Genus Patu Marples, 1951

Patu Marples, 1951: 47.

Patu Forster, 1959: 318.

Patu Forster & Platnick, 1977: 15.

Type species.

Patu vitiensis Marples, 1951 by original designation, from Fiji.

Diagnosis.

Patu can be distinguished from Anapistula Gertsch, 1941 by having 6 eyes vs. four or lacking and from Anapogonia Simon, 1905, tentatively placed in Symphytognathidae (Platnick and Forster 1989: 76), by the chelicerae fused at the mid-line vs. unfused. Patu differs from Globignatha Balogh & Loksa, 1968 and Symphytognatha Hickman, 1931 by the chelicerae fused only at mid-line vs. almost fully fused, see Lin 2019: fig. 1H. It differs from Curimagua Forster & Platnick, 1977 by having 6 eyes in diads and the female lacking palps (Fig. 8A and C) vs. 6 eyes in triads and female palps reduced to vestiges (Forster and Platnick 1977: figs 40 and 63). Patu differs from Iardinis Simon, 1899 ( I. martensi Brignoli, 1978 from Nepal and I. mussardi Brignoli, 1980 from India) by having clasping spines on tibia II on the male, but lacking in the latter and from Crassignatha Wunderlich, 1995 and Swilda gen. nov. by lacking a latero-posterior abdominal scutum in the male and the rod-shaped or oval spermathecae (Figs 1C, 9F and 10G) vs. having an abdominal scutum and spherical spermathecae (Figs 19A, 21A and 22E; Li, Lin and Li 2020: figs 16C and 22D). Patu is similar to Kirinua gen. nov. by the absence of a latero-posterior abdominal scutum in the male and the carapace surface lacking granular or spinous ornaments in both sexes, but it can be distinguished by the male having sulci and pores on the clypeus, rather than a pair of pocket-shaped pits in the latter and the male palpal cymbium lacks accessorial structures (e.g. primary conductor, cymbial process or apophysis); females can be distinguished by having rod-shaped or oval spermathecae rather than spherical or subspherical spermathecae in the latter.

Description.

Tiny, total length 0.40-0.80. Carapace round in male, pear-shaped in female dorsally, nearly triangular laterally (Figs 6A, 2D, 8A and 8D). Six eyes in 3 diads, ocular base black, AME absent, lateral eyes adjacent, cephalic part raised (Figs 2C, 2F, 8C and 8F). Clypeus concave, with modified sulci and pores (fig. 69A-D in Miller et al. 2009). Female lacking palps. Chelicerae fused at middle, with a single tooth (fig. 69E and F in Miller et al. 2009). Labium wider than long, fused to sternum (Figs 2B, 2E, 8B and 8E). Sternum heart shaped, truncated posteriorly. Male tibia II with 1-2 clasping spines subdistally (Figs 1C, 2C, 6C and 8C). Abdomen globular dorsally, subovoid laterally, without latero-posterior abdominal scutum (Figs 1C, 4C and 8C). Spinnerets without annular plates. Colulus absent.

Male palp (Figs 4D, E, 8A and B): bulb nearly ovate, large, not less than ~ ¼ size of carapace. Cymbium membranous, translucent, wrapping around bulb prolaterally, without modified teeth, processes or apophyses. Conductor usually absent (if present, long, finger-like, starting at dorsal side of bulb, close to embolic base, see Figs 1D and 4D). Tegulum cup shaped, with 1 or 2 protrusions (median apophysis and tegular process) (Figs 1D, 7A and 9A). Embolus long, slender, tubular, coiling into at least 2 loops within tegulum, distal part of embolus embedded inside bulb (Figs 3A, B, 14A and B) or extends and twists at tip of bulb (Figs 1D, E, 4D, E, 7A, B, 9A and B).

Epigyne (Figs 7E, F, 9E, F, 14D and E): weakly sclerotised. Scape or parmula short, tongue-shaped or long, finger-like. Spermathecae long, ovate or kidney-shaped, separated by less than 2 lengths. Copulatory openings separated. Copulatory ducts membranous or faintly sclerotised, usually partially or completely surround spermathecae (exceptions are P. nigeri Lin & S. Li, 2009 and P. qiqi). Fertilisation ducts short, thin, typically originate from the lateral or anterior side of spermathecae.

Composition.

Patu catba sp. nov. (♂), P. dakou sp. nov. (♂♀), P. damtao sp. nov. (♂), P. digua Forster & Platnick, 1977 (♂♀), P. eberhardi Forster & Platnick, 1977 (♂♀), P. jiangzhou sp. nov. (♀), P. jidanweishi Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 (♂♀), P. marplesi Forster, 1959 (♂), P. nagarat sp. nov. (♂♀), P. nigeri (♂♀), P. putao sp. nov. (♀), P. qiqi Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 (♂♀), P. saladito Forster & Platnick, 1977 (♀), P. samoensis Marples, 1951 (♂♀), P. silho Saaristo, 1996 (♂♀), P. vitiensis Marples, 1951 (♂♀), P. woodwardi Forster, 1959 (♂♀) and P. xiaoxiao Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 (♂♀). Li, Lin and Li (2020) have previously suggested that the other two Asian species, P. bispina Lin, Pham & S. Li, 2009 from Vietnam and P. kishidai Shinkai, 2009 from Japan, do not belong to this genus and should be transferred to Crassignatha . Based on the above diagnosis of Patu, we formally propose two new combinations: Crassignatha bispina comb. nov. and C. kishidai comb. nov.

Distribution.

China (Guangxi, Hainan, and Yunnan), Colombia, Fiji, Myanmar, New Guinea, Samoa, Seychelles, Thailand, Vietnam.

Remarks.

Of the male Patu species described here, the embolus is either embedded within the tegulum or not, the conductor is present or absent and the tegular process is present or absent. The similarities of the palps are the nearly ovate bulb and the cymbium lacking any teeth, processes or apophyses. In the females, the epigyne and vulva distinctly differ in the type, shape and size of posterior process of the epigyne (scape or parmula) and in the texture, length and course of the copulatory ducts. The similarities of the vulvae are the ovate or short, club-shaped spermathecae.