Skip to main content

Sub guardstone spider (Otacilia subshanxi) named the species based on its similarity to Otacilia shanxi

Sub guardstone spider (Otacilia subshanxi) named the species based on its similarity to Otacilia shanxi

NEWS - Sub guardstone spider (Otacilia subshanxi sp. nov.) from Duheyuan Nature Reserve, Hubei Province, China, was diagnosed and described as a new species. The researchers found the specimen known only from the type locality and named the species based on its similarity to O. shanxi.

Otacilia Thorell 1897 is the largest genus in the Phrurolithidae, containing 143 species, distributed in East and Southeast Asia with 120 species reported in China. A recently reported eyeless species collected from a cave shows the great potential for species diversity.

The new species resembles O. shanxi Mu & Zhang 2021 in having similar femoral apophyses, atrium, curved connecting tubes, but a wide embolus (vs. thin in O. shanxi), a thin (vs. wide) retrolateral tibial apophysis and a thin (vs. wide) median septum.

Male (Holotype): total length 3.04, carapace 1.50 long, 1.30 wide; abdomen 1.54 long, 1.03 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.08, ALE 0.09, PME 0.08, PLE 0.10; AME–AME 0.05, AME–ALE 0.01, ALE–ALE 0.22, PME–PME 0.10, PME–PLE 0.06, PLE–PLE 0.40, ALE–PLE 0.08. EAW 0.52, CRW 0.68, EAW/CRW 0.76, CRW/CW 0.52. MOA 0.26 long, anterior width 0.21, posterior width 0.27. CH 0.11, CH/AME 1.38.

Labium 0.15 long, 0.22 wide. Sternum 0.87 long, 0.78 wide. Leg measurements: Ⅰ 6.15 (1.57 + 0.55 + 1.81 + 1.48 + 0.74), Ⅱ 4.91 (1.30 + 0.51 + 1.27 + 1.15 + 0.68), Ⅲ 4.02 (1.08 + 0.45 + 0.80 + 1.07 + 0.62), Ⅳ 6.51 (1.78 + 0.54 + 1.53 + 1.80 + 0.86). Spination: femur I d 1 pl 4, femur Ⅱ d 1 pl 2, femur Ⅲ–Ⅳ d 1, tibia Ⅰ pv 7 rv 8, tibia Ⅱ pv 7 rv 6, metatarsus Ⅰpv 4 rv 4, metatarsus Ⅱ pv 4 rv 3.

Carapace slightly brown, radial striae indistinct, with one black longitudinal stripe nearly same width as eye area. Abdomen grey, with small dorsal scutum darker than carapace, with black pattern beside dorsal scutum anteriorly and four black transverse stripes at posterior of abdomen. Legs yellow, with black annuli near ventral of tibiae I–Ⅳ tip.

Femur with large, well-developed apophysis at middle part. Prolateral tibial apophysis distinct. Tibial nearly as long as wide. Retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) with wide base and narrow, tip blunt, base of retrolateral with a small tuber, a row of strong setae at base of RTA. Bulb pyriform, sperm duct distinct, tapering off close to embolus. Embolus wide, hook-like, blade-shaped. Conductor small, triangular, membranous.

Female (Paratype): total length 3.52, carapace 1.52 long, 1.36 wide; abdomen 2.00 long, 1.22 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.09, ALE 0.10, PME 0.08, PLE 0.09; AME–AME 0.04, AME–ALE 0.01, ALE–ALE 0.21, PME–PME 0.10, PME–PLE 0.06, PLE–PLE 0.37, ALE–PLE 0. 06. EAW 0.48, CRW 0.69, EAW/CRW 0.69, CRW/CW 0.51. MOA 0.27 long, anterior width 0.19, posterior width 0.27. CH 0.09, CH/AME 1.00.

