Mimetus caudatus Wang 1990
Creators: name: Zhang, Jianshuang
name: Zhang, Haoshen
name: Liu, Jinxin
name: Yu, Hao
name: Xu, Xiang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Mimetidae
Mimetus
Mimetus caudatus

description: Mimetus caudatus Wang, 1990
Figs 2 A, 3, 4, 5, 15
Mimetus caudatus Wang 1990: 42, fig. IV. 4, 5 (♂, holotype, examined); Song et al. 1999: 73, fig. 30 N, O (♂).
Type material.
Holotype • ♂, China: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region: Nanning City, Damingshan Mt., locality coordinates lacking in the original label, 11 VII 1985, J. Wang and Y. Zhang et al. leg. Examined.
Material examined.
• 1 ♂ 1 ♀ (MGNU -2014-MIMC 001 to 002), China: Guizhou Pro.: Duyun City, Xiaoweizhai Town, Yaolin Village, Yaolin Cave, 26.21°N, 107.53°E, c. 820 m, by hand, 18 VI 2014, P. Long et al. leg.
Diagnosis.
Males of M. caudatus resemble those of M. bucerus and M. lingbaoshanensis in having a cylindrical conductor (C) extending outward, and a developed, distinctly prominent cymbial apex (CA) (cymbial apex unobtrusive in all other congeners which with cylindrical conductor distinctly extending, such as M. echinatus, M. juhuaensis, M. lamellaris and M. yinae; as in Zeng et al. 2016: figs 1 B, C, 2 A, B, 5 B, C, 6 A, B, Liu et al. 2021 b: figs 3 A – E, 5 A – E and Gan et al. 2019: figs 5 A, B, 6 C, D), but can be easily differentiated from M. bucerus and M. lingbaoshanensis by: (1) in both pro- and retrolateral views, cymbial apex (CA) triangular (Fig. 3 C, D) (vs. subuliform in M. bucerus, handle-like in M. lingbaoshanensis; Gan et al. 2019: figs 1 B, C, 2 A, B, 3 C, D, 4 A, B); (2) in retrolateral view, paracymbium (Pc) consisting of a conical basal outgrowth and a blade-shaped distal outgrowth (Fig. 3 A, B, D) (vs. with a beak-like basal outgrowth and a claviform distal outgrowth in M. bucerus, with a claw-shaped basal outgrowth and a subtriangular distal outgrowth in M. lingbaoshanensis; Gan et al. 2019: figs 1 C, 2 B, 3 D, 4 B); and (3) palpal tibia slightly longer than wide, the ratio of length / width being approximately 1.3 (Fig. 3 A – D) (vs. distinctly longer than wide, the ratio of length / width is at least 2.8 in M. bucerus and 2.0 in M. lingbaoshanensis; Gan et al. 2019: figs 1 B, C, 2 A, B, 3 C, D, 4 A, B). The female of M. caudatus can be distinguished from all other congeners with the exception of M. lingbaoshanensis by having a proximally biforked scape (Sc) (scape absent, or present but proximally not forked in other Mimetus species, such as M. yinae and M. guiyang sp. nov.; Gan et al. 2019: figs 5 C, D, 6 F, G and Fig. 6 A, C) and similar vulva, but can be recognised by the Y-shaped scape (Sc) in M. caudatus (Fig. 4 A, C) (vs. V-shaped in M. lingbaoshanensis; Gan et al. 2019: figs 3 F, 4 C) and by the dumbbell-shaped basal plate (Bp) with the posterior margin concave medially in M. caudatus (Fig. 4 B, D) (vs. basal plate labiate, posterior margin slightly prominent medially in M. lingbaoshanensis; Gan et al. 2019: figs 3 F, G, 4 C, D).
Description.
Male (MGNU -2014-MIMC 001). Measurements. Total length 5.75. Carapace 2.97 long, 2.21 wide. Abdomen 2.78 long, 2.12 wide. Sternum 1.44 long and 0.95 wide. Labium wider than long. Clypeus height 0.26. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.16, ALE 0.14, PME 0.15, PLE 0.15, AME – AME 0.18, ALE – AME 0.21, PME – PME 0.09, PME – PLE 0.30. MOA 0.50 long, anterior width 0.51, posterior width 0.40. Leg measurements: I 17.23 (4.59, 5.54, 5.06, 2.04), II 13.21 (3.73, 4.38, 3.42, 1.68), III 9.01 (2.78, 2.96, 1.95, 1.32), IV 10.37 (3.32, 3.46, 2.39, 1.20).
