Ganthela yundingensis Xu

Xu, Xin, Liu, Fengxiang, Chen, Jian, Ono, Hirotsugu, Li, Daiqin & Kuntner, Matjaz, 2015, A genus-level taxonomic review of primitively segmented spiders (Mesothelae, Liphistiidae), ZooKeys 488, pp. 121-151 : 129

Taxon classification Animalia Araneae Liphistiidae

Ganthela yundingensis Xu sp. n. Figures 10-14

Types.

Male holotype (XUX-2013-136) and female paratype from Mt. Yunding, Tingxi Town, Tong’an District, Xiamen City, Fujian Province, China; 24.87°N, 118.16°E, 631 m; 8 July 2013; collected by F. Liu, X. Xu and Z. Zhang, deposited at NZMC, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Etymology.

‘Yunding’ refers to the type locality of this species, Mt. Yunding.

Diagnosis.

Females can be distinguished from Ganthela cipingensis and the five undescribed Ganthela species we are aware of by lacking genital stalks (Figures 13-14), and the males, uniquely among heptathelines, possess the contrategulum with two marginal apophyses (Figures 11-12), the prolateral one being scale-like (Figure 11).

Description.

Male (holotype). Carapace and opisthosoma light brown; tergites dark brown; sternum narrow, twice as long as wide; a few long pointed hairs running over ocular mound in a longitudinal row; chelicerae robust with promargin of cheliceral groove with 10 denticles of variable size; legs with strong hairs and spines; opisthosoma with 12 tergites, the first 2-5 larger than others and the fourth largest, the first four close to each other; 7 spinnerets. Measurements: BL 9.80, CL 4.48, CW 4.03, OL 4.98, OW 3.75; ALE> PLE> PME> AME; leg I 13.60 (4.03 + 1.48 + 2.90 + 3.41 + 1.78), leg II 13.80 (3.81 + 1.70 + 2.91 + 3.48 + 1.90), leg III 16.01 (4.02 + 1.71 + 3.28 + 4.58 + 2.42), leg IV 20.60 (5.20 + 1.89 + 3.90 + 6.50 + 3.11).

Palp: Cymbium with a projection; prolateral side of paracymbium unpigmented and unsclerotised, numerous setae and spines at the tip of paracymbium (Figures 10-12). Contrategulum has two marginal apophyses, the first one scale-like with a smooth margin (Figures 10-11). Tegulum with a dentate edge (Figures 11-12). Conductor wide leaf-shaped, with spiniform apex, parallel to embolus (Figures 10-11). Embolus largely sclerotized, with a flat opening (Figures 10-11).

Female. Colouration of carapace and opisthosoma as in male; chelicerae robust with promargin of cheliceral groove with 12 strong denticles of variable size; legs with strong hairs and spines; opisthosoma with 12 tergites, as in male; 7 spinnerets. Measurements: BL 13.23, CL 5.96, CW 5.18, OL 7.28, OW 4.90; ALE> PLE> PME> AME; palp 9.64 (3.26 + 1.61 + 2.15 + 2.62), leg I 11.46 (3.33 + 2.08 + 2.17 + 2.30 + 1.58), leg II 11.82 (3.56 + 2.11 + 2.13 + 2.42 + 1.60), leg III 13.18 (3.71 + 2.20 + 2.33 + 3.02 + 1.92), leg IV 17.59 (4.03 + 2.40 + 3.30 + 5.19 + 2.67).

Female genitalia: The posterior part of the genital area rectangular (Figure 13-14), a pair of receptacular clusters close to each other, without stalks (Figures 13-14).