Hersiliola xinjiangensis ( Liang & Wang, 1989 )

Marusik, Yuri & Fet, Victor, 2009, A survey of East Palaearctic Hersiliola Thorell, 1870 (Araneae, Hersiliidae), with a description of three new genera, ZooKeys 16 (16), pp. 75-114 : 94-95

Hersiliola xinjiangensis ( Liang & Wang, 1989)

Figs 13 .1-4

Hersilia Xinjiangensis Liang and Wang, 1989: 56 , f. 1-4 (D♁ ♀).

Hersilia x.: Hu and Wu 1989: 78, f. 55.5-8 (♁ ♀, same figs as in Liang and Wang 1989). Hersilia x.: Song et al. 1999: 80, f. 32O-P, 33F-G (♁ ♀, same figs as in Liang and Wang 1989). H. x. (in part): Marusik 2009: f. 3a-d (T♁ ♀, same figs as in Liang and Wang 1989).

Type material: 2♁, 2♀, CHINA: Xinjiang, Urumchi , not seen, apparently lost (see below) .

Diagnosis. This species can be easily distinguished from all congeners, except for H. esyunini sp. n., by a relatively shorter tip of the cymbium, flattened apical part of the tegulum, and undivided tegular apophysis. From the sibling species H. esyunini sp. n., H. xinjiangensis can be distinguished by its larger size, different shape of the tegular apophysis and median plate of the epigyne.

Description (translated from original description). “Female. Total length 5.8, body flat. Cephalic part of carapace swollen, the position of PME highest. Cervical groove deep. Thorax low and flat. Eye area brown, 8 eyes in 2 rows. Both AER, PER curved, AER curved stronger than PER. ALE white, others 6 eyes black, AME largest, located in the front of head; ALE small, located below in front of PLE. 4 eyes of PER near same size. Chelicera small, yellowish brown, with one promarginal tooth and no retromarginal. Pedipalps and legs yellowish brown, each segments of pedipalps and legs with blackish brown annuli in the median and the distal. Tarsus with 3 claws. Upper claw with a single tooth. Leg formula 2143. Opisthosoma dorsally with yellowish brown scales and grayish brown spots. Heart spot black, with three pairs of muscular depressions. The venter yellow, without marking. Anterior spinnerets robust, their distal segment small. Median spinnerets thin, nearly the same length as anterior ones. Rear spinnerets located on the sides of median ones. The distal segment same length as opisthosoma, smaller than the basal one. Colulus present. Epigyne brown, septum inverse T-shaped.

Male. Total length 5.00. Habitus, colour and markings style as in female.

This species inhabits crevices and holes of walls. It is a common species. Its colouration is cryptic and therefore it is not easy to find specimens.”

Comments. Type specimens (2♁, 2♀) were supposedly deposited in the Department of Plant Protection, Xinjiang August 1 st Agricultural College, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China ( Liang and Wang 1989). At our request, Shuqiang Li tried to find these types but failed. It seems that after the retirement of Tie Liang these specimens were lost or transferred. The embolus base was not depicted by Liang and Wang (1989). Judging from the conformation of the epigyne in its sibling, H. esyunini sp. n., it is likely that median plate of the epigyne and vulva (endogyne) have been somewhat misinterpreted.

Distribution. H. xinjiangensis is known only from central Xinjiang ( China). It is the northernmost species of the genus and of the entire family Hersiliidae . In Europe (Iberian Peninsula), the northernmost locality of Tama edwardsi ( Lucas, 1846) ( Ribera et al. 1988) is in northeastern Portugal ca. 41°N, while the type locality of H. xinjiangensis lies north of 44°N.

Figures

Figure 13. Hersiliola xinjiangenis, after Liang and Wang (1989). 1-2 epigyne, ventral and dorsal, respectively 3-4 male palp, retrolateral and ventral, respectively.