Troglotheridion lamellatum Hu & Liu, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Hu, Changhao
name: Liu, Jie
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Theridiidae
Troglotheridion
Troglotheridion lamellatum

description: Troglotheridion lamellatum sp. nov.
Figs 1A‒C, 2‒4, 7
Type material. Holotype: ♂, CHINA: Guizhou Province: Bijie City, Dafang Co., Qingxu Cave; 27.1011°N, 105.6805°E, elev. 1455 m; 25.08.2020, J. Liu & B. Liang leg. (CBEE, GZ20200463). Paratypes: 1♂, 5♀, same data as holotype (CBEE, GZ20200464).
Etymology. This specific name is taken from the Latin adjective “ lamella ” and refers to the lamelliform embolic projection II (EP II) of male palp.
Diagnosis. Males of this new species can be distinguished from T. sangzhiense by 1. tegular retrolateral apophysis smaller (TRA), almost half the width of conductor (C) (vs. larger, almost as wide as conductor (C) in T. sangzhiense); 2. embolic projection II (EP II) knife-shaped and lamelliform (vs. short and triangular in T. sangzhiense); 3. embolic tip almost as wide as embolic projection I (EP I) (vs. almost 1/3 times thinner than embolic projection I (EP I) in T. sangzhiense); and 4. notch between embolic tip and embolic projection II (EP II) larger, almost as wide as embolic projection I (EP I) (vs. smaller, almost 1/3 times thinner than embolic projection I (EP I) in T. sangzhiense) (Fig. 3A‒C vs. Fig. 6A‒C).
Females can be distinguished by 1. posterior epigynal margin broad W-shaped (U-shaped in T. sangzhiense); 2. interdistance of copulatory openings almost 1/4 width of epigyne (less than 1/10 width of epigyne in T. sangzhiense); and 3. posterior part of copulatory ducts (CD) curved laterally (almost parallel to each other in T. sangzhiense) (Fig. 3D‒F vs. Fig. 6D‒F).
Description. Male (holotype): Total length 1.66. Carapace 0.75 long, 0.67 wide. Abdomen 0.88 long, 0.68 wide. Measurements of legs: I 8.41 (2.52, 2.87, 2.13, 0.89), II 6.10 (1.91, 1.91, 1.48, 0.80), III 4.65 (1.54, 1.45, 1.06, 0.60), IV 5.67 (1.92, 1.82, 1.28, 0.65). AME and PME absent, ALE and PLE strongly vestigial. Other characteristics of male habitus as in generic description (Figs 1A‒C, 2A, B).
Cymbium almost as long as tibia. Tegular retrolateral apophysis (TRA) small, almost half the width of conductor (C), thick part of sperm duct (SD) in prolateral tegulum (T) reverse C-shaped in ventral view, thin part of sperm duct (SD) in retrolateral tegulum (T) thinner than the diameter of tarsal organ (TO). Median apophysis (MA) S-shaped in ventral view, uncovered portion as long as wide. Tegular apophysis (TA) extending beyond cymbium in lateral view. Embolus (E) with a knife-shaped and lamelliform embolic projection II (EP II), embolic tip almost as wide as embolic projection I (EP I), notch between embolic tip and embolic projection II (EP II) large, almost as wide as embolic projection I (EP I). Other characteristics of male palp as in generic description (Figs 3A‒C, 4).
Female (paratype): Total length 1.59. Carapace 0.77 long, 0.66 wide. Abdomen 0.99 long, 0.71 wide. Measurements of legs: I 6.37 (1.91, 2.09, 1.57, 0.80), II 4.72 (1.52, 1.49, 1.04, 0.67), III 3.55 (1.17, 1.01, 0.81, 0.56), IV 4.40 (1.50, 1.31, 0.94, 0.57). Palpal claw highly elongated. Other characteristics of female habitus as in generic description (Fig. 2C, D).
Epigyne as wide as long, with broad W-shaped posterior margin. Interdistance of copulatory openings almost 1/4 width of epigyne. Posterior part of copulatory ducts (CD) curved laterally. Spermathecae (S) oval. Other characteristics of epigyne as in generic description (Fig. 3D‒F).
Distribution. China (Guizhou Province) (Fig. 7).
description: Published as part of Hu, Changhao & Liu, Jie, 2025, A new troglobitic genus of the family Theridiidae Sundevall, 1833 (Araneae: Theridiidae) from China, pp. 387-400 in Zootaxa 5627 (2) on pages 389-390, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5627.2.9, http://zenodo.org/record/15326121