Weintrauboa shenwu Gao, Irfan & Wang, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Gao, Zhizhong
name: Irfan, Muhammad
name: Wang, Lu-Yu
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Linyphiidae
Weintrauboa
Weintrauboa shenwu

description: Weintrauboa shenwu sp. nov.
Figs 2, 3, 6 A, B, 7 (神巫文蛛)
Type material.
Holotype ♂ (SWUC -T-LIN-39-01): China, Hubei Province, Shennongjia, Yazikou, 31°30'55.0008"N, 110°19'58.0008"E, 1817 m a. s. l., 24. X. 2020, L. Y. Wang, Y. Zhang, J. X. Zhao and J. S. Luo leg. Paratypes: 1 ♀ (SWUC -T-LIN-39-02), with same data as holotype • 2 ♂ 2 ♀ (SWUC -T-LIN-39-03 ~06), Hubei Province, Shennongjia, Hongping Town, 31°31'27.9957"N, 110°20'9.0416"E, 1711 m a. s. l., 14. VI. 2023, Z. S. Zhang, X. L. Chen and Q. L. Lu leg. • Chongqing Municipality: 1 ♀ (SWUC -T-LIN-39-07), Wushan County, Dangyang Town, Xiejiacao, 31°26'57.00"N, 109°58'45.57"E, a. s. l. 1449 m, 02. X. 2021, L. Y. Wang, T. Y. Ren, J. X. Zhao, L. Xiao and X. W. Zhou leg. • 5 ♂ 8 ♀ (SWUC -T-LIN-39-08 ~20), Wushan County, Guanyang Town, Pingqian, 31°22'22.75"N, 109°56'17.25"E, a. s. l. 1832 m, 04. X. 2021, L. Y. Wang, T. Y. Ren, J. X. Zhao, L. Xiao and X. W. Zhou leg.
Etymology.
The specific name is derived from the Chinese word ‘shen’ and ‘wu’; Shen is the first name for Shennongjia and Wu is an abbreviated name for Wushan; noun in apposition.
Diagnosis.
Weintrauboa shenwu resembles those of W. wanglangensis and W. yele Hormiga, 2008 in having a similar embolus and embolic process in male palp (Figs 2 A – D, 4 A – D; Hormiga 2008, figs 2 A – C, 3 A – C; Hormiga et al. 2021, fig. 6 A – B) and can be distinguished by the embolic flap needle-shaped in W. shenwu (Fig. 2 A, B; vs horn-shaped in W. wanglangensis and wing-shaped in W. yele); distal ramus of cymbial process somewhat rectangular in ventral view in W. shenwu (Fig. 2 A, B; vs somewhat thumb-shaped both in W. wanglangensis and W. yele). Females of W. shenwu resemble W. wanglangensis in having similar morphology of epigyne (Figs 3 A – D, 5 A – D), but can be distinguished by the copulatory duct comma-shaped in W. shenwu (Fig. 3 A – C; vs sinuous with three loops before entering spermathecae in W. wanglangensis, Fig. 5 A – D); dorsal plate posteriorly triangular in W. shenwu (Fig. 3 A – C; vs trapezoid in W. wanglangensis, Fig. 5 A – D).
Description.
Male (holotype, Fig. 6 B) total length 7.01. Carapace 3.42 long, 2.39 wide; opisthosoma 3.81 long, 2.55 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.18, ALE 0.22, PME 0.18, PLE 0.18; AME – AME 0.09, AME – ALE 0.11, PME – PME 0.12, PME – PLE 0.17, ALE – PLE 0.02. MOA 0.49 long, front width 0.47, back width 0.49. Clypeus height 0.46. Chelicerae brown, with four promarginal and three retromarginal teeth. Leg measurements: I 21.41 (5.55, 7.19, 6.08, 2.59); II 16.96 (4.63, 5.37, 4.79, 2.17); III 11.15 (3.27, 3.46, 2.93, 1.49); IV 13.44 (3.72, 4.07, 3.69, 1.96). Leg formula: 1243.
Palp (Fig. 2 A – D). Patella as long as tibia, ventrally grooved, dorsally with long thick spine. Tibia cone-shaped, with one retrolateral and one dorsal trichobothrium, retrolateral margin with eight thick spines. Cymbium with an ectal process wider than long, half the length of tibia, with bifurcated tip, proximal ramus thumb-shaped and distal ramus somewhat rectangular; retrolateral margin of cymbium with thumb-shaped projection extending ventrally with blunt tip. Paracymbium bowl-shaped, apically hook-shaped, with median margin edge curved inward. Tegulum large, pointed apically. Distal suprategular apophysis sclerotized reduced. Conductor small, membranous, present on apical end of tegulum. Embolus circular with fine tip, embolic flap needle-shaped, slightly curved with pointed tip, embolic process sclerotized, apically expanded with blunt tip, extending towards ventral side of tegulum.
Female (paratype, Fig. 6 C) total length 7.62. Prosoma 3.32 long, 2.63 wide; opisthosoma 5.05 long, 3.64 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.21, ALE 0.23, PME 0.19, PLE 0.20; AME – AME 0.05, AME – ALE 0.09, PME – PME 0.10, PME – PLE 0.16. ALE – PLE 0.03. MOA 0.56 long, front width 0.44, back width 0.49. Clypeus height 0.38. Leg measurements: I 13.60 (3.67, 4.34, 3.52, 2.07); II 12.12 (3.41, 3.89, 3.03, 1.79); III 9.54 (2.83, 2.87, 2.43, 1.41); IV 11.68 (3.40, 3.69, 3.05, 1.54). Leg formula: 1243.
Epigyne (Fig. 3 A – D). Epigynal plate 1.5 times wider than long. Most of the atrium divided by septum. Ventral plate oval, anteriorly grooved, posterior margin convex. Copulatory openings present within atrium. Dorsal plate somewhat triangular extending posteriorly. Copulatory ducts elongated, V-shaped in ventral view, forming broad loop extending anteriorly before entering spermathecae. Spermathecae round, separated by distance equal to four times their diameter. Fertilization ducts present mesally.
Variation.
Males (N = 2) total length 5.85–7.01; females (N = 2) total length 7.06–8.03.
Distribution.
China (Hubei, Chongqing) (Fig. 7).
description: Published as part of Gao, Zhizhong, Irfan, Muhammad & Wang, Lu-Yu, 2025, Three new species of the genus Weintrauboa Hormiga, 2003 (Araneae, Linyphiidae) from China, pp. 185-196 in ZooKeys 1236 on pages 185-196, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1236.146324