Five new Platocoelotes species (Araneae, Agelenidae) from caves in southern China

Abstract Five new Platocoelotes species are described based on both sexes collected from caves in southern China. They are: Platocoelotes luoi sp. n. from Jiangxi, Platocoelotes qinglinensis sp. n. from Yunnan, Platocoelotes shuiensis sp. n. from Guizhou, Platocoelotes tianyangensis sp. n. from Sichuan and Platocoelotes xianwuensis sp. n. from Hubei.


Introduction
The spider genus Platocoelotes was established by Wang (2002) for one coelotine from Hunan, China: Coelotes impletus Peng & Wang, 1997. Additionally, Wang (2003 described one new species: P. kailiensis Wang, 2003 and revised three species: P. impletus (Peng & Wang, 1997), P. icohamatoides (Peng & Wang, 1997) and P. lichuanensis (Chen & Zhao, 1998) that were transferred from the genus Coelotes, and revised three species in detail: the species diagnosis and the descriptions of epigynes and male palps. Currently, there are seventeen valid Platocoelotes species, sixteen of which are known from southern China and one, P. uenoi (Yamaguchi & Yaginuma, 1971), is from Japan (World Spider Catalog 2015).
This paper provides descriptions of five new Platocoelotes species collected from caves in southern China. Three of them, P. qinglinensis sp. n., P. shuiensis sp. n. and P. tianyangensis sp. n., have simple, looped spermathecae, indistinct copulatory ducts, distinct epigynal hoods, and a slender anterior apophysis, they are congeneric with P. ampulliformis Liu & Li, 2008, P. brevis Liu & Li, 2008, P. latus Xu & Li, 2008 paralatus Xu & Li, 2008 and others, so these three new species are easily classified as Platocoelotes. The other two new species have the main characters: a posterior conductor apophysis on the male palp, the presence of a large atrium, and the absence of epigynal teeth on the female epigyne, which indicate that they are congeneric with the type species of Platocoelotes.

Material and methods
Specimens were examined with a LEICA M205C stereomicroscope. Images were captured with an Olympus C7070 wide zoom digital camera (7.1 megapixels) mounted on an Olympus SZX12 dissecting microscope. Epigynes and male palps were examined after dissection from the spiders' bodies.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Fig. 11). Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality; adjective. Diagnosis. The male can be distinguished from all other Platocoelotes species, except P. ampulliformis, P. brevis, P. latus, P. paralatus, P. qinglinensis sp. n. and P. strombuliformis, by having a slender anterior conductor apophysis and a long posterior conductor apophysis and can be distinguished from these six species by the anterior conductor apophysis being concave mesally ( Fig. 5A-C). The female can be distinguished from all other Platocoelotes species, except P. latus, by having a large epigynal atrium and can be distinguished from P. latus by the posteriorly situated epigynal hoods and twined spermathecae, forming quadrate structure ( Fig. 6B; Xu and Li 2008: figs 15-16).
Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Fig. 11).  apophysis and can be distinguished from these five species by the large tegulum and broader distal end of the anterior conductor apophysis (Fig. 7A-C). The female can be distinguished from all of the other Platocoelotes species, except P. ampulliformis, by the presence of a small anterior epigynal atrium and a large posterior epigynal atrium (Fig. 8A;Liu and Li 2008: fig. 1E), and can be distinguished from P. ampulliformis by fused spermathecae and the absence of copulatory ducts ( Fig. 8B; Liu and Li 2008: fig. 1F).
Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Fig. 11).  Wang, 1997, P. lichuanensis Chen & Zhao, 1998and P. kailiensis Wang, 2003, by the presence of a branch in the anterior conductor apophysis and can be distinguished from these four species by the long anterior conductor branch, with a wide base that is spiky distally, and the hyaline part in the middle of the anterior conductor apophysis (Fig. 9A-C). The female can be distinguished from all other Platocoelotes species, except P. impletus and P. icohamatoides, by the presence of a long, narrow epigynal septum and can be distinguished from P. impletus by the rectangular epigynal atrium, and the longer, thinner copulatory ducts (Fig. 10A -B;Wang 2003: fig. 75A-B). It can be distinguished from P. icohamatoides by having fewer loops in the copulatory ducts (with 2 loops) ( Fig. 10B; Wang 2003: fig. 76B).