Clubiona xianning Zhong & Yu, 2022

Zhong, Yang, Gong, Xusheng & Yu, Hao, 2022, A new species of the Clubiona corticalis - group (Araneae, Clubionidae) from Jiugong Mountains, Hubei Province, central China, Biodiversity Data Journal 10, pp. 94735-94735 : 94735

Clubiona xianning Zhong & Yu sp. n.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Yang Zhong, Xusheng Gong, Qianle Lu; individualID: YHCLU0272; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; behavior: foraging; preparations: whole animal (ETOH); associatedSequences: GenBank: OP675437 ; occurrenceID: 1312422A-3320-5AE6-9BA9-5DCB3013B14F; Taxon: order: Araneae; family: Clubionidae; genus: Clubiona; specificEpithet: xianning; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhong & Yu; Location: continent: Asian; country: China; countryCode: CHN; stateProvince: Hubei; county: Tongshan; municipality: Xianning; locality: Jiugongshan Nature Reserve ; decimalLatitude: 29.39; decimalLongitude: 114.65; Identification: identifiedBy: Hao Yu; dateIdentified: 2022-05; Event: samplingProtocol: by hand; samplingEffort: 10 km by foot; year: 2020; month: 7; day: 4; Record Level: basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Yang Zhong, Xusheng Gong, Qianle Lu; individualID: YHCLU0273; individualCount: 1; sex: female; lifeStage: adult; behavior: foraging; preparations: whole animal (ETOH); associatedSequences: GenBank: OP675436 ; occurrenceID: 085B9104-F139-5EC1-9913-5A5DB9C7C9C6; Taxon: order: Araneae; family: Clubionidae; genus: Clubiona; specificEpithet: xianning; scientificNameAuthorship: Zhong & Yu; Location: continent: Asian; country: China; countryCode: CHN; stateProvince: Hubei; county: Tongshan; municipality: Xianning; locality: Jiugongshan Nature Reserve ; decimalLatitude: 29.39; decimalLongitude: 114.65; Identification: identifiedBy: Hao Yu; dateIdentified: 2022-05; Event: samplingProtocol: by hand; samplingEffort: 10 km by foot; year: 2020; month: 7; day: 4; Record Level: basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen

Description

Male (Fig. 4 E and F). Total length 5.31; carapace 2.27 long, 1.73 wide; abdomen 3.04 long, 1.31 wide.

Colour of the living holotype male was uniformly brown (Fig. 2 A and B). Carapace (Fig. 4 E and F) elongate, oval, light brown in alcohol, uniformly coloured, without pattern, fovea red; pars cephalica distinctly narrowed, cervical groove radial groove indistinct; tegument smooth, with erect, thin, dark setae on front ridge. Eyes: in dorsal view, anterior eye row (AER) slightly recurved, posterior eye row (PER) almost straight, PER wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances: anterior median eyes (AME) 0.13, anterior lateral eyes (ALE) 0.12, posterior median eyes (PME) 0.11, posterior lateral eyes (PLE) 0.09, distance between AMEs (AME-AME) 0.07, distance between AME and ALE (AME-ALE) 0.03, distance between PMEs (PME-PME) 0.19, distance between PME and PLE (PME-PLE) 0.09. Length of median ocular quadrangle (MOQL) 0.33, MOQ anterior width (MOQA) 0.29, MOQ posterior width (MOQP) 0.54. Chelicerae robust, light orange, with red fangs, with four promarginal and two retromarginal teeth. Sternum nearly shield-shaped, yellowish-white, 1.21 long, 0.86 wide. Labium and endites coloured as carapace.

Abdomen (Fig. 4 E and F) oval and light brown, dorsally with a wide and more or less oblong scutum extending ca. 2/3 of abdomen length, with two pairs of inconspicuous muscle depressions on either side; venter white with no distinct pattern; spinnerets yellowish-white.

Legs uniformly yellowish-white in ethanol (Fig. 4 E and F). Leg length: I 5.85 (1.73, 2.32, 1.24, 0.57), II 6.29 (1.79, 2.44, 1.33, 0.73), III 5.27 (1.69, 1.60, 1.58, 0.40), IV 7.56 (2.19, 2.54, 2.31, 0.52).

