Prosoponoides youyiensis Liu & Chen, 2020

Chen, Qianjun, Zhong, Yang, Liu, Jie & Chen, Jian, 2020, The spider genus Prosoponoides (Araneae: Linyphiidae) in China, Zootaxa 4786 (1), pp. 23-36 : 31

Prosoponoides youyiensis Liu & Chen n. sp.

Figs 6–9

Type Materials. Male holotype, China, Tibetan Autonomous Region : Rikaze City , Nielamu County, Zhangmu Town , near Youyi bridge between China and Nepal, 27.97°N, 85.97°E, 30 August 2002, Fengxiang Liu leg. ( CBEE) ; Paratypes, 5 females, same data as holotype .

Etymology: The species name is taken from the name of the type locality, Youyi bridge between China and Nepal; adjective.

Diagnosis: The male of this species can be distinguished from other Prosoponoides species by the embolic base with a round apophysis nearby ( Fig. 7D ) and the rectangular median part of tegulum ( Figs 6C , 7B ). The female of P. youyiensis n. sp. is similar to P. sinense in having semi-elliptical atrium with reduced septum, tube-shaped spermathecae located medially and closed with each other, but can it be distinguished by having the parmula almost as wide as long (strongly wider than long in P. sinense ) and by having spiraling copulatory ducts with about one and half coils (while P. sinense has two and half coils) ( Figs 5 C–E, 6D, 6F–G, 8C–D).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length: 2.85. Carapace: 1.23 long, 1 wide. Abdomen: 1.5 long, 0.99 wide. Carapace red-brown, unmodified. AME smallest, other eyes subequal. AER recurved, AME-AME shorter than AMEd, AME-ALE about AMEd; PER straight, PME-PME about PMEd, PME-PLE slightly longer than PMEd; ALE and PLE juxtaposed. Chelicerae yellow-brown, stridulatory ridges weak, promargin of fang furrow with two teeth, first one much bigger than second, retromargin with one small tooth. Lengths of legs: I 5.41 (1.49+1.67+1.46+0.79), II 4.83 (1.36+1.47+1.28+0.72), III 2.71 (0.8+0.76+0.69+0.46), IV 3.97 (1.10+1.14+1.08+0.65). Abdomen cylindriform, without tubercle, gray with whitish and black spots laterally and dorsally ( Fig. 8B ).

Male palp ( Figs 6 A–C, 6E, 7): Patella short, with long spine dorsally. Tibia shorter than cymbium, with several long spines on lateral and ventral surfaces. Paracymbium tiny, curved upwardly. Suprategular slightly long, lender, not curved distally. Lamella well-developed, with four projections: lateral one broad, sheet-shaped, with a sharp end curved upwardly, and posterior one short and broad; anterior one small; dorsal one stout. Second membrane small, slightly cuticularized distally. Embolus filiform, with a round apophysis near the base in retrolateral view.

Female (paratype): Total length: 3.2. Carapace: 1.09 long, 0.97 wide.Abdomen: 1.96 long, 1.48 wide. Carapace yellow-brown, unmodified. AME smallest, other eyes subequal. AER recurved, AME-AME shorter than AMEd, AME-ALE about AMEd; PER straight, PME-PME about PMEd, PME-PLE slightly longer than PMEd; ALE and PLE juxtaposed. Chelicerae yellow-brown, stridulatory ridges weak, promargin of fang furrow with three teeth, first two much bigger than third, retromargin with two equal teeth. Lengths of legs: I 5.64 (1.59+1.73+1.47+0.85), II 4.89 (1.35+1.54+1.27+0.73), III 3.04 (0.88+0.91+0.75+0.5), IV 4.58 (1.32+1.33+1.26+0.67). Other somatic characters same as male ( Fig. 8A ).

Epigynum ( Figs 6D , 8C ): Atrium oval, divided into two openings by septum. Parmula half elliptical, arising from dorsal wall but without connecting with septum, with a small depression at its tip. Vulva ( Figs 6 F–G, 8D): Vulva longer than wide; copulatory ducts started from the two atrium openings, with about one and half coils; fertilization duct without coils, directly running downwards from the spermatheca inside the spiral tracing of copulatory duct; spermathecae short, located medially, closed with each other.

Distribution: China (Tibet) ( Fig. 9 ).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Prosoponoides sinense (Chen, 1991). photos based on specimens from Bawangling Mountain National Nature Reserve, Hainan. A, Female habitus, dorsal. B, Male habitus, dorsal. C–E, Epigynum. C, Ventral. D, Ventral, cleared. E, Dorsal, cleared. Scale bars: A–B, 1 mm; C–E, 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 6. Prosoponoides youyiensis Liu & Chen n. sp., drawings based on holotype and paratype.A, Pedipalp, prolateral. B, Suprategulum, retrolateral. C, Pedipalp, retrolateral. D, Epigynum, ventral. E, Embolic division, retrolateral. F–G, Epigynum. F, Ventral, cleared. G, Dorsal, cleared. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 7. Prosoponoides youyiensis Liu & Chen n. sp., photos based on holotype. A–C, Pedipalp. A, Prolateral. B, Retrolateral. C, Ventral. D–E, Embolic division. D, Prolateral. E, Retrolateral. F, Suprategulum, retrolateral. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 8. Prosoponoides youyiensis Liu & Chen n. sp., photos based on holotype and paratype.A, Female habitus, dorsal. B, Male habitus, dorsal. C–D, Epigynum. C, Ventral. D, Dorsal, cleared. Scale bars: A–B, 1 mm; C–D, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 9. Distribution records of Prosoponoides spiders reported in current paper. 1. Prosoponoides sinense; 2. Prosoponoides hamatum; 3. Prosoponoides youyiensis Liu & Chen n. sp.