Simaoa Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009

Miller, Jeremy, Griswold, Charles & Yin, Chang, 2009, The symphytognathoid spiders of the Gaoligongshan, Yunnan, China (Araneae: Araneoidea): Systematics and diversity of micro-orbweavers, ZooKeys 11 (11), pp. 9-195 : 42

Genus Simaoa Miller, Griswold & Yin , gen. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8EDE8A1B-1604-40D1-89AD-B1B853E8CBF5

Type species. Simaoa yaojia Miller, Griswold & Yin , sp. n.

Etymology. Formed from the Chinese words for four (sì) and spear (máo), referring to the presence of four macrosetae on the male first tibia. The gender is feminine.

Diagnosis. Male distinguished from other mysmenid genera by the presence of four macrosetae on tibia I ( Fig. 34F ); other genera with macrosetae on tibia I have no more than two (e.g., Anjouanella , Maymena , Microdipoena , and Mysmenella ).

Female distinguished by having the spermathecae and spiraling copulatory ducts encapsulated together (Figs 31D, F, H-I), in combination with a scape that is only a small knob, or no scape present.

Description. Male with head moderately to strongly raised, with sulci below ALE ( Figs 34D , 37D ). Femoral spots on legs I and II, indistinct in male. Abdomen with or without posterior tubercle.

Male palp: Base of cymbium with large tooth-like apophysis ( Figs 34A , 37A ). Path of sperm duct in distal part of palpal bulb makes distinctive double loop ( Figs 33 , 36 ).

Vulva: Spermathecae and copulatory ducts contained within a sclerotized capsule. Copulatory ducts spiral within capsule along longitudinal axis (or obliquely so); fertilization ducts pass through copulatory duct spiral before turning mesally (Figs 31D, F, H-I).

Species. Simaoa yaojia sp. n., S. kavanaugh sp. n., S. maku sp. n., S. bianjing sp. n.

Note on circumscription: Two of four included species known only from females. The external genital anatomy of the species known only from females does not closely resemble that of species known from both sexes. However, the internal epigynal structures are very similar across all four species and circumscription is based primarily on this. The eventual discovery of the missing males may or may not support the circumscription presented here.

Figures

Figure 33. Simaoa yaojia sp. n. from Yaojiaping, male palp. A, prolateral; B, retrolateral. CB: cymbium; CT: cymbial tooth; E: embolus; T: tegulum.

Figure 34. Simaoa yaojia sp. n. from Yaojiaping, SEM of male. A, male palp, prolateral; B, male palp, retrolateral; C, male palp, dorsal, arrow indicates tooth-like tibial process; D, prosoma, anterior lateral; E, metatarsus I; F, tibia I, prolateral. CB: cymbium; CT: cymbial tooth; E: embolus; T: tegulum.

Figure 36. Simaoa kavanaugh sp. n. from Xiao Hei Shan Nature Reserve, male palp. A, prolateral; B, retrolateral. CB: cymbium; CT: cymbial tooth; E: embolus; T: tegulum.

Figure 37. Simaoa kavanaugh sp. n. from Xiao Hei Shan Nature Reserve, SEM. A, male palp, prolateral; B, male palp, retrolateral; C, male palp, dorsal; D, prosoma, anterior lateral; E, metatarsus I; F, epigynum. AL: anterior lobe; CB: cymbium; CT: cymbial tooth; E: embolus; PL: posterior lobe; T: tegulum.