Spelaeus cicatrix 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 : 176-180

Spelaeus cicatrix Irfan, Zhang & Peng , sp. n.

(èảȇme)

Figures 231–234 , 310

Types. Holotype ♂ ( HNU-GZ-IV-1712 ), CHINA, Guizhou Prov.: Tongren City, Songtao Co., Wuluo Town , Taohuayuan Vill ., Niujiao Cave , Fanjingshan NNR , 27.989794°N, 108.775969°E, 1009 m, 05.XI.2017, G.C. Zhou leg. Paratypes: 1♂ 3♀, with same data as for holotype ( HNU-GZ-IV-1712 ) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin noun “cicatrix ” meaning“scar”referring to enigmatic scars at the anterior half of the female epigyne.

Diagnosis. See genus diagnosis.

Description. Male (holotype, Figs 234A–C ): Total length: 1.59. Carapace 0.79 long, 0.60 wide, brown, ocular region abruptly elevated, transformed into cephalic lobe; cephalic pits present at the base of cephalic lobe; cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.27 high. Chelicerae with six promarginal and six retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, yellow with microsetae. Eyes reduced with a prominent troglobitic feature; AER recurved, PER strongly procurved, PMEs present on the cephalic lobe. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.03, ALE 0.03, PME 0.03, PLE 0.03, AME–AME 0.01, PME–PME 0.13, AME–ALE, 0.07, PME–PLE 0.03, AME–PME 0.08, ALE–ALE 0.23, PLE–PLE 0.24, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 2.31 (0.67, 0.81, 0.45, 0.38), II 1.79 (0.53, 0.57, 0.37, 0.32), III 1.71 (0.63, 0.70, 0.40, 0.34), IV 2.21 (0.65, 0.76, 0.43, 0.37). Tibial spine formula: 1- 1-1-1. TmI 0.32, and TmIV present. Opisthosoma 0.98 long, 0.60 wide, oval, dusky grey, densely covered with fine spines.

Palp ( Figs 231A–D , 232A–C ): Femur unmodified, almost longer than patella and tibia. Patella two times longer than tibia basal part of tibia, ventrally grooved. Tibia with one reterolateral and one prolateral trichobothria, dorsal tibial apophysis (DTA) wider than long, ventrally grooved with bifurcated tip; cymbium unmodified, relatively broad at distal end; paracymbium (PC) C-shaped, distal arm tip with blunt end, touches the retrolateral margin of cymbium; tegulum (T) sclerotized, with transparent protegulum (PT) covering the anterior radical process; distal suprategular apophysis (DSA) sclerotized proximally, distal end round, transparent with serrated margin. Embolic division: Simple, with the basal part of radix (R) give rise long filiform embolus; anterior redical process (ARP) longer than wide, strongly sclerotized with sharp serrated margin; embolic membrane (EM) attached to the inner margin of embolus, running along the embolus, even extending forward from the embolus tip.

Female (one of paratype, Figs 234D–F ): Total length: 1.64. Carapace 0.86 long, 0.62 wide, brown, ocular region narrow, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.26 high. Chelicerae with five promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, yellow with microsetae. Eyes reduced with a prominent troglobitic feature; AER recurved, PER procurved. Eye sizes and interdistances:AME 0.02, ALE 0.03, PME 0.04, PLE 0.04, AME–AME 0.03, PME–PME 0.06, AME– ALE, 0.05, PME–PLE 0.03, AME–PME 0.06, ALE–ALE 0.22, PLE–PLE 0.24, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 2.02 (0.57, 0.71, 0.39, 0.35), II 1.87 (0.56, 0.63, 0.36, 0.32), III 1.60 (0.50, 0.51, 0.31, 0.28), IV 1.98 (0.59, 0.69, 0.40, 0.30). Tibial spine formula: 1-1-1-1. TmI 0.29, and TmIV present. Opisthosoma 0.97 long, 0.68 wide, all other characteristics same as in male except darker in color.

Epigyne ( Figs 233A–C ): With transverse chitinous ventral plate (VP), broad with a round lobe on each side, posteriory narrow with a shallow depression; epigynal plate anteriorly with a septum containing copulatory opening (CO) underneath; copulatory ducts (CD) long, sinuous, running along the peripheral margin of epigynal plate towards the posterior margin to enter in spermathecae. Spermathecae (S) round, seems enclosed by copulatory ducts in ventral view; fertilization ducts (FD) long, extending mesally.

Notes. The majority of females examined showed scars on the anterior surface of the epigyne that might be caused during mating by the strong and sharp anterior radical process. In most females with scars present they are most distinct in the anterior half (black arrows showing the scars, Figs 233A–C ).

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

Figures

FIGURE 231. Spelaeus cicatrix sp. n., male holotype. A Palp, prolateral view; B Palp, retrolateral view; C Palp, dorsal view; D Palp, ventral view. B Arrow indicating thick spine at the base of dorsal tibial apophysis in retrolateral view. Abbreviations: ARP—anterior radical process; DSA—distal suprategular apophysis; DTA—dorsal tibial apophysis; E—embolus; Em—embolic membrane; PC—paracymbium; PT—protegulum; R—radix; ST—subtegulum; SPT—suprategulum; T—tegulum.

FIGURE 232. Spelaeus cicatrix sp. n., male paratype palp. A Embolic division, ventral view; B Embolic division, prolateral view; C Embolic division, retrolateral view. Abbreviations: ARP—anterior radical process; DSA—distal suprategular apophysis; E—embolus; Em—embolic membrane; PC—paracymbium; R—radix; SPT—suprategulum.

FIGURE 233. Spelaeus cicatrix sp. n., female paratype. A, B Epigyne, ventral view; C Vulva, dorsal view.Arrows indicating scars at the anterior epigyne.Abbreviations: CD—copulatory duct; CO—copulatory opening; DP—dorsal plate; FD—fertilization duct; S—spermatheca; VP—ventral plate.

FIGURE 234. Spelaeus cicatrix sp. n., male holotype (A–C) and female paratype (D–F). A, D Habitus, dorsal view; B, E Habitus, lateral view; C, F Habitus, ventral view.

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..