Three species of Hitobia Kamura, 1992 (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) from south-west China

Abstract Two new species and one new record of the Hitobia are described from Gaoligong Mountains, Yunnan Province, China: Hitobia tengchong sp. n. (male), Hitobia hirtella sp. n. (male) and Hitobia makotoi Kamura, 2011. Distributional data and illustrations of body and copulatory organs are provided. The differences between the new species and their related species are discussed.


Introduction
The genus Hitobia was established by Kamura 1992 with the type species Micaria unifascigera Bösenberg & Strand, 1906. A total of 14 species have been reported from south-east Asia only (Platnick 2014). Subsequent papers about this genus were published by scholars from both Chinese and overseas such as Yin et al. (1996), Deeleman-Reinhold (2001), Zhang et al. (2009), Kamura (2011) and so on. Song et al. (2004) and Yin et al. (2012) made detailed studies on Chinese species of Hitobia and described 5 new species. Kamura (1992) transferred unifascigera from Poecilochroa and asiatica from Berlandina to this genus from Japan. Deeleman-Reinhold (2011) transferred tenuicincta from Ladissa to this genus from Vietnam. To date, all species of this genus (Platnick 2014) are known in China except for H. makotoi Kamura, 2011 occurring in Japan, H. tenuicincta (Simon, 1909) from Vietnam and H. yaginumai Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 from Thailand. Hitobia is similar to Litopyllus Chamberlin, 1922 in the condition of female median spinnerets and male palpal structure, but can be separated from the latter by the slightly recurved posterior eye row, instead of being procurved in Litopyllus (Kamura, 1992).
While examining the specimens collected from the Gaoligong Mountains (Yunnan province, south-west China) by the Sino-American Expeditions (1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008), one female specimen was identified to be H. makotoi, two male specimens were identified to be the members of Hitobia, but differ from any other males of the genus. Because of the habits of ground spider and their similar appearance, it is not easy to match male to female in each species, and many species were recorded only with single male or female in a same genus of Gnaphosidae (e. g. Micaria logunovi Zhang, Song & Zhu, 2001 based on only one male specimen and Micaria marusiki Zhang, Song & Zhu, 2001 based on 2 female specimens). So, we described the two male specimens as two new species. Goal of this paper is to provide the distributional data, illustrations of body and copulatory organs, and the differences between the new species and their related species.

Material and methods
All specimens were kept in 75% ethanol, examined, measured and drawn with an Olympus SZX16 stereomicroscope and an Olympus BX53 compound microscope. 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 Free).
All measurements were given in millimeters. Leg measurements are giving as: total length (femur, patella + tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). The abbreviations used in text including: AER anterior eye row; ALE anterior lateral eyes; AME anterior median eyes; MOA median ocular area; PER posterior eye row; PLE posterior lateral eyes; PME posterior median eyes. Specimens are deposited in College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University.
Male palp (Figs 11-12, 15-16): tibia short and strong, with several long prolatral macrosetae, the retrolateral apophysis long and bearing a tuft of long bristles on the swollen base. Cymbial tip with three thick setae. Embolus thin, twisted in middle part and the distal part covered by large conductor is, membranous, almost triangular in ventral view.
Epigyne (22)(23) longer than wide, with a distinct anterior hood, and shallow longitudinal concavity in median part. Spermathecae big, elongated and the distal parts close to each other.
Male: Unknown. Distribution. China (Yunnan), Japan (Amami-öshima Is.). Comments. Although the spermathecae of the specimen are smaller, the distal parts close to each other (almost parallel to each other in the original description of Kamura (2011)), the following characters of the specimen are almost as same as those described in the original description: the position and form of stripes on the dorsum of opisthosoma; epigyne with a distinct anterior hood, a shallow longitudinal concavity in median part, copulatory opening indistinct; hence the specimen was identified as Hitobia makotoi Kamura, 2011.