Pseudopoda campylotropa Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jager & Hu 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zhang, He
name: Chen, Hailun
name: Zhang, Fan
name: Liu, Jie
name: Jäger, Peter
name: Fan, Qiangyong
name: Cheng, Lin
name: Hu, Changhao
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Sparassidae
Pseudopoda
Pseudopoda campylotropa

description: Pseudopoda campylotropa Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu sp. nov.
Figs 1, 2, 3, 11
Type material.
Holotype male: China, • Yunnan Province: Zhaotong City, Weixin County, Houshan Forest Farm, 27°51'01"N, 105°00'48"E, alt. 1637 m, 25 April 2024, Caifu Tao leg. (CBEE, LJ 2024002). Paratypes: • 3 males, 3 females, with same data as for holotype (CBEE, LJ 2024003). 1 female, with same data as for holotype, except: 28 June 2020 (CBEE, LJ 202005004).
Etymology.
The specific name is derived from Greek ' campylo' meaning ' bend, turn', and ' trop' derived from ' trepein' meaning ' to turn', referring to the crook-shaped distal part of E in ventral view; adjective.
Diagnosis.
Males of P. campylotropa Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu, sp. nov. resemble those of P. explanata Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023 (cf. figs 1 A – C vs. figs 103 A – C in Zhang et al. 2023) by having a sickle-shaped E, a broad, distad EP, and a medially arising RTA with broad elongated base and distal tips of dRTA and vRTA, but can be recognised by: 1) EP short and triangular with short and rounded tip, and 2) dRTA with rounded tip (vs. EP long and trapezoidal, dRTA with thin and acute tip in P. explanata). Females of P. campylotropa Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu, sp. nov. resemble those of P. curva Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023 and P. shimenensis Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023 (cf. figs 2 A – C vs. figs 76 A – C and 219 A – C in Zhang et al. 2023) by having the epigyne distinctly wider than long with the anterior and posterior margins of LL almost straight, but can be distinguished from both species by: IDS with short sclerotized tubes with spherical end in ventral view (vs. IDS with long and curved tubes with rounded, but not spherical end in P. curva and P. shimenensis).
Description.
Male (holotype): Measurements: Small-sized. Body length 7.8, CA length 4.0, width 3.8; OS length 3.7, width 2.2. Eyes: AME 0.20, ALE 0.30, PME 0.24, PLE 0.25, AME – AME 0.18, AME – ALE 0.01, PME – PME 0.26, PME – PLE 0.32, AME – PME 0.24, ALE – PLE 0.27, CH AME 0.19, CH ALE 0.23. Spination: Pp 131, 101, 3110; Fe I 312, II 313, III 322, IV 331; Pa I – II 101, IV 000; Ti I 1218, II 121 (10), III 2124, IV 2126; Mt I 2024, II 2026, III 2124, IV 3036. Measurements of palp and legs: Pp 6.1 (2.0, 0.6, 1.3, –, 2.2), I 23.4 (6.2, 1.7, 7.0, 6.3, 2.2), II 25.3 (6.7, 1.8, 7.4, 7.1, 2.3), III 18.7 (5.2, 1.4, 5.3, 5.2, 1.6), IV 21.0 (5.9, 1.5, 5.5, 6.2, 1.9). Leg formula: II-I-IV-III. Chelicerae with 3 promarginal, 4 retromarginal teeth, and c. 26 intermarginal denticles.
Palp (Figs 1 A – C): as in diagnosis. C membranous, arising from T at 11: 30 o’clock position; prolateral margin of C slightly sclerotized in basal half. E slender and sickle-shaped in apical half, arising from 9 o’clock position of T. RTA arising medially from Ti; vRTA and dRTA with rounded tip.
Colouration (Figs 3 A, B): CA yellow, with dark reddish-brown spots and lines, eye area reddish-brown, posterior margins dark brown. Fovea dark brown. Sternum and legs yellow, with dark reddish-brown spots. OS yellow, dorsum with distinct dark reddish-brown pattern of elongated heart-patch and three transversal fused chevrons, venter with some reddish-brown spots, some of them fused.
Female (paratype): Measurements: Small-sized. Body length 7.7, CA length 4.0, width 4.2; OS length 3.7, width 2.9. Eyes: AME 0.19, ALE 0.30, PME 0.27, PLE 0.24, AME – AME 0.18, AME – ALE 0.06, PME – PME 0.25, PME – PLE 0.32, AME – PME 0.26, ALE – PLE 0.28, CH AME 0.35, CH ALE 0.32. Spination: Pp 121, 101, 3130, 3020; Fe I 313, II 213, III 312, IV 311; Pa I – IV 101; Ti I 2227, II 111 (10), III 2116, IV 2025; Mt I – II 2024, III 2124, IV 3034. Measurements of palp and legs: Pp 5.3 (1.6, 0.7, 1.3, –, 1.7), I 15.1 (4.4, 1.5, 4.2, 3.6, 1.4), II 16.4 (4.9, 1.5, 4.6, 3.9, 1.5), III 12.1 (3.7, 1.3, 3.3, 2.7, 1.1), IV 14.1 (4.4, 1.4, 3.5, 3.4, 1.4). Leg formula: II-I-IV-III. Chelicerae with 3 promarginal, 4 retromarginal teeth, and c. 26 intermarginal denticles.
Epigyne (Figs 2 A – C): as in diagnosis. EF wider than long, AB indistinct. LL touching each other along the middle lines with a slight asymmetry, i. e. right LL larger than left one. Anterior margins of LL almost parallel to posterior part. FW membranous, with straight lateral margins. IDS with round cover of spermathecae, the latter sub-parallel and elongate. FD long and narrow, posteriorly diverging.
Colouration (Figs 3 C, D): as in male, but OS generally darker.
Distribution.
Known only from the type locality (Fig. 11).
Remarks.
This species shares the same collecting locality with P. taoi Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023, but exhibits distinct differences in coloration and pattern (e. g., yellow habitus vs. reddish-brown habitus, and CA, sternum and legs with dark reddish-brown spots vs. without spots), which led us to consider them as different species. The colouration and patterns on the male and female habitus of P. campylotropa Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu, sp. nov. show strong support for our matching (cf. figs 3 A – D vs. figs 241 A, B in Zhang et al. 2023). Further research and collection of material of both sexes are needed to verify this taxonomic decision.
description: Published as part of Zhang, He, Chen, Hailun, Zhang, Fan, Liu, Jie, Jäger, Peter, Fan, Qiangyong, Cheng, Lin & Hu, Changhao, 2025, Four new species of Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 (Araneae, Sparassidae, Heteropodinae) from China and Vietnam, pp. 231-245 in ZooKeys 1230 on pages 231-245, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1230.142418