Three spider species of the genus Mimetus Hentz, 1832 (Araneae, Mimetidae) from China

Abstract The present paper deals with three species of the genus Mimetus from China, including Mimetus echinatus Wang, 1990, Mimetus lamelliformis sp. n. (male), and Mimetus wangi sp. n. (female and male). Mimetus lamelliformis differs from the related species Mimetus echinatus Wang, 1990 by: cymbial tip with several slender long macrosetae; cymbium boat-shaped, length/width ratio about 3/1 in retrolateral view; vexillum about 1/2 length of cymbium in retrolateral view. Mimetus wangi sp. n. differs from the related species Mimetus sinicus Song & Zhu, 1993 by: the opisthosoma with a pair of distinct outgrowths in the dorsum; sperm duct nearly horizontal; spermathecae kidney shaped and contiguous. Photos of body and copulatory organs, line drawings of copulatory organs, as well as the locality map are provided.


Introduction
The genus Mimetus was established by Hentz (1832) with the type species M. syllepsicus Hentz, 1832. A total of 54 species have been described from all over the world except Australia and Antarctica. Up to now, only six species have been recorded from China by Wang (1990), Liang and Wang (1991), Song and Zhu (1993) (World Spider Catalog 2016). Mimetus species can be distinguished from members of other genera by the male bearing a "shovel" (a shovel-like appendage on the dorsal edge of the cymbium), and a "vexillum" (the distal sclerotized extension of the shovel) (Heimer 1986), in combination with a bulb possessing sclerites S2-S5 and three longitudinal lines of spines on the carapace (Harms and Dunlop 2009). Female epigyne simple but distinct, with two inconspicuous copulatory opening, spermatheca strongly sclerotized (Harms and Harvey 2009a, b).
While examining specimens collected from Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan Provinces, two members of Mimetus were identified as new species and one was identified to be M. echinatus Wang, 1990. Descriptions and diagnoses of the new species and a redescription of M. echinatus have been presented in this paper.

Material and methods
All specimens were kept in 75% ethanol, examined and measured with an Olympus SZX16 stereomicroscope and an Olympus BX53 compound microscope, respectively. Photos were taken with a digital camera Canon Powershot G12 mounted on an Olympus SZX16 and compound focus images were generated using Helicon Focus Software (3.10).
Specimens are deposited in the College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China. All measurements are given in millimeters (mm). Leg measurements are given as: total length (femur, patella + tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). The abbreviations used in text including:    Redescription. Male. Carapace (Fig. 1A) bright yellow, long oval, widest at coxae II and III. Fovea circular, deep, its surrounding area reddish brown. Sternum light yellow, pear-shaped, the surrounding with seven gray circular patches, margin with long scopulae, median glabrous. AER slightly recurved, PER nearly straight, ALE and PLE contiguous. Chelicerae reddish brown, with 9 promarginal peg setae and 2 retromarginal teeth (Fig. 2C). Color of endites and labium similar. Legs spiniferous, femora with reddish brown patches. Dorsum of opisthosoma ( Fig. 1A) suboval, light yellow-brown, with white patches on both sides, covered with long macrosetae. Venter grayish-white, with round white patches.
Male palp (Figs 1B-C, 2A-B): Patella strong, the dorsum with two thick and long macrosetae. Cymbium wedge, length/width ratio about 2/1, tip with several robust macro-setae Paracymbium distinct, distal black and strongly sclerotized. Distal division of the bulb rolls up as sulciform to protect embolus and serves as a functional conducter. Embolus relatively slender, distal division reaches the position of 2:00 o'clock approximately with a membrane covering its proximal area in prolateral view.
Female. Carapace (Fig. 3A) yellowish brown, pear-shaped, with several reddish brown diagonal patches, posterior margin reddish brown, fovea and sternum similar to male. ALE and PLE contiguous, AER and PER nearly straight. Endite, labium and sternum similar to male but darker. Chelicerae stronger than male with 12 promarginal peg setae and 2 retromarginal teeth (Fig. 4A). Legs femur with reddish annuli basely, other area with small reddish brown patches, patella brown, metatarsus with brown annuli. Opisthosoma (Fig. 3A) subcircular, slightly wider than long. Dorsum of opisthosoma (Fig. 3A) yellowish brown, with long macrosetae and white patches. The markings of venter similar to male. Spinnerets reddish brown, anterior spinnerets longest.
Epigyne (Figs 3B-C, 4B-C) slightly wider than long, with three parts, including lingulate scape, rectangular basal plate and a laminar layer covering the venter of the basal plate. Scape and basal plate cross shaped, scape about 1/2 length of Epigyne, width of basal plate approximately equal to Epigyne. Spermathecae ovoid, about 2/3 length of epigynum. Copulatory ducts indistinct in dorsal view.
Male palp (Figs 5B-C, 6A-B): tibia long and thin, distally swollen, with several long macrosetae. Cymbium boat-shaped, widest in middle in prolateral view, with slender macrosetae on the tip. Vexillum flaky, about 1/2 length of cymbium in retrolateral view, visible in prolateral view. Distal of paracymbium broaden to rotund, with two hornlike outgrowths. Basal division of the bulb visible, distal division of the bulb rolls up as sulciform to protect embolus. Embolus hook-shaped, and the angle between its basal and apical about 110°.
Female. Unknown. Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honor of Professor Jiafu Wang, a well known spider taxonomist in China; noun.
Epigyne (Figs 9B-C, 10B-C) slightly longer than wide, with a yellowish brown labiate outgrowth at the bottom of the base plate, copulatory openings visible, close to epigastric furrow. Spermathecae kidney shaped, contiguous, slightly narrower than basal plate. Basal plate scalloped. Copulatory ducts indistinct in dorsal view Distribution. China (Yunnan).