Laoponia saetosa Platnick & Jaeger , 2008

Liu, Ke-ke, Yin, Hai-qiang, Liu, Ji-he, Xu, Xiang, Xiao, Yong-hong & Peng, Xian-jin, 2019, A new record of the spider family Caponiidae from China (Arachnida, Araneae), ZooKeys 851, pp. 1-15 : 1

Laoponia saetosa Platnick & Jaeger, 2008 Figs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Laoponia saetosa Platnick & Jäger, 2008: 4, figs 1−25, 31−34; Jäger and Praxaysombath, 2009: 31, figs 7−14; Liu, Li and Pham, 2010: 22, figs 1−5, 9, 11−12, 14.

Material examined.

All specimens examined in this study were collected by Ailan He, Keke Liu, Qu Cai, Jihe Liu, Jinxin Liu, and Zongguang Huang from Nonggang National Nature Reserve, Guangxi, China. 1 ♀, Longzhou County, Nonggang Station, the entrance of core area, 22°27'50.94"N, 106°55'56.58"E, 230 m, leaf litter, 26.X.2017; 1 ♂, Longzhou County, Sanlian Station, 22°32'4.93"N, 106°50'13.07"E, 310 m, leaf litter, 30.X.2017; 1 ♀, Longzhou County, Xiangshui Station, 18th boundary tablet, 22°26'8.38"N, 107°1'26.37"E, 260 m, leaf litter, 1.XI.2017; 1 ♂, Ningming County, Longrui Station, Huashan National Village, the road behind the hill, 22°14'29.45"N, 107°3'32.01"E, 260 m, leaf litter, 4.XI.2017.

Diagnosis.

The male of this species resembles that of L. pseudosaetosa Liu, Li & Pham, 2010 in having short, slender embolus with a sharp tip and entire legs without translucent ventral keel on metatarsi (see Liu et al. 2010: 24, figs 10, 13), but can be distinguished by a stout bulb and the embolus with a distinctively strongly curved median part (Figs 1E−H, 5). The female can be easily distinguished from another Asian species, Iraponia scutata Kranz-Baltensperger, Platnick & Dupérré, 2009, by the presence of only two eyes (six eyes in I. scutata ), abdomen lacking the postepigastric scutum, the shape of median membranous sac (large in I. scutata ), and relatively wide base of the uterus externus (narrow in I. scutata ) (Kranz-Baltensperger et al. 2009).

Description.

Male. Habitus as in Fig. 1A, B. Total length 4.37. Carapace (Fig. 1A) length 1.66, width 1.39, orange, broadly oval in dorsal view (CW/CL ≈ 0.84), pars cephalica slightly domed in lateral view, anteriorly narrowed to 0.3 times its maximum width, with abundant scale-shaped lattices on the surface, indistinct cervical groove and distinct fovea. Eyes (Fig. 1C): circular, with dark pigment around them; diameters 0.14; interdistance 0.05, separated by about one third their diameters; with a group of setae in front of and behind eyes respectively. Mouthparts (Figs 1B, 3A−C): chelicerae straight, light orange, each with an apical group of 6−10 strong and converging setae from basal to median part in frontal view; median lamina long, with dark, heavily sclerotized tip in the furrow; a membranous lobe located at the median part between lamina and fang base; the base of fan with a slit sensillum laterally in frontal view; stridulatory ridges clear, covering more than 1/2 of prolateral surface; endites convergent anteriorly but not touching, light orange, anteriorly with a relatively long membranous projection, serrula present, tiny, middle part wider than distal and proximal margins and forming an obtuse angle of about 100 degrees, covered with scattered long setae from median to posterior surface; labium almost diamond-shaped, fused to sternum, anterior surface of labium with long, longitudinal, submarginally sclerotized strips and the apical part narrow, a bit round. Sternum (Fig. 1D, 3D) slightly longer than wide, ovoid, with abundant setae and fine reticular lines around the edge, orange, darker at the edge. Pedicel, short, smooth, without setae on the surface. Abdomen (Figs 1A, B, 5A) uniformly white, length 2.62, width 1.48, strongly elongate oval in dorsal view (AW/AL ≈ 0.56), with abundant setae dorsally and two pairs of respiratory spiracles clustered around epigastric groove. Legs (Figs 1A, B, 4) orange, with abundant setae, the base of femur thickened, without sub-segmentation or membranous processes and strong spines on each segment; femora enlarged anteriorly; patella shorter than femora, tibia, metatarsus, and tarsus in legs I, III, IV; the distal part of tibia with few slit sensilla in retrolateral view; metatarsi entire, with obvious metatarsal dorsal stopper and lyriform organ distally in retrolateral view; tarsus with three claws: paired claws with 8−10 teeth, gradually enlarged from base to apex; the unpaired claw small, associated with a relatively small arolium at the base; tibia, metatarsus, and tarsi I−IV with trichobothria in a single row in retrolateral view; leg measurements in mm: I 3.77 (0.92, 0.60, 0.85, 0.79, 0.61); II 3.43 (0.72, 0.65, 0.98, 0.70, 0.38); III 3.30 (0.66, 0.45, 0.89, 0.74, 0.56); IV 4.43 (0.80, 0.69, 1.29, 0.91, 0.74). Leg formula: 4123. Six spinnerets with abundant setae, posterior laterals with two segments.

