Weintrauboa pollex, Xu, Xiang & Li, Shuqiang, 2009

Xu, Xiang & Li, Shuqiang, 2009, Three new pimoid spiders from Sichuan Province, China (Araneae: Pimoidae), Zootaxa 2298, pp. 55-63 : 58-62

Weintrauboa pollex sp. nov.

Figs 17 –30

Type material. Holotype male and 1 female paratype, CHINA: Sichuan, Baoxing County, Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve, Dashuigou (30.57°N, 102.88°E, Alt. 1725m), 26 September 2005, Xiufeng Zhang and Xiang Xu leg.; 1 female and 1 male paratypes, CHINA: Sichuan, Lushan County, near Longmendong Cave (30.27°N, 103.01°E, Alt. 1007m), 16 October 2005, Shuqiang Li leg.

Etymology. The specific name is a Latin noun, meaning “thumb” and referring to the tibia of palp with a thumb–shaped apophysis.

Diagnosis. The males of this new species can be distinguished from the other Weintrauboa species by the presence of the short, broad embolus and the presence of a thumb–shaped apophysis on tibia of palp. The females are similar to W. contortipes in having the short epigynum, but can be separated by the completely different shapes of spermathecae and the copulatory ducts.

Description. Male. Total length 5.8–6.5. Holotype total length 5.8, cephalothorax 3.0 long, 2.4 wide, 1.5 high; abdomen 3.2 long, 2.4 wide, 2.3 high. AME diameter 0.23. ALE 1.0, PME 0.89, PLE 0.89 times AME diameter. AME separation 0.44 times their diameter, PME separation 0.69 times their diameter. AME-ALE separation 0.56 times AME diameter, PME-PLE separation 0.88 times PME diameter. Clypeus height 2.0 times AME diameter. Sternum 1.6 long, 1.5 wide, with distal end sharp. Labium wider than long. Chelicerae with 5 prolateral and 4 retrolateral teeth ( Fig. 17 ). Cheliceral stridulatory striae absent. Legs with black annuli. Femora I–IV with 1 dorsal setae and femur I with another 1 prolateral seta. Patellae I–IV with 2 dorsal setae at the base and distally respectively. Tibiae I–IV with numerous setae. Metatarsi I–IV with 1 trichobothrium dorsally and Tm I 0.27. Lengths of legs: I 16.3 (4.3+5.3+4.7+2.0), II 13.2 (3.5+4.3+3.6+1.8), III 8.1 (2.7+3.0+2.2+1.2), IV 10.7 (3.0+3.4+2.9+1.4). Leg formula: I, II, IV, III. Femur I 1.43 times length of cephalothorax. Abdomen oval, dorsum with black and silvery patterns.

Tibia of male palp with about 10 macrosetae and retrolateral trichobothria, especially with a thumb–shaped spine. Paracymbium distinct. PCS modified into a shallow cavity. CP with a separated thumb–shaped apophysis and a line of about 4 setae and every seta with distinct tubercle. Embolus short, broad and with sharp distal end. A sharp apophysis situated at the base of embolus. PEP forming an indistinct gap distally which encloses the distal end of embolus. Embolic flap film-like, arising from the area where the embolic process (PEP) connects to the embolus (Fig. 22). Conductor distinct, membranous ( Figs 18 –21).

Weintrauboa pollex sp. nov., 21. Palp, dorsal view; 22. Embolus, embolic process and embolic flap, prolateral view; 23. Female cheliceral teeth, lateral view; 24. Female body, dorsal view; 25. Female abdomen, lateral view; 26. Epigynum, ventral view; 27. Ditto, dorsal view; 28. Vulva, ventral view; 29. Ditto, dorsal view. Scale bars: 21–23, 0.2mm; 24–25, 1.0 mm; 26–29, 0.4mm.

FIGURE 30. Collection localities of the three new pimoids in China.

Female. Total length 6.3–7.7. The specimen from September 26 measured in total length 7.7, cephalothorax 3.0 long, 2.0 wide, 2.0 high; abdomen 4.7 long, 3.0 wide, 3.2 high. AME diameter 0.2. ALE 1.0, PME 0.88, PLE 1.0 times AME diameter. AME separation 0.19 times their diameter, PME separation 0.45 times their diameter. AME–ALE separation 0.25 times AME diameter, PME–PLE separation 0.57 times PME diameter. Clypeus height 1.25 times AME diameter. Sternum 1.4 long, 1.3 wide. Chelicerae with 4 prolateral and 4 retrolateral teeth (Fig. 23). Tm I 0.28. Lengths of legs: I 16.3 (3.2+3.8+3.0+1.7), II 13.2 (2.8+3.3+2.6+1.5), III 8.1 (2.2+2.3+1.9+1.1), IV 10.7 (2.6+2.8+2.4+1.3). Leg formula: I, II, IV, III. Femur I 1.27 times length of cephalothorax. Abdomen with black and silvery patterns (Figs 24–25). Other characters similar to those of male.

Epigynum short. Copulatory openings situated on the posterior of the dorsal epigynum. Spermathecae fist–shaped, widely separated by copulatory ducts. Fertilization ducts oriented posteriorly (Figs 26–29).

Distribution. Only known from the holotype and paratype localities (Fig. 30).

Remarks: This new species was labeled as “sp2” in the analysis of Wang et al. (2008). In Wang et al. (2008), the species labeled as “ Weintrauboa chikunii ” (which is most likely a misidentification of W. yele Hormiga, 2008 since W. chikunii does not occur in China; see comments in Hormiga (2008:5)), “sp2” and “sp3” formed a clade and “sp2” nested in the Weintrauboa chikunii and “sp3” clade. In the present paper “sp3” is described as Weintrauboa plana sp. nov. Obviously, “sp2” should be a Weintrauboa species. Though this new species is similar to Putaoa in having a macrosetae on the pedipalpal tibia, the results of molecular analysis, the presence of EF (arising from the area where the embolic process connects to the embolus) and the simple PEP support its placement in Weintrauboa and prevents it from being placed in Putaoa .

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 20. Weintrauboa pollex sp. nov., 17. Male cheliceral teeth, lateral view; 18. Palp, prolateral view; 19. Ditto, ventral view; 20. Ditto, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.