Eupoa nezha Maddison & Zhang

Maddison, Wayne P. & Bodner, Melissa R., 2007, A basal phylogenetic placement for the salticid spider Eupoa, with descriptions of two new species (Araneae: Salticidae), Zootaxa 1432, pp. 23-33 : 26-27

Eupoa nezha Maddison & Zhang , new species

Figs 1–7

Type material: Holotype male in UBC-SEM from CHINA: Guangxi: Pingxiang City, Daqingshan Park. N 22°07’18” E 106°43’59”, 247m, 14 May 2006. J.X. Zhang, M.S. Zhu, W.G. Lian, H.Q. Ma (JXZ06#004). Paratypes: 3 males, 1 female, one juvenile, same data as holoype. Two of the paratype males were used for DNA extraction. Of one ( WPM DNA Voucher d220), the entire body and appendages were used except for the palpi; of the other ( DNA Voucher MRB102) the abdomen was used.

Etymology. This species and E. jingwei , small and mysterious forest-dwellers, are named after spirit creatures in Chinese mythology. Nezha fought the son of the dragon king, and was later reborn from a water lily as a powerful spirit.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from Eupoa prima and E. jingwei by genitalic characters. Male palp patellar apophysis more folded than in E. prima , and more delicate than in E. jingwei . Tip of tegular apophysis not as bifurcate as in E. prima , and shorter than in E. jingwei . In epigynum, shield behind openings smaller compared to openings than in E. prima and E. jingwei .

Description. Male: Total length 1.5–1.6. Holotype total length 1.5; carapace 0.9 long, 0.7 wide, 0.4 high; abdomen 0.7 long, 0.6 wide. Carapace ( Fig. 5 ) yellow brown with gray brown lateral margins; eyes with dark surroundings; eye region gray brown. Clypeus ( Fig. 6 ) gray brown with only a few long hairs. Eye sizes: AME 0.24, ALE 0.16, PME 0.03, PLE 0.14. First eye row 0.80 wide, second eye row 0.60 wide, third eye row 0.68 wide, eye area 0.50 long. Clypeus height 0.06. Fovea absent. Chelicerae small and yellow; promargin with two teeth; retromargin with three teeth and three denticles; both margins with long setae. Endites, labium and sternum yellow with gray pigments. Legs gray with yellow longitudinal stripes. Metatarsus I with three pairs of ventral spines, and tibia I without ventral spines. Measurements of legs: I 1.4, II 1.3, III 1.3, IV 1.9. Leg formula: 412=3. Abdomen ( Fig. 5 ) with dorsal scutum, dorsum dark and venter yellow. One male has paired yellow patches on dorsum as in female. Palp ( Figs 1–4 ): complex and difficult to interpret. A large sclerite on the prolateral ventral side, which appears to be the tegulum, bears a broad projection distally that is not the embolus; we will refer to it as the tegular apophysis ( Fig. 1 , ta). Rather, the embolus ( Fig. 4 ) begins hidden behind the tegulum just prolateral to the aforementioned projection, then proceeds proximally beneath the tegulum, then curls up the prolateral side, becoming externally visible for a short length ( Fig. 3 ) before curling in the distal portion of the palp. The path of the embolus is shown in Fig. 4 . A prominent fingerlike sclerite projects retrolaterally from a membranous region retrolateral to the tegulum ( Figs 1, 3, 4 ). This is presumed to be the median apophysis ( Figs 1, 4 , ma). The tibia has a modest blunt retrolateral apophysis. The dominant apophysis is a retrolateral patellar apophysis ( Figs 2, 3 ), which is twisted and folded.

Female: Total length 1.8; carapace 0.9 long, 0.8 wide, 0.5 high; abdomen 0.9 long, 0.8 wide. Carapace coloration and patches similar to those of male. Eye sizes: AME 0.24, ALE 0.16, PME 0.04, PLE 0.14. First eye row 0.86 wide, second eye row 0.70 wide, third eye row 0.76 wide, eye area 0.52 long. Clypeus height 0.06. Measurements of legs: I 1.6, II 1.3, III 1.4, IV 2.0. Leg formula: 4132. Abdomen gray brown dorsally with paired yellow patches, front margin with a few long black setae, venter yellow. Epigynum ( Fig. 7 ): Difficult to interpret, with two circular less sclerotized areas anteriorly that we presume include the openings. Behind them is a shield that overlaps the epigastric furrow.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Eupoa nezha Maddison & Zhang, new species. 1 – 4 Palp of male holotype (1 ventral-prolateral view, 2 retrolateral, 3 ventral-retrolateral, 4 view as Figure 3, but highlighting path of embolus. Arrows show exit path of sperm, first into embolus then out of embolus opening); 5 – 6 Male paratype; 7 epigynum of paratype female, ventral view. e = embolus; ma = median apophysis; t? = tegulum?; ta = tegular apophysis. Scale bars 0.2 mm.