Karschia (Karschia) zhui Fan & Zhang & Zhang 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Fan, Wenlong
name: Zhang, Chao
name: Zhang, Feng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Solifugae
Karschiidae
Karschia
Karschia zhui

description: Karschia (Karschia) zhui sp. nov.
Figs 1, 4 E – H, 7 A, B, 9 E – H, 11 D, 12 D, 14 E – H, 16 G, H, 17 D, 18 D, 19 F, H, Tables 1, 2
Type material.
Holotype ♂ (MHBU - Sol-XZ 2022070401), China: Xizang, Lhasa City, Drepung Monastery, 29.6697 ° N, 91.0548 ° E, 3672.7 m elev., 4. VII. 2022, leg. Wenlong Fan. Paratype: 1 ♀ (MHBU - Sol-XZ 2023070501), China: Xizang, Lhasa City, Drepung Monastery, 29.6758 ° N, 91.0490 ° E, 3903 m elev., 5. VII. 2023, leg. Quanyu Ji.
Etymology.
Patronym honors Prof. Ming-Sheng Zhu (Hebei University), who significantly contributed to arachnological studies in China.
Diagnosis.
Karschia zhui sp. nov. differs from all Karschia species except K. lhasa sp. nov. by cheliceral fixed finger mucron having dorsal crest (Figs 9 F, 11 D). K. zhui sp. nov. differs from K. lhasa sp. nov. by cheliceral fixed finger mucron dorsal crest small crescent-shaped (Figs 9 F, 11 D), and pedipalp having less spines and thin papillae (Fig. 16 H). Female genital operculum like K. tibetana, but can be diagnosed by the lower edge, which is somewhat convex, not flat (Fig. 17 D).
Description.
Male. Holotype (MHBU - Sol-XZ 2022070401).
Measurements. Total body length 14.10, CL 4.33, CH 1.61, PL 2.11, PW 2.96, A / CP 7.50, CL / CH 2.69. Pedipalp 16.39 (3.83, 5.41, 3.66, 1.33), Leg I 11.95 (3.06, 3.32, 2.41, 0.97, 0.14), Leg II 10.08 (1.73, 2.33, 1.77, 0.63, 0.67), Leg III 12.31 (2.57, 3.11, 1.56, 0.52, 0.61), Leg IV 19.95 (3.88, 5.36, 2.94, 1.19, 0.98).
Coloration. In 95 % ethanol-preserved specimens (Fig. 4 E, F). The general background pale yellow. Opisthosoma brow yellow, with black tergites and pale black sternites. Propeltidium black tinged with pale brown. Ocular tubercle black. Mesopeltidium and metapeltidium with special black stripes. Chelicerae with manus predominantly yellowish, with some black areas, and a retrolateral view of chelicerae with three black longitudinal stripes. Pedipalps and legs pale brown-yellow, legs III and legs IV tinged with pale brown on distal regions of femora and proximal parts of tibiae. Proximal regions of the pedipalpal femur, tibia, metatarsus, and tarsus tinged with brown. Malleoli white.
Propeltidium. Wider than long with a dense pubescence of thin, short, anteriorly directed setae. Anterior, posterior, and lateral edges with several long, curved spiniform setae that perpendicular to the surface of the propeltidium. Ocular tubercle with four middle distal spiniform setae, one middle spiniform setae, and two proximal spiniform setae (Fig. 7 A).
Chelicerae. Fixed finger primary teeth graded as FP <FM ≈ FD. Profondal teeth series with four or five tiny teeth; retrofondal teeth series with six teeth. Dental formulation of fixed finger: FD - (2) - FM - (2) - FP - (6 RF) (4 PF). Fixed finger mucron with crescent-shaped dorsal crest smaller than K. lhasa. Movable finger MP tooth about the same size as MM. Dental formulation of movable finger: MM - (1) - MP, with one tiny MSM and three MSP (Figs 9 E, 14 E). Flagellum coiled, fringed and sessile, without lateral apophysis. The flagellar complex includes two medium length fcp and two short, thick fcs. (Figs 9 E, 11 D, 14 F). Retrolateral and dorsal surfaces of the manus with large, bifurcated tip setae and short, simple tip bristle-like setae; retrolateral and dorsal surfaces of the fixed finger with simple tip setae of different sizes. Retrolateral setose area reaching the FSM teeth; prolateral surface with an array of setal types (Figs 9 E, F, 14 E, F).
