Phrynarachne dreepy Lin & S. Li, 2022

Lin, Yejie, Yu, Long, Koomen, Peter, Yan, Xunyou & Li, Shuqiang, 2022, Taxonomic notes on the genus Phrynarachne from China (Araneae, Thomisidae), ZooKeys 1085, pp. 69-99 : 69

Phrynarachne dreepy Lin & S. Li sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 7 , 8 , 18C, D , 21

Type material.

Holotype: ♂ (IZCAS-Ar41643), China: Yunnan: Xishuangbanna, Jinghong City, Mengla County, Menglun Town, Menglun Nature Reserve, 21.9768°N, 101.2010°E, 814 m elev., 17.VIII.2011, Guo Zheng leg.; Paratypes: 2♀ (IZCAS-Ar41644, Ar41645), China: Yunnan: Xishuangbanna, Jinghong City, Mengla County, Menglun Town, Menglun Nature Reserve, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden, 21.9277°N, 101.2622°E, 552 m elev., VIII.2019, Long Yu leg.; 1♂ (IZCAS-Ar41646), same data as holotype, but 21.9502°N, 101.2010°E, 814 m elev., 18.VIII.2011; 2♂ (IZCAS-Ar41647, Ar41648), Xishuangbanna, Jinghong City, Guanping Town, Shiwudui, 22.2280°N, 100.8894°E, 888 m elev., 20.VII.2012, Qingyuan Zhao and Zhigang Chen leg.

Etymology.

The species is named after Dreepy, a fictional character from Pokémon Sword and Shield, who has a triangular head that is reminiscent of the opisthosoma of the new species; noun (name) in apposition.

Diagnosis.

Phrynarachne dreepy sp. nov. is similar to P. brevis in that males have a long RTA; in females the epigyne has sclerotized margins and the posterior edge of the median plate has a depression. However, males of P. dreepy sp. nov. can be easily distinguished by the long VTA (vs short VTA in P. brevis ), the length of embolus to the length of the embolus base (7:1 vs 18:1 in P. brevis ), and the embolus separate from the tegulum (vs close to the tegulum in P. brevis ). Females can be separated from P. brevis by the short, triangular tubercles on the abdomen (vs long, slender tubercles in P. brevis ), the straight anterior edge of median plate (vs recurved in P. brevis ), and the procurved posterior edge of the median plate (vs almost straight in P. brevis ).

Description.

Male (Figs 3A, B , 7 , 18C ), holotype: total length 2.26, carapace 1.04 long, 1.02 wide, yellow-brown, with white tubercles. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.09, AME 0.07, PLE 0.07, PME 0.06; ALE-AME 0.05, AME-AME 0.07, PLE-PME 0.09, PME-PME 0.11. Chelicerae brown, with two promarginal teeth and one retromarginal tooth; gnathocoxae, yellow-brown, labium brown, 0.23 long, 0.18 wide. Sternum yellow-brown. Legs yellow-brown, femora I ang II with dense, varying-sized tubercles; tibiae and metatarsi I, II with pairs of ventral spines (I, tibia 6, metatarsus 8; II, tibia 6, metatarsus 6). Leg measurements: I 3.85 (1.21, 1.38, 0.76, 0.50), II 3.78 (1.22, 1.34, 0.73, 0.49), III 1.72 (0.55, 0.60, 0.27, 0.30), IV 1.52 (0.51, 0.52, 0.23, 0.26). Leg formula: 1234. Opisthosoma dark brown, each side with 18 tubercles, each with a clavate seta.

Male palp (Fig. 3A, B ). Tibia brown, VTA club-shaped; RTA long, the length of VTA to the length of RTA is 3:1. Cymbium brown. Tegulum flat, disk-shaped, with a tegular ridge. Embolus spiraled, thin, separated from tegulum; the length of embolus to the length of embolus base 7:1.

Female (Figs 3C , 8 , 18D ) one paratype: total length 8.45, carapace 3.77 long, 4.02 wide, pale yellow, green when alive. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.22, AME 0.12, PLE 0.20, PME 0.15; ALE-AME 0.18, AME-AME 0.24, PLE-PME 0.28, PME-PME 1.02. Chelicerae brown, with two promarginal teeth and one retromarginal tooth; gnathocoxae, labium yellow, labium 0.86 long, 0.63 wide. Sternum yellow. Legs pale yellow, femora I and II with dense, varying-sized tubercles; tibiae and metatarsi I, II with dense asymmetrical ventral spines (I, tibia 25, metatarsus 102; II, tibia 20, metatarsus 83). Leg measurements: I 13.87 (4.26, 4.94, 3.10, 1.57), II 13.99 (4.40, 4.81, 3.16, 1.62), III 7.17 (2.36, 2.67, 1.12, 1.02), IV 6.74 (2.49, 2.57, 0.82, 0.86). Leg formula: 2134. Opisthosoma pale green, each side with 13 triangular tubercles, each with a clavate seta.

Epigyne (Fig. 8 ) with sclerotized margins; median plate almost rectangular, hood absent, anterior edge straight, posterior edge slightly recurved, the ratio of length to width is 4:1; copulatory opening inconspicuous; spermathecae kidney-shaped, the ratio of anterior edge to posterior edge length is 2:1. Fertilization duct transverse.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality.

Figures

Figure 3. Phrynarachne dreepy sp. nov. A, B male C female life. Photos by Peter Koomen (A, B) and Chao Wu (C).

Figure 7. Phrynarachne dreepy sp. nov., holotype male, left palp A ventral B retrolateral.

Figure 8. Phrynarachne dreepy sp. nov., patatype female A epigyne, ventral B vulva, dorsal.

Figure 18. Phrynarachne spp., habitus dorsal A P. brevis, female B P. huangshanensis, male C P. dreepy sp. nov., holotype male D same, paratype female.

Figure 21. Distribution records of Phrynarachne species in China 1 P. brevis 2 P. ceylonica 3 P. dreepy sp. nov. 4 P. huangshanensis 5 P. katoi 6 P. lancea 7 P. mammillata 8 P. xuxiake sp. nov. 9 P. yunhui sp. nov. 10 P. zhengzhongi sp. nov.