Asialathys Cala-Riquelme and Crews, 2025

Montana, Katherine O., Cala-Riquelme, Franklyn, Crews, Sarah C., Gorneau, Jacob A., Al-Jamal, Amin M., Alequín, Luigie D., Spagna, Joseph C., Ballarin, Francesco & Esposito, Lauren A., 2025, Tailor’s drawer no more: a reappraisal of the spider family Dictynidae O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871 sensu lato, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 204 (2) : -

Genus Asialathys Cala-Riquelme and Crews gen. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:AD6EA29A-2CAC-4AF5-82F0-D512FC0E8219 .

Type species: Lathys spiralis Zhang, Hu, Y.G. Zhang, 2012 .

Materialexamined:Lathysdeltoidea: China, JiangxiProv., Ji’anCity, Jinggangshan County Level City, Huang’ao Town , Menxiandong Village , broad-leaf forest, 26°28'30.0"N 114°14'52.8"E, 462 m elev., 4.iv.2014, Coll. Keke Liu, Zhiwu Chen, Zeyuan Meng, Yifan Zhao, Guangfeng Li (Holotype, 1 female, ASM-JGSU, examined by photo). Lathys fibulata : China, Jiangxi Prov., Ji’an City, Jinggangshan County Level City, Huang’ao Town , Menxiandong Village , broad-leaf forest, 26°28'33.6"N 114°14'38.4"E, 383 m elev., 4.iv.2014, Coll. Keke Liu, Zhiwu Chen, Zeyuan Meng, Yifan Zhao, Guangfeng Li (Holotype, 1 male, ASM-JGSU, examined by photo; Paratype, 1 female, ASM-JGSU, examined by photo). Lathys huangyangjieensis : China, Jiangxi Prov., Ji’an City, Jinggangshan County Level City, Maoping Town , Huangyangjie Scenic Spot , coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, 26°27'21.6"N 114°06'21.6"E, 958 m elev., 5.iv.2014, Coll. Keke Liu, Zhiwu Chen, Zeyuan Meng, Xiaoping Huang and Yubao Tang (Holotype, 1 male, ASM-JGSU, examined by photo; Paratype, 2 males, ASM-JGSU, examined by photo). Lathys zhanfengi : China, Jiangxi Prov., Ji’an City, Jinggangshan County Level City, Ciping Town , Xiaojing Village , Longtan Scenic Spot , broad-leaf forest, 26°34'58.8"N 114°08'06.0"E 951 m elev., 1.vi.2014, Coll. Keke Liu, Zhiwu Chen, Zeyuan Meng, Xiaoping Huang, Yubao Tang, Zhanfeng Wang (Holotype, 1 female, ASM-JGSU, examined by photo) .

Etymology: The generic epithet is a combination of the word ‘Asia’, referring to the area where the genus is distributed, and the word Lathys , referring to the generic name Lathys , another member of the family; gender feminine.

Diagnosis: Asialathys gen. n. can be distinguished from other Lathyidae fam. n. genera by having narrower AME than ALE ( Liu et al. 2018: figs 4A, B, 7A, B, 9A, B) (AME absent in Scotolathys s.s. and Bannaella , Afrolathys gen. n.); the embolus originates distally on the bulb, usually coiled no more than 1080° ( Liu et al. 2018: figs 7C, D, 11A–C) ≤1080° in Lathys s.s.); the male palpal patella without an apophysis ( Liu et al. (2018): figs 7C, D, 11A–C) (palpal patellar apophysis present in Analtella stat. reinst., Lathys s.s.); and the conductor tip elongated and uncoiled ( Liu et al. 2018: fig. 11A–C). Females can be distinguished by the reduced SS/AG, copulatory duct elongated and coiled around itself 180°, and 180° or less near the primary spermathecae; the fertilization duct usually located mesal proximal between the copulatory duct and primary spermathecae ( Liu et al. 2018: figs 6A, B, 9C, D, 11D, E).

List of included species: Asialathys deltoidea ( Liu, 2018) comb. n., A. fibulata ( Liu, 2018) comb. n., A. huangyangjieensis ( Liu, 2018) comb. n., A. spiralis (Z.S. Zhang, Hu, Y.G. Zhang, 2012) comb. n., and A. zhanfengi ( Liu, 2018) comb. n.

Genus Denticulathys Cala-Riquelme, Al-Jamal, Crews gen. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:306B9795-0481-471B-BBFE-

575C1618E5E9.

Type species: Denticulathys amaataaidoo sp. n.

Etymology: The generic name is derived from the Latin for ‘tooth’, dent-, referring to the denticulation observed on the patellar apophysis of the male palp, and the generic name Lathys , another member of the family; gender feminine.

