Lathys subalberta Zhang, Hu & Zhang, 2012, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zhang, Zhi-Sheng
name: Hu, Dong-Sheng
name: Zhang, Yao-Guang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Dictynidae
Lathys
Lathys subalberta

description: Lathys subalberta sp. nov.
Figs 6A–F, 7A –I, 8A–G, 14
Type material. Holotype: Male, China, Shaanxi Province: Zhouzhi County, Houzhenzi Town, 33°50'50ʺ N, 107°50'0ʺ E, 23 May 2009, Z.S. Zhang, R.Y. Zhuo, Y.F. Zhang & G. Wei leg. (SWUC); Paratypes: 1 female, same data as holotype (SWUC); 1 female, Houzhenzi, 3 July 1997, J. Martens & P. Jäger leg. (SMF).
Etymology. The specific name refers to its similarity to L. alberta (Gerstch, 1946); adjective.
Diagnosis. The new species is quite similar to L. stigmatisata -group species, such as L. stigmatisata from Europe (Marusik et al. 2009b: 22, figs 4, 29–32, 44, 51–53), L. alberta from North America (Figs 12A–G, 13A–G; 1 male and 4 females from Colorado, loaned from AMNH, examined) and L. maculosa (Karsch, 1879) from Japan (Ono & Ogata 2009: 134, figs 1–7). Epigynes of these species can not be easily distinguished from one another. But male palp of the new species can be distinguished by a relatively low cymbium and the different origin of embolus (Figs 6B–C, 7G–H). Additionally, bodies of the new species are relatively larger than the others, opisthosomas have white scale-like markings dorsally (absent in the others)(Figs 7A, 8A).
Discription. Male Holotype (Figs 7A–E) total length 2.80. Prosoma 1.29 long, 1.08 wide; opisthosoma 1.63 long, 1.21 wide. AME smallest and ALE largest. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.11, PME 0.09, PLE 0.11; AME–AME 0.05, AME–ALE 0.04, PME–PME 0.09, PME–PLE 0.09, ALE–PLE 0.02. MOA 0.26 long, front width 0.18, back width 0.26. Clypeus height (0.08) wider than the diameter of AME. Chelicerae with 4 promarginal and 4 or 5 retromarginal teeth. Leg measurements: I 4.85 (1.39, 1.82, 1.10, 0.54); II 3.84 (1.17, 1.33, 0.87, 0.47); III 3.19 (0.98, 1.01, 0.76, 0.44); IV 3.87 (1.17, 1.35, 0.93, 0.42). Leg formula: 1423. Opisthosoma with four indistinct black chevron-like markings, some white spots dorsally and a narrow cribellum ventrally.
Male palp (Figs 6A–D, 7F –I) without patellar apophysis. Tibia with three apophyses, surrounding the terminal part of conductor. Embolus originating retrolatero-distally and coiled along the margin of tegulum, mostly holded by the reversed coiled distal arm of conductor. Conductor with a greatly long distal arm and a screw-like terminal part extending to the dorsal tibia.
One of the female paratypes (Figs 8A–E) total length 2.26. Prosoma 0.86 long, 0.69 wide; opisthosoma 1.49 long, 1.19 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.05, ALE 0.08, PME 0.05, PLE 0.07; AME–AME 0.03, AME–ALE 0.02, PME–PME 0.06, PME–PLE 0.06, ALE–PLE 0.02. MOA 0.17 long, front width 0.12, back width 0.18. Clypeus height 0.04. Calamistrum distinct. Leg measurements: I 2.31 (0.67, 0.84, 0.49, 0.31); II 1.98 (0.60, 0.69, 0.41, 0.28); III 1.76 (0.56, 0.57, 0.38, 0.25); IV 2.21 (0.67, 0.77, 0.51, 0.26). Leg formula: 1423. Chelicerae relatively short. Cribellum distinct, uniform. The other characters similar to these of male.
Epigyne (Figs 6E–F, 8F–G) with a couple of rounded copulatory openings. Copulatory ducts long and looped. Spermathecae spherical, with wide interdistance and located laterally of copulatory openings. Fertilization ducts posteriorly originating from the inner side of spermathecae.
Distribution. China (Shaanxi)(Fig. 14).
description: Published as part of Zhang, Zhi-Sheng, Hu, Dong-Sheng & Zhang, Yao-Guang, 2012, Notes on the spider genus Lathys Simon, 1884 (Araneae: Dictynidae), with description of four new species from China, pp. 1-16 in Zootaxa 3359 on pages 7-9, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.281616