Palp (Fig. 3 A-E). Femur and patella unmodified. Tibia relatively short, about 2/5 of cymbium length, with two apophyses: a retrolateral one (RTA) that is heavily sclerotised, ca. 1/2 of palpal tibia length, more or less blade-shaped; a partly membranous, laminar apophysis (VTA), ca. 1/3 of palpal tibia length. Bulb nearly pyriform, slightly excavated on prolatero-apical side to accommodate embolus; tegulum oval and slightly expanded, ca. 1.45 longer than wide, sperm duct indistinct in venter view; subtegulum (ST) large, located prolaterally. Embolus (E) wide and heavily sclerotised, about 2/3 of the tegulum length, dagger-shaped, gradually tapering towards its apex, its tip sharp, slightly curved and extending to apex of cymbium. Conductor long and membranous, irregular-shaped in venter view and triangular in retrolateral view, its tip extending above apex of embolus.

Female (Fig. 4 G and H). Total length 6.15; carapace 2.64 long, 1.98 wide; abdomen 3.51 long, 1.90 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.16, ALE 0.15, PME 0.14, PLE 0.13; AME-AME 0.07, AME-ALE 0.04, PME-PME 0.22, PME-PLE 0.04. MOQL 0.40, MOQA 0.36, MOQP 0.53. Sternum 1.39 long, 0.96 wide. Measurements of legs: I 5.48 (1.69, 2.12, 1.05, 0.62), II 5.93 (1.90, 2.28, 1.09, 0.66), III 5.29 (1.82, 1.90, 1.14, 0.44), IV 8.07 (2.52, 2.64, 2.32, 0.59). General characters as in female, but slightly larger in size and lighter in colour.

Epigyne (Fig. 4 A-D). Epigynal plate slightly wider than long, spermathecae and bursae are indistinctly visible through epigynal plate in ventral view. Atrium (A) large, represented by two symmetrical, spherical, shallow depressions; atrial anterior margin (AAM) distinctly delimited, M-shaped, posterior and lateral anterior margins not rebordered. Two copulatory openings (CO) indistinct, located at medial portion of atrial anterior margin. Spermathecae (SP) with 3 parts: spermathecal head (SH) finger-like and large, ca. 2.7x longer than diameter, the two spermathecal heads separated by 1.58 diameters; spermathecal stalk tubular, running horizontally; (SS) spermathecal base (SB) tubular and convoluted, distinctly thinner than spermathecal head and spermathecal stalk. Fertilisation ducts (FD) short and curved, acicular, located at distal end of spermathecal base.

DNAbarcode:

5'TTCTGGTCAGCTATAGTTGGTACAGCTATAAGAGTTATAATTCGTATAGAATTAGGTCAATCTGGAGCTTTTTTAGGTGATGATCATTTGTATAATGTAGTAGTTACTGCTCATGCTTTTGTTATAATTTTTTTTATAGTAATACCTATTATAATTGGGGGGTTTGGAAATTGATTAGTTCCATTAATATTAGGGGCAGGTGATATAGCTTTTCCTCGTATAAATAATTTAAGTTTTTGACTTTTACCACCTTCATTAATATTATTAGTTATATCATCTATGGCTGAGATGGGAGTTGGGGCTGGATGAACAGTTTATCCCCCTCTTGCTTCTTTAGTAGGTCATACGGGAAGAGCAATGGATTTTGCTATTTTTTCATTACATTTAGCTGGGGCTTCTTCTATTATAGGAGCTGTTAATTTTATTACTACTATTATGAATATACGATCTTTTGGAATAATAATGGAAAAGATTTCATTATTTGTTTGGTCTGTTTTAATTACAGCTATTTTATTATTATTATCTTTGCCAGTTTTAGCCGGGGCTATTACTATATTATTAACTGATCGTAATTTTAATACGTCTTTTTTTGACCCTGCTGGGGGAGGTGATCCTATTTTATTTCAACATTTATTTTGATTTTTTGGTCACCC3' (holotype, YHCLU0272; GenBank: OP675437)

