Gongylidioides cucullatus Oi, 1960.

The genus Gongylidioides comprises 22 species, including one species known from males and four from females only, distributed in China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia (Peninsula), Russia (Far East) and Vietnam. In China, 15 species have been reported (Anhui, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jilin, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan and Zhejiang) (WSC 2025).

Holotype : • ♂ (HNU-HMF2303-01), China, Hunan Prov., Changsha City, Wangcheng District, Qiaoyi Town, Changsha Heimifeng National Forest Park, Heimifeng Village; 28.46921°N, 113.00199°E; 98 m a.s.l.; 28 November 2023; X.J. Peng, S.L. Li, Z.Y. Liu, X.Y. Qin, G. Tang leg. Paratypes: • 4♀3♂ same data as for the holotype (HNU-HMF2303-02~03).

The specific epithet is derived from the type locality; adjective.

Gongylidioides heimifengensis sp. nov. resembles that of G. cucullatus Oi, 1960 in having a similar paracymbium (Figs 2, 3; Oi 1960, figs 140, 141), and epigyne with a similar morphology (Fig. 4A, B; Oi 1960, fig. 142), but can be differentiated by (1) carapace slightly elevated in middle (Fig. 1A–C; vs. strongly elevated to a hooded lobe); (2) embolus helical-shaped, forming a coil on distal end of palp (Figs 2, 3B, C; vs. not coiled, extending to ventral of tegulum); (3) tip of retrolateral tibial apophysis bifurcated (Figs 2B, 3A; vs. not bifurcated); (4) dorsal plate semicircular (Fig. 4A; vs. posterior end narrow, tongue-shaped); (5) copulatory ducts helical (Fig. 4B; vs. n-shaped); and (6) spermathecae located at apexes of copulatory ducts anteriorly (Fig. 4B; vs. located dorso-laterally).

Figure 1. 

Gongylidioides heimifengensis sp. nov., habitus. Male holotype (A–C). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Ditto, ventral view; C. Ditto, lateral view. Female paratype (D–F). D. Habitus, dorsal view; E. Ditto, ventral view; F. Ditto, lateral view.

Figure 2. 

Gongylidioides heimifengensis sp. nov., palp of male holotype. A. Palp, prolateral view; B. Ditto, retrolateral view; C. Ditto, dorsal view; D. Ditto, ventral view. Abbreviations: DSA = distal suprategular apophysis; DTA = dorsal tibial apophysis; E = embolus; L = lamella; PC = paracymbium; PT = protegulum; R = radix; RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis; SPT = suprategulum; ST = subtegulum; T = tegulum; TP = tailpiece.

Figure 3. 

Gongylidioides heimifengensis sp. nov., palp of male paratype. A. Tibia, retrolateral view; B. Genitalia bulb, superior view; C. Genitalia bulb, dorsal view. Abbreviations: DSA = distal suprategular apophysis; E = embolus; L = lamella; PT = protegulum; R = radix; RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis; SPT = suprategulum; ST = subtegulum.

Figure 4. 

Gongylidioides heimifengensis sp. nov., female paratype. A. Epigyne, ventral view; B. Vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD = copulatory duct; CO = copulatory opening; DP = dorsal plate; FD = fertilization duct; S = spermatheca; VP = ventral plate.

Male (holotype, Fig. 1A–C). Total length 1.73. Carapace 0.81 long, 0.95 wide; abdomen 1.00 long, 0.68 wide. Carapace oval, slightly yellow; the elevated middle with one small cluster of setae; fovea extremely thin, radial groove absent; AER bent backwards, PER bent forwards; center of ocular area with dense black hairs. Chelicerae pale yellow, with five promarginal and four retromarginal teeth. Endite and labium yellowish brown, sternum blackish brown. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.07, PME 0.07, PLE 0.07; AME−AME 0.05, AME−ALE 0.05, PME−PME 0.04, PME−PLE 0.05, ALE−PLE 0.00. MOA 0.17 long, anterior width 0.13, posterior width 0.16. Clypeus height 0.13. Legs light yellow. Leg measurements: I 2.20 (0.83, 0.65, 0.44, 0.28), II 2.37 (0.71, 0.78, 0.52, 0.36), III 2.07 (0.60, 0.62, 0.51, 0.34), IV 2.63 (0.77, 0.86, 0.62, 0.38). Leg formula: 4213. Abdomen oval and white; dorsum and venter with axisymmetric grey maculae; lateral with triangular black maculae surrounding spinnerets. Spinnerets white.

