Heptathela unten, Xu, Xin, Ono, Hirotsugu, Kuntner, Matjaz, Liu, Fengxiang & Li, Daiqin, 2019

Xu, Xin, Ono, Hirotsugu, Kuntner, Matjaz, Liu, Fengxiang & Li, Daiqin, 2019, A taxonomic monograph of the liphistiid spider genus Heptathela, endemic to Japanese islands, ZooKeys 888, pp. 1-50 : 1

Heptathela unten sp. nov. Figs 22 , 23

Type material.

Holotype: JAPAN · ♂; Okinawa-ken, Nakijin-son, Unten Port; 26.68N, 128.00E; alt. 25 m; 27 December 2012; D. Li, F.X. Liu and X. Xu leg.; XUX-2012-522.

Paratypes: JAPAN · 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; XUX-2012-523, 527, 528A · 3 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; 10 May 2014; D. Li and B. Wu leg.; XUX-2014-083, 083A, 083B.

Diagnosis.

Males of H. unten sp. nov. can be distinguished from those of H. yanbaruensis by the blunt tegular marginal apophysis ( Fig. 22A, C, D ); from those of H. helios by the conductor with serrated margin and small tegular marginal apophysis ( Fig. 22A, C ). Females of H. unten sp. nov. cannot be distinguished morphologically form those of H. crypta sp. nov. ( Fig. 23 A–L ). However, H. unten sp. nov. can be diagnosed from all other Okinawa group Heptathela species by the following unique nucleotide substitutions in the standard DNA barcode alignment: G (482), C (635).

Description.

Male (Holotype). Carapace yellow brown; opisthosoma brown, with dark brown tergites close to each other; cheliceral groove with ten denticles; seven spinnerets. Measurements: BL 10.00, CL 5.05, CW 4.60, OL 4.60, OW 2.90; ALE> PLE> PME> AME; leg I 15.71 (4.48 + 1.93 + 3.30 + 4.00 + 2.00), leg II 16.59 (4.45 + 1.90 + 3.37 + 4.62 + 2.25), leg III 18.29 (4.50 + 1.93 + 3.58 + 5.53 + 2.75), leg IV 23.40 (5.82 + 2.28 + 4.52 + 7.30 + 3.48).

Palp. Prolateral side of paracymbium unpigmented and unsclerotised, numerous setae and spines at the tip of paracymbium ( Fig. 22A, B ). Contrategulum margin incurved nearly in the middle and the contrategulum divided into proximally serrated and distally smooth margins ( Fig. 22A, D ). Tegulum with wide dorsal extension of terminal apophysis ( Fig. 22C, D ), blunt terminal and small marginal apophysis ( Fig. 22A, C, D ). Conductor sclerotised and ovate, prolateral conductor with one or two shallow folds, and with a serrated margin ( Fig. 22B, C ). Embolus sclerotised, with a wide opening, the distal margin slightly sclerotised, and with a saddle-shaped margin in the retrolateral view ( Fig. 22B, C ).

Females (N = 5). Carapace and opisthosoma colour as in male, dark brown tergites separated from each other; cheliceral groove with 12 or 13 pronounced denticles; seven or eight spinnerets. Measurements: BL 7.81-12.00, CL 3.60-4.55, CW 3.30-4.40, OL 4.10-7.60, OW 3.00-6.20; ALE> PLE> PME> AME; palp 6.64 (2.19 + 1.22 + 1.45 + 1.78), leg I 7.48 (2.47 + 1.35 + 1.22 + 1.52 + 0.92), leg II 7.40 (2.21 + 1.30 + 1.21 + 1.65 + 1.03), leg III 7.79 (2.11 + 1.38 + 1.20 + 1.90 + 1.20), leg IV 11.55 (3.20 + 1.55 + 2.10 + 3.05 + 1.65).

Female genitalia. A pair of depressions on the ventro-lateral part of genital atrium indistinct ( Fig. 23D, E ). Paired receptacular clusters along the anterior margin of bursa copulatrix, divided into two parts, the inners similar or smaller than the laterals, paired receptacular clusters tuberculate, inners with or without genital stalks ( Fig. 23A, B, D, E ).

Etymology.

The species epithet, a noun in apposition, refers to the type locality, Unten Port.

Distribution.

The species is endemic to the Japanese island Okinawajima ( Fig. 1C ).

Figures

Figure 1. General somatic morphology of Heptathela kimurai (Kishida, 1920) A dorsal view B ventral view and map showing the sampling localities of Heptathela specimens from Kyushu to central Ryukyus (C).

Figure 22. Male genital anatomy of Heptathela unten sp. nov. and H. crypta sp. nov. A-D Heptathela unten sp. nov., 2522 (holotype, short for XUX- 2012 - 522) E-K H. crypta sp. nov. E-H 2328 (holotype) I-K 2460 A, I prolateral view B, K retrolateral view J ventral view C-H distal view; 2522: Unten Port, Okinawajima; 2328: Taira, Haneiji-Dam, Okinawajima; 2460: Yofuke, Okinawajima. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

Figure 23. Female genital anatomy of Heptathela unten sp. nov. and H. crypta sp. nov. A, D 2527 B, E 4083 A C, F 4027 B G, J 2324 H, K 2327 I, L 2457 A-C, G-I dorsal view D-F, J-L ventral view; 2527, 4083 A: Unten Port, Okinawajima; 4027 B: Mt. Nago-dake, Okinawajima; 2324, 2327: Taira, Haneiji-Dam, Okinawajima; 2457: Yofuke, Okinawajima. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.