Labium 0.15 long, 0.25 wide. Sternum 0.93 long, 0.79 wide. Leg measurements: Ⅰ 6.00 (1.50 + 0.52 + 1.85 + 1.44 + 0.69), Ⅱ 4.93 (1.25 + 0.51 + 1.33 + 1.13 + 0.71), Ⅲ 4.29 (1.14 + 0.47 + 0.93 + 1.12 + 0.63), Ⅳ 6.32 (1.68 + 0.59 + 1.37 + 1.77 + 0.91). Spination:femur I d 1 pl 4, femur Ⅱ d 1 pl 3, femora Ⅲ–Ⅳ d 1, tibia Ⅰ pv 7 rv 8, tibia Ⅱ pv 7 rv 6, metatarsus Ⅰ pv 4 rv 4, metatarsus Ⅱ pv 4 rv 3. Other characters as in male, except dorsal scutum absent (Fig. 1B, Fig. 2C and D).

Epigynal plate sclerotised, non-transparent, with two large atriums. Median septum wide, edge arched, widest at middle part. Copulatory openings located at middle part of atrium, separated by septum. Copulatory ducts short and thick, straight. Connecting tubes long and thin, curved. Bursae balloon-shaped, transparent. Spermathecae oval and small, bean-shaped. Fertilisation ducts short, located anteromesally on spermathecae.

Original research

Guo M, Mu Y, Zhang F (2024). A new Otacilia Thorell, 1897 species from Hubei Province, China (Araneae, Phrurolithidae). Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e137014, DOI:10.3897/BDJ.12.e137014

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Javan broadhead planarian (Bipalium javanum)

Cacing palu or Javan broadhead planarian ( Bipalium javanum ) is a species of animal in Geoplanidae, hermaphrodite, living on the ground, predators, often called only hammerhead or broadhead or shovel worms because of wide heads and simple copulatory organs. B. javanum has a slim stature, up to 20 cm long, up to 0.5 cm wide, head wide up to 1 cm or less, small neck, widening in the middle and the back end is rounded, all black and shiny. Javan broadhead planarians walk above ground level by raising their heads and actively looking left, right and looking up using strong neck muscles. Move swiftly, track meander, climb to get through all obstacles or make a new path if the obstacle is too high. Cacing palu track and prey on earthworms and mollusks. They use muscles and sticky secretions to attach themselves to prey to lock in. The head and ends of the body are wrapped around and continue to close the body to stop prey reactions. They produce tetrodotoxins which are very strong...
Read more

Thomas Sutikna lives with Homo floresiensis

BLOG - On October 28, 2004, a paper was published in Nature describing the dwarf hominin we know today as Homo floresiensis that has shocked the world. The report changed the geographical landscape of early humans that previously stated that the Pleistocene Asia was only represented by two species, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens . The report titled "A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia" written by Peter Brown and Mike J. Morwood from the University of New England with Thomas Sutikna, Raden Pandji Soejono, Jatmiko, E. Wahyu Saptomo and Rokus Awe Due from the National Archaeology Research Institute (ARKENAS), Indonesia, presents more diversity in the genus Homo. “Immediately, my fever vanished. I couldn’t sleep well that night. I couldn’t wait for sunrise. In the early morning we went to the site, and when we arrived in the cave, I didn’t say a thing because both my mind and heart couldn’t handle this incredible moment. I just went down...
Read more

Black potato (Coleus rotundifolius)

Black potato ( Coleus rotundifolius ) is a species of plant in Lamiaceae, herbaceous, fibrous roots and tubers, erect and slightly creeping stems, quadrangular, thick, and slightly odorous. Single leaves, thick, membranous, opposite and alternate. Leaves are oval, dark green and shiny on the upper side, bright green on the lower side. Up to 5 cm long, up to 4 cm wide, slightly hairy and pinnate leaf veins. Leaf stalks up to 4 cm long. Small, purple flowers. Star-shaped petals, lip-shaped crown, dark to light purple with a slightly curved tube shape. Flowering from February-August. Small tubers, brown and white flesh and tuber length 2-4 cm. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Subfamily: Nepetoideae Tribe: Ocimeae Subtribe: Plectranthinae Genus: Coleus Species: Coleus rotundifolius
Read more