Sphingius pingtung, Tso, Zhang, Zhu & Zhang, 2005

Zhang, Feng, Fu, Jian-Ying & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, Spiders of the genus Sphingius (Araneae: Liocranidae) from China, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 2298, pp. 31-44 : 37

Sphingius pingtung Tso, Zhang, Zhu & Zhang, 2005

( Figs. 9–12 )

Sphingius pingtung Tso, Zhang, Zhu & Zhang, 2005: 48 , f. 9–12.

Diagnosis. This species is very similar to Sphingius scrobiculatus Thorell, 1897 (cf. Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001, fig. 839) in male palp, both with a long tibial apophysis, but can be easily distinguished from the latter by having a longer embolus, a membranous conductor, and by the shape of the median apophysis ( Figs. 10– 12 ). Sphingius pingtung also resembles S. penicillus Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 (cf. Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001, fig. 849), both with long embolus, but differs from the latter by the shorter corn-flake shaped conductor (lanceolated in S. penicillus ), the absence of the black setae brush on the male palpal tibia, the surface of carapace with numerous small granulations (carapace with several pits, but without granulations, in S. penicillus ).

Redescription. Male. Total length 3.25: carapace 1.58 long, 1.08 wide; abdomen 1.67 long, 0.99 wide. Carapace deep reddish brown, with numerous small granulations. Carapace ovoid in dorsal view, dark brown, surface with numerous small granulations, lateral and posterior margins with angular granulations. Eyes in two transverse rows; both AER and PER slightly recurved in dorsal view ( Fig. 9 ). Eye diameters: AME 0.05, ALE 0.06, PME 0.06, PLE 0.05. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.06, AME–ALE 0.06, PME–PME 0.07, PME–PLE 0.06; MOA 0.16 long, front width 0.20, back width 0.23. Chelicerae reddish brown, somewhat swollen in anterior surface, with three promarginal and two retromarginal teeth. Endites, labium and sternum dark brown. Labium as long as wide, sternum longer than wide, shield-shaped. Leg spination: femora I-IV with one small dorsal spine, tibia III v1-1 -1, metatarsus III v0-2-0; tibia IV v2-2 -1, metatarsus IV p0-0-1, v0- 1-0. Legs dark brown, leg formula: 4123 (Table 2).

TABLE 2. Leg measurements of Sphingius pingtung Tso, Zhang, Zhu & Zhang, 2005, male

Male palp as illustrated ( Figs. 10–12 ). Tibia with long scimitar-shaped retrolateral apophysis. Bulb oval from ventral view ( Fig. 11 ), tegulum rounded at base; sperm duct distinct, originating from upper part of tegulum, terminating near base of tegulum; subtegulum relatively large, darker than tegulum ( Fig. 10 ); embolus flagelliform, thin and long, originating from basal-prolateral tegulum, reaching beyond distal margin of tegulum ( Fig. 11 ); conductor corn-flake shaped, apical, behind the embolus; median apophysis nearly cleaver-shaped from retrolateral view, on distal-retrolateral sector of tegulum.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. China ( Taiwan, Guangxi)

Type material. Holotype male, Taiwan, collected from Pingtung County, Taiwan, November 2000, Y. L. Hsieh leg. (deposited in the Department of Biology, Tunghai University, No.Araneae-01-0194, examined) .

Other material examined. CHINA: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning city [N 22.65°, E 108.39°], 12♂, July 10, 1985, Y. Q. Zhang leg. ( MHBU) .

Remarks. While examining the spider specimens collected from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, this species was easily identified. The male was first described by Tso et al. (2005), but no conductor was shown in their illustration of the palpal organ. Here we redescribe and illustrate the male from the new material.

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 12. Sphingius pingtung Tso, Zhang, Zhu & Zhang, 2005. 9. Male body, dorsal view. 10. Left male palp, prolateral view. 11. Same, ventral view. 12. Same, retrolateral view. ag = angular granulations; c = conductor; ds = dorsal scutum; e = embolus; ma = median apophysis; st = subtegulum; t = tegulum; ta = tibial apophysis; tdm = triangular dark marking. Scale bars: 1 mm (9); 0.4 mm (10 – 12).