Research Article |
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Corresponding author: Yu-Fa Luo ( lyf223@126.com ) Academic editor: Ingi Agnarsson
© 2025 Ze-Hong Tao, Dan Fu, Chang-Jun Wu, Yang Wang, Li-Juan Liu, Yu-Fa Luo.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Tao Z-H, Fu D, Wu C-J, Wang Y, Liu L-J, Luo Y-F (2025) Chicosa gen. nov. (Araneae, Lycosidae), a new genus of wolf spiders from East Asia. ZooKeys 1260: 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1260.161209
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The new genus Chicosa gen. nov. (type species: Alopecosa cinnameopilosa (Schenkel, 1963) is described and the new combination Chicosa cinnameopilosa (Schenkel, 1963), comb. nov. is made. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial loci do not place Chicosa cinnameopilosa into Alopecosa or the subfamily Lycosinae but rather suggest it is sister to Wadicosa Zyuzin, 1985 + Pardosa C. L. Koch, 1847. Descriptions of the new genus and known species, supplemented by photographs, a distribution map, and phylogenetic evidence, are provided.
Araneae, Lycosidae, mitochondrial genes, morphology, new combination, new genus, phylogenetics
The family Lycosidae (wolf spiders) represents one of the most species-rich groups within the order Araneae, and its taxonomic classification has long been a focal yet challenging subject in arachnological research. The genus-level classification of Lycosidae has long relied on integrated morphological characters, including the male palpal organ, body striation patterns, and leg spine arrangements. However, certain species in East Asia may exhibit generic misplacements due to historically broad classification criteria or incomplete information or a lack of redescriptions of type specimens (
Alopecosa Simon, 1885, a species-rich lineage within Lycosidae, currently comprises 172 recognized species, ranking as the third largest genus in the family (
Examination of specimens from several provinces of China (Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, and Shandong) revealed significant taxonomic discrepancies between both sexes of Alopecosa cinnameopilosa (Schenkel, 1963) and the type species Alopecosa fabrilis (Clerck, 1757). Molecular phylogeny also suggested the significant divergence of this species from Alopecosa. To resolve these inconsistencies, we establish a new genus, thereby refining the classification of Lycosidae. Comprehensive morphological descriptions and illustrations are provided for the new taxon.
All specimens were preserved in 95% ethanol. The specimens were examined, expounded, photographed, and measured using a Phenix stereomicroscope. Palps and epigynes were examined and described after dissection using a Sony digital Camera and Wemacro software. Epigynes were cleared by immersing them in pancreatin (
The following abbreviations are used in the text and figures: ALE-anterior lateral eye; AME-anterior median eye; PLE-posterior lateral eye; PME-posterior median eye.
Specimens examined here are deposited in the Key Laboratory of Wetland Biodiversity of the Jianhu Basin of Shaoxing, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China.
Genomic DNA was extracted from two legs of the paratype (LCG_11) with the TIANamp Genomic DNA Kit (Tiangen, Beijing, China). Partial sequences of the mitochondrial COI, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA genes were amplified using the primer pairs: LCO1490/HCO2198 for COI (
Each gene was aligned using MAFFT ver. 7.0, applying the G‐INS‐i algorithm for highly conserved sequences (COI) and Q‐INS‐i for sequences with more variable regions (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA). Ambiguously aligned sites/regions were eliminated using Gblocks (
Common name 狼蛛科
Alopecosa cinnameopilosa Schenkel, 1963.
The generic name Chicosa is a combination of the Mandarin Pinyin chi (from 螭, chī, a hornless dragon in Chinese mythology) and the common lycosid suffix -cosa (from Greek kósos, meaning ‘creature’). The gender is feminine.
Chicosa gen. nov. is distinguished by the following combination of characters. Terminal apophysis (TA) well-developed, hook-shaped (Figs
Chicosa cinnameopilosa (Schenkel, 1963), comb. nov. A. Male habitus, dorsal view; B. Female habitus, dorsal view; C. Left male pedipalp bulb, ventral view; D. Same, retrolateral view; E. Left male palp, ventral view; F. Same, retrolateral view; G. Epigyne, dorsal view; H. Same, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, B); 0.4 mm (E, F); 0.2 mm (C, D, G, H). Abbreviations: CD = copulatory duct; CO = copulatory opening; EM = embolus; FD = fertilization duct; MA = median apophysis; MS = median septum; S = spermatheca; ST = subtegulum; TA = terminal apophysis; and TE = tegulum.
Chicosa cinnameopilosa comb. nov. clusters together with the species of Pardosinae, and it is sister to Wadicosa + Pardosa (Fig.