5'TCTGGTCAGCTATAGTTGGTACAGCTATAAGAGTTATAATTCGTATAGAATTAGGTCAATCTGGAGCTTTTTTAGGTGATGATCATTTGTATAATGTAGTAGTTACTGCTCATGCTTTTGTTATAATTTTTTTTATAGTAATACCTATTATAATTGGGGGGTTTGGAAATTGATTAGTTCCATTAATATTAGGGGCAGGTGATATAGCTTTTCCTCGTATAAATAATTTAAGTTTTTGACTTTTACCACCTTCATTAATATTATTAGTTATATCATCTATGGCTGAGATGGGAGTTGGGGCTGGATGAACAGTTTATCCCCCTCTTGCTTCTTTAGTAGGTCATACGGGAAGAGCAATGGATTTTGCTATTTTTTCATTACATTTAGCTGGGGCTTCTTCTATTATAGGAGCTGTTAATTTTATTACTACTATTATGAATATACGATCTTTTGGAATAATAATGGAAAAGATTTCATTATTTGTTTGGTCTGTTTTAATTACAGCTATTTTATTATTATTATCTTTGCCAGTTTTAGCCGGGGCTATTACTATATTATTAACTGATCGTAATTTTAATACGTCTTTTTTTGACCCTGCTGGGGGAGGTGATCCTATTTTATTTCAACATTTATTTTGATTTTTTGGTCACCC3' (paratype, YHCLU0273; GenBank: OP675436).

Diagnosis

Male of the new species resembles that of C. caohai Zhang & Yu, 2020 ( Zhang and Yu 2020: 347, figs. 2A-E) in having a blade-shaped RTA and a dagger-shaped embolus, but differs in the following: (1) embolus gradually tapering towards its apex (vs. narrowed in the middle) (cf. Fig. 3 D and Zhang and Yu 2020: fig. 2D); (2) conductor nearly triangular, apex sharp and pointing distally (vs. finger-like, apex blunt and pointing prolaterally) (cf. Fig. 3 D and E and Zhang and Yu 2020: figs. 2D and E); (3) VTA laminar, relatively large, wider than 1/2 of palpal tibia diameter (vs. papilliform and small, ca. 1/3-1/4 of palpal tibia diameter) (cf. Fig. 3 B and Zhang and Yu 2020: fig. 2B). Females of C. xianning sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from other members of the C. corticalis -group, with the exception of C. altissimus Hu, 2001 ( Hu 2001: 283, fig. 163.1-3) by the atrium represented by two shallow depressions (atrium absent, or present, but represented by one or two deep cavities in all other Clubiona corticalis -group species), differ from C. altissimus by: (1) atrium large, nearly as wide as epigynal plate (vs. atrium relatively small, ca. 1/3 of epigyne width) (cf. Fig. 4 A and B and Hu 2001: fig. 163.2); (2) spermathecae consisting of head, tubular stalk and base, the two spermathecal heads finger-like, well separated by 1.58 diameters (vs. spermathecae consisting of head and base, the two spermathecal heads reniform, separated by ca. one diameter) (cf. Fig. 4 C and D and Hu 2001: fig. 163.3). In addition, C. xianning sp. nov. also can by separated from C. caohai and C. altissimus by their habitus: abdomen without distinct colour pattern in C. xianning sp. nov. (Fig. 4 E-H), but with several chevron-shaped bands in C. caohai and C. altissimus ( Zhang and Yu 2020: figs. 2 E-H; Hu 2001: fig. 163.1).

Etymology

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

Distribution

Known from the Mt. Jiugong, Hubei Province, China (Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Distribution record of Clubiona xianning sp. nov. (green circle).

Figure 2. Clubiona xianning sp. nov., male holotype (A, B) and female paratype (C), live specimens. Photographs by Qianle Lu (Shenzhen, Guangdong).

Figure 3. Male left palp of the holotype of Clubiona xianning sp. nov. A Prolateral view; B Rretrolateral view; C Bulb, prolateral view; D Bulb, ventral view; E Bulb, retrolateral view. Abbreviations: C = conductor; E = embolus; EB = embolic base; RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis; VTA = ventral tibial apophysis. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (equal for A and B, equal for C-E).

Figure 4. Clubiona xianning sp. nov., female paratype and male holotype. A Intact epigyne, ventral view; B Cleared epigyne, ventral view; C Cleared vulva, dorsal view; D Vulva, cleared and embedded in Arabic gum, dorsal view; E Male habitus, dorsal view; F Male habitus, lateral view; G Female habitus, dorsal view; H Female habitus, ventral view. Abbreviations: A = atrium; AAM = atrial anterior margin; BS = bursa; CO = copulatory opening; FD = fertilisation duct; SB = spermathecal base; SH = spermathecal head; SP = spermatheca; SS = spermathecal stalk. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (equal for A and B, equal for C and D); 2 mm (equal for E and F, equal for G and H).