Mutatus tianyan Mu, Wang, Zhang & Zhang, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Mu, Yannan
name: Wang, Luyu
name: Zhang, Feng
name: Zhang, Zhisheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Araneae
Phrurolithidae
Mutatus
Mutatus tianyan

description: Mutatus tianyan sp. nov.
Chinese name: 天燕幻蛛 Figs 5, 6, 8
Type material.
Holotype: China • ♂ Hubei province: Shennongjia Forest District, Tianyan Primitive Ecotourism Area; 31°43'16"N, 110°28'31"E, elev. 1871 m, 14 June 2023, Z. S. Zhang, Y. J. Cai leg. Paratype: • 7 ♀, with same data as holotype.
Etymology.
This specific name is derived from the type locality; a noun in apposition.
Diagnosis.
See the diagnosis of M. tujia sp. nov.
Description.
Male (holotype, Fig. 5 A, B). Total length 3.18, carapace 1.59 long, 1.35 wide; abdomen 1.59 long, 1.05 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.09, PME 0.08, PLE 0.09; AME – AME 0.06, AME – ALE 0.02, ALE – ALE 0.24, PME – PME 0.08, PME – PLE 0.08, PLE – PLE 0.40, ALE – PLE 0.06. EAW 0.52, CRW 0.74, EAW / CRW 0.70. CRW / CW 0.55. MOA 0.22 long, anterior width 0.19, posterior width 0.25. Clypeal height 0.15, CH / AME 2.14. Labium 0.21 long, 0.25 wide. Sternum 0.96 long, 0.91 wide. Carapace oval, cervical groove inconspicuous. Sternum, labium, and endite brown, without pattern. Abdomen brown, smooth, with large dorsal scutum covering almost entire abdomen. Legs brown.
Palp (Fig. 6 A – D). Femoral apophysis (FA) well developed, thumb-shaped, located at middle part. Patella longer than tibia, as half the length of femur. Tibia longer than wide, with 2 apophyses, retroventral apophysis (RvTA) tail-shaped, tapering towards tip; retrolateral apophysis (RTA) strong, longer and wider than retroventral apophysis, tip curved ventrally in dorsal view. Bulb pyriform, sperm duct (SD) distinct, V-shaped. Prolateral tegular apophysis (PTA) originating at nearly 9 o’clock position, slightly curved, tip truncated. Tegular sheet (TS) spade-shaped, anterior part large and wide, posterior part small, tongue-shaped. Embolus (E) needle-like, tapering towards tip.
Female (one of paratype, Fig. 5 C, D). Total length 4.02, carapace 1.55 long, 1.44 wide; abdomen 2.47 long, 1.56 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.10, PME 0.07, PLE 0.10; AME – AME 0.05, AME – ALE 0.02, ALE – ALE 0.24, PME – PME 0.08, PME – PLE 0.06, PLE – PLE 0.37, ALE – PLE 0.06. EAW 0.52, CRW 0.75, EAW / CRW 0.69. CRW / CW 0.52. MOA 0.22 long, anterior width 0.19, posterior width 0.25. Clypeal height 0.14, CH / AME 2.00. Labium 0.21 long, 0.25 wide. Sternum 0.96 long, 0.91 wide. Other characters as for male, except dorsal scutum absent, color lighter and body slightly larger.
Epigyne (Fig. 6 E, F). Epigynal plate slightly sclerotized, with a pair of atria, a clavate protuberance located at middle part of lateral margin of atrium. Median septum (MS) dumbbell-shaped. Copulatory openings (CO) slit-like, inconspicuous, located at anterior of atrium. Copulatory ducts (CD) straight, indistinct. Connecting tubes (CT) shorter than copulatory ducts. Bursae (B) small, almost rectangular, translucent. Glandular appendages (GA) mastoid-shaped. Spermathecae (S) clavate, separated by median septum. Fertilization ducts (FD) located at posterior of spermathecae.
Measurement of legs:
Spination of legs:
Distribution.
Known only from the type locality.
description: Published as part of Mu, Yannan, Wang, Luyu, Zhang, Feng & Zhang, Zhisheng, 2025, Mutatus gen. nov., a new genus of Phrurolithidae (Arachnida, Araneae) from China, with descriptions of four new species, pp. 121-137 in ZooKeys 1226 on pages 121-137, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1226.137752