Tapinocyba sulcata Irfan, Zhang & Peng, sp. n.
Creators: name: Irfan, Muhammad
name: Zhou, Gu-Chun
name: Peng, Xian-Jin
name: Zhang, Zhi-Sheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Linyphiidae
Tapinocyba
Tapinocyba sulcata

description: Tapinocyba sulcata Irfan, Zhang & Peng, sp. n.
(ŧüƀ大e)
Figures 245–248, 312
Types. Holotype ♂ (HNU–HN– IV–1759), CHINA, Hunan Prov.: Shaoyang City, Suining Co., Zhaishi Town, Tieshanlin Vill., Huangshan NNR, 26.37646 °N, 110.10573°E, 1129 m, 26.X.2017, G.C. Zhou leg. Paratypes: 1♂ 11♀, with same data as for holotype (HNU–HN– IV–1759).
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin adjective “sulcatus, -a, um” meaning “grooved” and referring to the distal suprategular apophysis distal end grooved in male palp.
Diagnosis. The male of Tapinocyba sulcata sp. n. resembles those of T. praecox (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873) in having the similar embolic division (Figs 245A– D; Hormiga 2000, figs 27A–E, pl. 62A–E) and can be distinguished by the tibia with three apophyses (DTA, PTA and RTA) in T. sulcata sp. n. (Fig. 240A, B, D; vs. tibia with one apophysis); anterior radical apophysis present in T. sulcata sp. n. (Figs 245A, C; vs. absent); embolus half the length of dorsal tibial apophysis in T. sulcata sp. n. (Figs 245D; vs. longer than dorsal tibial apophysis). The female of T. sulcata sp. n. resembles those of T. pingshanensis sp. n. in having the similar ventral and dorsal plate (Figs 247A–D; Figs 243A–C), and can be distinguished by the copulatory duct V-shaped in T. sulcata sp. n. (Fig. 247D), vs. comma-shaped in T. pingshanensis sp. n. (Fig. 243C); spermathecae present dorsoventrally in T. sulcata sp. n. (Fig. 247D), vs. present posterolaterally in T. pingshanensis sp. n. (Fig. 243C).
Description. Male (holotype, Figs 248A, B): Total length: 1.73. Carapace 0.77 long, 0.63 wide, brown, cephalic region strongly elevated, with cephalic pits, fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.19 high. Chelicerae with four promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, dark brown with microsetae. Eyes: AER recurved, PER procurved, slightly wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.03, ALE 0.06, PME 0.05, PLE 0.06, AME–AME 0.01, PME–PME 0.03, AME–ALE, 0.03, PME–PLE 0.04, AME–PME 0.06, ALE–ALE 0.24, PLE–PLE 0.25, ALE– PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 2.34 (0.69, 0.78, 0.48, 0.39), II 2.17 (0.67, 0.69, 0.45, 0.36), III 1.84 (0.57, 0.59, 0.39, 0.29), IV 2.4 (0.72, 0.79, 0.52, 0.37). TmI 0.64 and TmIV 0.69. Tibial spine formula: 2-2-1-1. All the tibia dorsally with 2 to 3 trichobothria. Opisthosoma 0.96 long, 0.61 wide, oval, dorsal side grey, ventral side black.
Palp (Figs 245A–D, 246A–C): Femur unmodified, almost longer than both patella and tibia. Patella 2/3 length of tibia, ventrally grooved at proximal end. Tibia conic, with 1 retrolateral and 1 dorsal trichobothria, retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) somewhat triangular with blunt end, dorsal tibial apophysis (DTA) C-shaped, as long as tibia, distal end of retrodorsal margin of tibia sclerotized, with serrated margin and prolateral tibial apophysis (PTA) semicircular with blunt end; cymbium unmodified, oval in dorsal view; paracymbium (PC) J-shaped, distal arm hook-shaped; tegulum (T) almost round, protegulum (PT) distinctly developed, membranous; distal suprategular apophysis (DSA) longer than wide distally. Radix (R) longer than wide, anterior part sclerotized, moderately long, overlapping the suprategulum, posterior end strongly curved. Embolic membrane (EM) small, with serrated end. Embolus (E) sclerotized, stout, almost half the length of dorsal tibial apophysis, extending above the apex of cymbium.
Female (paratype, Figs 248C, D): Total length: 1.84. Carapace 0.78 long, 0.56 wide, brown, cephalic region slightly elevated, fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.22 high. Chelicerae with five promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, dark brown with microsetae. Eyes: AER recurved, PER procurved, slightly wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances:AME 0.04, ALE 0.06, PME 0.05, PLE 0.05, AME–AME 0.02, PME–PME 0.04, AME– ALE, 0.02, PME–PLE 0.04, AME–PME 0.04, ALE–ALE 0.22, PLE–PLE 0.25, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 2.12 (0.63, 0.71, 0.42, 0.36), II 2.02 (0.62, 0.65, 0.40, 0.35), III 1.73 (0.51, 0.54, 0.37, 0.31), IV 2.26 (0.68, 0.77, 0.45, 0.36). TmI 0.62 and TmIV 0.64. Tibial spine formula: 2-2-1-1. Opisthosoma 1 long, 0.74 wide, oval, brownish black, ventral side brownish black.
Epigyne(Figs247A–D):Ventralplate(VP)sclerotized, narrow posteriorly; dorsal plate (DP) rectangular, wider than long; copulatory opening (CO) present mid ventrally at the junction of dorsal and ventral plate; copulatory ducts (CD) simple, fused at the beginning, forming long loop before entering the spermathecae; spermathecae (S) small, round; fertilization ducts (FD) short, extending mesally.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Hunan Province, Fig. 315).
description: Published as part of Irfan, Muhammad, Zhou, Gu-Chun, Peng, Xian-Jin & Zhang, Zhi-Sheng, 2025, Survey of Linyphiidae spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from some Oriental Regions of China, pp. 1-248 in Megataxa 15 (1) on pages 189-192, DOI: 10.11646/megataxa.15.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14985176