﻿Four new species of the spider genus Synagelides Strand, 1906 from South China (Araneae, Salticidae)

﻿Abstract Four new species of the jumping spider genus Synagelides Strand, 1906 from Guizhou and Yunnan, China are described: Synagelidesangustussp. nov. (♀), S.latussp. nov. (♂♀), S.subagoriformissp. nov. (♂♀), and S.triangulussp. nov. (♀). Photographs of the habitus and copulatory organs and a distributional map are provided.


Introduction
Salticidae Blackwall, 1841, represented by 6345 species in 658 genera, is the most diverse spider family worldwide (World Spider Catalog 2021). Synagelides Strand, 1906 comprises a group of ant-like spiders which can be easily separated from all other salticid genera by having a triangular femoral apophysis and an inflated patella of male palp (Peng 2020). Synagelides species are distributed mostly in Asia, from the Far East of Russia to Southeast Asia (Yin et al. 2012;Peng 2020;Wang et al. 2020). In the last 10 years, a series of studies (Barrion et al. 2013;Caleb et al. 2018;Kanesharatnam and Benjamin 2020;Lin and Li 2020;Liu et al. 2017;Logunov 2017;Wang et al. 2020) have resulted in the description of 20 new species and increased the total species number of the genus to 57, of which including 30 from China (World Spider Catalog 2021).
Recently, while examining spider specimens collected from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, four species of the genus Synagelides were identified as new to science and are described here.

Material and methods
The specimens were collected mainly by beating shrubs and screening leaf litter. All specimens were preserved in 75% ethanol and are deposited in the museum of Tongren University (TRU), Tongren, China. The specimens were examined with an Olympus SZ51 stereomicroscope. Epigynums were cleared in Trypsin enzyme solution before examination and imaging. Left male palps, legs I, and chelicerae were used for illustration. Photographs were taken with a Kuy Nice CCD mounted on an Olympus BX51 compound microscope. Compound focus images were generated using Helicon Focus v. 6.7.1 software. All measurements are given in millimeters. Leg measurements are given as: total length (femur, patella + tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). References to figures in the literature are listed in lowercase type (fig. or figs); figures in this paper are noted with an initial capital (Fig. or Figs). Terminology follows Lin and Li (2020 Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin "angustus" and refers to the long and narrow epigynal median septum; adjective. Diagnosis. Synagelides angustus sp. nov. resembles S. subgambosus Wang et al. 2020 in having a long and narrow epigynal median septum, a pair of arc-shaped atrial ridges, and a posteriorly located epigynal fold. However, S. angustus sp. nov. can be distinguished from S. subgambosus by the following characters: 1) posterior margin of epigynal fold arc-shaped ( Fig. 1A) in S. angustus sp. nov., but straight in S. subgambosus ( fig.  12A in Wang et al. 2020); 2) median septum 20 times longer than wide in S. angustus sp. nov. (Fig. 1A), but about six times longer than wide in S. subgambosus ( fig. 12A in Wang et al. 2020 1C) stippled, reddish-brown, darker anteriorly with brown spots, covered with white hairs anteriorly and laterally. Fovea oval, hollowed. Chelicerae ( Fig. 1E) yellow, with two promarginal teeth and one retromarginal fissidentate tooth. Endites and labium ( Fig. 1D) yellow, lighter anteriorly, covered with thin brown hairs. Sternum ( Fig. 1D) yellow, scutiform, lighter posteromedially, covered with short, thin hairs. Legs yellow except patellae and metatarsi I brown, legs I ( Fig. 1F) with five pairs of ventral spines on tibia and two pairs of ventral spines on metatarsus. Abdomen (Fig. 1C, D) ovoid, dorsum brown, darker posteriorly, median area with two pairs of apodemes, posterior area with a wide, irregular horizontal white stripe; venter grayish-white. Epigynum (Fig. 1A, B): almost as long as wide, with a pair of lateral arc-shaped ridges; atrium large, separated by a narrow median septum; copulatory openings located posteriorly; copulatory ducts extending upwards obliquely and then descending posteriorly along longitudinal axis, basally with short gland ducts; spermathecae elongated, extending horizontally; fertilization ducts lamellar.
Male. Unknown. Distribution. Guizhou Province, China (Fig. 7).  Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin "latus", and refers to the wide basal tibial apophysis; adjective.

Synagelides subagoriformis
Female ( 5F) similar to those of males except white horizontal stripe in median area shorter, and one white stripe whose shape near triangular contour in posterior area of abdomen. Epigynum ( Fig. 5A-C): atrial ridges located along front margin of epigynum, roughly bow-shaped; median septum trapezoidal, wider basally; copulatory openings below the lateral sides the atrial ridges; copulatory ducts extending upward, distal portion coiled, with short gland ducts; spermathecae touching each other anteriorly; fertilization ducts lamellar, originating from top of inner sides of spermathecae, extending horizontally.
Distribution. Guizhou Province, China (Fig. 7). Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin "triangulus" and refers to the triangular epigynal hood; adjective.