Pseudopoda ornithorhynchus 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 ornithorhynchus

description: Pseudopoda ornithorhynchus Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu sp. nov.
Figs 8, 9, 10, 11
Type material.
Holotype male: Vietnam: • Vinh Phuc Province: Tam Dao National Park, Pitfall trap, 21°25'7"N, 105°37'24"E, alt. 80 m, 1–30 December 2007, Dinh Sac Pham leg. (CBEE, LJ 201804699).
Etymology.
The specific name is derived from Greek ' ornitho' meaning ' bird', and ' rhynchus' meaning ' beak', referring to the shape of the RTA; adjective.
Diagnosis.
Males of P. ornithorhynchus Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu, sp. nov. resemble those of P. yangtaiensis Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023 (cf. figs 8 A – C, 9 A, B vs. figs 268 A – C in Zhang et al. 2023) by having a bird’s beak-shaped RTA, but can be recognised by: 1) E without basal protrusion, 2) EP short and digitiform, and 3) basal RTA columnar (vs. E with a basal prolateral protrusion, EP long and lamellar, arising from T at 1 o’clock position, basal RTA lamellar in P. yangtaiensis).
Description.
Male (holotype): Measurements: Small-sized. Body length 7.6, CA length 3.8, width 3.2; OS length 3.6, width 2.3. Eyes: AME 0.15, ALE 0.29, PME 0.29, PLE 0.29, AME – AME 0.11, AME – ALE 0.04, PME – PME 0.12, PME – PLE 0.31, AME – PME 0.24, ALE – PLE 0.19, CH AME 0.43, CH ALE 0.32. Spination: Pp 131, 101, 3100; Fe I 323, II 313, III 323, IV 331; Pa I – II 101, III 001, IV 000; Ti I 2128, II 1116, III – IV 2126; Mt I – III 2024, IV 3036. Measurements of palp and legs: Pp 6.3 (2.0, 0.8, 1.1, –, 2.4), I 22.8 (6.2, 1.6, 6.7, 6.0, 2.3), II 23.6 (6.2, 1.5, 7.2, 6.4, 2.3), III 17.7 (5.2, 1.3, 5.0, 4.5, 1.7), IV 21.9 (6.3, 1.4, 5.7, 6.4, 2.1). Leg formula: II-I-IV-III. Chelicerae with 3 promarginal, 4 retromarginal teeth, and c. 28 intermarginal denticles.
Palp (Figs 8 A – C, 9 A, B): as in diagnosis. C slightly sclerotized throughout, arising from T at 11 o’clock position. E strongly elongated with one distal coil, with broad basal part and thin terminal part, arising from 8: 30 o’clock position of T. EP digitiform. RTA arising medially from Ti, tip retrolaterad.
Colouration (Figs 10 A, B): CA yellowish-brown with few dots. Fovea dark reddish-brown. Sternum and legs yellow, the latter with faint dots. OS yellow, dorsum with irregular brown markings, especially in the posterior half, i. e. transversal bars, venter with brown spots, with an inverted triangle brown marking anterior to spinnerets.
Female: Unknown.
Distribution.
Known only from the type locality (Fig. 11).
Remarks.
This species is located about 140 km from P. anfracta Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023 and P. zhengi Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023 (outside the endemic range of most Pseudopoda species; personal observation, Zhang et al. 2023), and the unique character and colouration of the habitus (eye area as wide as head region, generally yellowish-brown in P. ornithorhynchus Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu, sp. nov. vs. the width of eye area almost two-thirds of head region, generally reddish-brown in the latter two known species) (cf. figs 10 A, B vs. figs 13 A, B, 280 A, B in Zhang et al. 2023) indicating that with the specimen described here is likely not conspecific with either P. anfracta or P. zhengi. Further research and future findings are needed to resolve this ambiguity conclusively.
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