Artoria ligulacea Qu, Peng & Yin 2009, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Li, Zongxu
name: Framenau, Volker W.
name: Zhang, Zhi-Sheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Lycosidae
Artoria
Artoria ligulacea

description: Artoria ligulacea (Qu, Peng & Yin, 2009) comb. nov.
(Figs 4–6)
Hygrolycosa ligulacea Qu, Peng and Yin, 2009: 71, figs 1a–c, 2a–d (Male holotype, male and female paratypes from Old Pass of Dasheyao Village, Baoshan City of Yunnan, China, 24°57ˏN, 98°45ˏE, alt. 2300 m, 26–31 October 1998, C. Griswold et al. leg., deposited in HUN and CAS, not examined).
Diagnosis. The species group of Artoria with similar morphology includes A. howquaensis Framenau, 2002, A. palustris and A. parvula. Artoria ligulacea can be distinguished from these by severely curved embolus tip counter clockwise, an apical impression of the tegulum in which the embolus tip rests (Figs 4 E–F, 5A, 5C), and by the epigyne with a narrow atrium and strong spermathecae (Figs 4 H, 5D).
Redescription. Male (SWUC-Ar Ly1001-1) (Figs 4 A, 4C–D). Total length 4.10. Prosoma 2.30 long, 1.64 wide; opisthosoma 1.80 long, 1.41 wide. Carapace brown, with light brown submarginal bands; eye region black; median band light brown; radial pattern indistinct. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.07, PME 0.25, PLE 0.15; AME–AME 0.08, AME–ALE 0.05, PME–PME 0.26, PME–PLE 0.36. Clypeus height 0.14. Chelicerae brown, with two promarginal and three retromarginal teeth. Labium dark drown. Endites light yellow brown. Sternum light yellow-brown, with light median strip. Leg measurements: I 5.20 (1.48, 1.93, 1.10, 0.69); II 5.12 (1.44, 1.81, 1.19, 0.68); III 4.88 (1.39, 1.51, 1.17, 0.81); IV 6.71 (1.77, 2.22, 1.85, 0.87). Leg formula: 4123. Legs uniformly light yellow, with black annulations. Opisthosoma dark brown, with lanceolate cardiac mark in anterior half; venter of opisthosoma and spinnerets light yellow.
Male pedipalp (Figs 4 E–F, 5A, 5C). Embolus with curved tip, resting in a tegular impression and terminal apophysis with a retrolaterally pointy protrusion, and functions as conductor. Median apophysis big, with thin stalk and inflated, somewhat bifurcated terminal part; one branch blunt and broad, the other folded ventrally.
Female (SWUC-Ar Ly1001-2) (Fig. 4 B). Total length 4.51. Prosoma 2.47 long, 1.69 wide; opisthosoma 2.04 long, 1.64 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.08, ALE 0.09, PME 0.29, PLE 0.20; AME–AME 0.09, AME–ALE 0.07, PME–PME 0.21, PME–PLE 0.37. Clypeus height 0.14. Leg measurements: I 5.23 (1.48, 1.87, 1.15, 0.73); II 5.06 (1.47, 1.77, 1.11, 0.71); III 5.15 (1.41, 1.67, 1.33, 0.74); IV 8.30 (2.85, 2.34, 2.12, 0.99). Leg formula: 4132. Coloration and pattern similar to that of male.
Epigyne (Figs 4 H–I, 5D–E) simple. Atrium wider than long, with strengthened posterior margin. Copulatory openings small, on lateral margins of atrium. Spermathecae strong and L-shaped. Spermathecal organs small.
Variation. Female (male) range, mean ± SD. TL, 4.18–4.51, 4.3 ± 0.18; AL, 2.04–2.47, 2.28 ± 0.22; CW, 1.49–1.71, 1.61 ± 0.12; n= 3 (TL, 4.10–4.20, 4.15 ± 0.07, CL, 2.24–2.30, 2.27 ± 0.04, CW, 1.57–1.64, 1.60 ± 0.05; n=2)
Material examined. 2 males and 3 females (SWUC-Ar Ly1001), China, Yunnan Province, Baoshan Prefecture, Longyang District, Lujiang Town, Dasheyao Bealock, 24°55′36.30″N, 98°45′6.72″E, alt. 2363m, 14 February 2011, Z.X. Li & L.Y. Wang leg (SWUC); 34 males, 40 females and 1 juvenile (CAS 9043841), same data as the holotype and paratypes (Yunnan, Baoshan Prefectrue, Tengchong County, Luoshuidong, pass over Gaoligong Mountains, 28 km directly E of Tengchong, native forest, 24°57′N, 98°45′E, alt. 2300m, 26–31 October 1998, C. Griswold & D. Kavanaugh & C.L. Long leg.) (deposited in CAS, examined by Mr. Luis Piacentini).
Distribution. China (Yunnan), north of the Tropic of Cancer (Fig. 6).
Biology. The species was found in moist lawn near primary forests.
Remarks. Artoria ligulacea was originally described in Hygrolycosa Dahl, 1908 based on the presence of 4 prolateral spines of tibia I (Qu et al. 2009), but somatic characters have often been shown unreliable in wolf spider taxonomy and systematics (Framenau 2007; Lehtinen 2005). Detailed examination of the specimens of the same locality suggest H. ligulacea is originally misplaced. The presence of a basoembolic apophysis suggests that this species belongs to Artoriinae and male genital characters, particularly the shape of basoembolic apophysis and median apophysis, support the placement of this species in Artoria.
description: Published as part of Li, Zongxu, Framenau, Volker W. & Zhang, Zhi-Sheng, 2012, First record of the wolf spider subfamily Artoriinae and the genus Artoria from China (Araneae: Lycosidae), pp. 35-44 in Zootaxa 3235 on pages 40-42, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.280404