Shaanxinus longiembolus Irfan, Zhang & Peng, sp. n.
Creators: name: Irfan, Muhammad
name: Zhou, Gu-Chun
name: Peng, Xian-Jin
name: Zhang, Zhi-Sheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Linyphiidae
Shaanxinus
Shaanxinus longiembolus

description: Shaanxinus longiembolus Irfan, Zhang & Peng, sp. n.
(ẗdọe)
Figures 218–221, 314, 315
Types. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Hubei Prov.: Badong Co., Yanduhe Town, Songziyuan Vill., 31.35278°N, 110.39937°E, 1836 m, 27.IV.2016, W. Liu et al. leg.; Paratypes: 1♂ 12♀, with same data as for holotype male; Hunan Prov.: 3♀, Zhangjiajie City, Wulingyuan District, Suoxiyu Town, Wenfeng Vill., 29.352935°N, 110.608325°E, 582 m, 23.IV.2016, W. Liu et al. leg.
Etymology. The species name is combination of the Latin adjective “lon g us”, meaning “long” and the noun “embolus” and referring to the long embolus.
Diagnosis. Shaanxinus longiembolus sp. n. resembles S. rufus and S. ovatus sp. n. in having the similar embolic division and the ocular region protruding forward (Figs 218A–D; Figs 219A–D; Tanasevitch 2006, figs 51–58), but can be distinguished by the anterior radical scaly part longer than wide, protruding above both of the anterior radical process and cymbium in S. longiembolus sp. n. (Figs 218A–C; vs. wider than long, retained below both of the anterior radical process and cymbium both in S. ovatus sp. n. and S. rufus); protegulum distinct with broad round tip and slightly overlapping the distal part of embolic division in ventral view in S. longiembolus sp. n. (Figs 218A–C; vs. protegulum indistinct both in S. ovatus sp. n. and S. rufus); paracymbium C-shaped in S. longiembolus sp. n. (Fig. 218B; vs. U-shaped both in S. ovatus sp. n. and S. rufus). The epigyne can be distinguished from the S. ovatus sp. n. by the shape of spermathecae and the positions of the copulatory openings in S. longiembolus sp. n. (Figs 220A–C; Figs 224A–C).
Description. Male (holotype, Figs 221A–C): Total length: 3.60. Carapace 1.61 long, 1.26 wide, yellow, cephalic region strongly elevated 0.46 high; ocular region protruding forward with thick setae; fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.53 high. Chelicerae with three promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, brownish grey with microsetae. Eyes: AER straight, PER straight. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.06, ALE 0.08, PME 0.07, PLE 0.08, AME–AME 0.11, PME–PME 0.11, AME–ALE, 0.06, PME–PLE 0.07, AME–PME 0.12, ALE–ALE 0.41, PLE–PLE 0.45, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 5.79 (1.58, 1.96, 1.47, 0.78), II 5.46 (1.55, 1.88, 1.34, 0.69), III 4.21 (1.23, 1.33, 1.08, 0.57), IV 5.15 (1.49, 1.61, 1.41, 0.64). Tibial spine formula: 2-2-2-2. TmI 0.82 and TmIV present. Opisthosoma 1.99 long, 1.20 wide, oval, dusky grey, dorsally with distinct black pattern.
Palp (Figs 218A–D, 219A–C): Femur unmodified, almost longer than patella and tibia. Patella shorter than tibia, ventrally grooved. Tibia with two reterolateral and onedorsal trichobothria, ventrally with long thick spines, prolateral tibial apophysis (PTA) somewhat triangular, slightly curved with blunt end; cymbium unmodified, retrolateral margin membranous, with a shallow depression at the base, broad at distal end; paracymbium (PC) distal arm tip bifurcated, lower margin wave-like in ventral view; tegulum (T) possess distinct transparent protegulum (PT), with round tip slightly overlapping the embolic division; distal suprategular apophysis (DSA) sclerotized, slightly curved at apex. Embolic division: Radix (R) somewhat triangular; anterior radical process (ARP) sclerotized with pointed end; anterior radical scaly (ARS) part longer than wide, protruding above both of the anterior radical process and cymbium; lateral extension of radix (LER) thumb-shaped, slightly curved, covering terminal part of embolus; tailpiece (TP) relatively sharp with pointed tip; embolic membrane (EM) absent; embolus (E) sclerotized, arch-shaped, terminal part ends in anterior radical process.
Female (one of the paratypes, Figs 221D–F): Total length: 3.66. Carapace 1.40 long, 1.12 wide, yellow, cephalic region slightly elevated; fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.29 high. Chelicerae with three promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, brownish grey with microsetae. Eyes: AER recurved, PER procurved, slightly wider. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.06, ALE 0.07, PME 0.07, PLE 0.08, AME–AME 0.06, PME–PME 0.08, AME–ALE, 0.04, PME–PLE 0.05, AME–PME 0.08, ALE–ALE 0.31, PLE–PLE 0.34, ALE–PLE 0.02. Length of legs: I 5.38 (1.54, 1.86, 1.34, 0.64), II 5.28 (1.49, 1.84, 1.32, 0.63), III 4 (1.21, 1.26, 102, 0.51), IV 4.96 (1.46, 1.61, 1.26, 0.63). Tibial spine formula: 2-2-2-2. TmI 0.84 and TmIV present. Opisthosoma 2.26 long, 1.33 wide, all the other morphological characters similar to the male.
Epigyne (Figs 219A–C): Ventral plate (VP) wider than long, covered with thick spines; dorsal plate (DP) somewhat oval, partly visible in ventral view. Copulatory openings (CO) present mid-ventrally at the junction of the dorsal and ventral plates; copulatory ducts (CD) with broad oval loop mid ventrally, posteriorly extending above the dorsal plate. Spermathecae (S) globular, present dorso-laterally, spaced by one and half times distance of their diameter; fertilization ducts (FD) large, extending mesally.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Hubei and Hunan Provinces, Figs 314, 315).
description: Published as part of Irfan, Muhammad, Zhou, Gu-Chun, Peng, Xian-Jin & Zhang, Zhi-Sheng, 2025, Survey of Linyphiidae spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from some Oriental Regions of China, pp. 1-248 in Megataxa 15 (1) on pages 168-169, DOI: 10.11646/megataxa.15.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14985176