Tapinocyba cornuta 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 : 185-188

Tapinocyba cornuta Irfan, Zhang & Peng , sp. n.

(ss äƀ大e)

Figures 240–242 , 310

Types. Holotype ♂ ( HNU–GZ– IV–1402 ), CHINA, Guizhou Prov.: Yanhe Co., Mayanghe NNR , 28.65838°N, 108.26033°E, 268m. 07.VII.2014, C. Wang et al. leg. Paratypes: 1♀, with same data as for holotype ( HNU– GZ– IV–1402 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin adjective "cornutus , -a, -um" meaning "horned" referring to distal suprategular apophysis with horn-shaped projection in male palp.

Diagnosis. The male of Tapinocyba cornuta sp. n. resembles that of T. praecox (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873) in having the similar cephalic lobe and embolic division ( Figs 240A–D , 2A–C ; Hormiga 2000, figs 27A– E, pl. 62A–F) and can be distinguished by the ocular region modified in T. cornuta sp. n. ( Fig. 240B ; vs. not modified); tibia with three apophyses (DTA, PTA and RTA) in T. cornuta sp. n. ( Fig. 240A, B, D ; vs. tibia with one apophysis); anterior radical apophysis present in T. cornuta sp. n. ( Figs 240A, C ; vs. absent); embolus as long as dorsal tibial apophysis in T. cornuta sp. n. ( Figs 240D ; vs. longer than dorsal tibial apophysis). The female of T. cornuta sp. n. resembles that of G. praecox in having the similar spermatheca ( Figs 241A–C ; 247A–C ), and can be distinguished by the copulatory opening nostrils-shaped in ventral view in T. cornuta sp. n. ( Figs 241A–C ; vs. ventral plate unmodified posteriorly).

Description. Male (holotype, Figs 242A–C ): Total length: 1.6. Carapace 0.76 long, 0.52 wide, brown, cephalic region strongly elevated, fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.19 high. Chelicerae with five promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, yellowish brown with microsetae. Ocular region strongly curved, extending above clypeus, eyes: AER recurved, PER straight, slightly wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.05, PME 0.05, PLE 0.05, AME–AME 0.03, PME–PME 0.06, AME–ALE, 0.01, PME–PLE 0.02, AME–PME 0.02, ALE–ALE 0.18, PLE–PLE 0.19, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 1.75 (0.54, 0.57, 0.34, 0.3), II 1.6 (0.49, 0.54, 0.3, 0.27), III 1.35 (0.41, 0.43, 0.27, 0.24), IV 1.79 (0.53, 0.59, 0.37, 0.27). TmI 0.62 and TmIV 0.63. Tibial spine formula: 2-2- 1-1. Opisthosoma 0.92 long, 0.62 wide, oval, greenish.

Palp ( Figs 240A–D ): Femur unmodified, almost as long as both patella and tibia. Patella shorter than tibia. Tibia widest at distal end, with one retrolateral and one dorsal trichobothria, with three apophyses; dorsal tibial apophysis (DTA) sclerotized, slightly curved, sword-shaped in prolateral view, prolateral tibial apophysis (PTA) small, semicircular shaped in prolateral view, retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) wider than long, with wave-like margin; cymbium unmodified; paracymbium (PC) Jshaped, basally with setae, distal arm tip hook-shaped; tegulum (T) almost round, proximally bulging above the subtegulum, protegulum (PT) distinct, membranous; distal suprategular apophysis (DSA) sclerotized, distal part globular, relatively transparent, with horn-shaped projection at proximal end. Radix (R) sclerotized, longer than wide, proximally, strongly curved, slightly overlapping the suprategulum (SPT), posterior end stout. Embolic membrane (EM) barely visible on unexpended palp. Tailpiece slightly curved, tapering towards tip. Embolus (E) almost as long as dorsal tibial apophysis.

