Yunohamella jiugongensis Zhong & Zhong & Zhang & Liu & Liu & Chen & Hu 2025, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Zhong, Rui
name: Zhong, Yang
name: Zhang, He
name: Liu, Jie
name: Liu, Changyong
name: Chen, Kuai
name: Hu, Changhao
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Theridiidae
Yunohamella
Yunohamella jiugongensis

description: Yunohamella jiugongensis (Liu & Zhong, 2023) comb. nov.
Figs 5, 6, 10
Cryptachaea jiugongensis Liu and Zhong in Liu et al. 2023: 98, figs 1 A – F, 2 A – E.
Type material
(examined). Holotype • male: China, Hubei Province: Xianning City, Jiugongshan National Nature Reserve, Yunzhonghu scenic spot; 29.39 ° N, 114.65 ° E; elev. 1230 m; 27 June 2021; Yang Zhong, Feng Lu, Han Dong & Jiangwei Zheng leg. (HUST, ZY 2024001). Paratypes • 2 females, same data as holotype (HUST, ZY 2024002).
Diagnosis.
For males, see the above diagnosis under Y. mohorovicici sp. nov. Males of Y. jiugongensis comb. nov. are also similar to those of Y. palmgreni (compare Fig. 5 C – E with Marusik and Tsellarius 1986: figs 1, 2) in having an n-shaped sperm duct on the tegulum and a thick embolus, but Y. jiugongensis comb. nov. can be distinguished from Y. palmgreni by the following: conductor arising from the retrolateral part of the tegulum at the 2 o’clock position; and embolus curved (vs conductor arising from the retrolateral part of tegulum at the 12 o’clock position and embolus straight in Y. palmgreni). Females of Y. jiugongensis comb. nov. are similar to those of Y. serpatusa (Guan & Zhu, 1993) (compare Fig. 6 C, D with Esyunin and Efimik 1996: figs 3–5) in having a blunt scapus and the copulatory ducts almost as long as the diameter of the spermathecae, but Y. jiugongensis comb. nov. can be distinguished from Y. serpatusa by the parallel copulatory ducts (vs not parallel in Y. serpatusa). Females of Y. jiugongensis comb. nov. are also similar to those of Y. yunohamensis (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) (compare Fig. 6 C – D with Yoshida 2003: figs 233, 234) in having a scapus and copulatory ducts almost as long as the diameter of the spermathecae, but Y. jiugongensis comb. nov. can be distinguished from Y. yunohamensis by having an obtuse scapus and straight, parallel copulatory ducts (vs scapus with two rounded ends and copulatory ducts curved and not parallel in Y. yunohamensis).
Redescription.
Male, measurements: total length 1.77. Carapace 0.88 long, 0.76 wide. Abdomen 0.89 long, 0.77 wide. Eyes: AME 0.10, ALE 0.06, PME 0.08, PLE 0.07, AME – AME 0.06, AME – ALE 0.03, PME – PME 0.06, PME – PLE 0.02, ALE – PLE 0.02. Measurements of legs [legs I and IV missing]: II 3.36 (0.86, 0.30, 0.79, 0.93, 0.48), III 2.14 (0.67, 0.20, 0.38, 0.55, 0.34).
Carapace light brown, with black radial furrow. Sternum shaped like an inverted triangle and light brown. Chelicerae, labium, and endites brown. Legs yellow to orange. Abdomen black, with long hairs; dorsum with a grey longitudinal mark and some white spots; posterior dorsum with grey transverse marks; median band of ventral abdomen darker than the other bands. Spinnerets orange (Fig. 5 A, B).
Subtegulum bowl-shaped. Tegulum with a narrow prolateral part and a large retrolateral part; retrolateral part with a thin area that holds embolic base; sperm duct narrowly n-shaped; tegulum with a sharp, tooth-like apophysis in ventral view. Median apophysis and tegular apophysis triangular in ventral view. Conductor sclerotized, with knife-shaped end. Embolus corn-like, thick, and curved (Fig. 5 C – E).
Female, measurements: total length 3.53. Carapace 1.32 long, 1.16 wide. Abdomen 2.21 long, 1.81 wide. Eyes: AME 0.11, ALE 0.11, PME 0.09, PLE 0.12, AME – AME 0.07, AME – ALE 0.06, PME – PME 0.07, PME – PLE 0.06, ALE – PLE 0.02. Measurements of legs: I 7.90 (2.30, 0.42, 2.31, 2.09, 0.78), II 4.85 (1.45, 0.38, 1.22, 1.23, 0.57), III 3.08 (0.87, 0.26, 0.75, 0.66, 0.54), IV 5.56 (1.56, 0.53, 1.29, 1.51, 0.67). Leg formula: I-IV-II-III.
Carapace brown, with median band of carapace lighter than the rest of the carapace. Sternum brown. Abdomen light grey; dorsum with irregular black marks; posterior-lateral part of genital groove with black transverse bands, a rounded and two triangular black marks located around spinnerets. Other characters of habitus as for male (Fig. 6 A, B).
Epigyne with a blunt scape; copulatory openings located medially at scape. Copulatory ducts straight and parallel, almost as long as diameter of spermathecae. Spermathecae spherical. Fertilization ducts thin, long, almost ½ diameter of spermathecae, and arising posteriorly from spermathecae (Fig. 6 C, D).
Natural history.
This species inhabits bushes.
Comments.
The justification for the removal of Y. jiugongensis comb. nov. from Cryptachaea is supported by its distinct differences from diagnostic characteristics for Cryptachaea, particularly the median apophysis attached to the embolus and the absence of a tegular apophysis, a defining character for the genus Cryptachaea (Yoshida 2008; Rodrigues and Poeta 2015). In contrast, the male palp of Y. jiugongensis comb. nov. exhibits the presence of tegular apophysis. The species is placed into Yunohamella based on similarities of the palpal structures, specifically conductor conjugated with a large tegulum (Fig. 5 C – E). This species also shares similarities in the epigynal structures with Yunohamella, specifically the presence of a blunt scapus (Fig. 6 C, D), as well as similarities in the dark abdomen (Figs 5 A, B, 6 A, B). Consequently, we transfer C. jiugongensis from Cryptachaea to Yunohamella as a new combination.
Distribution.
Known only from the type locality (Fig. 10).
description: Published as part of Zhong, Rui, Zhong, Yang, Zhang, He, Liu, Jie, Liu, Changyong, Chen, Kuai & Hu, Changhao, 2025, Taxonomic notes on the genus Yunohamella Yoshida, 2007 (Araneae, Theridiidae) from China, with two new species, pp. 69-85 in ZooKeys 1224 on pages 69-85, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1224.138987