Nesticella odonta (Chen, 1984)

Lin, Yucheng, Ballarin, Francesco & Li, Shuqiang, 2016, A survey of the spider family Nesticidae (Arachnida, Araneae) in Asia and Madagascar, with the description of forty-three new species, ZooKeys 627, pp. 1-168 : 25-27

Taxon classification Animalia Araneae Nesticidae

Nesticella odonta (Chen, 1984) Figs 24, 25, 82

Nesticus odontus Chen, 1984: 34, figs 1-6 (♂♀).

Nesticella odonta : Platnick 1989: 184.

Nesticus odontus : Chen and Zhang 1991: 158, fig. 156.1-6 (♂♀).

Nesticella odonta : Song et al. 1999: 86, figs 12E, 37 E–F, 37I (♂♀).

Nesticella odonta : Yin et al. 2012: 237, fig. 75 a–d (♀).

Nesticella taiwan Tso & Yoshida, 2000: 13, figs 1-6 (♂), syn. n.

Material examined.

Paratypes of Nesticella odonta 1♂ and 2♀ (IZCAS), CHINA: Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou City, Qixialing Hill, Huanglong Cave, 18.V.1981, Z. Chen leg.

Diagnosis.

This species can be easily recognized from the others belonging to the brevipes -group, with the exception of Nesticella xiongmao sp. n. (Fig. 35 A–D, 36 A–G) and Nesticella chongqing sp. n. (Fig. 12 A–F) by the sharp, hook-like distal process I of the paracym bium (Dp-I) that is bent downward (Fig. 24A, D), the lobed distal process II (Dp-II) (Fig. 24D) and the sharp tegular apophysis (Tg) (Fig. 24A, C–D). Females can be distinguished by the short scape (Sp) with a flat posterior margin (Fig. 25E) and by the compact, almost straight ducts (Fd and Cd) (Fig. 25 F–G). Males of Nesticella odonta can be separated from those of Nesticella xiongmao sp. n. by the wider distal process I of the paracymbium (Dp-I) (Fig. 24A vs. Fig. 35A) and the broader and more lobed distal process II (Dp-II) (Fig. 24D vs. Fig. 35D). Females are distinguished by the shorter, squared scape (Sp) with a flat rather than rounded posterior margin (Fig. 25E vs. Fig. 36E), the folded rather than straight copulatory ducts (Cd) and the greater distance between the spermathecae (S) (Fig. 25 F–G vs. Fig. 36 F–G). The same combination of characters allows females of Nesticella odonta to be distinguished from those of Nesticella chongqing sp. n.

Description.

See Chen (1984).

Habitat.

Forest leaf litter, cave.

Distribution.

South China (Fig. 82).

Remarks.

The type material of Nesticella taiwan Tso & Yoshida, 2000 was not found in the Department of Biology at Tung Hai University, Taichung. However, the drawings of the male holotype by Tso & Yoshida clearly show the diagnostic characters of the species: the hook-like, pointed distal process I, the lobed distal process II, the general shape of the paracymbium when viewed ventrally and the pointed, sclerotized tegular apophysis. All these characters are compatible with the the palpal morphology of Nesticella odonta from mainland China (compare Fig. 24 A–D and Tso and Yoshida 2000: 14, figs 4-6). Furthermore, Nesticella odonta seems to be a widely distributed species in throughout southern China, and its presence in Taiwan is very likely. In addition, the in progress morphological and molecular analysis of newly collected male and female specimens from the type locality of Nesticella taiwan demonstrate that the females illustrated by Tso & Yoshida as Nesticella taiwan were mismatched, belonging instead to a different species, Nesticella kaohsiungensis sp. n.. Based on the above mentioned evidence, we propose the synonymy of Nesticella taiwan Tso & Yoshida, 2000 with Nesticella odonta (Chen, 1984).