Belisana jiuxiang Zhang, Li & Yao 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zhang, Ludan
name: Wu, Zheng
name: Li, Shuqiang
name: Yao, Zhiyuan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Pholcidae
Belisana
Belisana jiuxiang

description: Belisana jiuxiang Zhang, Li & Yao sp. nov.
Figs 4, 5, 18 C, D, 20 C, D
Type material.
Holotype ♂ (IZCAS - Ar 44955) and paratypes 2 ♂ (IZCAS - Ar 44956–57) 4 ♀ (IZCAS - Ar 44958–61), Sanjiao Cave (25 ° 8.059 ' N, 103 ° 23.969 ' E, 1795 m), Jiuxiang Town, Yiliang County, Kunming, Yunnan, China, 08 / 04 / 2007, J Liu & Y Lin leg.
Etymology.
The specific name refers to the type locality, which is a noun in apposition.
Diagnosis.
The new species resembles B. tianlinensis Zhang & Peng, 2011 (Zhang and Peng 2011: 65, fig. 10 A – G) by having similar male chelicerae and bulbal apophyses (Fig. 5 C, D), but can be distinguished by differences in males: clypeus unmodified (Fig. 5 E vs with front apophysis), procursus with pointed, sclerotized distal apophysis (arrow 1 in Figs 4 C, 18 C vs with dorso-distal spine) and dorso-subdistal membranous process (arrow 2 in Figs 4 C, 18 C vs absent); differences in females: epigyne with median pockets (Figs 5 A, B, 20 C, D vs lateral), pore plates quadrilateral (Figs 5 B, 20 D vs nearly triangular).
Description.
Male (holotype): Total length 1.64 (1.74 with clypeus), carapace 0.63 long, 0.67 wide, opisthosoma 1.01 long, 0.80 wide. Leg I: 14.84 (3.86, 0.33, 3.80, 5.15, 1.70), leg II: 9.62 (2.64, 0.26, 2.45, 3.17, 1.10), leg III: 6.82 (2.03, 0.19, 1.66, 2.28, 0.66), leg IV: 8.79 (2.56, 0.26, 2.25, 2.94, 0.78); tibia I L / d: 56. Eye inter-distances and diameters: PME – PME 0.13, PME 0.07, PME – ALE 0.02, AME absent. Sternum width / length: 0.53 / 0.48. Habitus as in Fig. 5 E, F. Carapace and sternum yellowish, without marks. Legs whitish, without darker rings. Opisthosoma yellowish, without spots. Thoracic furrow absent. Clypeus unmodified. Chelicerae (Fig. 5 D) with a pair of proximo-lateral apophyses and a pair of curved distal apophyses (distance between tips: 0.16). Palp as in Fig. 4 A, B; trochanter with ventral apophysis (as long as wide, arrow 1 in Fig. 4 B); femur with tiny retrolatero-proximal protrusion (arrow 2 in Fig. 4 B); procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with pointed, sclerotized distal apophysis (arrow 1 in Figs 4 C, 18 C), dorso-subdistal membranous process (arrow 2 in Figs 4 C, 18 C), and nearly elliptic retrolateral flap (Figs 4 D, 18 D); bulb (Fig. 5 C) with hooked apophysis and simple embolus. Retrolateral trichobothria on tibia I at 8 % proximally; legs with short vertical setae on metatarsi; tarsus I with 19 distinct pseudosegments.
Female (paratype, IZCAS - Ar 44958): Similar to male, habitus as in Fig. 5 G, H. Total length 1.82 (1.92 with clypeus), carapace 0.73 long, 0.80 wide, opisthosoma 1.09 long, 0.83 wide; tibia I: 2.37; tibia I L / d: 36. Eye inter-distances and diameters: PME – PME 0.14, PME 0.06, PME – ALE 0.02, AME absent. Sternum width / length: 0.61 / 0.60. Epigyne (Figs 5 A, 20 C) simple and flat, anteriorly slightly sclerotized, with a pair of median pockets 0.15 apart. Vulva (Figs 5 B, 20 D) with ridge-shaped anterior arch bearing a pair of angular lateral sclerites (arrow in Figs 5 B, 20 D) and a pair of quadrilateral pore plates.
Variation.
Tibia I in two male paratypes (IZCAS - Ar 44956 –57): 3.91, 4.36. Tibia I in the other three female paratypes (IZCAS - Ar 44959 –61): 2.84, 3.72, 3.78.
Habitat.
The species was found in the dark zone inside the cave.
Distribution.
China (Yunnan, type locality; Fig. 1).
description: Published as part of Zhang, Ludan, Wu, Zheng, Li, Shuqiang & Yao, Zhiyuan, 2024, Eight new spider species of Belisana Thorell, 1898 (Araneae, Pholcidae), with an updated overview of Belisana species from Yunnan, China, pp. 255-286 in ZooKeys 1202 on pages 255-286, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1202.121633