Palp (Figs 2, 3). Patella as long as tibia. RTA finger-like, much longer than wide, with bifurcated tip; DTA short, wider than long, with blunt end. Paracymbium sclerotized, handgun-shaped, with long setae in the middle, hook-shaped apex bending to tibia. Tegulum large, with a triangular transparent protegulum; subtegulum longitudinal, with sclerotized margin; DSA stout. Radix sclerotized and strongly curved, triangular apex bent upward; lamella translucent. Embolus sclerotized, long and helical-shaped; base left-handed spiral and apex right-handed spiral.

Female (paratype, Fig. 1D–F). Total length 1.75. Carapace 0.74 long, 0.56 wide; abdomen 1.00 long, 0.65 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.05, ALE 0.06, PME 0.06, PLE 0.07, AME−AME 0.02, AME−ALE 0.03, PME−PME 0.03, PME−PLE 0.04, ALE−PLE 0.01. MOA 0.20 long, anterior width 0.11, posterior width 0.15. Clypeus height 0.08. Leg measurements: leg I 2.45 (0.77, 0.87, 0.50, 0.31); II 2.40 (0.67, 0.82, 0.57, 0.34); III 1.90 (0.57, 0.52, 0.45, 0.36); IV 2.58 (0.77, 0.88, 0.59, 0.34). Leg formula: 4123. Carapace pyriform. Abdomen yellowish white, with two black striped maculae laterally. Other characters as in male.

Epigyne (Fig. 4A, B). Plate about as long as wide. DP semicircular, extending beyond epigynal furrow; CO small. CD helical; helical coils close to each other; spermathecae finger-shaped, located at apexes of CD anteriorly; FD short and translucent.

Known only from the type locality (Fig. 9).

Males (N = 4): total length 1.69–1.75; females (N = 4): total length 1.51–1.89.

Gongylidium nigricans Menge, 1868; syn. of Gongylidium rufipes (Linnaeus, 1758).

The genus Gongylidium comprises eight species, including one species known from males and three from females only, distributed in China, Italy, Kazakhstan, Russia (Europe to South Siberia), Turkey and Europe. In China, six species have been reported (Guizhou, Hubei, Yunnan) (WSC 2025).

Holotype : • ♀ (XFS-2202-05), China, Hunan Prov., Shaoyang City, Dongkou County, Jiangkou Town; 27.146777°N, 110.321231°E; 1340 m a.s.l.; 09 July 2022; Y.C. Zhou, S.L. Li, Y Peng, M.T. Zhang, L.F. Li leg. Paratype: • 1♀ (XFS-2202-04), same data as for the holotype.

The specific name refers to the similarity of this species to G. bifurcatum Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 2022; adjective.

The female of this new species resembles that of G. bifurcatum Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 2022 in having a similar morphology of the epigyne (Fig. 6A, B; Irfan et al. 2022, fig. 115A–C), but can be differentiated by (1) ventral plate well-developed (Fig. 6A; vs. reduced); (2) copulatory ducts C-shaped (Fig. 6B; vs. forming a wave-like loop); and (3) dorsal plate slightly covered by ventral plate (Fig. 6A, B; vs. almost not covered).

Figure 5. 

Gongylidium species, habitus. G. subbifurcatum sp. nov., female holotype (A–C). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Ditto, ventral view; C. Ditto, lateral view. G. trapezium sp. nov., female holotype (D–F). D. Habitus, dorsal view; E. Ditto, ventral view; F. Ditto, lateral view.

Figure 6. 

