Skip to main content

Three new species of Huntsman spider (Pseudopoda Jäger 2000) from Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve

Three new species of Huntsman spider (Pseudopoda Jäger 2000) from Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve

NEWS - A spider survey in Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve in Xuan’en County, southwest Hubei Province, adjacent to the northeastern edge of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, discovered three new species: arc huntsman spider (Pseudopoda arcuata ♀), Qizimeishan huntsman spider (Pseudopoda qizimeishanensis ♂ ♀) and Mian Wei huntsman spider (Pseudopoda weimiani ♂ ♀).

The reserve covers a total area of 345.5 km2 and the highest peak is about 2010 meters. It mainly protects the central subtropical mountain evergreen broadleaf forest and subalpine sphagnum swamp wetland area. The reserve is rich in wildlife resources and has been listed as a key biodiversity area in the China Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan.

Pseudopoda Jäger 2000 is the largest genus of the Sparassidae Bertkau 1872 with 256 species. Currently, 155 species of Pseudopoda are known in China. This genus is a small to large spider that lives mainly in leaf litter and less frequently in plants.

P. arcuata derives its specific epithet from the Latin word meaning "arch-shaped" referring to the curved LL. Females resemble P. allantoides Zhang, Jäger & Liu 2023, but P. arcuata can be recognized by its horizontally elongated S and FD appearing anterior to the S (vs. S elongated longitudinally and FD appearing medial to the S).

P. qizimeishanensis derives its specific epithet from the type locality, Mount Qizimeishan. Males resemble P. baoshanensis Zhang, Jäger & Liu 2023, but P. qizimeishanensis can be recognized by the long RTA and occurs in the basal part of Ti, T without prolateral growth and E tip pointing towards 11 o'clock (vs. short RTA, occurs in the medial part of Ti, T with prolateral growth, E tip pointing towards 7 o'clock).

Females resemble P. nanyueensis Tang & Yin 2000, but P. qizimeishanensis can be recognized by the long S, with wrinkles, almost parallel to the anterior edge of LL (vs. S without wrinkles and extending horizontally).

P. weimiani is named after one of the collectors, Mian Wei. Males resemble P. hongqi Deng, Zhong, Irfan & Wang 2023, but P. weimiani can be recognized by the short-smooth RTA and twisted EP (vs. RTA long and gradually narrowing towards the tip, EP without twists, terminal not exceeding E).

Females resemble P. taipingensis Zhang, Jäger & Liu 2023, but P. weimiani can be recognized by the nearly straight posterior margin of the LL, parallel to the anterior margin and the S with a clear bend in ventral view (vs. the W-shaped posterior margin of the LL, the S with a tube-like structure).

Pseudopods are widely distributed throughout China with 155 species accounting for about 61% of the world's total species. The majority are found in the southwest region, especially in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, with 84 species highlighting the rich biodiversity and varied topography.

Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve, part of the northeastern extension of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, has a diverse landscape with elevations ranging from 650 to 2010 meters. This variation creates a variety of microclimates and habitats that support a variety of species. However, research on spiders in this area is still limited.

Original research

Chang J, Zhang H, Liu J, Zhu Y, Liu C, Chen K, Hu C (2024) Three new species of Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 (Araneae, Sparassidae, Heteropodinae) from Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve of Hubei, China. ZooKeys 1214: 143-160, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1214.130101

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Black jumping spider (Hyllus diardi)

Black jumping spider ( Hyllus diardi ) is an animal species in the Salticidae, black and white spiders, long hair, round head, elongated belly, relatively small, arboreal, perched on leaves in bushes and low trees in forests and agricultural lands. H. diardi has black and white color, shiny surface and white hair all over the body. The head is round, shiny black with a linear white line in the middle. Black eyes on the front of the head. The stomach has an elongated, jointed, black cylindrical shape with black plots at the top of each segment. The legs are long, segmented, shiny black or brownish in color and hairy. Black jumping spiders live arboreal, perch on leaf surfaces, low bushes, trees in forests, agricultural land, roadsides and shade. Very sensitive to human presence and will hide behind leaves to avoid sight. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Chelicerata Class: Arachnida Order: Araneae Suborder: Araneomorphae Infraorder: Entelegynae Superfamily: Salticoi...
Read more

Hairy senna (Senna hirsuta)

Hairy senna ( Senna hirsuta ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae family. It is an upright shrub, growing up to 2.5 meters tall. The leaves are compound on petioles up to 13 cm long. They usually have 2-6 pairs of leaflets, are egg-shaped, and have white hairs, up to 10 cm long and 5 cm wide. The flowers are yellow and arranged at the tips of branches and in the upper leaf axils in clusters of 2-5. The petals are 12-16 mm long, have 6 stamens, 3-8 mm long anthers, and 4 staminodes. Flowering occurs almost monthly. The pods are cylindrical, up to 15 cm long, 4-6 mm wide, and curved. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae Tribe: Cassieae Subtribe: Cassiinae Genus: Senna Mill. in Gard. Dict. Abr., ed. 4.: [s.p.] (1754) Species: Senna hirsuta (L.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby in Phytologia 44: 499 (1979) Variety: Senna hirsuta var. acuminata (Benth.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby, Senna ...
Read more

Water strider (Ptilomera tigrina)

Water strider ( Ptilomera tigrina ) is an animal species in Gerridae, a predatory insect that spends time on the surface of fast water with back and forth movements with a speed of up to 1.5 m/s to float and is very easily recognized by its habit of always walking and jumping on around water. P. tigrina has an elongated, dark cylindrical body with several bright or silvery white parts. A pair of big eyes at the tip of the head. The stomach has joints and tapers towards the back. A pair of antennae is very long with several joints and stick-shaped legs. The forelegs pair have three sections with two joints and the first is slightly thickened. The second and third pairs of legs are several times the length of the body. Water strider has a very fast movement on the surface of the water to float and target prey near the surface. This species is a model in biophysical research regarding the ability to float on the surface and the ability to move forward quickly. The buoyancy originates f...
Read more