Tmarus yueluensis, Zhou & Qin & Zhou & Peng & Liu, 2025

Zhou, Yu-Chen, Qin, Xin-Yu, Zhou, Gu-Chun, Peng, Xian-Jin & Liu, Ping, 2025, Two new species of the genus Tmarus Simon, 1875 (Araneae: Thomisidae) from China, Zootaxa 5666 (1), pp. 105-114 : 106-110

Tmarus yueluensis sp. nov.

Figures 1–3 , 7

Tmarus longqicus Song & Zhu, 1993 in Song, Zhu & Li 1993: 881, figs 55D–E (male, misidentification). Song & Zhu 1997: figs 25D–E; Song, Zhu & Chen 1999: fig. 283 P.

Type material. Holotype: ♂, CHINA : Hunan Province: Changsha City: Yuelu Mountain , 28.113290°N, 112.555391°E, 291 m, 26 June 2018 (YLS-18-0606) . Paratypes: 1♀, same locality, 28.114580°N, 112.562274°E, 251 m, 26 July 2024 (YLS-24, matured on 15 December 2024) ; 1♀, Yuelu Mountain , 28.111247°N, 112.562897°E, 262 m, 13 July 2017 (YLS-17-0705) ; 5♂ 6♀, Yuelu Mountain , 28.111247°N, 112.562897°E, 262 m, 8 July 2018 (YLS-18-0702) ; 1♂ 4♀, Yuelu Mountain , 28.113193°N, 112.564248°E, 149 m, 6 July 2018 (YLS-18-0701) ; 10♂ 2♀, Yuelu Mountain , 28.113193°N, 112.564248°E, 149 m, 15 July 2018 (YLS-18-0704) ; 1♂, Yuelu Mountain , 28.111256°N, 112.561998°E, 235 m, 10August 2018 (YLS-18-0803) ; 2♀, Taozi Lake , 28.105490°N, 112.575310°E, 50 m, 13 August 2018 (YLS-18-0805) ; 1♀, Yuelu Mountain , 28.118760°N, 112.562336°E, 232 m, 20 August 2018 (YLS-18-0806) ; 1♀, Yuelu Mountain , 28.118760°N, 112.562336°E, 232 m, 14 September 2018 (YLS-18-0904). Specimen (YLS-24) was collected by Yuchen Zhou, Gang Tang, Shulin Wang and Wenlong Yan, other specimens were collected by Guchun Zhou and Xuanwei Zhou.

Etymology. The specific name is an adjective related to the type locality

Diagnosis. Males of this new species are characterized by their slender embolus and a horned RTA. They can be distinguished from the similar T. taibaiensis Song & Wang, 1994 (see Zhang & Zhang 2023: 85, figs 43–50) by: (1) RTA tips fused ( Figs 2 B-C) (RTA deeply bifurcated in T. taibaiensis ); (2) cymbium longer than wide in ventral view ( Fig. 2C ) (vs. as wide as long in T. taibaiensis ); (3) embolus originating at 11 o’clock position of tegulum in ventral view ( Fig. 2C ) (vs. 12 o’clock in T. taibaiensis ); (4) embolus about half as long as tegulum in retrolateral view ( Fig. 2B ) (vs. 2/3 as long in T. taibaiensis ).

Females are characterized by short copulatory ducts, peanut-shaped spermathecae, absence of a distinct hood and the epigynal plate being longer than wide. In the similar T. taibaiensis the epigynal plate is as long as wide and the copulatory openings are located anteriorly (versus medially in T. yueluensis sp. nov.). The females of this new species also resemble those of T. piger ( Walckenaer, 1802) (see Song & Zhu 1997: 51, fig. 28A–D; Baba & Tanikawa 2015: 92), but can be easily distinguished by copulatory openings facing anteromedially and located medially ( Fig. 3D ) (vs. facing anterolaterally and located posteriorly in T. piger ).

