Skip to main content

Qiyunshan cellar spider (Khorata qiyunshanensis) from China found in the twilight zone of a cave

Dlium Qiyunshan cellar spider (Khorata qiyunshanensis) from China found in the twilight zone of a cave

NEWS - Qiyunshan cellar spider (Khorata qiyunshanensis Zhou, sp. nov.) from Jiangxi Qiyunshan National Nature Reserve, Jiangxi, China, discovered during a spider survey conducted in June 2024 was confirmed as a new species to science based on morphological comparison.

Khorata Huber 2005 contains 52 species distributed in Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, of which about 34 species have been recorded from China. K. qiyunshanensis was found in the twilight zone of an unnamed artificially excavated cave or among Xiangluba cliffs (webs between rocks).

The new species can be easily distinguished from all known congeners by bulb oval shape and fawn, embolus length equal to bulb; procursus proximal slightly curved, odontoid protuberance on the lateral distally bearing scales and three small angular apophyses.

Chelicerae with pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, pair of distal apophyses on front-lateral surface middle, pair of strong frontal apophyses, inward bending hooked frontal apophyses; posteromedian apophysis long rod-shaped, its length about equal to the length of epigyne; vulva with relief anterior arch and concave on both sides of the middle and posteriorly pointed pore plates.

DESCRIPTION

Male (holotype: Total length 2.23 (2.46 with clypeus), carapace 0.92 long, 0.93 wide, opisthosoma 1.31 long, 0.97 wide. Leg I: 20.59 (5.18, 0.42, 5.16, 7.47, 2.36), leg II: 13.97 (3.95, 0.42, 3.39, 4.79, 1.42), leg III 10.59 (3.11, 0.37, 2.58, 3.58, 0.95), leg IV: 13.02 (3.74, 0.42, 3.23, 4.74, 0.89); tibia I L/d: 49. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME–PME 0.13, PME 0.12, PME–ALE 0.04, AME absent. Sternum width/length: 0.67/0.62. Both sides of carapace greyish-brown, the middle sides pale white; 6 white eyes, black around the eyes; sternum black with long black fine hairs. Legs brownish, but pale white on distal parts of femora and tibiae. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 27% proximally; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi, without spines or curved setae; tarsus I with 60 distinct pseudosegments. Chelicerae with pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, pair of distal apophyses on front-lateral surface middle, pair of strong frontal apophyses (cattle-horn shape), inward bending hooked frontal apophyses (medial lower half and distance between tips: 0.05). Trochanter with width retrolateral apophysis (as long as wide) and trochanter with dorsal apophysis (small); femur with retrolateral apophysis (semi-circular ring); patella large; procursus proximal slightly curved, odontoid protuberance on the lateral distally bearing scales and three small angular apophyses; bulb oval shape and fawn, embolus curved long strip and back end bent downwards and becomes blunt tip, its length equal to bulb.

Female (paratype): Similar to male. Total length 2.35 (2.44 with clypeus), carapace 0.83 long, 0.93 wide, opisthosoma 1.52 long, 1.07 wide. Leg I: 18.32 (4.58, 0.37, 4.58, 6.37, 2.42), leg II: 11.80 (3.11, 0.32, 2.84, 4.11, 1.42), leg III 11.25 (3.05, 0.37, 2.68, 3.89, 1.26), leg IV: 12.05 (3.63, 0.37, 3.05, 4.16, 0.84); tibia I L/d: 43.5. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME–PME 0.12, PME 0.11, PME–ALE 0.02, AME absent. Sternum width/length: 0.57/0.64. Epigyne brownish and posteromedian apophysis patent defect, outer edge black long hairs, without pockets; posteromedian apophysis long rod-shaped, its length about equal to the length of epigyne. Vulva with relief anterior arch and concave on both sides of the middle and posteriorly pointed pore plates (semi-arc).

Variation: Tibia I in the male paratype (JXQYS-24-43-02): 3.74. Tibia I in another female paratype (JXQYS-24-43-04, 05, 06; JXQYS-24-82-01): 4.68, 4.69, 4.47; 4.71.

Original research

Zhou G, Lu J, Deng Y (2024). A new species of Khorata Huber, 2005 (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Jiangxi Qiyunshan National Nature Reserve, southern China. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e141018, DOI:10.3897/BDJ.12.e141018

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Six new species forming the Sumbana species group in genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg 1798 from Indonesia

NEWS - Sumbawa longhorn ( Nemophora sumbana Kozlov, sp. nov.), Timor longhorn ( Nemophora timorella Kozlov, sp. nov.), shining shade longhorn ( Nemophora umbronitidella Kozlov, sp. nov.), Wegner longhorn ( Nemophora wegneri Kozlov, sp. nov.), long brush longhorn ( Nemophora longipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.), and short brush longhorn ( Nemophora brevipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.) from the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. The Lesser Sunda Islands consist of two parallel, linear oceanic island chains, including Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Sawu, Timor, Alor, and Tanimbar. The oldest of these islands have been continuously occurring for 10–12 million years. This long period of isolation has allowed significant in situ diversification, making the Lesser Sundas home to many endemic species. This island chain may act as a two-way filter for organisms migrating between the world's two great biogeographic regions, Asia and Australia-Papua. The recognition of a striking cli...
Read more

Banded dragonfish (Akarotaxis gouldae) diverged from Akarotaxis nudiceps 780,000 years ago

NEWS - A new species of dragonfish, Akarotaxis gouldae or banded dragonfish, off the western Antarctic Peninsula by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at Gloucester Point, the University of Oregon at Eugene, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, highlights the unknown biodiversity and fragile ecosystems of the Antarctic. A. gouldae was named in honor of the Antarctic Research and Supply Vessel (ARSV) Laurence M. Gould and crew. The larval specimen was collected while trawling for zooplankton and was initially thought to be the closely related Akarotaxis nudiceps hundreds of thousands of years ago. DNA comparisons with A. nudiceps specimens held in collections at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Yale University, and the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris showed significant variation in mitochondrial genes that suggested the larval sample was a distinct species. Andrew Corso of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and colle...
Read more

Bush sorrel (Hibiscus surattensis)

Bush sorrel ( Hibiscus surattensis ) is a plant species in Malvaceae, annual shrub, crawling on the surface or climbing, up to 3 meters long, thorny stems, green leaves, yellow trumpet flowers, grows wild in forests and canal edges, widely used for vegetables and treatment. H. surattensis has stems with spines and hairs, branching and reddish green. Petiole emerges from the stem with a straight edge to the side, up to 11 cm long, sturdy, thorny, hairy and reddish green. The leaves have a length of 10 cm, width of 10 cm, 3-5 lobed, each has a bone in the middle with several pinnate veins, sharp tip, sharp and jagged edges, wavy, stiff, green surface. Flowers up to 10 cm long, trumpet-shaped, yellow with a purple or brown or red center, solitary, axillary. Epicalyx has forked bracts, linear inner branches, spathulate outer branches. Stalks up to 6-7 cm. The seeds have a length of 3-3.5 mm and a width of 2.5 mm. Bush sorrels grow in pastures, marshes, abandoned fields and plantations, ...
Read more