Psechrus rani Wang & Yin 2001
Creators: name: Bayer, Steffen
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Psechridae
Psechrus
Psechrus rani

description: Psechrus rani Wang & Yin, 2001
Figs 23a–d, 24a–e, 85b, 88b, 91b
Psechrus rani Wang and Yin 2001: 335, figs 13–18 (Description and illustration of ♂ and ♀). [Holotype ♂ from CHINA: Guizhou Province: Libo, Maolan National Nature Reserve, Sanchahe; X.P. Wang leg. 06.X.1997; IZB; Paratype: ♀ from CHINA: Guizhou Province: Libo, Xiaoqikong; J.C. Ran leg. 02.III.1995; IZB; both types not available on request as they could not be found in the arachnid collection of IZB (S. Li, IZB, pers. comm.), thus not examined]. Bayer and Jäger 2010: 65, figs 41–43 (illustration of ♂).
Psechrus sinensis — Silva 2003: 45, fig. 16a (SEM-photo of ♂ palp, misidentified).
Material examined (1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, 1 s.a. ♀, 1 juv.). CHINA: Hongkong: New Territories, Tai Po Kau National Park, N 22°25'57'', E 114°10'58'', 400 m; S. Huber leg. 13.XII.2003; 1 ♀ (SB 818), SMF. New Territories, Kadoorie Farm, N 22°25'48'', E 114°07'19'', 411 m; S. Huber leg. 11.XII.2003; 1 ♀ (SB 819), SMF. VIETNAM: Lang Son Province: N Hong Phong, Cave Mudi; P. Beron & D. Karucharov leg. 13.III.1986; 1 ♂ (SB122), 1 juv. (SB 945), Deeleman Coll. in RMNH. Lang Son Province: Klu Choeng; leg. 01.V.1998; Coll. X.P. Wang; 1 ♀ (SB 1157), 1 s.a. ♀ (SB 1158), AMNH.
Revised diagnosis (see also diagnosis for ancoralis -group above). Males similar to P. ancoralis in having tegulum (T) broadest basally. Distinguished from P. ancoralis by the longer embolus (E) and the narrower conductor (C) exhibiting a large base (CB) (Figs 23a–c). Males also similar to P. laos sp. nov., namely in having a large CB. Distinguished from P. laos sp. nov. by the smaller and less voluminous CB and the shorter E. Females similar to P. laos sp. nov. in shape of median septum (MS) and general shape of vulva. The latter with short and initially complicatedly curved copulatory duct (CD) and helical spermathecal section (Figs 24b, 25d). Distinguished by the lower helical spermathecal section of vulva with less than three windings (Fig. 24b) and by the distance between the two fields of epigynal muscle sigilla (EM), which, —in contrast to P. laos sp. nov. — is clearly longer than the width of MS.
Description. Male (both legs I lost):
Body and eye measurements. Carapace length 6.3, carapace width 4.5, anterior width of carapace 2.4, opisthosoma length 7.4, opisthosoma width 2.9. Eyes: AME 0.36, ALE 0.42, PME 0.43, PLE 0.42, AME–AME 0.13, AME–ALE 0.07, PME–PME 0.20, PME–PLE 0.32, AME–PME 0.45, ALE–PLE 0.37, clypeus height at AME 0.68, clypeus height at ALE 0.67.
Cheliceral furrow with three promarginal and five retromarginal teeth.
Measurements of palp and legs. Leg formula: 1423. Palp: 8.2 [2.8, 1.3, 1.3, 2.8]; Legs: II 44.8 [12.7, 2.6, 11.1, 12.3, 6.1], III 30.8 [8.1, 2.1, 7.3, 8.1, 4.2], IV 46.6 [12.8, 2.4, 11.6, 13.1, 6.7].
Spination. Palp: 131, 110, 1101 (prolateral and ventral one very small); legs: femur II 556, III 555, IV 556; patella II–IV 000; tibia II 3038, III 3134, IV 3035; metatarsus II–IV 3035.
Palpal femur without modification (Fig. 23d), similar to the one of P. ancoralis.
