Conothele baisha, Liu, Hao, Xu, Xin, Zhang, Zengtao, Liu, Fengxing & Li, Daiqin, 2019

Liu, Hao, Xu, Xin, Zhang, Zengtao, Liu, Fengxing & Li, Daiqin, 2019, Four new species of the trapdoor spider genus Conothele Thorell, 1878 (Araneae, Halonoproctidae) from China, ZooKeys 833, pp. 133-150 : 133

Conothele baisha sp. n. Figs 5, 6

Holotype.

Female (LH-2017-136), collected in Nanmeiling, Yacha Town, Baisha County, Hainan Province, China, 19.1075N, 109.4227E, 250 m a.s.l., 10 August 2017, collected by FX Liu, D Li, ZT Zhang, X Xu (CBEE).

Paratypes.

2 females (LH-2017-128, LH-2017-135) collected at the same locality as the holotype (CBEE); 1 female (LH-2017-080), collected in Yalong Village, Tianan Township, Donghe Town, Dongfang City, Hainan Province, China, 18.9947N, 108.8976E, 170 m a.s.l., 5 August 2017; 1 female (LH-2017-089), collected in Jishi Village, Changjiang County, Hainan Province, China, 19.2305N, 109.0730E, 170 m a.s.l., 6 August 2017; 1 female (LH-2017-090), collected in Bawangling National Forest Park, Baoshan village, Changjiang County, Hainan Province, China, 19.0757N, 109.0822E, 210 m a.s.l., 7 August 2017; 1 female (LH-2017-161), collected in Shiyixinyi Village, Wuzhishan City, Hainan Province, China. 18.9122N, 109.5118E, 290 m a.s.l., 11 August 2017, all collected by FX Liu, D Li, ZT Zhang, X Xu (CBEE).

Diagnosis.

Female genitalia of C. baisha sp. n. resembles C. daxinensis (Xu, Xu & Li, 2017), but can be distinguished from the latter by the spermathecae with each stalk sturdy, short, simple and direct (Fig. 5G). It can be also distinguished from C. baoting sp. n. by short stalks without the trench between the distal part of the stalks and the lobes. Moreover, C. baisha sp. n. can be distinguished from C. baoting sp. n. by the following unique nucleotide substitutions in the standard DNA barcode alignment: A (13), G (97), A (134), T (157), A (172), G (196), C (205), A (223), T (224), A (253), G (280), C (302), G (304), C (322), A (421), G (424), A (502), G (520), A (592), A (634), G (637).

Description.

TL10.35; chelicerae length 1.49, carapace 4.76 long, 4.28 wide; opisthosoma 4.83 long, 4.22 wide. Carapace brown, glabrous, with a few slender setae on or behind the eye tubercle (Fig. 5A). Caput arched. Fovea deep and brown (Fig. 5A). Eye tubercle black. Eight eyes in two rows, with the anterior eye row slightly procurved, and the posterior eye row slightly recurved (Fig. 5E); eye group 0.56 long, 1.18 wide; ALE-AME 0.14, AME-AME 0.10, PLE-PME 0.04, PME-PME 0.36; MOA 0.43 long, front width 0.43, back width 0.70; ALE: AME: PLE: PME (0.34: 0.19: 0.23: 0.16). Three slightly thick setae on clypeus (Fig. 5E). Chelicerae dark brown (dorsal view); inner margin with three teeth, outer margin with seven teeth. Labium, coxae of palp and sternum brown (Fig. 5C). Labium 0.53 long, 0.80 wide, with four conspicuous cuspules. Coxae of palp 1.50 long, 1.10 wide, with approx. 13 conspicuous cuspules (the right one, ventral view) (Fig. 5C). Sternum 2.97 long, 2.35 wide, with a large smooth area which lacks setae in the center, but many setae outside this area (Fig. 5C).

Legs brown, with long and short brown sparse setae. Basal part of tibia III with saddle-like depression dorsally (Fig. 5F). Palp with a single tarsal claw, with two denticles on the claw. Legs each with three tarsal claws, paired claws with one denticle. Leg formula: IV, I, III, II. Measurements: palp 6.86 (2.63+1.25+1.42+1.56), leg I 8.11 (2.97+1.46+1.83+0.99+0.86), leg II 7.18 (2.55+1.36+1.54+0.84+0.89), leg III 7.46 (2.92+0.92+1.45+0.92+1.25), leg IV 8.64 (3.07+1.22+1.62+1.42+1.31). Leg II and leg III are almost the same length.

Opisthosoma ellipsoid and black, scattered with many slender, short black setae. Spinnerets brown (Fig. 5D), PMS short and one-segmented, 0.48 long, PMS-PMS 0.08; PLS divided into three sections, 0.78 long. Genitalia with a pair of spermathecae, terminating with face-to-face bowl-shaped lobes; stalks sclerotized distally, each stalk sturdy, short, simple and direct, without the trench between the distal part of the stalks and the lobes (Fig. 5G).

Variation.

The female genitalia show considerable intraspecific variations: the spermathecae stalks of the holotype (Fig. 5G) and some paratypes are unbent (Fig. 6 A–C, E), or slightly curved (Fig. 6D), or the stalk on the left is tilted to the right by ca. 30°, and the right stalk is curled distally (Fig. 6F). The spermathecae of all samples are face to face, except for one (Fig. 6F).

Male.

Unknown.

Etymology.

The species epithet, a noun in apposition, refers to the type locality.

Distribution.

Hainan Province (Baisha County, Changjiang County, Dongfang City, Wuzhishan City).

GenBank accession numbers.

LH-2017-080: MK454955; LH-2017-089: MK454956; LH-2017-090: MK454957; LH-2017-128: MK454958; LH-2017-135: MK454959; LH-2017-136: MK454960; LH-2017-161: MK454961.

Remarks.

The mean intraspecific genetic distance of C. baisha sp. n. is 1.25 % and 1.23 % using Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) model and p-distance model, respectively. The interspecific genetic distance between C. baisha sp. n. and C. baoting sp. n. is 5.78 % and 5.49 % using K2P and p-distance, respectively. This interspecific genetic distance in Conothele is comparable to other mygalomorphs identified at 5-6% ( Hamilton et al. 2011, 2014).