Skip to main content

Nine new species of long-legs spiders Belisana Thorell 1898 (Araneae, Pholcidae) from karst caves

Nine new species of long-legs spiders Belisana Thorell 1898 (Araneae, Pholcidae) from karst caves

NEWS - Nine new long-legs spiders species were described from karst caves in Guizhou, southwest China: Belisana bijie, Belisana liupanshui, Belisana majiang, Belisana nayong, Belisana qixingguan, Belisana xiuwen, Belisana yongcong, Belisana zhouxi and Belisana zunyi, while Belisana zhangi was reported for the first time from the region.

Long-legs spiders Belisana Thorell 1898 is the second largest genus in the Pholcidae C.L. Koch 1850, containing 160 species. They inhabit a variety of microhabitats such as under rocks, in caves, under leaves, among leaf litter and among foliage in the canopy.

These spiders are distributed in southern China, Indo-Malaya and Australasia. Currently, 46% of the species (74 species) are documented from southern China, with Yunnan having the highest concentration of species with 42% (31 species). Guangxi and Hainan, which have the second and third highest species diversity of Belisana, recorded only 11 and 10 species, respectively.

Many surveys targeting pholcid spiders in China have resulted in the discovery and reporting of a large number of new species. However, these efforts have mainly focused on Pholcus Walckenaer 1805, which is found in epigean environments in northern and central China with relatively few reports of Belisana from hypogean environments in southern China.

Guizhou is famous for its abundant karst caves. The extreme environment is a major factor in maintaining endemism in caves. However, only 8 endemic Belisana species have been recorded from Guizhou. Among these species, 7 species were collected from caves. Now researchers report 9 new species discovered in karst caves.

The specific name refers to the type locality, Bijie long-legs spider for B. bijie, Liupanshui long-legs spider (B. liupanshui), Majiang long-legs spider (B. majiang), Nayong long-legs spider (B. nayong), Qixingguan long-legs spider (B. qixingguan), Xiuwen long-legs spider (B. xiuwen), Yongcong long-legs spider (B. yongcong), Zhouxi long-legs spider (B. zhouxi) and Zunyi long-legs spider (B. zunyi).

Belisana is highly diverse, including 9 new species and now comprises 83 species in southern China, representing 49% of the world's total species. Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam rank second, third and fourth in Belisana species diversity respectively, but these countries have recorded only 19, 18 and 17 species.

Other countries, such as Laos (8 species), Malaysia (8 species) and Sri Lanka (6 species) have recorded fewer than 10 species. This high level of activity in China contrasts with the sporadic coverage in Southeast Asia, where most research has been conducted and where some countries lack indigenous expertise in the area.

Given that Southeast Asia encompasses the Indo-Burma and Sundaland biodiversity regions, the researchers expect that further exploration will reveal additional Belisana species diversity that has yet to be discovered.

Original research

Wang B, Li J, Li S, Yao Z (2024). Nine new spider species of Belisana Thorell, 1898 (Araneae, Pholcidae) from karst caves, with a list of species of the genus from Guizhou, southwestern China. ZooKeys 1216: 265-302, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1216.132561

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Lolot (Piper sarmentosum)

Lolot pepper ( Piper sarmentosum ) is a species of plant in Piperaceae, perennial herb, erect or lodging, creeping rhizome, up to 120 cm long, branched, enlarged branches, cylindrical stems, brown or green, often grooved, growing on the forest floor and shade. P. sarmentosum has leaf stalks up to 15 cm long, up to 13 cm wide, green, alternately arranged, heart-shaped, pointed tips and flat margins. The leaves have 5 main veins from the base of the blade, linear and slightly curved to the tip, glands on the upper surface and many fine pinnate veins. The upper side is shiny green, the lower side is pale green. The flowers are white. The fruit grows in the upper armpit of the leaf, is slightly oval and green. The leaves are used as a medicine for asthma, malaria, stomach ache, tinea versicolor, toothache, difficulty urinating, aches and pains, maintaining stamina, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and so on. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiosperma...
Read more

East Indian globe thistle (Sphaeranthus indicus)

Gorakhmundi or gorakh mundi or mundi buti ka phool or mundi booti ka phool or sembung delan or East Indian globe thistle ( Sphaeranthus indicus ) is a species of plant in Asteroideae, a perennial, multi-branched, strong fragrance with erect stems, winged and toothed wings, growing wild in rice fields forming colonies, dense open rugs in the tropics. S. indicus has alternating sitting leaves, oval, narrow at the base, toothed and serrated, 1-3 cm long and green. Leaves 2-7 cm long, 1-3 wide, broad and deep wings, continuing into a large bone in the center of the leaf to a sharp tip and several lateral veins. The flower is round, grows at the tip, has a large and long stalk, is purple in color, 8-15 mm in size, consists of many tiny flowers, green or red or purple and has pale purple stamens. Head ovate-ellipsoid and 12-15 mm long. Phyllaries are white and have purple crest. Female flowers have a corolla tube 2-2.5 mm long. The bisexual flowers are 2.3-3 mm long and the hardened pa...
Read more

Red lip (Syzygium myrtifolium)

Pucuk merah or daun pucuk merah or red lip ( Syzygium myrtifolium ) is a plant species in the Myrtaceae, a medium tree with a cylindrical trunk and produces cambium, up to 5 meters high, bark rough and light brown, many branches and strong roots. S. myrtifolium has oval-shaped leaves, pointed tip and base, up to 7 cm long, up to 2 cm wide, a vein in the middle, flat margins, shiny surface, bright red leaf buds and will turn green over time. The flowers are compound and arranged in panicles. The flowers bloom with a stigma in the center and are white. The fruit is round and up to 1 cm in diameter, the middle of the upper surface has a depression and is shiny black when ripe. This species grows in forests, agricultural land, roadsides and abandoned lands. This tree has a root structure that goes deep into the ground and is sturdy so it is often used to rehabilitate land, prevent landslides and store water reserves. This tree has a greater ability to absorb CO2 than other types of pla...
Read more