Sudesna dali Wang, Peng & Zhang, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wang, Lu-Yu
name: Peng, Xian-Jin
name: Zhang, Zhi-Sheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Dictynidae
Sudesna
Sudesna dali

description: Sudesna dali sp. nov.
Figs 3, 4, 15 (大理苏蛛)
Type material.
Holotype ♂ (SWUC -T-DI-15-01); Yunnan Province; Dali City, Mount Cangshan, Dapoqing; 25°34′59″N, 100°08′09″E; elev. 2500 m; 8 November 2009; T. B. Yang leg. Paratypes: 1 ♂ 3 ♀ (SWUC -T-DI-15-02 to 05); same data as for holotype • 3 ♂ 2 ♀ (SWUC -T-DI-15-06 to 10); Mount Cangshan, Yujufeng; 25°42′14″N, 100°07′09″E; elev. 2700 m; 10 April 2011; L. Yang leg. • 2 ♀ (SWUC -T-DI-15-11 to 12); Mount Cangshan; elev. 2500 m; 15 January 2009; Z. Z. Yang leg. • 4 ♂ 16 ♀ (SWUC -T-DI-15-13 to 32); Mount Cangshan, Xieyangfeng; 25°36′04″N, 100°11′11″E; elev. 2559 m; 14 June 2011; K. C. Zhang leg. • 1 ♂ (SWUC -T-DI-15-33); Mount Cangshan, Xieyangfeng; 25°35′54″N, 100°11′13″E; elev. 2700 m; 14 June 2011; Z. X. Bao leg. • 1 ♂ (SWUC -T-DI-15-34); Mount Cangshan; Xieyangfeng; 25°35′58″N, 100°11′7″E; elev. 2500 m; 10 April 2011; N. J. Li leg. • 1 ♂ 1 ♀ (SWUC -T-DI-15-35 to 36); Mount Cangshan, Xieyangfeng; 25°35′54″N, 100°11′13″E; elev. 2615 m; 15 January 2009; Z. Z. Yang leg.
Etymology.
The specific name is derived from the county where the type locality is located; used as a noun in apposition.
Diagnosis.
This new species is similar to S. hainan sp. nov. (Figs 7, 8) in having a semicircular embolus and short copulatory ducts, but it can be distinguished by the triangular (dorsal view) retrolateral tibial apophysis (vs semicircular, lamellate), the finger-shaped and untwisted posterior arm (PA) of the conductor (vs somewhat S-shaped) (Figs 3 A – C, 4 C – E), and the absence of a stem of the spermathecal head (vs present) (Figs 3 E, 4 G).
Description.
Male holotype (Fig. 4 A) total length 2.00. Prosoma 0.86 long, 0.78 wide; Opisthosoma 1.20 long, 0.75 wide. Dorsum of prosoma brown, with high cephalic area. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.03, ALE 0.04, PME 0.04, PLE, 0.04; AME – AME 0.09, AME – ALE 0.06, PME – PME 0.08, PME – PLE 0.10, ALE – PLE 0.02. MOA 0.14 long, anterior width 0.14, posterior width 0.16. Clypeus height 0.09. Chelicerae stout, yellow-brown, with 3 promarginal teeth and 1 retromarginal tooth. Legs yellowish. Leg measurements: I 2.76 (0.84, 0.95, 0.59, 0.38); II 2.56 (0.78, 0.88, 0.50, 0.40); III 2.03 (0.62, 0.65, 0.46, 0.30); IV 2.28 (0.73, 0.69, 0.55, 0.31). Leg formula: 1243. Opisthosoma oval. Dorsum with black and white markings. Venter yellow brown. Spinnerets short and yellow-brown, with black markings.
Palp (Figs 3 A, B, 4 C – E). Tibia dorsally with 2 ctenidia, located at 1 / 3 length of tibia from the distal-most part. Retrolateral tibial apophysis triangular in dorsal view. Embolus semicircular and originating at about the 10: 00 o’clock position and terminating at about the 4: 30 o’clock position. Anterior arm of conductor (AA) short and membranous; posterior arm (PA) finger-shaped with sharply pointed tip.
Female paratype (SWUC -T-DI-15-02, Fig. 4 B) total length 2.46. Prosoma 0.86 long, 0.81 wide; opisthosoma 1.64 long, 1.30 wide. Dorsum of prosoma yellow-brown, with high cephalic area. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.04, ALE 0.04, PME 0.04, PLE, 0.04; AME – AME 0.07, AME – ALE 0.06, PME – PME 0.08, PME – PLE 0.08, ALE – PLE 0.02. MOA 0.13 long, anterior width 0.14, posterior width 0.16. Clypeus height 0.06. Leg measurements: I 2.41 (0.75, 0.81, 0.49, 0.36); II 2.32 (0.71, 0.79, 0.48, 0.34); III 1.98 (0.62, 0.63, 0.46, 0.27); IV 2.29 (0.72, 0.78, 0.51, 0.28). Legs yellowish. Leg formula: 1243. Opisthosoma oval. Dorsum yellow-brown, with white scaly markings. Venter yellow-brown. Spinnerets short and yellow brown.
Epigyne (Figs 3 C, D, 4 F, G). Copulatory openings semicircular, facing each other, separated by about 4 times their width. Copulatory ducts membranous, short, as long as width. Spermatheca peanut-shaped, spermathecal heads somewhat ball-shaped. Fertilization ducts semicircular, directed laterally, the length is 2.5 times the width of the copulatory openings.
Variation.
Male (n = 12) total length 1.87–2.13; female (n = 24) total length 2.18–2.71.
Distribution.
Known only from the type locality, Yunnan, China (Fig. 14).
description: Published as part of Wang, Lu-Yu, Peng, Xian-Jin & Zhang, Zhi-Sheng, 2025, Six new species and a new synonym of the mesh-web spider genus Sudesna Lehtinen, 1967 (Araneae, Dictynidae) from China, pp. 127-149 in ZooKeys 1234 on pages 127-149, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1234.145300