Skip to main content

Kavanaugh sac spider (Trachelas kavanaughi) and distended stomach sac spider (Trachelas ventriosus)

Kavanaugh sac spider (Trachelas kavanaughi) and distended stomach sac spider (Trachelas ventriosus)

NEWS - Two new spider species were described from China: Kavanaugh sac spider (Trachelas kavanaughi sp. nov. ♀) and distended stomach sac spider (Trachelas ventriosus sp. nov. ♀), while a male of Gaoligong mountain sac spider (Trachelas gaoligongensis Jin, Yin & Zhang 2017) was described for the first time.

Trachelas L. Koch, 1872 is the most species-rich genus in Trachelidae with 91 species distributed worldwide, including 13 species in China (mostly distributed in southwest China). There are 7 new species of Trachelas described and 1 new record reported in China recently.

During the examination of spider specimens collected from Yunnan Province in 2007 with 2 new species, Trachelas ventriosus sp. nov. (♀) and T. kavanaughi sp. nov. (♀). The study also identified males of T. gaoligongensis.

T. gaoligongensis is named after the Gaoligong Mountains where the type site was found, with a distribution in Yunnan, China. Males resemble T. bomiensis Jin & Mi 2024, but differ in that the embolus is enlarged at the base and elongated at the tip (vs. elongated at the base and with two spirals at the tip).

The retrolateral tibial apophysis is pointed toward the dorsal side of the cymbium (vs. absent). The retrolateral patellar apophysis is longitudinally bar-shaped, covered with hairy setae distally (vs. distally bent transversely toward the tibia and without hairy setae).

Females of T. gaoligongensis resemble T. kavanaughi sp. nov., but differ in that the atrium is approximately as long as it is wide (vs. wider than long). The copulatory opening is posterior to the genitalia (vs. anterior to the genitalia). The primary spermathecae are oval (vs. round). The secondary spermathecae are more than twice as wide as the primary spermathecae (vs. narrower than the primary spermathecae).

T. kavanaughi is named in honor of the collector of the type specimen, D. H. Kavanaugh, curator emeritus of the California Academy of Sciences. Distribution is known only from the type locality. Females resemble T. gaoligongensis, but differ in that the atrium is wider than it is long (vs. approximately as long as it is wide).

The copulatory opening is anterior to the genitalia (vs. posterior). Primary spermathecae are round (vs. oval). Distance between secondary spermathecae is narrower than the primary spermathecae (vs. more than twice as wide as the primary spermathecae).

T. ventriosus is named in honor of the Latin word “ventriosus” (pot-bellied) referring to its large belly. Distribution is known only from the type locality. Females resemble T. fasciae Zhang, Fu & Zhu 2009, but differ in that the atrium occupies 3/4 of the genitalia (vs. 1/3 of the genitalia).

The copulatory opening is posterior to the secondary spermathecae (vs. anterior to the secondary spermathecae). The secondary spermathecae are inverted V-shaped (vs. V-shaped). The primary and secondary spermathecae are far apart from each other (vs. partially overlapping).

Original research

Tang G, Yan W-l, Zhao Y, Peng X-j (2024). Description of two new species of the genus Trachelas L. Koch, 1872 and the male of T. gaoligongensis Jin, Yin & Zhang, 2017 from China (Araneae, Trachelidae). ZooKeys 1215: 127-138, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1215.130564

Dlium theDlium

Popular Posts

Señorita banana (Musa acuminata AA Group 'Señorita')

Cavendish banana (Musa acuminata) Red banana (Musa acuminata AAA Group 'Red Dacca' Saba banana (Musa acuminata ABB Group 'Saba') Pisang mas or señorita banana ( Musa acuminata AA Group 'Señorita') is a cultivar in Musaceae, a banana with a cylindrical shape and bright yellow skin when ripe, one of the banana cultivars with the shortest fruit and has small seeds or no seeds. M. acuminata (AA Group) 'Señorita' emerged from a completely buried tuber. Stem formed as a pseudostem with heaps of leaf sheaths and succulent, soft, up to 2.5 m high, 42 cm girth at 1 m high. The pseudo stem is green and shiny with a pink-purple base color. The leaf blade is elongated, waxy with a stalk that is sometimes bordered from pink-purple to red, 120 cm long, 45 cm wide and impermeable. The inflorescences hang vertically with red-purple bracts which are yellow or green on the inner surface. Yellow male flowers. The plants start to flower about 231 days after planting....

Awar awar (Ficus septica)

Awar-awar or lagnob or hauli tree or barabar or sirih popar or tobo tobo ( Ficus septica ) is species of plants in Moraceae, trees grow in bushes or in neglected places and sap contained in roots, twigs, leaves and fruit is used to treat poisoning and digestive problems. F. septica is usually 1-5 m high, although in the forest it can be up to 25 m. Round, hollow and bare branches. Roots, twigs, leaves and fruit will emit a yellow sap and sticky if injured. The base of the leaves is large and spiky, arranged alternately or face to face with a stem length of 2.5-5 cm. Large leaf blade, round egg, 9-30x9-16 cm, rounded base and blunt narrow tip, flat-edged, upper side dark green with 6-12 secondary bones pale white. Fruit paired, single or clustered up to 4 items, short-stemmed, at the base has 3 protective leaves, light green or gray green and 1.5 cm in diameter. F. septica is food for 22 animal species including wasps, bats, birds, monkeys and mice as well as seed dispersing vecto...

Screw tree (Helicteres isora)

Screw tree ( Helicteres isora ) is a species of plant in the Malvaceae family. It is a shrub or small tree, up to 8 meters tall. It has gray bark and alternate leaves, up to 22 cm long and 17 cm wide, oval in shape, with serrated edges and hairs. The flowers are red or white and reach a total length of 5.5 cm. The fruit is green when unripe, brown or gray when dry, twisted, spiral-shaped, and pointed at the tip. The seeds are black or brown, shiny, and diagonal, triangular, or rectangular. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Subfamily: Helicteroideae Tribe: Helictereae Genus: Helicteres Pluk. ex L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) Species: Helicteres isora L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Helicteres baruensis var. ovata DC. in Prodr. 1: 476 (1824) Helicteres chrysocalyx Miq. ex Mast. in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 1: 365 (1874) Helicteres corylifolia Buch.-Ham. ex Dillwyn in Rev. Hortus Malab....