Genitalia (Figs 1A, B, D−H, 5): epigastric region with faint scutum, furrow broad, slightly bent, slit-shaped with rebordered margins, situated at level of bi-lateral spiracles; palp stout, yellow; patella and tibia short, patella slightly longer than tibia but shorter than femur; cymbium ovoid, with thickened setae at the distal area; bulb light orange, ovoid, 1.2 times as long as its maximum width in frontal view, medially with a constriction in retrolateral view, ventrally with small circular area clearly delimited from remainder of cuticle; embolus sclerotized, hook-shaped, twisted medially, including basal and distal part, apex bent outward in frontal view, forming an angle of approximately 100° with the axis of basal part, with a sperm duct opening associated with a shallow furrow extending towards the apical part.

Female.

Habitus as in Fig. 2A, B. As in male except as follows. Total length 4.98, carapace length 1.67, width 1.43, broadly oval in dorsal view (CW/CL ≈ 0.86), anteriorly narrowed to 0.4 times its maximum width. Eyes (Fig. 2C), diameters: 0.14; interdistances: 0.04. Mouthparts (Figs 2B, D, 6A−E): labium with a round hollow anteriorly. Abdomen (Fig. 2A, B), length 3.19, width 1.79, strongly elongate oval in dorsal view (AW/AL ≈ 0.56). Palp (Fig. 7B) and tarsus longer than patella plus tibia, with dense setae. Leg (Figs 2A, B, 7C−I) measurements in mm: I 3.48 (0.67, 0.57, 1.04, 0.61, 0.59); II 3.37 (0.68, 0.61, 0.65, 0.84, 0.59); III 3.27 (0.59, 0.54, 0.74, 0.70, 0.60); IV 4.62 (0.80, 0.76, 1.33, 0.95, 0.78).

Female genitalia (Fig. 2E, F). In ventral view (Fig. 2E), anterior plate distinct, almost reaching proximal part of abdomen; external sclerotization of spiracles yellowish, small, near the lateral extensions of posterior plate; posterior plate oval. In dorsal view (Fig. 2F), tracheal trunk long, anteriorly directed, extending anteriorly as long as cone-shaped membranous sac, membranous sac located on the receptaculum; with a thin, convex and sclerotized distal margin of receptaculum; postero-medially with distinct median concavity.

Distribution.

Laos (Luang Prabang Province), Vietnam (Ninh Binh Province, Hai Phong Province), China (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region).

Remarks.

The female genitalia consist of a single receptaculum and a cone-shaped membranous sac in life. The tracheal trunks of the female specimens examined in this study were broken off during preparation. The illustrations of this species were examined by Peter Jäger who first collected and described this species, and who confirmed the identification.