Copulatory organ (see also diagnosis and general description for ancoralis -group). Flange of C bent retrolaterad to ventrad. Basal section of T retrolaterally with small bulge (Figs 23b,c). Palpal tibia with very flat ventral bulge (Figs 23a,c).
Female: (Measurements of SB 818 from Tai Po Kau first, those of SB 819 in parentheses).
Body and eye measurements. Carapace length 5.8 (7.7), carapace width 3.8 (4.8), anterior width of carapace 2.3 (3.0), opisthosoma length 8.2 (10.0), opisthosoma width 4.1 (5.2). Eyes: AME 0.37 (0.39), ALE 0.43 (0.43), PME 0.43 (0.43), PLE 0.42 (0.43), AME–AME 0.18 (0.18), AME–ALE 0.06 (0.06), PME–PME 0.21 (0.21), PME–PLE 0.30 (0.30), AME–PME 0.50 (0.50), ALE–PLE 0.34 (0.34), clypeus height at AME 0.98 (1.17), clypeus height at ALE 0.88 (1.03).
Cheliceral furrow with three promarginal and five retromarginal teeth.
Measurements of palp and legs. Leg formula: 1423. Palp: 7.2 (8.6) [2.4 (2.9), 1.1 (1.3), 1.3 (1.6), 2.4 (2.8)]; Legs: I 38.1 (45.9) [10.1 (12.5), 2.5 (3.0), 10.6 (13.0), 9.8 (11.7), 5.1 (5.7)], II 29.9 (35.9) [8.3 (10.0), 2.2 (2.9), 8.0 (9.5), 7.5 (9.0), 3.9 (4.5)], III 21.8 (25.3) [6.4 (7.5), 1.7 (2.1), 5.4 (6.2), 5.4 (6.3), 2.9 (3.2)], IV 31.4 (36.8) [9.0 (10.5), 2.1 (2.5), 8.0 (9.5), 7.9 (9.3), 4.4 (5.0)].
Palpal claw with 14 (14) teeth.
Spination. Palp: 131{141} (131), 110 (110), 1101 (1101), 1014 (1014); legs: femur I 566 (557), II 556 (556) III–IV 555 (555); patella I–IV 000 (000); tibia I–II 3038 (3038), III 3134 (3134), IV 3136 (3134); metatarsus I–III 3035 (3035), IV 3034 (3034).
Copulatory organ (see also diagnosis and general description of ancoralis -group). Epigyne without epigynal field (Fig. 24a, 88b). Lateral margins of MS anteriorly strongly curved. MS showing two, curved longitudial ridges posterior to the copulatory openings (CO) (Fig. 24a).
Colouration of male and female (see also description for ancoralis -group and Psechrus). Median bands on carapace serrated. Lateral bands rather narrow (almost diameter of PME) and slightly serrated. Light longitudinal line ventrally on opisthosoma continuous and narrow. If measured centrally on opisthosoma, its width is ca. 1/3 the width of one half of the cribellum.
Variation of copulatory organs. The two, curved longitudial ridges posterior to the CO in SB 818 less distinct (Fig. 88b).
Remarks: There is a possibily that the males and females examined herein and in Wang and Yin (2001) may not be conspecific, as the recorded localities of the two type specimens were not exactly the same (see synonymic list above); however it is much more likely that they are conspecific because the female of P. laos sp. nov. (a very closely related species) shows the same basic structure in vulva and the shorter E in the males of P. rani, in comparison to those of P. laos sp. nov., would fit in the shorter helical spermathecal section in the vulvae of female P. rani.
Although the types of P. rani were not available for examination, the males and females examined in the present study were identified as such, as they match the illustrations of P. rani in Wang and Yin (2001). This does not apply to their illustration of male palp in retrolateral view (see Wang and Yin 2001, fig. 14). It is likely that this illustration does not reflect the real situation (for that concern see also discussion in Bayer and Jäger 2010, p. 73).
Distribution. China, Vietnam (Fig. 96).
description: Published as part of Bayer, Steffen, 2012, The lace-sheet-weavers — a long story (Araneae: Psechridae: Psechrus), pp. 1-170 in Zootaxa 3379 (1) on pages 50-52, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3379.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6039832