A revision of the genus Qianleptoneta (Araneae: Leptonetidae)
Author
Chen, Hui-Ming
Author
Jia, Qiang
Author
Wang, Shi-Jie
text
Journal of Natural History
2010
2010-11-15
44
47 - 48
2873
2915
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2010.512397
journal article
10.1080/00222933.2010.512397
1464-5262
5212193
Qianleptoneta lycotropa
sp. nov.
(
Figures 10
,
11
,
25D
)
Material
Holotype
male.
From Shenxian Cave
(
25
◦
37
′
N
,
104
◦
45
′
E
,
1677 m
asl
),
Zhudong town
,
Panxian county
,
Guizhou Province
,
12 January 2008
.
Paratype
.
Three males and
five females
, same data as holotype
.
Figure 10.
Qianleptoneta lycotropa
sp. nov.
, male holotype and female paratype: (A) male left palp, prolateral view; (B) male left palp, retrolateral view; (C) male left chelicerae, ventral view; (D) female left chelicerae, ventral view; (E) female genitalia, ventral view; (F) female genitalia, dorsal view.
Figure 11.
Qianleptoneta lycotropa
sp. nov.
, male holotype and female paratype: (A) male habitus, lateral view; (B) male habitus, dorsal view; (C) female habitus, lateral view; (D) female habitus, ventral view.
Diagnosis
The new species is similar to
Q. triangula
but can be distinguished by the horseshoeshaped prolateral lobe (triangular in
Q. triangula
,
Figure 10A
), the transverse, serrate edges median apophysis (erect in
Q. triangula
,
Figure 25D
) in male.
Description
Male
holotype
.
Total length 2.30. Carapace smooth, 0.97 long, 0.87 wide, height at fovea 0.82 times carapace width, yellowish; thoracic fovea brown, needle-shaped (
Figure 11B
). Clypeus 0.23 high, yellowish. Chelicerae 0.54 long, yellowish, with six teeth and two denticles on promargin and five denticles on retromargin; 10 short setae on base (
Figure 10C
). Eyeless, only ALEMs remain on ocular area, two setae behind ocular area (
Figure 11B
). Sternum 0.67 long, 0.62 wide, haired; labium 0.08 long, 0.17 wide, yellowish.
Leg formula: 1423. Leg measurements (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total): I: 2.19 + 0.36 + 2.55 + 2.09 + 1.53 = 8.72; II: 2.14 + 0.36 + 2.14 + 1.78 + 1.22 = 7.65; III: 1.84 + 0.36 + 1.78 + 1.58 + 1.02 = 6.58; IV: 2.24 + 0.36 + 2.30 + 2.04 + 1.28 = 8.21. Leg yellowish, tibia I and II with rows of fine hairs on ventral surface; preening comb occurs ventroapically on the metatarsus of leg II and III.
Palpal coxae 0.49 long, 0.25 wide. Palpal measurements (femur + patella + tibia + tarsus = total): 0.51 + 0.21 + 0.34 + 0.37 = 1.43; the length of tibia 1.38 times that of patella. Palpal tibia with three dorsal trichobothria (
Figure 10A,B
), five ventral spines at TBS forked at apex, and a gracile spine near the TBS (
Figure 10B
). Tarsus dwindle distally, with relatively broad AC in middle part, RA in adjacent apical part in retrolateral view; retrolateral side with row of short setae on RA and at base part of tarsus; a group of long setae at apical part (
Figures 10A,B
). Bulb suboval, PL horseshoe-shaped (
Figure 10A
); M transverse (
Figure 25D
); PF transparent, dirkshaped (
Figure 10A,B
). Abdomen creamy yellow, without markings, haired, 1.38 long, 0.92 wide.
Female
paratype
.
Total length 1.99. Carapace smooth, 0.87 long, 0.71 wide, height at fovea 0.80 times carapace width, yellowish; thoracic fovea brown, needle-shaped. Clypeus 0.18 high, yellowish. Chelicerae 0.48 long, yellowish, with six teeth and two denticles on promargin of fang furrow and six denticles on retromargin; nine short setae on base (
Figure 10D
). Eyeless, only ALEMs remain on ocular area, two setae behind ocular area. Sternum 0.55 long, 0.58 wide, haired (
Figure 11D
); labium 0.08 long, 0.17 wide, yellowish.
Leg formula: 1423. Leg measurements (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total): I: 1.99 + 0.36 + 2.04 + 1.68 + 1.28 = 7.34; II: 1.73 + 0.36 + 1.68 + 1.38 + 1.07 = 6.22; III: 1.53 + 0.32 + 1.43 + 1.22 + 0.87 = 5.37; IV: 1.94 + 0.36 + 1.89 + 1.58 + 1.12 = 6.89. Leg yellowish, preening comb occurs ventroapically on the metatarsus of leg II and III.
Palpal coxae 0.43 long, 0.23 wide. Palpal measurements (femur + patella + tibia + tarsus = total): 0.57 + 0.19 + 1.53 + 0.58 = 2.87.
Abdomen creamy yellow, without markings, haired, 1.17 long, 1.02 wide. Epigynal plate broadly rhombic (
Figure 10E
); internal genitalia with a pair of spermathecae, coiled sperm duct, pair of shoe-shaped atria (
Figure 10F
).
Distribution
The species is known only from the
type
locality (
Figure 2
).
Etymology
The specific name comes from Latin “
lycotropa
” meaning “horseshoe-shaped”, referring to the prolateral lobe in the shape of a horseshoe.
Level of cave adaptation
This species lives entirely in the dark parts of caves and has no functioning eyes and no pigmentation. Troglobitic species.
Natural history
Small spider generally restricted to karst caves. The web is a rectangular, woven sheet about
10 cm
in diameter along cave walls or base plate. Spiders were found from the completely dark and constant-temperature zone, about
6 m
from the entrance, of a moist cave about
1.2 m
high and
50 m
long.