Pseudopoda caoguii 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 caoguii

description: Pseudopoda caoguii Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu sp. nov.
Figs 4, 5, 11
Type material.
Holotype female: China, • Yunnan Province: Zhaotong City, Weixin County, Daxueshan Forest Farm, 27°52'48"N, 104°46'29"E, alt. 1560 m, 21 July 2024, Gui Cao leg. (CBEE, LJ 2024001).
Etymology.
The specific name is derived from the name of the collector; noun in genitive case.
Diagnosis.
Females of P. caoguii Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu, sp. nov. resemble those of P. langyaensis Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023 (cf. figs 4 A – C vs. figs 140 A – C in Zhang et al. 2023) by having wide U-shaped anterior margins of LL and spherical S, but can be distinguished by: 1) the posterior margins of LL almost straight, 2) body colouration light yellowish-brown (vs. posterior margins of LL distinctly lobed and body colouration reddish-brown in P. langyaensis).
Description.
Female (holotype): Measurements: Medium-sized. Body length 12.6, CA length 4.8, width 4.3; OS length 7.3, width 4.1. Eyes: AME 0.18, ALE 0.22, PME 0.19, PLE 0.29, AME – AME 0.22, AME – ALE 0.14, PME – PME 0.32, PME – PLE 0.34, AME – PME 0.21, ALE – PLE 0.28, CH AME 0.36, CH ALE 0.35. Spination: Pp 121, 101, 3130, 3030; Fe I 313, II 323, III 322, IV 321; Pa I – II 101, III 001, IV 000; Ti I – II 2226, III – IV 2126; Mt I – II 2024, III 2124, IV 3036. Measurements of palp and legs: Pp 7.2 (2.2, 1.0, 1.5, –, 2.5), I 22.9 (6.5, 1.8, 6.6, 5.8, 2.2), II 24.9 (7.2, 2.0, 7.1, 6.3, 2.3), III 17.6 (5.5, 1.8, 4.7, 4.1, 1.5), IV 19.5 (6.2, 1.5, 5.0, 4.9, 1.9). Leg formula: II-I-IV-III. Chelicerae with 3 promarginal, 4 retromarginal teeth, and c. 25 intermarginal denticles.
Epigyne (Figs 4 A – C): as in diagnosis. EF wider than long, with distinct AB. LL touching each other along median line, anterior margins of LL forming a wide “ U ”. FW membranous, with straight lateral margins, covering whole IDS. FD short and narrow.
Colouration (Figs 5 A, B): CA yellow, with black spots, median band of CA lighter than rest, fovea reddish-brown. Sternum light yellow. Legs yellow, with black spots. OS dorsally orange, with black marks, median band of OS lighter than rest; ventrally with a reddish-brown patch medially.
Male: Unknown.
Distribution.
Known only from the type locality (Fig. 11).
Remarks.
This species might potentially be conspecific with P. taoi Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023, given that the two localities are only about 20 kilometres apart. However, there are distinct somatic differences in the female compared to the male of P. taoi, including: 1) yellow to orange habitus vs. reddish-brown habitus, 2) OS dorsally with several dark regularly arranged spots vs. OS dorsally dark brown with some light spots, 3) OS ventrally with a reddish-brown patch in middle part behind epigastric furrow vs. OS ventrally without such distinct patch, 4) prosoma dorsally with distinct light median band without dark pattern inside and only few dark dots in lateral parts vs. median band with distinct dark pattern anterior, along and posterior of fovea and distinct dark pattern, partly fused in lateral parts (cf. figs 5 A, B vs. figs 241 A, B in Zhang et al. 2023). These differences indicate that the present material likely represents a different species than P. taoi. Moreover, Pseudopoda species have a very similar colouration pattern in both sexes and colour dimorphisms are almost absent. 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