Shaanxinus ovatus 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
Shaanxinus
Shaanxinus ovatus

description: Shaanxinus ovatus Irfan, Zhang & Peng, sp. n.
(Ɓ圆ọe)
Figures 222–225, 315
Types. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Hunan: Mangshan NNR, 24.9517333°N, 112.9500167°E, 1294 m, 13.VIII.2014, H.Q. Yin et al. leg. Paratypes: 2♂ 11♀, with same data as for holotype.
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin adjective “ovatus ” meaning “oval” and referring to the oval form of dorsal plate in epigyne.
Diagnosis. The male of Shaanxinus ovatus sp. n. resembles that of S. rufus in having the similar paracymbium (Figs 222A–D, 223A–C; Lin et al. 2019, figs 7A–C, Tanasevitch 2006, figs 51–58), but can be distinguished by the distal suprategular apophysis distal somewhat triangular with blunt end in S. ovatus sp. n. (Figs 222A–C; vs. flat, membranous apically); anteriao radial process somewhat quadrate in S. ovatus sp. n. (Figs 222A–C; vs. triangular). The female resembles those of S. ovatus sp. n. in having the similar copulatory ducts (Figs 224A–C, 220A–C), but can be distinguished by the copulatory ducts not extending on dorsal plate in S. ovatus sp. n. (Figs 224A–C; vs. posteriorly extending above the dorsal plate in S. longiembolus sp. n.).
Description. Male (holotype, Figs 225A–C): Total length: 2.28. Carapace 0.99 long, 0.77 wide, brown, cephalic region strongly elevated 0.39 high; ocular region protruding forward with thick setae; fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.41 high. Chelicerae with four promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, brownish grey with microsetae. Eyes: AER straight, PER procurved. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.06, PME 0.05, PLE 0.05, AME–AME 0.06, PME–PME 0.05, AME–ALE, 0.03, PME–PLE 0.05, AME–PME 0.08, ALE–ALE 0.25, PLE–PLE 0.27, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 4.02 (1.12, 1.29, 1.03, 0.58), II 3.95 (1.11, 1.29, 1.01, 0.54), III 2.99 (0.93, 0.88, 0.80, 0.38), IV 3.54 (1, 1.13, 0.89, 0.52). Tibial spine formula: 2-2-2- 2. TmI 0.83 and TmIV present. Opisthosoma 1.29 long, 0.75 wide, oval, blackish grey with irregular light grey patches.
Palp (Figs 222A–D, 223A–C): Femur unmodified, almost longer than patella and tibia. Patella shorter than tibia, mesally slightly curved. Tibia with two reterolateral and one dorsal trichobothria and posterior margin with long thick spines, prolateral tibial apophysis (PTA) slightly curved with blunt end; cymbium unmodified, retrolateral margin membranous, with a shallow depression at the base, broad at distal end; paracymbium (PC) U-shaped, lower margin of distal arm wave-like in ventral view; tegulum (T) possess small protegulum (PT); distal suprategular apophysis (DSA) sclerotized, with pointed end. Embolic division: Radix (R) somewhat triangular; anterior radical process (ARP) sclerotized with pointed end protruding upward; anterior radical scaly (ARS) part wider than long, retained below both of the anterior radical process and cymbium; lateral extension of radix (LER) thumb-shaped, slightly curved, covering terminal part of embolus; tailpiece (TP) relatively sharp with pointed tip; embolic membrane absent; embolus (E) sclerotized, arch-shaped, terminal part ends in anterior radical process.
Female (one of the paratypes, Figs 225D–F): Total length: 2.48. Carapace 1.22 long, 0.90 wide, brown, cephalic region slightly elevated; fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.27 high. Chelicerae with four promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, dark brownish grey with microsetae. Eyes: AER recurved, PER straight, slightly wider. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.06, ALE 0.07, PME 0.06, PLE 0.07, AME–AME 0.03, PME–PME 0.08, AME–ALE, 0.03, PME–PLE 0.05, AME–PME 0.05, ALE–ALE 0.31, PLE–PLE 0.35, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 4.55 (1.31, 1.50, 1.13, 0.61), II 4.43 (1.28, 1.48, 1.14, 0.53), III 3.16 (0.94, 0.97, 0.81, 0.44), IV 4.09 (1.19, 1.24, 1.12, 0.54). Tibial spine formula: 2-2-2-2. TmI 0.83 and TmIV present. Opisthosoma 1.43 long, 0.86 wide, pale, with longitudinal green bands followed by three chevrons, broad black patch at the base of spinnerets; ventral side with broad green patches.
Epigyne (Figs 224A–C): Ventral plate (VP) wider than long, covered with thick spines; dorsal plate (DP) oval, completely visible in ventral view. Copulatory openings (CO) present mid–ventrally at the junction of the dorsal and ventral plates; copulatory ducts (CD) with broad oval loop mid ventrally. Spermathecae (S) globular, present dorso-laterally, spaced by two and half diameters; fertilization ducts (FD) large, 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 169-172, DOI: 10.11646/megataxa.15.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14985176