Diagnosis: Denticulathys gen. n. ( Figs 21A–F, 36A–F, 37A–D) can be distinguished from other Lathyidae fam. n. by lacking AME ( Fig. 36A) (AME present in Lathys s.s., Analtella stat. reinst., Andronova gen. n.); and by having a palpal patellar dorsal bump with several ctenidia ( Fig. 21E, F). Females can be distinguished by the short, uncoiled copulatory duct, and a receptacle in addition to the primary spermathecae ( Fig. 37D).

Denticulathys amaataaidoo Cala-Riquelme, Al-Jamal, Crews sp. n. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CFCA6957-C5E0-4B10-9C00-F5FC89774A9A .

Type material: Male holotype ( CASENT9118716 ) from Central African Republic: Prefecture Sangha-Mbaéré, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park , 37.9 km 169°S Lidjombo , Elev. 360 m, 2°22′14′′N 16°10′21′′E,rainforest,beatinglowvegetation, 20–28.v.2001, Coll.B.L. Fisher.Female paratype ( CASENT9118606 ) from Gabon:Ogooue- Maritime Prov., Reserve de Faune de la Moukalaba-Dougoua, 12.2 km 305°NW Doussala, Elev. 110 m, 2°17′0′′S 10°29′49′′E, rainforest, beating vegetation, 24.ii.2000, Coll. B.L. Fisher.

Etymology: The species epithet is a noun in apposition in honour of Ama Ata Aidoo, Ghanaian author, poet, playwright, politician, and academic; gender feminine.

Diagnosis: See diagnosis for genus.

Description: Male ( CASENT 9118716, Central African Republic): Carapace ( Fig. 36A–C) pale honey yellow, darker anteriorly. Eyes on short, hyacinth red tubercles. Chelicerae, labium, endites, sternum, and legs pale honey yellow. Abdomen ( Fig. 36B–D) dorsum cream-yellow with pale broccoli brown chevrons, venter cream-yellow. Sternum squared-off anteriorly. Total length 1.85. Carapace length 0.88, width 0.70, height 0.33. Clypeus height 0.03, PME 0.10, ALE 0.09, PLE 0.08, PME– PME 0.05. Sternum length 0.48, width 0.45. Palp: femur length 0.28, tibia length 0.20. Leg I: femur 0.83, patella 0.28, tibia 0.80, metatarsus 0.58, tarsus 0.43. II: 0.76, 0.25, 0.64, 0.46, 0.36. III: 0.65, 0.18, 0.49, 0.43, 0.36. IV: 0.71, 0.23, 0.59, 0.49, 0.36. Abdomen length 0.98, width 0.75. Male palp ( Figs 21A–F, 36E, F, 37A–C) with femur straight, as long as patella + tibia; patella slightly curved, with a retrolateral proximal process with twelve ctenidia grouped in two fields of five and seven; tibia slightly longer than patella, the tibial lock mechanism with a deep longitudinal furrow, an RTA two times longer than wide, and a hook-shaped tibial process ( Fig. 21C, D); conductor upper arm shorter than conductor lower arm length ( Fig. 21B); embolus connected prolateral distal to the tegulum, and coiled no more than 250°( Fig. 21B).

Female ( CASENT 9118606, Gabon): Carapace pale cream-yellow. Chelicerae pale cream-yellow, darker distally. Labium, endites, sternum, legs, and abdomen pale cream-yellow. Sternum squared-off anteriorly. Total length 1.85. Carapace length 0.75, width 0.63, height 0.25. Clypeus height0.02, PME 0.08, ALE 0.09, PLE 0.06, PME–PME 0.05. Sternum length 0.43, width 0.48. Palp: femur length 0.23, tibia length 0.14. Leg I: femur 0.68, patella 0.23, tibia 0.68, metatarsus 0.55, tarsus 0.44. II: 0.74, 0.28, 0.56, 0.39, 0.26. III: 0.64, 0.14, 0.50, 0.45, 0.36. IV: 0.71, 0.21, 0.59, 0.51, 0.34. Calamistrum 1.00. Abdomen: length 1.18, width 0.83. Cribellum length 0.15, entire, as long as the width between the ALS, straight, with the spigots strobilate, grouping uniformly, arranged in a continuous field. Epigyne ( Fig. 37D): copulatory openings mesal, close to each other, anterior to the primary spermathecae; membranous sac shorter than primary spermathecae diameter; copulatory duct shorter, connected mesal distal to the primary spermathecae; SS/AG reduced; primary spermathecae connected ectal proximal with a receptacle ( Fig. 37D).

List of included species: Denticulathys amaataaidoo sp. n.

Remarks: In Figure 1, Denticulathys amaataaidoo sp. n. is not recovered as monophyletic. This is probably because the two terminals representing this species have two and eight loci present in the 50% occupancy matrix (Supporting Information, Table S1), respectively. When incorporating the legacy Sanger data (six more loci; Fig. 2), this is resolved, and we recover the species as monophyletic, consistent with our morphological hypothesis.