Tithaeus drac, Zhu, Wei-Guang Lian Ming-Sheng & Kury, Adriano B., 2008

Zhu, Wei-Guang Lian Ming-Sheng & Kury, Adriano B., 2008, A new species of the genus Tithaeus from China (Arachnida: Laniatores: Epedanidae), Zootaxa 1841, pp. 53-60 : 54-57

Tithaeus drac sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 )

Type material. Female holotype, CHINA: Guangxi Province, Longsheng County, Hongtan village, about 700 m alt., 24°83’N, 110°26’E, 12 Sep. 2005, Gao Chao leg.; 1 male paratype, same details as holotype.

Additional material. Two females, CHINA: Guangxi Province, Tianlin County, Langping village, about 1125 m alt., 24°29’N, 106°216’E, 27 May, 2006, Ming-Sheng Zhu and Wei-Guang Lian leg. WWF Ecoregion IM0118 (Jian Nan subtropical evergreen forests).

Etymology. Species name refers to the fictitious reptilian species called " drac " from the 1985 science fiction film "Enemy mine", produced by Twentieth Century Fox and directed by Wolfgang Petersen. The shape of the drac's head is strongly reminiscent of the cheliceral bulla of T. drac sp. nov..

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to T. similis Suzuki, 1985 , described from northern Thailand ( Suzuki, 1985: 78–79, fig 5) in general appearance, but differs distinctly from the latter by the following characters: 1) Female materials with larger body in size, chelicera and palpus strong and completely similar to male; 2) cheliceral bulla of male with notable posterior granulous elevation, absent on T. similis ; 3) the distal margin of ventral plate of penis has a small shallow cleft compared to the deeper cleft of T. similis and the setae of the ovipositor are distinctly longer.

Description. Female (holotype) habitus as in Figs 1 A–B. Coloration: body and appendages entirely dark brown; carapace and eye tubercle with yellow-brown reticulation; lateral margins and opisthosomal areas of scutum, and free tergites banded with black brown; chelicerae and palpus dark brown, with yellow dots above; legs dark brown, with yellow dots on the dorsal surface from trochanter to tibia.

Dorsal scutum trapezoid in shape; abdomen blunt behind. Eye tubercle broad oval, removed from the anterior border of carapace, without a median spine. Opisthosomal region of scutum with five areas. A row of rounded tubercles along the lateral margins of the scutum. Free tergites each with a transverse row of conical tubercles spread over its entire width.

Venter. Coxa I armed with two transverse rows of hair-tipped granules, these distinctly larger than the remaining granules scattered on coxae II–IV. Dorsal surface of coxa IV with several slightly larger hair-tipped tubercles. Coxa III with a row of low humps along the frontal and rear margins. Tracheal stigma clearly visible. A transverse row of very small, hair-tipped granules across each free sternite.

Chelicera ( Figs 1 C–E). Proximal segment relatively long, visibly swollen disto-dorsally, with notable posterior granulous elevation. Second segment widened, with two slightly larger tubercles in the middle of the prodorsal surface ( Fig. 1 E). Fingers relatively short but strong; inner edges toothed as illustrated ( Fig. 2 E)

Palpus ( Figs 1 F–G) short and robust, femur especially so. Trochanter ventrally with a short setiferous tubercle followed transversely by a small hair-tipped tubercle. Femur ventrally with three setiferous tubercles, distally on prolateral side with a short setiferous tubercle as illustrated. Patella medio-distally with a setiferous tubercle. The ventral surface of tibia and tarsus with three prolateral and retrolateral setiferous tubercles respectively arranged as illustrated ( Figs 1 F–G). Tarsal claw longer than one half length of tarsus, strongly curved.

Legs slender and relatively elongated. Femora I–IV straight. All leg segments unarmed, with very short hairs. Tarsi III–IV with simple double claws, no scopulae. Tarsal formula: 5/11/5 /6. Distitarsi of first and second tarsi each with two tarsalia.

Ovipositor as illustrated ( Fig. 1 H). Each lobe with 2 ventral and 2 dorsal setae.

Male. Shape, coloration and markings similar to the female, but smaller in size. Tarsal formula (I–IV): 5/ 10/5 /6.

Penis ( Figs 1 I–L). Ventral plate with a moderate cleft in middle of distal margin; setae arranged as shown in Fig. 2 J. Basal sac inflatable, developed immovable and partly sunken into truncus, lacking complex introverting structures, stylus smooth and arising straight from the glans, stylar tip ended sharply and unexpanded, stylar lobe entire and warped upwards surrounding the stylus.

Measurements: Holotype female (male paratype in parentheses): Body 3.97 (3.89) long, 2.38 (2.38) wide at the widest portion, scutum 3.10 (3.02) long; eye tubercle 0.68 (0.65) long; 0.35 (0.35) wide. Measurements of left palpus and legs as in Table 1.

Habitat. Collected under humid fallen logs on a hill near village.

Distribution: Guangxi Province, China.

TABLE 1. Measurements (in mm) of palpus and legs of female holotype and male paratype (in parentheses).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Tithaeus drac sp. nov. (A – H female holotype, I – L male paratype). A. Female body, dorsal view. B, Female body, lateral view. C, Left chelicera, female, anterior view. D, Left chelicera, female, posterior view. E, Distal segment of the left chelicera, female, above view. F, Left palpus, female, anterior view. G, Left palpus, female, posterior view. H, Ovipositor. I, Penis, lateral view. J, Penis, ventral view. K, Penis, dorsal view. L, Whole penis. Scale bars: A – B, 1.0 mm; C – G, 0.5 mm; H, L, 0.2 mm; I – K, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 2. A, Kilungius insulanus (Hirst, 1911) (redrawn from Suzuki 1973). B, Tithaeus similis Suzuki, 1985 (redrawn from Suzuki 1985). C, Texella bilobata Ubick & Briggs, 1992 (redrawn from Ubick & Briggs 1992). Abbreviations: S = stylus, SL = stylar lobe, BS = basal sac, BK = basal knob, ML = middle lobe, SA = stypar apophysis, PSL = parastylar lobe.