Symphytognatha milleri Lin 2019, new species
Creators: name: Lin, Yucheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Symphytognathidae
Symphytognatha
Symphytognatha milleri

description: Symphytognatha milleri new species (Figs 1–3)
Type material. Holotype ♀ and paratype 1♂ (subadult) (NHMSU), CHINA: Yunnan Province, Nujiang Prefecture, Gongshan County, Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Dulongjiang Town, Qinlangdang Village, near to Habang Waterfall, primary subtropical broadleaf deciduous forest, in leaf litter, 27.67934°N, 098.27291°E; 1205 m, 14.VIII.2018, Y.C. Li, Y. Li, Y.F. Shu & Y.C. Lin leg.
Etymology. Patronymic in honor of Dr. Jeremy A. Miller (Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Netherlands), in recognition of his outstanding efforts in the study of Chinese symphytognathoid spiders.
Diagnosis. With the exception of S. globosa Hickman, 1931, S. blesti Forster & Platnick, 1977 and S. picta Harvey, 1992, the new species can be distinguished from other congeners by the presence of a vulval septum and coiled spermathecae (Fig. 2G). It differs from S. globosa and S. blesti by a fingerlike vulval septum (needlelike in S. globosa, absent in S. blesti), the wider spermatheca and the copulatory duct starts far from the base of vulval septum (starts at the base of the vulval septum in S. globosa, starts in the posteromarginal center of epigynum in S. blesti) (Fig. 2G vs. Hickman, 1931: fig. 6, plate 2; Forster & Platnick, 1977: figs 12, 13). Differs from S. picta by the long, fingerlike vulval septum (short, nearly triangular in S. picta), and the copulatory ducts starts far from the base of vulval septum (starts at the base of the vulval septum in S. picta) (Fig. 2G vs. Harvey, 1992: fig. 3).
Description. Female (Holotype). Measurements: Total length, not including chelicerae 0.84. Carapace 0.32 long, 0.30 wide, 0.28 high. Clypeus 0.08 high. Sternum 0.25 long, 0.21 wide. Abdomen 0.67 long, 0.62 wide, 0.68 high. Length of legs: I 0.74 (0.23, 0.09, 0.16, 0.11, 0.15); II 0.63 (0.20, 0.07, 0.13, 0.11, 0.12); III 0.53 (0.15, 0.07, 0.10, 0.08, 0.13); IV 0.91 (0.29, 0.10, 0.20, 0.15, 0.17). Leg formula IV-I-II-III. Somatic characters see Fig. 1 D–F, H. Coloration: body chestnut red, but light color spots on sternum and abdomen, legs pale yellow. Cephalic pars strongly elevated. Thoracic pars sloping abruptly. Six eyes subequal in size, and in three diads, PME separated, lateral eyes contiguous, PLE-PME separated by ca. 1.3x PME diameter. Clypeus ca. 1.2x PME, concave. Chelicerae bright brown, projected forward, suture visible (Figs 1H, 2C), with two paired long, needle teeth on promargin (Fig. 2B, C). Endites lack palp. Labium nearly rectangular, fused to sternum (Fig. 1E). Sternum slightly plump, anterior narrow and posterior wide, surface bears long setae, posteriorly truncated (Figs 1E, F, 2D). Multidentate superior claws on legs I and II, but edental claws on leg III and IV (Fig. 3 A–D). Abdomen nearly globular dorsally, covers with long setae, dorsally and ventrally with indistinct fuscous pattern (Fig. 1 D–F). Spinnerets pale brown, anteriors larger than posteriors. Colulus absent. Anal tubercle tiny, pale (Fig. 1E).
Epigynum (Fig. 2 D–G). Weakly sclerotized in posterior epigynal margin. Spermathecae twisted as Chinese doughnut. Copulatory ducts start at posterior margin of epigynum, almost run parallel to the fingerlike vulval septum. Short narrow fertilization ducts located at the bottom of spermathecae, on the outside of proximal copulatory ducts. Distal copulatory ducts membranous, translucent, connected with the outer laterals of spermathecae.
Male (subadult). Somatic characters as in Fig. 1 A–C, G. Deeper color than in female. Palpal details unknown.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality.
description: Published as part of Lin, Yucheng, 2019, First report of the spider genus Symphytognatha from Asia (Araneae, Symphytognathidae), pp. 291-295 in Zootaxa 4638 (2) on pages 291-294, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4638.2.8, http://zenodo.org/record/3337751