See species description.
Only the type species.
China (Anhui, Beijing, Hebei, Henan, Hunan, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Shanxi, Shandong, Xinjiang and Zhejiang provinces), Japan, Kazakhstan, North Korea and Russia (Fig.
Tarentula cinnameopilosa Schenkel, 1963: 333, fig. 192 (♀); Hu 1984: 246, fig. 258. 1–2 (♀♂).
Pardosa lusisi:
Alopecosa cinnameopilosa:
China, Shandong: • 2♂ 3♀, Taian City, Taishan District, Xujiazhuang village, 36°10'20"N, 117°15'17"E, elev. 135.4 m, 3 August 2023, L.J. Liu and Y. Cheng leg. • 1♂ 2♀, Taian City, Daiyue District, Yunbeishan village, 36°12'32"N, 117°20'42"E, elev. 141.5 m, 4 August 2023, L.J. Liu and Y. Cheng leg. Liaoning: • 22♀, Tieling City, Changtu County, Hongshan village, Hongshan Reservoir, 42°52'55"N, 124°07'24"E, elev. 150.7 m, 1 August 2023, L.J. Liu and Y. Cheng leg. Hebei: • 1♂ 1♀, Shijiazhuang City, Yuanshi County, Panlong Lake, 37°47'47"N, 114°21'44"E, elev. 112.8 m, 16 July 2023, L.J. Liu and Y. Cheng leg. Inner Mongolia: • 6♀, Bayannur City, Urad Front Banner, Shunda Petroleum Gas Station, 40°43'32"N, 108°41'4"E, elev. 1054.2 m, 13 August 2024, Z.H. Tao and H.F. Shi leg. • 2♀, Bayannur City, Hanggin Rear Banner Railway Station, 40°41'46"N, 107°6'53"E, elev. 1035.5 m, 20 August 2024, Z.H. Tao and H.F. Shi leg.
See generic diagnosis.
Male (Fig.
Palp
(Figs
Chicosa cinnameopilosa (Schenkel, 1963), comb. nov. A. Left male pedipalp bulb, ventral view; B. Median apophysis, ventral view; C. Embolus, retrolateral view; D. Embolus, ventral view; E. Terminal apophysis and median apophysis, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm (A−E). Abbreviations: EM = embolus; MA = median apophysis; TA = terminal apophysis.
Female (Fig.
Epigyne
(Figs
Chicosa cinnameopilosa comb. nov. and all analyzed species of the subfamily Pardosinae cluster into a clade, and it is sister to Pardosa + Wadicosa (Fig.
Phylogenetic trees reconstructed with the ML method. A. ML tree constructed using the concatenated COI, 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA dataset of 329 species of Lycosidae; B. ML tree reconstructed using the concatenated COI, 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA sequences of 85 species of Lycosinae and Pardosinae. The numbers at the nodes represent bootstrap support values from the ML analyses. Chicosa cinnameopilosa comb. nov. is shown in red.
Chicosa cinnameopilosa was originally placed in Tarentula (Schenkel, 1963), with subsequent revisions by
The male palp exhibits a well-developed, hook-shaped terminal apophysis (TA); a slender, sinuous, basally originating embolus (EM); and an undivided, cymbiform median apophysis (MA). The female epigyne possesses an inverted T-shaped median septum (MS) and extremely long, spirally coiled copulatory ducts (CD). These traits differ markedly from all known Alopecosa species, particularly the unique configuration of the CD.
Although
The unique combination of genitalic and ocular characters precludes its assignment to any known lycosid genus, supporting the establishment of a new genus to reflect its evolutionary distinctness.
Great thanks are given to Yuri M. Marusik (Magadan, Russia) and Kirill G. Mikhailov (Moscow, Russia) for providing specific distribution information on Chicosa cinnameopilosa (Schenkel, 1963) in Kazakhstan and Russia.
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
No ethical statement was reported.
No use of AI was reported.
This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 32170463, 31860602, 31660611), and the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Founda-tion of China (Grant No. LTGN24C140006).
All authors have contributed equally.
Ze-Hong Tao https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5364-4127
Dan Fu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9092-4180
Chang-Jun Wu https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3557-1240
Yang Wang https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6748-5548
Li-Juan Liu https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0410-5858
Yu-Fa Luo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0645-8712
All of the data that support the findings of this study are available in the main text or Supplementary Information.
Samples used in this study
Data type: xlsx
The concatenated COI, 12S and 16S dataset of 329 Lycosidae species
Data type: fas
The concatenated COI, 12S and 16S dataset of 85 Lycosinae and Pardosinae species
Data type: fas