Tapinocyba cornuta 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
Tapinocyba
Tapinocyba cornuta

description: Tapinocyba cornuta Irfan, Zhang & Peng, sp. n.
(ss äƀ大e)
Figures 240–242, 310
Types. Holotype ♂ (HNU–GZ– IV–1402), CHINA, Guizhou Prov.: Yanhe Co., Mayanghe NNR, 28.65838°N, 108.26033°E, 268m. 07.VII.2014, C. Wang et al. leg. Paratypes: 1♀, with same data as for holotype (HNU– GZ– IV–1402).
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin adjective "cornutus, -a, -um" meaning "horned" referring to distal suprategular apophysis with horn-shaped projection in male palp.
Diagnosis. The male of Tapinocyba cornuta sp. n. resembles that of T. praecox (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873) in having the similar cephalic lobe and embolic division (Figs 240A–D, 2A–C; Hormiga 2000, figs 27A– E, pl. 62A–F) and can be distinguished by the ocular region modified in T. cornuta sp. n. (Fig. 240B; vs. not modified); tibia with three apophyses (DTA, PTA and RTA) in T. cornuta sp. n. (Fig. 240A, B, D; vs. tibia with one apophysis); anterior radical apophysis present in T. cornuta sp. n. (Figs 240A, C; vs. absent); embolus as long as dorsal tibial apophysis in T. cornuta sp. n. (Figs 240D; vs. longer than dorsal tibial apophysis). The female of T. cornuta sp. n. resembles that of G. praecox in having the similar spermatheca (Figs 241A–C; 247A–C), and can be distinguished by the copulatory opening nostrils-shaped in ventral view in T. cornuta sp. n. (Figs 241A–C; vs. ventral plate unmodified posteriorly).
Description. Male (holotype, Figs 242A–C): Total length: 1.6. Carapace 0.76 long, 0.52 wide, brown, cephalic region strongly elevated, fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.19 high. Chelicerae with five promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, yellowish brown with microsetae. Ocular region strongly curved, extending above clypeus, eyes: AER recurved, PER straight, slightly wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.05, PME 0.05, PLE 0.05, AME–AME 0.03, PME–PME 0.06, AME–ALE, 0.01, PME–PLE 0.02, AME–PME 0.02, ALE–ALE 0.18, PLE–PLE 0.19, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 1.75 (0.54, 0.57, 0.34, 0.3), II 1.6 (0.49, 0.54, 0.3, 0.27), III 1.35 (0.41, 0.43, 0.27, 0.24), IV 1.79 (0.53, 0.59, 0.37, 0.27). TmI 0.62 and TmIV 0.63. Tibial spine formula: 2-2- 1-1. Opisthosoma 0.92 long, 0.62 wide, oval, greenish.
Palp (Figs 240A–D): Femur unmodified, almost as long as both patella and tibia. Patella shorter than tibia. Tibia widest at distal end, with one retrolateral and one dorsal trichobothria, with three apophyses; dorsal tibial apophysis (DTA) sclerotized, slightly curved, sword-shaped in prolateral view, prolateral tibial apophysis (PTA) small, semicircular shaped in prolateral view, retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) wider than long, with wave-like margin; cymbium unmodified; paracymbium (PC) Jshaped, basally with setae, distal arm tip hook-shaped; tegulum (T) almost round, proximally bulging above the subtegulum, protegulum (PT) distinct, membranous; distal suprategular apophysis (DSA) sclerotized, distal part globular, relatively transparent, with horn-shaped projection at proximal end. Radix (R) sclerotized, longer than wide, proximally, strongly curved, slightly overlapping the suprategulum (SPT), posterior end stout. Embolic membrane (EM) barely visible on unexpended palp. Tailpiece slightly curved, tapering towards tip. Embolus (E) almost as long as dorsal tibial apophysis.
Female (one of paratype, Figs 242C, D): Total length: 1.57. Carapace 0.64 long, 0.48 wide, cephalic region slightly elevated, brown, fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.16 high. Chelicerae with five promarginal and six retromarginal teeth. Sternum shieldshaped, as wide as long, dark brown with microsetae. Eyes: AER recurved, PER straight, slightly wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.05, PME 0.04, PLE 0.05, AME–AME 0.02, PME–PME 0.04, AME–ALE, 0.01, PME–PLE 0.02, AME–PME 0.03, ALE–ALE 0.18, PLE–PLE 0.20, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 1.53 (0.47, 0.53, 0.27, 0.26), II 1.36 (0.43, 0.44, 0.24, 0.25), III 1.23 (0.38, 0.39, 0.22, 0.24), IV 1.58 (0.51, 0.55, 0.28, 0.24). TmI 0.69 and TmIV 0.61. Tibial spine formula: 2-2-1-1. Opisthosoma 0.93 long, 0.64 wide, oval, brown, ventral side greyish brown.
Epigyne (Figs 241A–D): Epigynal plate two times wider than long; ventral plate (VP) a large rectangular outgrowth and a pair of small holes on its frontal face; dorsal plate (DP) almost rectangular, partly visible in ventral view; copulatory opening (CO) located mid-ventrally at the junction of dorsal and ventral plates; copulatory ducts (CD) long, forming U-shaped loop; spermathecae (S) globular, located dorsolaterally, spaced by two diameters; fertilization ducts (FD) short, extending mesally.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Guizhou Province, Fig. 310).
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 185-188, DOI: 10.11646/megataxa.15.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14985176