Pararana songyuani Yao & K. K. Liu, 2025

Wang, Zhong-Jing, Liu, Bin-Lu, Yao, Yan-Bin, Shi, Ying-Ying & Liu, Ke-Ke, 2025, Preliminary survey of midget cave spiders (Araneae, Leptonetidae) from forest ecosystems in southern China with the description of three new species, ZooKeys 1247, pp. 187-205 : 187-205

Pararana songyuani Yao & K. K. Liu sp. nov.

Fig. 8 A-I

Type material.

Holotype: • ♂, China: Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Baiyun District, South Gate of Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area , 23°11'3.37"N, 113°17'59.17"E, 13 February 2024, S. Liu leg. (Lep-21, ASM-JGSU).

Diagnosis.

The male of the new species is similar to that of Pararana gaofani Lin & Li, 2022 ( Lin et al. 2022: 217, fig. 17 A-C) in having the cymbium with a notch and the swollen patella, but can be easily separated by the patella with only one strong short spine (vs 4 long relatively thin spines), the very long lamellar and curved median apophysis (vs relatively short horn-like median apophysis) and the sclerotized and long embolus (vs membranous and relatively short) (Fig. 8 C-I ).

Description.

Male (holotype). Habitus as in Fig. 8 A, B . Total length 1.52, carapace 0.62 long, 0.55 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances (Fig. 8 A ): ALE 0.07, PME 0.04, PLE 0.07, ALE - PME 0.04, PLE - PLE 0.05, PLE - PME 0.02; AER 0.1, PER 0.14. Clypeus 0.05 high. Chelicerae with nine promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Endites oval-shaped, with 9 club-shaped setae on the upper inner side. Labium nearly semicircular, wider than long. Sternum (Fig. 8 B ) shield-shaped, longer than wide. Legs (Fig. 8 A, B ): with short setae; measurements: I 1.43 (1.22, 0.21, missing); II 3.45 (0.49, 0.19, 0.45, 0.36, 0.2); III 0.98 (0.77, 0.21, missing); IV missing. Pedicel 0.07. Abdomen (Fig. 8 A, B ) 0. 83 long, 0.57 wide.

Coloration (Fig. 8 A, B ). Carapace yellow to brown. Chelicerae, endites and labium yellow to dark yellow. Sternum yellow to dark brown, with many ruleless dark brown spots on the surface. Legs yellowish to yellow. Abdomen yellowish to brown, with several brown stripes along the margin; venter yellow to brown.

Palp (Fig. 8 C-I ). Femur with strong spines on each side, ventral view with three long and stout spines especially; patella expanded, with one strong and short stick-like spines retrolaterally. Cymbium with a notch subapically. Bulb (Fig. 8 F-I ): embolus tube-like, slender, middle part slightly curved, and then almost parallel to the median apophysis; median apophysis lamellar, extremely long, curves twice into an S-shape, roughly the same length as the embolus; conductor membranous, close adheres to the embolus.

Female. Unknown.

Biology.

Sampled on the woodland floor.

Distribution.

Known only from Guangdong Province, China (Fig. 13 ).

Etymology.

The species is named after Mr Song-Yuan Liu, who collected the type specimens.

Figures

Figure 8. Pararana songyuani sp. nov., male holotype. A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Same, ventral view; C. Palp, prolateral view; D. Same, ventral view; E. Same, retrolateral view; F. Left bulb, prolateral view; G. Same, ventral view; H. Same, retrolateral view; I. Same, dorsal view. Abbreviations: Con – conductor, Em – embolus, MA – medial apophysis. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, B), 0.1 mm (C – I).

Figure 13. Records of Leptonetela zhaoruii sp. nov., Pararana gaofani Lin & Li, 2022, P. jiufushanensis sp. nov., P. songyuani sp. nov., P. mingxuani Yao & Liu, 2024, Rhyssoleptoneta lishan Tong, 2024 from China.