Qianleptoneta Chen and Zhu 2008
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https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00222933.2010.512397 |
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https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B90520-FFE3-FFB4-FE29-D8B245B8F1AC |
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Felipe |
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Qianleptoneta Chen and Zhu 2008 |
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Genus Qianleptoneta Chen and Zhu 2008
Type species
Qianleptoneta quinquespinata Chen HM and Zhu, 2008: 11–14 .
Diagnosis
This genus can be distinguished from other leptonetid genera by five ventral spines of the male palpal tibia in retrolateral view, which appear as two pairs and one singleton.
Description
Total length 1.84–2.55.
Cephalothorax. Carapace domed, gently sloping posteriorly in lateral profile, oval in dorsal view ( Figures 4B,D View Figure 4 , 6B,D View Figure 6 , 9B,D View Figure 9 , 11B,D View Figure 11 , 13B,D View Figure 13 , 18A–D View Figure 18 , 20B,D,F View Figure 20 , 22B,D,F View Figure 22 , 24B,D View Figure 24 ), length 0.87–1.36 times width; carapace smooth yellowish, with brown markings surrounding the eyes and carapace margins, smooth; thoracic fovea like a longitudinal thin brown dusky needle-shaped band; carapace posterior margin straight or slightly concave. Six eyes (AME absent), or only reduced eye markings remained on ocular area or entirely absent; ALE and PLE with dark surrounding markings and PME with thin circular surrounding markings ( Figures 6B,D View Figure 6 , 22D View Figure 22 , 24B,D View Figure 24 ); OA longer than wide, OAL 0.50–1.46 times OAW, the diameter of PME is 0.573–0.71 times that of PLE. Clypeal height 0.10–0.23. Chelicerae unmodified, with six to ten teeth on promargin, two to five denticles on retromargin ( Figures 3C,D View Figure 3 , 5C,D View Figure 5 , 8C View Figure 8 , 10C,D View Figure 10 , 12D,E View Figure 12 , 15C View Figure 15 , 17D,E View Figure 17 , 19D,E View Figure 19 , 21C,D View Figure 21 , 23C,D View Figure 23 ) and several short setae originated basally. Sternum oval, with hairs; posterior margin broad and round; length 0.89–1.15 times width.
Abdomen. Abdomen oval, pale yellow, or purple-brown with dusky markings, covered with fine, elongate hairs.
Leg. All legs thin and long, with regular fine hairs on tibia I and II. Leg formula 1423; the preening comb consisting of five paired setae occurring ventro-apically on the metatarsi II and III; autospasy often occurs at the joint patella and tibia when living.
Male genitalia. The length of palpal patella and tibia varies greatly; tibia less than patella or much more than patella (about twice as long). Palpal tibia with three dorsal trichobothria and five special ventral spines: the longest and thickest occurred basally, long and thick, here named tibia basal spine (TBS); two of occurred apically, which are short and slim, named tibia endmost spines (TES); and the other two occurred mesally, named tibia mesal spines (TMS) ( Figures 3B View Figure 3 , 5A View Figure 5 , 8B View Figure 8 , 10B View Figure 10 , 12A View Figure 12 , 15B View Figure 15 , 17B View Figure 17 , 19B View Figure 19 , 21B View Figure 21 , 23B View Figure 23 ). Palpal tarsus bears an apical constriction (AC, Figures 3A,B View Figure 3 , 8A,B View Figure 8 , 10A,B View Figure 10 , 12A,B View Figure 12 , 15A,B View Figure 15 , 17A,B View Figure 17 , 19A,B View Figure 19 , 21A,B View Figure 21 , 23A,B View Figure 23 ) and a retrolateral tarsal apophysis (RA, Figures 3B View Figure 3 , 8B View Figure 8 , 10B View Figure 10 , 12A View Figure 12 , 15B View Figure 15 , 17B View Figure 17 , 19B View Figure 19 , 21B View Figure 21 , 23B View Figure 23 ). A row of setae occurs on the retrolateral surfaces of tarsi. Bulb suboval in shape, longer than wide; prolateral surface bearing a lobe (PL, Figures 3A View Figure 3 , 5B View Figure 5 , 8A View Figure 8 , 10A View Figure 10 , 15A View Figure 15 , 17A View Figure 17 , 19A View Figure 19 , 21A View Figure 21 , 23A View Figure 23 ); conductor ventrally originated, tapers or rectangular or trapezoid in shape; the ventroapical surface of the bulb has a transparent proapical flange (PF, Figures. 3A,B View Figure 3 , 5A,B View Figure 5 , 8A,B View Figure 8 , 10A,B View Figure 10 , 12A,B View Figure 12 , 15A,B View Figure 15 , 17A,B View Figure 17 , 19A,B View Figure 19 , 21A,B View Figure 21 , 23A,B View Figure 23 ); with a median apophysis (M) which greatly varies in shape ( Figure 25A–I View Figure 25 ).
Female genitalia. The female genitalia relatively uniform, and little diagnostic value, with triangular, fan-shaped or shuttle-shaped atrium; a pair of twisted spermathecae
originated laterally, elongate anteromesally and close to each other ( Figures 3F View Figure 3 , 5F View Figure 5 , 8F View Figure 8 , 10F View Figure 10 , 12G View Figure 12 , 15F View Figure 15 , 17G View Figure 17 , 19G View Figure 19 , 21F View Figure 21 , 23F View Figure 23 ).
