Lathys borealis Zhang, Hu & Zhang, 2012, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zhang, Zhi-Sheng
name: Hu, Dong-Sheng
name: Zhang, Yao-Guang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Dictynidae
Lathys
Lathys borealis

description: Lathys borealis sp. nov.
Figs 1A–E, 2A–H, 3A–H
Type material. Holotype: Male, China, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Jingyuan County, Erlonghe Forestry Centre, under stones, N35°20', E 106°20', 31 July 2010, D.S. Hu & Y.Q. Peng leg. (MHBU). Paratypes: 1 female, with same data as holotype (MHBU); 1 male, Ningxia, Pengyang County, Guamagou Forestry Centre, 35°23' N, 106°16' E, 11 July 2008, C. Zhang leg. (MHBU).
Etymology. The specific name cames from the Latin word ‘ borealis ’, meaning ‘boreal, north’, refers to its distribution in the coniferous forest in northern China; adjective.
Diagnosis. The new species is similar to L. humilis (Marusik et al. 2009b: 22, figs 45–47, 54–57), L. nielseni (Marusik et al. 2009a: 189, figs 17–19, 28–31) and L. subhumilis sp. nov. (Figs 9–11), but distinguished by the relatively long patellar apophysis, the different shapes of complex tibial apophyses (Figs 1B–C, 2G–H), the large copulatory openings, the distinct posterior and inner margins of the copulatory openings, and the relatively large spermathecae (Figs 1D–E, 3G–H).
Description. Male holotype (Figs 2A–E) total length 1.90. Prosoma 0.91 long, 0.71 wide; opisthosoma 1.09 long, 0.87 wide. AME smallest, ALE largest. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.03, ALE 0.08, PME 0.06, PLE 0.07; AME–AME 0.02, AME–ALE 0.02, PME–PME 0.06, PME–PLE 0.06, ALE–PLE 0.02. MOA 0.17 long, front width 0.09, back width 0.20. Clypeus height 0.09. Chelicerae with 5 promarginal and 4 retromarginal teeth. Leg measurements: I 2.62 (0.74, 0.91, 0.59, 0.38); II 2.13 (0.66, 0.71, 0.46, 0.30); III 1.74 (0.53, 0.53, 0.39, 0.29); IV 2.07 (0.64, 0.69, 0.47, 0.27). Leg formula: 1423.
Male palp (Figs 1A–C, 2F–H) with a distally originated patellar dorsal apophysis. Tibia with three apophyses, surrounding the terminal part of conductor. Embolus originating prolatero- basally and coiled clockwise (left palp). Conductor with a straight terminal part extending to the dorsal tibia.
Female paratype (Figs 6A–F) total length 2.36. Prosoma 0.86 long, 0.71 wide; opisthosoma 1.54 long, 1.21 wide. AME smallest, ALE largest. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.02, ALE 0.08, PME 0.06, PLE 0.06; AME–AME 0.05, AME–ALE 0.08, PME–PME 0.08, PME–PLE 0.06, ALE–PLE 0.02. MOA 0.17 long, front width 0.10 back width 0.20. Clypeus height 0.05. Chelicerae with 4–5 promarginal and 3–4 retromarginal teeth. Leg measurements: I 2.63 (0.75, 0.91, 0.59, 0.38); II 2.13 (0.66, 0.71, 0.46, 0.30); III 1.74 (0.53, 0.53, 0.39, 0.29); IV 2.07 (0.64, 0.69, 0.47, 0.27). Leg formula: 1423.
Epigyne (Figs 1D–E, 3G–H). Inner and posterior margins of copulatory openings visible. Copulatory ducts spiraled around the copulatory openings, forming only one loop. Spermathecae relatively large, separated by more than their diameter.
Distribution. China (Ningxia,?Gansu,?Shanxi) (Fig. 14).
Remark. Female L. humilis from Gansu reported by Schenkel (1936) and male from Shanxi by Zhu & Shi (1983) are similar to the new species. But due to unavailable specimens and the existence of intraspecific variations, we are not able to make a conclusion that they are the same species.
description: Published as part of Zhang, Zhi-Sheng, Hu, Dong-Sheng & Zhang, Yao-Guang, 2012, Notes on the spider genus Lathys Simon, 1884 (Araneae: Dictynidae), with description of four new species from China, pp. 1-16 in Zootaxa 3359 on pages 2-5, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.281616