Gongylidium species, genitalia. G. subbifurcatum sp. nov., female holotype (A, B). A. Epigyne, ventral view; B. Vulva, dorsal view. G. trapezium sp. nov., female holotype (C, D). C. Epigyne, ventral view; D. Vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD = copulatory duct; CO = copulatory opening; DP = dorsal plate; FD = fertilization duct; S = spermatheca; VP = ventral plate.

Female (holotype, Fig. 5A–C). Total length 2.70. Carapace 1.16 long, 0.86 wide; abdomen 1.44 long, 1.48 wide. Carapace brown; cervical and radial grooves distinct, fovea indistinct; AER and PER horizontal. Chelicerae light brown, with five promarginal and four retromarginal teeth. Endite and labium light brown; sternum blackish brown. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.06, ALE 0.09, PME 0.08, PLE 0.09; AME−AME 0.01, AME−ALE 0.04, PME−PME 0.05, PME−PLE 0.05, ALE−PLE 0.00. MOA 0.18 long, anterior width 0.12, posterior width 0.20. Clypeus height 0.14. Leg measurements: I 3.30 (0.93, 1.09, 0.73, 0.55), II 2.23 (0.76, 0.66, 0.41, 0.40), III 2.68 (0.78, 0.85, 0.62, 0.43), IV 3.33 (0.96, 1.09, 0.80, 0.48). Leg formula: 4132. Legs yellowish brown. Abdomen pear-shaped; black dorsum longitudinally separated by thin white band in middle, lateral pale brown with scaly patches, venter yellowish brown. Spinneret brown.

Epigyne (Fig. 6A, B). Plate rectangular, about 2× wider than long; septum broad, located at posterior half of plate; CD posteriorly oblique. CD slender, forming one loop before entering spermathecae; spermathecae global; FD short and taper.

Male. Unknown.

Known only from the type locality (Fig. 9).

Females (N = 2): total length 2.13–2.70.

Holotype : • ♀ (XFS-2204-03), China, Hunan Prov., Shaoyang City, Dongkou County, Jiangkou Town; 27.146883°N, 110.343392°E; 1294.37 m a.s.l.; 11 July 2022; Y.C. Zhou, S.L. Li, Y Peng, M.T. Zhang, L.F. Li leg.

The specific name is derived from the Latin adjective “trapezium”, meaning trapeziform, referring to the outline of the dorsal plate in the epigynal plate.

The female of this new species resembles that of G. demersum Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 2025 in having similar copulatory ducts (Fig. 6C, D; Irfan et al. 2025, fig. 96A–C), but can be differentiated by the (1) dorsal plate three times wider than long (Fig. 6C; vs. two times wider than long); and (2) spermathecae located dorso-laterally (Fig. 6D; vs. located anteriorly).

Female (holotype, Fig. 5D–F). Total length 1.71. Carapace 0.83 long, 0.62 wide; abdomen 0.88 long, 0.76 wide. Carapace yellowish brown; cervical groove and fovea indistinct; AER horizontal, PER strongly bent forwards. Chelicerae yellowish brown, with six promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Endite, labium and sternum yellowish brown. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.05, PME 0.05, PLE 0.04; AME−AME 0.01, AME−ALE 0.03, PME−PME 0.05, PME−PLE 0.05, ALE−PLE 0.01. MOA 0.14 long, anterior width 0.10, posterior width 0.15. Clypeus height 0.11. Leg measurements: I 1.91 (0.63, 0.63, 0.35, 0.30), II 1.67 (0.52, 0.53, 0.30, 0.32), III 1.44 (0.45, 0.42, 0.30, 0.27), IV 2.01 (0.63, 0.69, 0.38, 0.31). Leg formula: 4123. Legs yellowish brown. Abdomen oval, black; pattern indistinct. Spinneret dark brown.

Epigyne (Fig. 6C, D). Plate oval, slightly wider than long. VP extended outwards and connected to DP, the junction strongly sclerotized; DP trapezoid and sclerotized. CO large, beside the junction and behind VP. CD short and twisty; spermathecae global; FD blurry and hook-shaped.

Male. Unknown.

Known only from the type locality (Fig. 9).

