Gongylidium minutum Irfan, Zhang & Peng

Irfan, Muhammad, Zhou, Gu-Chun, Peng, Xian-Jin & Zhang, Zhi-Sheng, 2025, Survey of Linyphiidae spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from some Oriental Regions of China, Megataxa 15 (1), pp. 1-248 : 78-79

Gongylidium minutum Irfan, Zhang & Peng , sp. n.

(ēŝ圆ae)

Figures 98 , 99 , 312

Types. Holotype ♀ ( HNU–HB– IV–1712 ), CHINA, Hubei Prov.: Enshi Co., Xingdou MNNR , 30.04611°N, 109.13038°E, 1205 m, 18.V.2017, G.C. Zhou et al. leg.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin adjective "minutus " meaning "small" referring to the very small size spiders.

Diagnosis. Gongylidium minutum sp. n. resembles G. demersum sp. n. in having the similar dorsal plate ( Figs 98A–C ; Figs 96A–C ), but can be distinguished by the ventral plate hood present in G. minutum sp. n. ( Figs 98A, B ), vs. hood absent in G. demersum sp. n. ( Figs 96A, B ); copulatory ducts S-shaped in G. minutum sp. n. ( Figs 98C ), vs. short, directly entering the spermathecae in G. demersum sp. n. ( Figs 96B, C ).

Description. Female ( Figs 99A, B ): Total length: 1.35. Carapace 0.58 long, 0.41 wide, yellowish brown, cephalic region slightly elevated, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.1 high. Chelicerae with five promarginal and six retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, yellow with microsetae. Eyes: AER recurved, PER procurved, slightly wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.03, ALE 0.04, PME 0.02, PLE 0.03, AME–AME 0.01, PME–PME 0.04, AME–ALE, 0.01, PME–PLE 0.05, AME–PME 0.05, ALE–ALE 0.17, PLE–PLE 0.19, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 1.30 (0.42, 0.44, 0.21, 0.23), II 1.19 (0.37, 0.41, 0.19, 0.22), III 1.04 (0.31, 0.35, 0.18, 0.20), IV 1.37 (0.42, 0.49, 0.23, 0.23). TmI 0.62 and TmIV 0.67. Tibial spine formula: 2-2-1-1. Opisthosoma 0.77 long, 0.53 wide, oval, pale.

Epigyne ( Figs 98A–C ): Ventral plate (VP) sclerotized, wider than long, partly covering the dorsal plate; dorsal plate (DP) rectangular, wider than long; copulatory opening (CO) present at the junction of dorsal and ventral plate; copulatory ducts (CD) sinuous; spermathecae (S) globular; fertilization ducts (FD) long, extending mesally.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Hubei Province, Fig. 312 ).

Figures

FIGURE 96. Gongylidium demersum sp. n., female holotype. A, B Epigyne, ventral view; C Vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD—copulatory duct; CO—copulatory opening; DP—dorsal plate; FD—fertilization duct; S—spermatheca; VP—ventral plate.

FIGURE 98. Gongylidium minutum sp. n., female holotype. A, B Epigyne, ventral view; C Vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD—copulatory duct; CO—copulatory opening; DP—dorsal plate; FD—fertilization duct; S—spermatheca; VP—ventral plate.

FIGURE 99. Gongylidium minutum sp. n., female holotype. A Habitus, dorsal view; B Habitus, ventral view.

FIGURE 312. Distribution of Linyphiidae species in Hubei Prov.: 2. Asiagone xingdouensis sp. n.; 3. Bathyphantes paracymbialis Tanasevitch, 2014; 4. Bifurcia cochlearis sp. n.; 5. Capsulia tianmushana (Chen & Song, 1987); 6. Dicristatus cordatus sp. n.; 7. Diplocephalus circularis sp. n.; 8. Erigone prominens Bösenberg & Strand, 1906; 9. Frontinella zhui Li & Song, 1993; 10. Gnathonarium dentatum (Wider, 1834); 11. Gongylidioides ensis sp. n.; 12. Gongylidioides microdontus sp. n.; 13. Gongylidium dawolongense sp. n.; 14. Gongylidium minutum sp. n.; 15. Gongylidium uncatum sp. n.; 16. Houshenzinus rimosus Tanasevitch, 2006; 17. Hylyphantes graminicola (Sundevall, 1830); 18. Indophantes wushanensis Irfan, Wang & Zhang, 2023; 1. Microneta maliuxiensis sp. n..