Natural history
Qianleptoneta are minute spiders, generally restricted to the twilight or dark zone of karst moist caves. Webs ( Figures 1A View Figure 1 , 7B View Figure 7 , 14A View Figure 14 ) are rectangular, woven sheets 10– 20 cm in diameter along cave wall, rocks or base plate. Individuals stand on the sheet ( Figures 1B View Figure 1 , 7C View Figure 7 ), or hang beneath the sheet ( Figure 14B View Figure 14 ) and readily drop from the web when disturbed (field observation). Egg sacs ( Figure 14C View Figure 14 ) are white, globose about 1 mm in diameter, commonly found near the web. Cave adaptations include troglobite and troglophile. Prey records are mainly mosquitoes, ants and moths.
Distribution
Known only from karst caves of Guizhou Province, southwestern China ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 ).
Remarks
Two subfamilies of the family Leptonetidae are recognized, Archoleptonetinae and Leptonetinae; all the genera other than Archoleptoneta and Darkoneta are placed in the Leptonetinae, and are characterized by a peculiar eye arrangement that is unique among spiders, with the posterior median pair situated posteriorly of the other four eyes ( Platnick 1994; Ledford and Griswold 2010) and including the genus Qianleptoneta . Leptonetinae has 15 genera and 205 species worldwide, and each genus is a characterized, valid genus. For example, Calileptoneta , male bulb with mesal lobe; Leptoneta , male palpal femur with ventral row of spines; Neoleptoneta , male palpal tibia with retrolateral tibial spur-bearing apophysis ( Ledford et al. 2005); Falcileptoneta , apical end of dorsolateral side of the tibia with one or two spine-like apophyses ( Komatsu 1970); Masirana , male maxilla extended outwards, apical end of retrodorsal side of tibia with a curved spine-like apophysis and a funnel-shaped apophysis ( Komatsu 1970); Appaleptoneta , male palpal tarsus with a short distal portion bearing a retrolateral lobe armed with a spine or modified setae ( Platnick 1986); Rhyssoleptoneta , male palpal tarsus with a small projection presented on its dorsal surface ( Tong and Li 2007); Protoleptoneta , male palpal tarsus near the top of tarsus with a thicker spot, provided with a strong spine longer than others ( Deltshev 1972), and so on. Barusia and Cataleptoneta maybe congeneric, provisionally kept separate ( Platnick 2010).
The Chinese leptonetids include two species in the genera Qianleptoneta and Rhyssoleptoneta ; another 25 species have been described simply in Leptoneta , they are probably misplaced, it does not share any character with the members of this genus except for the eye form. The Chinese Leptoneta species should probably be included in one or more new genera in a future revisional work ( Tong and Li 2008). Recent creation of new genera ( Qianleptoneta and Rhyssoleptoneta ) have somewhat alleviated the situation. The present paper is primarily an attempt to delimit “true” Qianleptoneta . A secondary aim of this paper is the description of 10 new Guizhou species that share putative synapomorphies with the type species Q. quinquespinata . This genus Qianleptoneta shares several synapomorphies with the members of the genus Leptoneta . The most important of these is the presence of six eyes with the PME separated from the strongly recurved ALE and PLE. However, despite these similarities, the structure of the male palpal tibia in Qianleptoneta differs greatly; with special ventral spines of the male palpal tibia in retrolateral view which are absent in Leptoneta and other genera; male palp without strong spines on ventral surface of femur and the structure of the male bulb is distinct. In summary, we conclude that this genus Qianleptoneta is characterized by its own distinctive synapomorphies, justifying the creation of this genus.
Key to species of the genus Qianleptoneta (males)
1. Palpal tibia without fine hairs on ventral surface......................... 2
Palpal tibia with fine hairs on ventral surface............................ 3
2. M triangular, with six long and thick marginal teeth............................................................................. Q. megaloda sp. nov.
M subuliform, with four denticles on dorsal surface.............................................................................. Q. sublunata sp. nov.
3. Tibia is 1.9 times longer than patella.................................... 4
Otherwise.............................................................. 6
4. Legs without preening comb.................................................................................. Q. quinquespinata Chen and Zhu, 2008
Legs with preening comb............................................... 5
5. Palp without AC and M.................................. Q. nuda sp. nov.
Palp with AC and M.............................. Q. lophacantha sp. nov.
6. Ocular area with a long tubiform apophysis............ Q. palmata sp. nov.
Ocular area without a long tubiform apophysis.......................... 7
7. Clypeus and both sides of PMEM with thick spines........................................................................... Q. robustispina sp. nov.
Clypeus and both sides of PMEM without thick spines................... 8
8. Femur I with numerous stout spines in the dorsal surface mesally........... Q. multiseta sp. nov.
Femur I without stout spines in the dorsal surface mesally................ 9
9. PL broadly triangular................................ Q. triangula sp. nov.
Otherwise............................................................. 10
10. PL horseshoe-shaped................................. Q. lycotropa sp. nov.
PL strip-shaped....................................... Q. identica sp. nov.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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Qianleptoneta Chen and Zhu 2008
| Chen, Hui-Ming, Jia, Qiang & Wang, Shi-Jie 2010 |
Qianleptoneta quinquespinata
| Chen HM & Zhu MS 2008: 14 |