Female (one of paratype, Figs 242C, D ): Total length: 1.57. Carapace 0.64 long, 0.48 wide, cephalic region slightly elevated, brown, fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.16 high. Chelicerae with five promarginal and six retromarginal teeth. Sternum shieldshaped, as wide as long, dark brown with microsetae. Eyes: AER recurved, PER straight, slightly wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.05, PME 0.04, PLE 0.05, AME–AME 0.02, PME–PME 0.04, AME–ALE, 0.01, PME–PLE 0.02, AME–PME 0.03, ALE–ALE 0.18, PLE–PLE 0.20, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 1.53 (0.47, 0.53, 0.27, 0.26), II 1.36 (0.43, 0.44, 0.24, 0.25), III 1.23 (0.38, 0.39, 0.22, 0.24), IV 1.58 (0.51, 0.55, 0.28, 0.24). TmI 0.69 and TmIV 0.61. Tibial spine formula: 2-2-1-1. Opisthosoma 0.93 long, 0.64 wide, oval, brown, ventral side greyish brown.

Epigyne ( Figs 241A–D ): Epigynal plate two times wider than long; ventral plate (VP) a large rectangular outgrowth and a pair of small holes on its frontal face; dorsal plate (DP) almost rectangular, partly visible in ventral view; copulatory opening (CO) located mid-ventrally at the junction of dorsal and ventral plates; copulatory ducts (CD) long, forming U-shaped loop; spermathecae (S) globular, located dorsolaterally, spaced by two diameters; fertilization ducts (FD) short, extending mesally.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Guizhou Province, Fig. 310 ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Acanoides cornutus sp. n., female holotype. A, C Epigyne, ventral view; B Epigyne, lateral view; D Epigyne, dorsal view. Abbreviations: AW—anterior wall of epigyne; CG—copulatory groove; CO—copulatory opening; EA—extensible area of epigynal basal part; PMP—posterior median plate; S—spermatheca.

FIGURE 240. Tapinocyba cornuta sp. n., male holotype. A Palp, prolateral view; B Palp, retrolateral view; C Palp, ventral view; D Palp, dorsal view. Abbreviations: DSA—distal suprategular apophysis; DTA—dorsal tibial apophysis; E—embolus; PC—paracymbium; PT—protegulum; PTA—prolateral tibial apophysis; R—radix; RTA—retrolateral tibial apophysis; SPT— suprategulum; ST—subtegulum; T—tegulum; TP—tailpiece.

FIGURE 241. Tapinocyba cornuta sp. n., female (one of paratypes). A, B Epigyne, ventral view; C Vulva, dorsal view; D Vulva, anterior view. Abbreviations: CD—copulatory duct; CO—copulatory opening; DP—dorsal plate; FD—fertilization duct; S—spermatheca; VP—ventral plate.

FIGURE 242. Tapinocyba cornuta sp. n., male holotype (A–C) and female paratype (D, E). A, D Habitus, dorsal view; B Habitus, lateral view; C, E Habitus, ventral view.

FIGURE 247. Tapinocyba sulcata sp. n., female (one of paratypes). A, C Epigyne, ventral view; B Epigyne, lateral view; D Vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD—copulatory duct; CO—copulatory opening; DP—dorsal plate; FD—fertilization duct; S—spermatheca; VP—ventral plate.

FIGURE 310. Distribution of Linyphiidae species in Guizhou Prov.: 1. Bathyphantes paracymbialis Tanasevitch, 2014; 2. Bifurcia ramosa (Li & Zhu, 1987); 3. Bolyphantes aculeatus sp. n.; 4. Bolyphantes arcuatus sp. n.; 5. Bolyphantes gladius sp. n.; 7. Dicristatus denticulatus sp. n.; 8. Diplocephalus tongrenensis sp. n.; 9. Diplocephaloides cucullus sp. n.; 10. Gonatium absidatum sp. n.; 11. Tapinocyba cornuta sp. n.; 12. Gongylidium demersum sp. n.; 13. Tapinocyba pingshanensis sp. n.; 14. Hylyphantes graminicola (Sundevall, 1830); 15. Nippononeta coreana (Paik, 1991); 16. Prosoponoides sinensis (Chen, 1991); 17. Ryojius fanjingshanensis sp. n.; 18. Ryojius fodingshanensis sp. n.; 19. Scotinotylus guizhouensis sp. n.; 20. Scotinotylus longiprojectus sp. n.; 21. Spelaeus cicatrix sp. n.; 6. Trematocephalus cristatus (Wider, 1834); 22. Walckenaeria asymmetrica Song & Li, 2011; 23. Walckenaeria xingdouensis sp. n..