Walckenaeria enshiensis 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
Walckenaeria
Walckenaeria enshiensis

description: Walckenaeria enshiensis Irfan, Zhang & Peng, sp. n.
(šǝĩe)
Figures 271–273, 314
Types. Holotype ♂ (HNU–HB 2016–04–30), CHINA, Hubei Prov.: Xuanen Co., Shadaogou Town, Qizimei Mountain, 29.706342°N, 109.75642°E, 1155 m, 30.IV.2016, W. Liu et al. leg. Paratypes: 3♂ 10♀, with same data as for holotype (HNU–HB 2016–04–30); 1♀, Enshi Co., Xingdou MNNR, 30.04166°N, 109.13377°E, 1253 m, 18. V.2017, G.C. Zhou et al. leg. (HNU–HB– IV–1710); 1♀, Enshi Co., Xingdou MNNR, 30.04611°N, 109.13038°E, 1205 m, 18. V.2017, G.C. Zhou et al. leg. (HNU–HB– IV–1712); 4♀, Enshi Co., Xuaneng, Changtanghe Town, Lianghekou Vill., 29.99510°N, 109.74007°E, 1041 m, 14. V.2017, G.C. Zhou et al. leg. (HNU–HB– IV–1702); 1♀, Enshi Co., Xingdou MNNR, 30.03748°N, 109.14548°E, 1078 m, 19. V.2017, G.C. Zhou et al. leg. (HNU–HB– IV–1714).
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the type locality; adjective.
Diagnosis. Walckenaeria enshiensis sp. n. can be distinguished from all other congeners by the dorsal tibial apophysis a large tooth ventrally and tip with several small teeth in retrolateral view; retrolateral tibial apophysis rectangular with lateral margin knobbed; distal suprategular apophysis tip somewhat triangular with blunt end (Figs 271A–D). Femal can be distinguished by the copulatory openings present vetro-mesally at the junction of the ventral and dorsal plates of the epigyne; the dorsal plate completely visible in ventral view; spermathecae oval, present at the apex of dorsal plate anteriorly; copulatory ducts almost parallel to each other posteriorly (Figs 272A–D).
Description. Male (holotype, Figs 273A, B): Total length: 1.68. Carapace 0.78 long, 0.67 wide, brown, cephalic region elevated and cephalic pits present, fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.25 high. Chelicerae with three promarginal and four retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, brownish grey with microsetae. Eyes: AER recurved, PER straight, slightly wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.05, ALE 0.04, PME 0.04, PLE 0.05, AME–AME 0.02, PME–PME 0.05, AME–ALE, 0.05, PME–PLE 0.05, AME–PME 0.07, ALE–ALE 0.27, PLE–PLE 0.29, ALE– PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 2.59 (0.77, 0.97, 0.63, 0.32), II 2.48 (0.73, 0.87, 0.59, 0.29), III 1.85 (0.52, 0.63, 0.45, 0.25), IV 2.43 (0.71, 0.79, 0.61, 0.32). Tibial spine formula: 2-2-1-1. TmI and TmIV present. Opisthosoma 1.13 long, 0.73 wide, oval, grey.
Palp (Figs 271A–D): Femur unmodified, slightly shorter than both patella and tibia. Patella one-third the length of tibia. Tibia with two retrolateral and one dorsal trichobothria; ventral tibial apophysis (VTA) almost round with blunt end; retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) rectangular, lateral margin knobbed and dorsal tibial apophysis (DTA) longer than wide, ventrally with a sclerotized tooth, slightly curved in dorsal view, tip with several teeth; cymbium unmodified, distal end broad; paracymbium (PC) J-shaped, distal arm tip hook-shaped. Tegulum (T) with distinct protegulum (PT); distal suprategular apophysis (DSA) somewhat tombshaped with blunt end. Tailpiece (TP) of embolic division sclerotized, strongly curved with blunt tip pointing towards the lateral margin of the cymbium; embolic membrane (EM) running parallel with embolus; embolus (E) sclerotized, forming a complete transverse circle.
Female (one of paratype, Figs 273C, D): Total length: 1.72. Carapace 0.72 long, 0.52 wide, brown, fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.12 high. Chelicerae with five promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, brownish grey with microsetae. Eyes: AER recurved, PER straight, slightly wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.05, ALE 0.05, PME 0.04, PLE 0.05, AME–AME 0.02, PME–PME 0.05, AME–ALE, 0.02, PME–PLE 0.04, AME–PME 0.05, ALE–ALE 0.23, PLE–PLE 0.25, ALE– PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 2.01 (0.61, 0.67, 0.43, 0.30), II 1.88 (0.57, 0.65, 0.42, 0.24), III 1.64 (0.50, 0.54, 0.37, 0.23), IV 2.02 (0.62, 0.68, 0.47, 0.25). Tibial spine formula: 2-2-1-1. TmI and TmIV present. Opisthosoma 1.08 long, 0.82 wide, oval, grey.
Epigyne (Figs 272A–D): Ventral plate (VP) wider than long; dorsal plate (DP) somewhat rectangular, partly covered by the ventral plate anteriorly; copulatory opening (CO) present posteriorly; copulatory ducts (CD) parallel to each other; spermathecae (S) oval, present at the apex anteriorly; fertilization ducts (FD) small, extending mesally.
Distribution. Known only from the type localities (Hubei Province, Fig. 314).
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 204-207, DOI: 10.11646/megataxa.15.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14985176