Parasyrisca songi, Marusik, Yuri M. & Fritzén, Niclas R., 2009

Marusik, Yuri M. & Fritzén, Niclas R., 2009, A new species of Parasyrisca (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Xinjiang, China, Zootaxa 1982, pp. 63-65 : 63-64

Parasyrisca songi sp. n.

Type material. Holotype 3 (ZIB): CHINA, Xinjiang, 70 km SW of Urumqi, Nantaizi, 43.399°N – 43.438°N 87.214°E – 87.262°E, 1800–2100 m, 4.05– 10.05.2004 (Leg. N.R. Fritzén). Paratypes 2 Ƥ (ZIB), same locality, 3.05– 26.06.2004 (Leg. N.R. Fritzén).

Etymology. The specific name is a patronymic in honor of the late Prof. Daxiang Song who made great contribution to studies of Chinese spiders.

Diagnosis. The new species can easily be distinguished from the other congeners by the long stretched tibial apophysis, the shape of the conductor, the lack of a distinct median apophysis, and the elongate epigyne (length twice its width) with a distinct posterior ridge. P. s o n g i sp. n. resembles P. turkenica Ovtsharenko et al., 1995 , known from Turkey. Females of both species have epigynes much longer than wide with a narrow anterior hood widely separated from the atrium. P. s o n g i sp. n. is, however, easily recognized by the distinct posterior ridge. Males of these species have a long subconical tibial apophysis, while other congeners have a flattened (lamellate) tibial apophysis. However, the conductor and the terminal apophysis are very different. The females of P. songi sp. n. are also similar to P. guzeripli Ovtsharenko et al., 1995 , known from Caucasus, due to the widely spaced atrium and anterior hood, but the Caucasian species lacks the posterior ridge (Fig. 156, Ovtsharenko et al. 1995) and have parallel epigynal folds (rounded in the new species).

Description. Male. Total length 9.0. Carapace 4.05 long, 3.15 wide, with central dark spot and pair of stripes separating cephalic part from thoracic one ( Fig. 7 ). Femur II 3.3 long. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.13, ALE 0.17, PME 0.16, PLE 0.16; AME-AME 0.20, AME-ALE 0.07, PME-PME 0.23, PME-PLE 0.31, ALE-PLE 0.19; MOQ length 0.50, front width 0.56, back width 0.56. Leg spination: femora; II p0-1-1 (left side without prolateral spine); IV p0-0-1; tibiae; I v0-2-1 (right side v0-2-0); II v0-2-1; III p1-0-1, v0-1-2 (right side v1-1 -2). Palp as in Figs 1–3 , with long, stretched, sharply pointed, almost conical tibial apophysis, reaching approximately 0.25 of cymbial length. Conductor transparent, weakly sclerotized, straight, widened at tip. Terminal apophysis straight, median apophysis invisible. Embolus thin, spine-like.

Female. Total length 7.5–11.2. Carapace 3.4–3.7 long, 2.5–2.93 wide, without pattern ( Fig. 5 ). Femur II 2.35–2.4 long. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.14, ALE 0.16, PME 0.16, PLE 0.16; AME-AME 0.14, AME-ALE 0.07, PME-PME 0.20, PME-PLE 0.27, ALE-PLE 0.17; MOQ length 0.51, front width 0.49, back width 0.51. Leg spination: femora; II p0-0-1; IV p0-0-1; tibiae; I v0-2-0; II v0-2-0; III p1-1-0, v1-1 -2. Spinnerets spaced by less than one diameter ( Fig. 6 ). Epigyne as in Fig. 4 , with small atrium, posterior ridge at level of atrium, folds rounded, atrium and anterior hood widely spaced, length/width ratio 2.0.

Comments. There is a slight possibility that the paratype females are not conspecific with the holotype male, because they are smaller than the male. In all other Parasyrisca species the carapace of females are larger than those of males, or sizes in both sexes are subequal.

Distribution. Known from the type locality only.

Ah anterior hood; At atrium; Co conductor; Em embolus; Pr posterior ridge; Te terminal apophysis.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Parasyrisca songi sp. n. 1, 3. male palp, ventral and retrolateral respectively; 2. terminal part of the male palp, prolateral; 4. epigyne, ventral; 5. female habitus; 6. female spinnerets; 7. male, cephalic part of carapace, dorsal. Scale: 1 – 4 = 0.1 mm, 5 = 1 mm, 6 – 7 without scale.