Description. Male (holotype) ( Figs 1A–C ): Total length 5.00; carapace 2.06 long, 2.01 wide; abdomen 2.93 long, 1.58 wide. Carapace almost as long as wide, yellowish brown, with a longitudinal white band medially, irregular lighter stripes laterally and symmetric setae; cervical and radial grooves visible, fovea unconspicuous. Eye tubercles grayish white, AER and PER recurved in dorsal view. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.16, PME 0.10, PLE 0.19, AME–AME 0.20, AME–ALE 0.16, PME–PME 0.25, PME–PLE 0.38. MOA length 0.31 with front width 0.34 and back width 0.43. Clypeus height 0.38. Legs yellow. Leg measurements: I, 14.16 (4.24, 4.86, 3.51, 1.55); II, 14.20 (4.24, 4.88, 3.50, 1.58); III, 5.90 (2.02, 2.22, 1.02, 0.64); IV, 5.83 (2.19, 2.04, 1.02, 0.58). Leg formula: 2134. Abdomen longer than wide, widest at the posterior 1/3 part, dorsum yellowish white, with four pairs of transverse light stripes and symmetric setae, posterior part wrinkled, caudal protuberance inconspicuous; venter yellowish white, with a longitudinal brown band medially. Spinneret dark brown.

Palp ( Figs 2A–E ). Tibia with two apophyses: VTA thumb-shaped with blunt tip. RTA stronger, halberd-shaped, basal part almost 1/2 width of tibia, terminal part bifurcated, densely covered with tiny teeth. Tegulum oval and tabular. Embolus slender with pointed tip, originates at 11 o’clock position of tegulum and extended downwards, terminal end curved ventrally in retrolateral view.

Female (paratype YLS-24) ( Figs 3A–C ): Total length 4.69; carapace 1.98 long, 1.76 wide; abdomen 2.75 long, 1.74 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.11, ALE 0.18, PME 0.10, PLE 0.17. AME–AME 0.19, AME–ALE 0.15, PME–PME 0.26, PME–PLE 0.40. MOA length 0.47 with front width 0.40 and back width 0.47. Clypeus height 0.30. Leg measurements: I, 7.80 (2.26, 2.82, 1.73, 0.99); II, 8.68 (2.64, 3.20, 1.86, 0.98); III, 4.59 (1.62, 1.76, 0.77, 0.44); IV, 5.09 (1.90, 1.55, 0.96, 0.68). Leg formula: 2143. Coloration pattern similar as in male.

Epigyne ( Figs 3D, E ). Epigynal plate longer than wide; copulatory openings located in the median-lateral sides of epigyne; copulatory ducts thick and short; spermatheca peanut-shaped; fertilization ducts short.

Distribution. Changsha City, Hunan Province, and Sanming City, Fujian Province, China ( Fig. 7 ).

Remarks. Re-examination of the type series of T. longqicus Song & Zhu, 1993 by the type-bearing institution (Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China) revealed that the allotype males of T. longqicus are identical with males of T. yueluensis sp. nov. However, the holotype female of T. longqicus is clearly distinct from T. yueluensis sp. nov.: epigynal plate wider than long and copulatory openings located anteriorly (versus epigynal plate longer than wide and copulatory openings located medially in T. yueluensis sp. nov.).

We have collected both male and female specimens of T. yueluensis sp. nov. two times from the same locality at the same dates. Males matched with females on morphological characteristics (females appeared similar to males, Figs 1 , 3 ), and DNA barcoding data (showing a genetic distance of 0% between the male and female voucher specimens). We therefore conclude that the allo- and paratype males of T. longqicus were mistakenly paired with the female holotype. The real male of T. longqicus is still unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 1A–C. Tmarus yueluensis sp. nov. Male holotype, habitus (A dorsal, B ventral, C lateral).

FIGURES 2A–E. Tmarus yueluensis sp. nov. Male holotype.A–D left palp (A prolateral, B retrolateral, C ventral, D dorsal); E embolus, retrolateral. Abbreviations: E, embolus; RTA, retrolateral tibial apophysis; T, tegulum; VTA, ventral tibial apophysis.

FIGURES 3A–E. Tmarus yueluensis sp. nov. Female paratype.A–C habitus (A dorsal, B ventral, C lateral); D epigyne, ventral; E vulva, dorsal. Abbreviations: CD, copulatory duct; CO, copulatory opening; FD, fertilization duct; S, spermatheca.

FIGURE 7. Collection localities of Tmarus yueluensis sp. nov. and Tmarus rostratus sp. nov. in China.