Troglocoelotes Li & Zhao & Zhang & Li 2019, gen. n.
Creators: name: Li, Bing
name: Zhao, Zhe
name: Zhang, Chuntian
name: Li, Shuqiang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Agelenidae
Troglocoelotes

description: Genus Troglocoelotes Z. Zhao & S. Li gen. n.
(Figs 1–15)
Type species. Troglocoelotes yumiganen sis Z. Zhao & S. Li gen. n.
Etymology. The generic name refers to the cave habitat and coelotine spiders. The gender is masculine.
Diagnosis. Troglocoelotes is closely related to Guilotes Z. Zhao & S. Li 2018 based on the copulatory organs morphology but can be distinguished by having 3 promarginal and 2 retromarginal teeth (Fig. 1D) vs. with 5–6 promarginal and 5 retromarginal teeth in Guilotes, eyes reduced (Fig. 1A) or absent (Fig. 1B) vs. normal in Guilotes (Fig. 1C); male palp: median apophysis slice-shaped and with a bent tip (Figs 5 B–C, 8B–C, 10B–C, 12B– C) vs. spoon-shaped, cymbium not suddenly narrowing (Figs 5C, 8C, 10C, 12C), conductor without outgrowth, tegulum and bulbus not intumescent as in Guilotes (Figs 5A, 8A, 10A, 12A); epigyne: epigynal teeth located anteriorly (Fig. 1 E–F) or medially (Figs 7A, 9A) vs. posteriorly, spermathecae ellipsoidal, anterior parts specialized, coiled by copulatory ducts, slender and long (Fig. 1 G–H) vs. spermathecae long and heads fused with copulatory ducts.
Description. Small to medium sized with a total length between 3.83–9.28. Coloration: carapace and chelicerae brown; abdomen and spinnerets pale; legs yellowish or pale. Prosoma, posterior radial furrows and both sides of fovea, and chelicerae covered with hairs. Chelicerae with 3 promarginal and 2 retromarginal teeth. Eyes reduced or absent. Legs without black annular striations, leg formula 4123. Abdomen covered with hairs, with cardiac pattern in the most species, without any other marks. Spinnerets: the proximal segment is as long as the basal segment. Male palp: patellar apophysis long in the most species (Figs 8 B–C, 12B–C), but short in T. liangensis (Fig. 5 B–C), wide at base in T. tortus (Fig. 10 B–C); VTA wide and short (the tip just over patellar tibia) (Fig. 5 B–C); RTA about 1/2 the length of VTA (Figs 5C, 8C, 10C, 12C); cymbial furrow in most species long (Figs 5C, 8C, 10C), about 1/2 the length of cymbium in T. yumiganensis (Fig. 12C); embolus filiform, beginning at 6 to 7 o’clock position (Figs 5 A–C, 8A–C, 10A–C, 12A–C); conductor simple but in most species with a blunt dorsal apophysis (Figs 8 B–C, 10B–C) and a lamella (Figs 5B, 10B, 12B); median apophysis slice-shaped with bent tip (Figs 5 B–C, 8B–C, 10B–C, 12B–C). Epigyne: atrium small (Figs 3A, 4A, 6A, 7A, 9A, 11A, 13A); epigynal teeth vary in shape but point medially in the most species (Figs 3A, 4A, 6A, 7A, 9A, 13A); hoods absent; copulatory ducts long and semi-transparent with light color, spermathecae ellipsoidal with dark color, anterior parts specialized, coiled by copulatory ducts, slender and long (Figs 3B, 4B, 6B, 7B, 9B, 11B, 13B).
Natural history. All species of Troglocoelotes gen. n. were collected from the deep zone of moist and dark caves (Fig. 15). Characteristics like reduced eyes and pale body coloration indicate they are true troglobionts.
Distribution. Guizhou and Guangxi, China (Fig. 14).
Comments. The relationships of coelotine spiders were recently analyzed using 8 genes from 286 species in 19 genera (Zhao & Li 2017). The molecular topologies supported Troglocoelotes as a new genus and suggested that Guilotes is the sister-group (Fig. 2).
description: Published as part of Li, Bing, Zhao, Zhe, Zhang, Chuntian & Li, Shuqiang, 2019, Troglocoelotes gen. n., a new genus of Coelotinae spiders (Araneae, Agelenidae) from caves in South China, pp. 219-238 in Zootaxa 4554 (1) on pages 220-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4554.1.7, http://zenodo.org/record/2623528