Opisthosoma. The entire surface covered with almost adpressed setae and numerous long, curved, bifurcate setae. Sternite III with a row of disordered ctenidia (Fig. 19 F). Sternite IV with 16 long peg-like ctenidia, the length of which almost equal to 1 / 2 the width of the succeeding sternite (Fig. 19 H).
Pedipalps. Totally covered with short setae and long, thick setae. Tarsus with nine sturdy ventral spines; metatarsus with 11 ventral spines not arranged in pairs and with thick papillae (Fig. 16 G, H).
Legs. Totally covered with long, thick setae and short setae. Leg I with no spines and two small claws. Tibias II, III, and IV with a pair of distal spines ventrally. Tibias II and III with a single dorsal spine; metatarsi II and III with a series of three dorsal spines, a pair of distal spines ventrally, and some paired short, thick, spine-shaped bristles over their entire ventral surface. Metatarsus IV also with these paired bristles over its entire ventral surface and two distal spines ventrally.
Female. Paratype (MHBU - Sol-XZ 2023070501).
Measurements. Total body length 21.52, CL 6.81, CH 2.50, PL 2.94, PW 4.27, A / CP 4.47, CL / CH 2.72. Pedipalp 13.39 (2.74, 4.28, 3.31, 1.11), Leg IV 11.35 (1.98, 3.13, 2.21, 1.09, 0.11), Leg II 10.29 (1.53, 2.13, 1.62, 0.87, 0.79), Leg III 12.78 (1.69, 2.70, 2.06, 0.62, 0.96), Leg IV 18.81 (4.41, 4.29, 2.25, 1.05, 1.19).
Coloration. In 75 % ethanol-preserved specimens (Fig. 4 G, H). Coloration as in the males.
Propeltidium. Much wider than long with a dense pubescence of thin, short, anteriorly directed setae. Anterior, posterior, and lateral edges with several long, curved spiniform setae that stand perpendicular to the surface of the propeltidium. Ocular tubercle with four middle distal spiniform setae, one middle spiniform setae, and two proximal spiniform setae (Fig. 7 B).
Chelicerae. Dental formulation of fixed finger: FD - (2) - FM - (2) - FP - (8 RF) (4 PF). Dental formulation of movable finger: MM - (2) - MP, with four MST and three MSP. Fondal teeth graded as II, III, IV, I, V, VI, tiny VII, tiny VIII retrolaterally; II, I, III, tiny IV prolaterally (Figs 9 G, H, 12 D, 14 G, H).
Opisthosoma. The entire surface covered with almost adpressed setae and numerous long, curved, bifurcate setae. The bottom of the genital operculum slightly widened, resembling a triangular-shape (with chitinized folds) between and behind them (Fig. 17 D). Sternite IV with 13 long needle-like ctenidia extending one-third the length of the succeeding sternite (Fig. 18 D).
Pedipalps. Totally covered with short and long setae, thick setae and without spines.
Legs. As in the males.
Distribution and habitat.
China (Xizang). Habitat: shrubbery (Fig. 2 D).
Remark.
Based on the comparison of genetic distances, with a genetic distance of 0.15 % (Table 2) between the male and female collected from the same location, we believe that they are same species.
description: Published as part of Fan, Wenlong, Zhang, Chao & Zhang, Feng, 2024, Review of the genus Karschia Walter, 1889 from Xizang, China (Solifugae, Karschiidae), pp. 155-190 in ZooKeys 1204 on pages 155-190, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1204.120164