Corresponding author: Shuqiang Li (
Academic editor: Zhiyuan Yao
Nine new species of the orb-weaver spider family
Mi X, Li S (2021) Nine new species of the spider family Araneidae (Arachnida, Araneae) from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. ZooKeys 1072: 49–81.
The spider family
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (
All specimens were collected by beating shrubs, fogging, or hand collecting and are preserved in 75% ethanol. Type specimens of new species are deposited in the
All measurements are given in millimeters. Leg measurements are given as: total length (femur, patella + tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). References to figures in the cited papers are listed in lowercase (fig. or figs); figures in this paper are noted with an initial capital (Fig. or Figs). Abbreviations used in the text and figures are as follows:
.
. Nine
. The species is named after Dr. Yanfeng Tong (Shenyang Normal University), one of the collectors of the type specimens; noun (name) in genitive case.
. The new species resembles
Palp (Figs
Epigyne (Fig.
. Total length: ♂♂ 1.75–2.25; ♀♀ 8.2–10.80.
. China (Yunnan).
. A total of 29 species of
. The species is named after Dr. Hao Yu, one of the collectors of the type specimens; noun (name) in genitive case.
. The new species can be distinguished from congeneric species by the: 1) yellowish white abdomen with a dark rhomboid patch; 2) triangular copulatory openings; 3) translucent, thread-like terminal apophysis; 4) fan-shaped median apophysis in prolateral view.
Palp (Fig.
Epigyne (Fig.
. Total length: ♂♂ 2.90–3.60; ♀♀ 6.00–6.50.
. China (Yunnan).
. The only two species that have been described in this genus were both recorded from China (
. 1♀ (
.
. The species is named after Professor Guo Zheng, one of the collectors of the type specimens; noun (name) in genitive case.
. The new species resembles
Palp (Figs
(Fig.
. Total length: ♂♂ 2.55–3.05; ♀♀ 3.25–4.85.
. China (Yunnan).
. The specific name comes from Dr. Anna Šestáková, who confirmed the new species; noun (name) in genitive case.
. See
. See
. China (Guizhou).
. Compared to the holotype of
. The species is named after Mr. Zhigang Chen, one of the collectors of the type specimens; noun (name) in genitive case.
. The new species resembles congeneric species in habitus, but it can be distinguished by the: 1) rhomboid epigyne in ventral view; 2) short, ventrally directed scape.
Epigyne (Fig.
. Total length: ♀♀ 4.90–6.30.
. China (Yunnan).
.
. The species is named after Mr. Yuanfa Yang (Tongren, Guizhou), one of the collectors of the type specimens; noun (name) in genitive case.
. The new species resembles
Epigyne (Fig.
Palp (Figs
. Total length: ♀♀ 6.20–6.50.
. China (Yunnan).
. The specific name comes from the Latin word “pulla”, meaning “dark, blackish”, referring to the dark markings at the eye region; adjective.
. The new species resembles
Palp (Figs
Epigyne (Fig.
. Total length: ♂♂ 2.40–2.55.
. China (Yunnan).
. Unlike the typical
. The species is named after Mr. Zilong Bai, one of the collectors of the type specimens; noun (name) in genitive case.
. The new species differs from congeners by the following combination of characters: 1) the abdomen has two transverse patches and one longitudinal patch; 2) the scape is distally widened; 3) the conductor is long, membranous, and basally trifurcated.
Palp (Figs
Epigyne (Fig.
. Total length: ♂♂ 2.45–2.60; ♀♀ 3.10–3.85.
. China (Yunnan).
. The specific name is derived from the Greek word “cephalos”, meaning “head”, referring to the brown cephalic region of the females; noun in apposition.
. The new species differs from congeneric species by the following combination of characters: 1) a somewhat rectangular scape; 2) a slender, translucent subterminal apophysis; 3) a tegular protuberance near the base of the median apophysis; and 4) an abdomen with an arcuate brown patch anteriorly and four transverse brown patches medially and posteriorly.
Palp (Figs
Epigyne (Fig.
. Total length: ♂♂ 2.10–2.40; ♀♀ 2.10–2.60.
. China (Yunnan).
. This is a poorly understood genus; all seven species were described more than 100 years ago. Among them, two are known from juveniles, five are known from a single-sex, and no high-quality illustrations of the genitalia were provided in the published literature. We place the new species in this genus based on the following characters: large chelicerae, cylindrical abdomen in female, relatively stout legs, spinnerets of the female situated at the middle part of the ventral abdomen.
. The specific name is from the Latin word “gemella”, meaning “twin born”, referring to the two white spots on the abdomen ventrally; adjective.
. The new species can be distinguished from congeneric species by the following combination of characters: 1) dorsal abdomen with two pairs of small grayish brown spots medially and a large dark brown spot posteriorly; 2) triangular scape; and 3) prominent and bifurcated terminal apophysis.
Palp (Figs
Epigyne (Fig.
Male palps, apical view
. Total length: ♀♀ 9.20–9.40.
Male palps, apical view
. China (Yunnan).
The manuscript benefited greatly from comments by Zhiyuan Yao, Akio Tanikawa, Yuri Marusik, Anna Šestáková. Sarah Crews checked the English. Theo Blick checked etymologies of the new taxa. Guo Tang, Guo Zheng, Yanfeng Tong, Hao Yu, Cheng Wang, Jiahui Gan, Zhigang Chen, Zilong Bai, Yuanfa Yang, and Hong Liu helped with fieldwork. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC-31660609), the Science and Technology Project Foundation of Guizhou Province ([2020]1Z014), and the Key Laboratory Project of Guizhou Province ([2020]2003).