Tmarus rostratus, 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 : 110-113

Tmarus rostratus sp. nov.

Figures 4–7

Type material. Holotype: ♂, CHINA : Hunan Province: Zhangjiajie City: Suoxiyu Tujia Township, Tianjiawan Village , 29.325725°N, 110.607042°E, 454 m, 26 May 2017, Guchun Zhou, Tian Tian and Zongguang Huang leg. (HNU-HN-IV-1710) . Paratypes: 1♂ 4♀, same data as holotype (HNU-HN-IV-1710) . 3♀, Suoxiyu Tujia Township, Wenfeng Village , 29.331437°N, 110.599815°E, 457 m, 4 April 2016, Wang Liu, Ceng Zeng and Tian Tian leg. (HNU-HN-IV-1601) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin “ rostratus ”, meaning beaked/curved, referring to the coracoid shape of the RTA, adjective.

Diagnosis. The males of this new species resemble those of T. piger ( Walckenaer, 1802) (see Song & Zhu 1997: 51, figs 28A–D; Baba & Tanikawa 2015: 92) and T. punctatissimus ( Simon, 1870) (see Bosmans & Hervé 2015: 38, figs 1A–G) in having a similar course of sperm duct, embolus and RTA shape, but can be distinguished by: (1) the distal end of the VTA is curved in an arc in ventral view ( Fig. 5C ) (vs. broadly round in T. piger and T. punctatissimus ); (2) RTA extends upwards, with coracoid apex in dorsal view ( Fig. 5B ) (vs. dorsal curved in T. piger and T. punctatissimus ); (3) the embolus duck-head-shaped in ventral view ( Fig. 5C ) (vs. hook-shaped in T. piger and champagne bottle-like in T. punctatissimus ). The females of this new species resemble those of T. piger ( Walckenaer, 1802) (see Song & Zhu 1997: 51, fig. 28A–B; Baba & Tanikawa 2015: 92) in having two posterior copulatory openings and short copulatory ducts, but can be distinguished by: (1) copulatory openings facing anteromedially ( Fig. 6D ) (vs. facing anterolaterally in T. piger ); (2) spermatheca stomach-shaped and lateral to copulatory ducts ( Fig. 6D ) (vs. peanut-shaped and posterior to copulatory ducts in T. piger ).

Description. Male (holotype) ( Fig. 4 ): Total length 4.28; carapace 1.88 long, 1.75 wide; abdomen 2.40 long, 1.18 wide. Carapace almost as long as wide, reddish brown, with irregular lighter stripes laterally and symmetric setae; cervical and radial grooves visible, fovea unconspicuous. Eye tubercles grey, AER and PER recurved in dorsal view. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.13, PME 0.10, PLE 0.14, AME–AME 0.25, AME–ALE 0.26, PME–PME 0.32, PME–PLE 0.34. MOA length 0.21 with front width 0.16 and back width 0.21. Clypeus height 0.29. Legs yellow. Leg measurements: I, 9.93 (2.81, 3.53, 2.33, 1.26); II, 10.46 (2.87, 3.76, 2.49, 1.34); III, 4.73 (1.34, 2.01, 0.79, 0.59); IV, 4.94 (1.66, 1.87, 0.78, 0.63). Leg formula: 2143. Abdomen longer than wide, dorsum yellowish white, mottled with brown patches and symmetric setae, posterior part wrinkled, caudal protuberance inconspicuous; venter with a wide longitudinal greyish yellow band medially and a pair of thin longitudinal white band laterally. Spinneret yellowish brown.

Palp ( Fig. 5 ). Tibia with two apophyses: VTA hook-shaped with blunt tip, curved prolaterally; RTA longer and thicker than VTA, with pointed and curved tip. Tegulum oval and tabular. Embolus thicker proximally and slender distally, originates at 1 o’clock position of tegulum.

Female (one paratype of HNU-HN-IV-1710) ( Figs 6A–C ): Total length 6.92; carapace 2.36 long, 2.23 wide; abdomen 4.52 long, 2.62 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.09, ALE 0.15, PME 0.16, PLE 0.14. AME– AME 0.31, AME–ALE 0.35, PME–PME 0.42, PME–PLE 0.50. MOA length 0.24 with front width 0.22 and back width 0.26. Clypeus height 0.33. Leg measurements: I, 8.54 (2.29, 3.78, 1.61, 0.86); II, 8.66 (2.41, 3.83, 1.69, 0.73); III, 5.03 (1.26, 2.14, 0.86, 0.77); IV, 5.21 (1.48, 2.14, 0.83, 0.76). Leg formula: 2143. Otherwise colour and patterns same as in male.

Epigyne ( Figs 6D, E ). Epigynal plate slightly wider than long; copulatory openings located posteriorly; copulatory ducts thick and short; spermatheca stomach-shaped; fertilization ducts short.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 7 ).

Figures

FIGURES 4A–C. Tmarus rostratus sp. nov. Male holotype, habitus (A dorsal, B ventral, C lateral).

FIGURES 5A–D. Tmarus rostratus sp. nov. Male holotype, left palp (A prolateral, B retrolateral, C ventral, D dorsal). Abbreviations: E, embolus; RTA, retrolateral tibial apophysis; T, tegulum; VTA, ventral tibial apophysis.

FIGURES 6A–E. Tmarus rostratus 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.