Nesticella arcuata Liu & Li, 2013, new species
Creators: name: Liu, Jie
name: Li, Shuqiang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Nesticidae
Nesticella
Nesticella arcuata

description: Nesticella arcuata new species
Figs 5–8, 39
Type material: Holotype male, 5 male and 40 female paratypes, CHINA: Yunnan Province, Xundian County, Hekou Town, unnamed Cave (25º35.760´N, 103º19.618´E, Altitude: 1936 m, Air Temperature: 14ºC, Air Humidity: 85%), 5 April 2007, Yucheng Lin & Jie Liu leg.
Etymology: The species name is taken from the Latin adjective arcuatus (“bent like a bow”) and refers to the arc-shaped margin of the palpal terminal apophysis of this species.
Diagnosis: The new species is similar to Nesticella songi Chen and Zhu, 2004 in having a similar paracymbium with five branches and similar vulva structure, but can be distinguished from the latter by the following characters: 1, the proximal apex of terminal apophysis is sharp in N. arcuata, but blunt in N. songi; 2, proximal branch of the dorsal process of the paracymbium is close to the cymbium in N. arcuata, but is widely separately from the cymbium in N. songi; 3, the scape of the epigynum is lingulate in N. songi, but is significantly short in N. arcuata; 4, the vulva is longer than wide in N. songi, but is as long as wide in N. arcuata (Figs 5–8).
Description. Male (holotype): Total length 2.52. Prosoma length 1.24, width 1.12; Opisthosoma length 1.28, width 1.28. Eye measurements: AME 0.06; ALE 0.07; PME 0.08; PLE 0.09; AME-AME 0.02; AME-ALE 0.04; ALE-PLE 0.02; PME-PME 0.10; PME-PLE 0.04. Clypeus height 0.27. Leg formula: I, IV, II, III; leg measurements: I: 6.24 (1.84, 0.48, 1.72, 1.48, 0.72); II: 4.6 (1.32, 0.4, 1.12, 1.12, 0.64); III: 3.72 (1.24, 0.28, 0.88, 0.88, 0.44); IV: 5.44 (1.72, 0.36, 1.4, 1.32, 0.64). Somatic characters see Fig. 8 B. Palpal tibia short, with three trichobothria. Paracymbium short, with five branches; ventral process having two branches, proximal one slightly higher than distal one, close to each other; dorsal process having three branches, the two distal branches close to each other, the proximal branches close to cymbium. Terminal apophysis developed, with two apexes, the proximal apex strongly sharp, the distal apex blunt, the margin between these two apexes arc-shaped. Conductor simple, long, trapeziform distally. Embolus filiform, semicircular (Figs 5 A–B, 6A–B, E, 7).
Female (paratype): Total length 3.04. Prosoma length 1.24, width 1.16; Opisthosoma length 1.68, width 1.96. Eye measurements: AME 0.06; ALE 0.09; PME 0.08; PLE 0.09; AME-AME 0.02; AME-ALE 0.04; ALE-PLE 0.01; PME-PME 0.11; PME-PLE 0.06. Clypeus height 0.28. Leg formula: I, IV, II, III; leg measurements: I: 5.92 (1.6, 0.44, 1.76, 1.44, 0.68); II: 4.88 (1.48, 0.4, 1.24, 1.16, 0.6); III: 3.72 (1.16, 0.36, 0.8, 0.9, 0.52); IV: 5.12 (1.72, 0.32, 1.32, 1.12, 0.64). Somatic characters see Fig. 8 A. In ventral view, epigynum with a significantly short scape; copulatory openings originating at lateral sides of the scape. Vulva as long as wide; copulatory ducts extending from copulatory openings to the spermathecae, with about three coils; spermathecae global, situated anteriorly and laterally (Figs 5 C, 6C–D, 8C–E).
Distribution: Known only from type locality (Fig. 39).
description: Published as part of Liu, Jie & Li, Shuqiang, 2013, New cave-dwelling spiders of the family Nesticidae (Arachnida, Araneae) from China, pp. 501-547 in Zootaxa 3613 (6) on page 511, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3613.6.1, http://zenodo.org/record/248267