Habitus (Figs 4 E, 5 A – C). Carapace nearly pyriform, light yellowish, with a distinctive anchor-shaped pattern starting from behind PER and almost reaching fovea, a pair of small patches on the lateral margins of the carapace near the coxa II, and a pair of large patches on the lateral margins of the carapace near the coxae III and IV; fovea represented by a small pit; ocular region distinctly narrowed, cervical groove and radial grooves indistinguishable; tegument smooth, clothed with short, sparse setae along radial grooves. Sternum light brown, shaped like a shield. Labium nearly oblong, reddish brown. Endites anteriorly white, posteriorly reddish brown, with dense scopulae on inner margin. Chelicerae dark brown, promargin with 11 peg teeth, retromargin with only one normal tooth. Leg color similar to that of carapace, with irregular brown annuli in the middle parts of femur. Abdomen oval, yellowish white, dorsally covered by many small whitish and large black patches, with many weakly ossified hair bases still remaining, but almost all hairs broken off from body and lost; venter basically light brown, centrally with a V-shaped grayish stripe, posteriorly with two irregular-shaped grayish speckles.
Palp (Fig. 3 A – D). Tibia short, <1 / 3 of cymbium length, about 1.3 longer than wide. Cymbium (Cy) with basal extension (CBE) and an elongated apex (CA): cymbial base extension (CBE) represented by a semi-circular flange; cymbial apex (CA) shaped like index finger in ventral and dorsal views and triangular in lateral view, ca. 1 / 3 of cymbium length, pointing dorsal-retrolaterally. Paracymbium (Pc) broad, consisting of a conical basal outgrowth and a blade-shaped distal outgrowth, ca. 1 / 3 of cymbium length. Tegulum (T) nearly circular, centrally and apically membranous; sperm duct sinuate, forming a loop along tegular margin. Tegular apophysis (TA) sheet-shaped in ventral view and digitiform in prolateral view, located at proximal-prolateral position of tegulum (ca. 8–9 o’clock position of tegulum). Subtegulum (St) located posteriorly to tegulum, without apophysis. Embolus (E) filiform, arising at approximately the 7–8 o’clock position, terminating at ca. 12 o’clock position, with the tip (ET) hidden by conductor. Conductor (C) large, cylindrical, nearly as long as tegulum diameter, proximally partly membranous, apically disc-shaped and strongly sclerotized, dorsally with two hook-shaped apophyses and a sheet-shaped fold.
Female (MGNU -2014- MIMC 002). Measurements. Total length 7.61. Carapace 3.27 long, 2.24 wide. Abdomen 4.34 long, 3.97 wide. Sternum 1.46 long and 1.14 wide. Labium wider than long. Clypeus height 0.35. Chelicerae with 11 teeth on promargin and two on retromargin. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.19, ALE 0.16, PME 0.16, PLE 0.18, AME – AME 0.21, ALE – AME 0.26, PME – PME 0.14, PME – PLE 0.39. MOA 0.55 long, anterior width 0.55, posterior width 0.41. Leg measurements: I 18.10 (4.98, 6.32, 4.83, 1.97), II 14.28 (4.14, 4.92, 3.57, 1.65), III 9.84 (3.05, 3.30, 2.12, 1.37), IV 11.46 (3.68, 3.92, 2.58, 1.68).
Habitus (Figs 4 F, 5 D – F). Slightly larger and lighter than male, other characters as in male.
Epigyne (Fig. 4 A – C). Plate slightly longer than wide, spermathecae (Sp) distinctly visible through transparent integument. Basal plate (BP) broad, ca. 4.5 × wider than its high, with the middle part covered by the scape and with the lateral margins curved and the posterior margin concave medially, shaped like a transverse dumbbell. Scape (Sc) Y-shaped, relatively long, ca. 2 / 3 of epigyne length, originating near the middle area of epigynal plate, its apex distinctly overpasses the posterior margin of basal plate. Copulatory openings (CO) cambered, located posterior-bilaterally to scape. Copulatory ducts (CD) short barely distinct seen. Spermathecae (Sp) situated anteriorly, balloon-shaped, relatively large, ca. 1.15 × longer than wide, surface smooth; two spermathecae touching each other. Fertilization duct (FD) membranous, located on dorsal-basal surface of spermathecae.
Natural history.
The new materials of M. caudatus were found in the entrance zone of the Yaoling Cave.
Distribution.
China (Guizhou, Guangxi) (Table 1; Figs 2 A, 15).
description: Published as part of Zhang, Jianshuang, Zhang, Haoshen, Liu, Jinxin, Yu, Hao & Xu, Xiang, 2025, A survey of mimetid spiders (Araneae, Mimetidae) from Central Guizhou Province, China, pp. 711-734 in Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (2) on pages 711-734, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146895