Nippononeta kurilensis Eskov, 1992.

The genus Nippononeta comprises 25 species, including two species known from males and three from females only, distributed in China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia and Russia (Far East, Kurile Is. and Sakhalin). In China, four species have been reported (Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jilin and Shaanxi) (WSC 2025).

Holotype : • ♀ (HNU-BLXS2404-19), China, Hunan Prov., Yueyang City, Pingjiang County, Jiayi Town, Beiluoxiao National Forest Park; 28.597247°N, 113.908166°E; 181.33 m a.s.l.; 12 November 2024; S.L. Wang, S.L. Li, G. Tang, W.L. Yan leg. Paratypes: • 3♀ (HNU-HMF2303-4), China, Hunan Prov., Changsha City, Wangcheng District, Qiaoyi Town, Changsha Heimifeng National Forest Park, Heimifeng Village; 28.46921°N, 113.00199°E; 98 m a.s.l.; 28 November 2023; X.J. Peng, S.L. Li, Z.Y. Liu, X.Y. Qin, G. Tang leg. • 1♀ (HNU-XFS-2203), China, Hunan Prov., Shaoyang City, Dongkou County, Jiangkou Town; 27.144129°N, 110.341206°E; 1250.66 m a.s.l.; 10 July 2022; Y.C. Zhou, S.L. Li, Y Peng, M.T. Zhang, L.F. Li leg.

The specific epithet is derived from the Latin noun “anchora” meaning “anchor” and referring to the junction of the dorsal scape and stretcher, which broadens to an anchor shape.

The female of this new species resembles that of N. coreana (Paik, 1991) in having a similar scape and stretcher (Fig. 8A–D; Irfan et al. 2025, fig. 160A–D), but can be differentiated by the (1) copulatory grooves parallel to each other in dorsal view (Fig. 8A, C; vs. having a somewhat heart-shaped outline); and (2) spermathecae S-shaped (Fig. 8A, C; vs. C-shaped).

Female (holotype, Fig. 7A–C). Total length 1.15. Carapace 1.62 long, 0.53 wide; abdomen 0.78 long, 0.59 wide. Carapace blackish brown; cervical and radial grooves distinct, fovea thin; AER and PER horizontal. Chelicerae pale, with five promarginal and five weak retromarginal teeth. Endite and labium pale; sternum blackish brown. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.05, PME 0.06, PLE 0.05; AME−AME 0.02, AME−ALE 0.03, PME−PME 0.04, PME−PLE 0.02, ALE−PLE 0.01. MOA 0.13 long, anterior width 0.11, posterior width 0.16. Clypeus height 0.08. Leg measurements: I 2.06 (0.59, 0.69, 0.41, 0.37), II 1.96 (0.55, 0.63, 0.44, 0.34), III 1.57 (0.44, 0.50, 0.36, 0.27), IV 2.09 (0.62, 0.68, 0.47, 0.32). Leg formula: 4123. Legs pale white. Abdomen oval; black dorsum with one large pale macula. Spinneret pale grey.

Figure 7. 

Nippononeta anchorata sp. nov., habitus. Female holotype (A–C). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Ditto, ventral view; C. Ditto, lateral view.

Figure 8. 

Nippononeta anchorata sp. nov., genitalia. Female holotype (A, B). A. Epigyne, ventral view; B. Vulva, dorsal view. Female paratype (C, D). C. Epigyne, ventral view; D. Vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD = copulatory duct; FD = fertilization duct; S = spermatheca; Sc = scape; St = stretcher; VP = ventral plate.

Epigyne (Fig. 8A–D). Plate inverted anchor-shaped, as wide as long; VP kidney-shaped, about 2× wider than long. Scape sigmoid folded; ventral scape slender, broadened at turning point; dorsal scape inverted triangular. The junction of dorsal scape and stretcher well broadened to anchor shape; CD right-angled; sigmoid spermathecae located at the lateral margin of ventral plate.

Male. Unknown.

China (Hunan) (Fig. 9).

Figure 9. 

Distribution of the four new species described in this study.

Females (N = 5): total length 1.15–1.41.