﻿Five new species of Synagelides Strand, 1906 from China (Araneae, Salticidae)

﻿Abstract Five new species of salticids were collected from China: Synagelidesemangou Liu, sp. nov. (♂, ♀) from Gansu province, and S.jinding Liu, sp. nov. (♂), S.serratus Liu, sp. nov. (♂, ♀), S.shuqiang Liu, sp. nov. (♂), and S.triangulatus Liu, sp. nov. (♀) from Jiangxi Province. All species are described and illustrated with photographs and SEM micrographs, and their distributions are also mapped.


Legs
Coloration (Fig. 1A, B). Carapace reddish brown, anterior part darker than posterior, posteriorly with radial grooves and 14-16 rows of short, white setae. Endites yellow, mottled. Labium dark yellow-brown, anteriorly with a single row of strong setae. Sternum, yellow-brown, mottled, with dark brown mottled stripes around margin. Legs: trochanter I yellow-brown, trochanters II-IV yellow, with dark brown stripe; femur I dark yellow-brown, femora II-IV yellow, with distinct prolateral and retrolateral dark brown stripes; patellae, tibiae, and metatarsi yellow, with dark brown lateral stripes; tarsi yellowish, proximal part darker than distal. Abdomen yellow to dark brown, anterior part yellow, mottled, posterior part dark brown with four paler chevron-shaped stripes medially; venter with a U-shaped dark yellow-brown marking postero-medially. Spinnerets yellowish brown, mottled.
Palp 2). Femur with a thick, strong tooth-like ventral apophysis. Patella swollen, with a ratio of ca 1.85 between its length and width. Tibia small and narrow with a forcipate stubby retrolateral apophysis, less than 1/2 length of cymbium, with numerous scale-like serrations on apical surface. Cymbium bullet-shaped in dorsal view, with a strong sclerotized postero-retrolateral and a long strong posteroprolateral apophysis. Tegulum broad, C-shaped in ventral view, with a clear mastoid apophysis in retrolateral view. Terminal apophysis arising from antero-retrolateral part of tegulum, strongly sclerotized, C-shaped in retrolateral view, with abundant little scale-like serrations on surface. Embolus golf-club-shaped in ventral view, longer than terminal apophysis, with very broad basal part and whip-shaped apical part.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Gansu Province, China (Fig. 13).  Etymology. The name is taken from the famous Jinding Scenic Spot, which is very close to Tupingao area in the Wugong Mountain National Forest Park; noun in apposition.
Comments. The male of this species is not conspecific with the female of Synagelides triangulatus sp. nov. for the following reasons. Firstly, the male abdomen has the two pairs of white stripes medially (vs a pair of spots and one chevron-shaped yellowish stripe in S. triangulatus) and the arch-shaped yellowish stripe located subposteriorly (vs absent in S. triangulatus).
Coloration (Fig. 6A, B). Carapace reddish brown, anterior part darker than posterior, posteriorly with radial grooves, and 10-14 rows of short scale-like white setae. Endites yellow, mottled. Labium yellow-brown, anteriorly with a single row of strong setae, posteriorly mottled. Sternum yellow with pale brown, mottled spots around margin. Legs: trochanters I-IV yellow, with dark brown stripe; femur I dark yellow-brown, femora II-IV yellow, with prolateral dark brown stripes; patellae, tibiae, and metatarsi yellow, with dark brown lateral stripes; tarsi yellowish. Abdomen dark brown, mottled, with four chevron-shaped yellowish stripes on posterior part; venter with many irregular dark brown spots. Spinnerets dark yellow-brown, mottled.
Palp (Figs 6C-H, 7). Femur with a very sharp, spine-like, ventral apophysis. Patella swollen, with a length-width ratio of ca 1.92. Tibia small and narrow, with a long, strong, saw-like retrolateral apophysis which presents many scale-like serrations on lateral surface and nearly as long as 1/2 length of cymbium, and a stubby dorsal apophysis locking cymbial postero-prolateral apophysis. Cymbium bullet-shaped in dorsal view, with a short, strong, blunt, sclerotized postero-retrolateral and a long, strong, triangular postero-prolateral apophysis. Tegulum very broad, with a clear mastoid apophysis in ventral view and a thin sperm duct in retrolateral view. Terminal apophysis C-shaped in retrolateral view, strongly sclerotized and curved, arising from anteroretrolateral part of tegulum, with abundant, little, scale-like serrations on distal surface. Embolus with an anticlockwise spiral in ventral view, longer than terminal apophysis, with relatively broad curved basal part and whip-shaped apical part.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Jiangxi Province, China (Fig. 13). Etymology. The species is named in honor of Dr Shuqiang Li, a well-known arachnologist (Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing); noun in apposition.
Coloration (Fig. 9A, B). Carapace reddish brown, anterior part darker than posterior, posteriorly with radial grooves, and 12-16 rows of short scale-like, black setae.  Endites yellow-brown, mottled. Labium yellow-brown, anteriorly with a single row of strong setae, posteriorly dark brown. Sternum, yellow, with pale brown mottled spots around margin. Legs: trochanter I yellow, trochanters II-IV yellowish; femur I reddish brown, femora II-IV yellow; tibiae, patellae, and metatarsi yellow; tarsi yellowish. Abdomen dark brown, mottled, with one broad yellowish stripe including a semicircular dark brown marking in medial part; venter yellow to dark brown, with three dark brown adjacent stripes, posterior part fusing. Spinnerets dark yellow.
Palp (Figs 9C-I, 10). Femur with a thick, strong, tooth-like ventral apophysis. Patella swollen, with a length-width ratio of ca 1.76. Tibia small and narrow, with a long, strong, sword-like, retrolateral apophysis which slightly longer than 1/2 length of cymbium and a ridge-like prolateral apophysis locking cymbial postero-prolateral apophysis. Cymbium bullet-shaped in dorsal view, with a short, strong, broad, sclerotized postero-retrolateral and a long, strong, thick postero-prolateral apophysis. Tegulum very broad, lacking mastoid apophysis in ventral view, with a thin sperm duct in retrolateral view. Terminal apophysis strongly sclerotized, L-shaped, and with a horn-like tip in ventral view, arising from antero-retrolateral part of tegulum, with abundant strong, scale-like serrations on anterior surface. Embolus an anticlockwise convolute in ventral view, longer than terminal apophysis, with relatively broad curved basal part, and whip-shaped apical part, apex extending beyond the cymbial tip.

Female. Unknown.
Comments. The male of this species is not conspecific with Synagelides triangulatus sp. nov. based on the following observations. Firstly, the male abdomen is elongated in dorsal view, nearly 2.5 times as long as wide, while in S. triangulatus, the lengthwidth ratio is ca 1.5. Secondly, the abdomen has a clear constriction located medially (Fig. 11), but in the latter a constriction is absent (Fig. 12A, B). This species seems more successful than the latter in ant mimicry based on its habitus.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Jiangxi Province, China (Fig. 13).  Epigyne (Fig. 12C, D). Epigynal plate apple-shaped, with a triangular median septum. Epigynal hood broadly bell-shaped, arising from anteromedial atrial rim. Atrium relatively large, separated by the median septum. Atrial rim round, slightly sclerotized. Copulatory ducts very long, anterior part like a question mark, medial part C-shaped, posterior part slender tube-shaped, connecting with subposterior part of spermathecae. Glandular appendages long, near the base of fertilization ducts, shorter than 1/2 length of spermathecae. Spermathecae large, elongated, swollen, closely touching, posteriorly globular. Fertilization ducts relatively broad, nearly as long as 1/3 length of spermathecae, transversely extended.