1 (Pink), F. alboclavata sp. nov.; 2 (Orange), F. decemspina sp. nov.; 3, (Brown) F. innuta sp. nov.; 4 (Yellow), F. jindoensis sp. nov.; 5 (Green), F. stilla sp. nov.; 6 (Blue), F. triformis sp. nov..