Telema tortutheca Lin & Li, 2010, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Lin, Yucheng
name: Li, Shuqiang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Telemidae
Telema
Telema tortutheca

description: Telema tortutheca sp. nov.
Figs 16–17, 20
Type material: Holotype: male (IZCAS) from CHINA: Guangxi: Jinlun Cave (Alt.: 210 m; T.: 14˚C; H.: 90%), Yangyu Village, Guling Town, Mashan County [23º33.278΄N, 108º15.732΄E], 6 March 2007, J. Liu and Y.C. Lin leg. Paratypes: 18 males and 50 females (IZCAS), same data as holotype.
Etymology. The specific name derives from Latin “ tort- = tortuous” and “ theca = fecundation bursa”, and indicates to the strange shape of the female spermatheca.
Diagnosis. The new species is similar to T. dengi Tong & Li, 2008, but can be distinguished by the absence of eyes, the kidney-shaped pedipalpal bulb, the distinctly turnup embolus, the broader genital area, the asymmetrically contorted spermatheca and the larger body size.
Description. Holotype male. Total length 1.88. Prosoma 0.72 long, 0.64 wide. Sternum 0.45 long, 0.37 wide. Opisthosoma 1.10 long, 0.98 wide. Dorsal shield of prosoma yellow, pear-shaped, margins smooth, slightly elevated mesially, projected anteriorly. Eye absent. Chelicerae yellow, strong, longer than endites, fang furrow with 11 plumose setae, 2 large teeth and 3 granulous denticles on promargin, 4 small triangular denticles on retromargin. Sternum fused to labium, yellow, flat, covered with black long setae on surface. Legs yellow, patellae I–IV distally with a dorsal spine respectively, as well as on each tibia mesially, a row of retrolaterally short trichobothria on tibia I and II respectively. Leg measurements: I 6.79 (2.02, 0.26, 2.18, 1.50, 0.83); II 5.95 (1.82, 0.25, 1.88, 1.24, 0.76); III 4.45 (1.44, 0.23, 1.33, 0.88, 0.57); IV 5.31 (1.69, 0.24, 1.60, 1.16, 0.62). Leg formula: I-II-IV-III. Opisthosoma pale yellow, globose, with a pair of grayish spots ventrally.
Pedipalp extremely large. Tarsus longest, broad proximally, narrow distally, with a cymbial apophysis prolaterally. Femur longer than tibia, a dorsal thichobothrium on tibia mesially, patella equal to half of tibia in length. Pedipalpal bulb kidney-shaped, incurved anteriorly and outcurved posteriorly. Embolus relatively “complex” structure, arising from apex of pedipalpal bulb, broad proximally, two-double enwrapped vela composed of embolic tip.
Female. Total length 1.98. Prosoma 0.82 long, 0.66 wide. Sternum 0.48 long, 0.40 wide. Opisthosoma 1.12 long, 1.06 wide. Somatic coloration and modification similar to male. Chaetotaxy of legs as in male, tibial trichobothrium absent. Leg measurements: I 7.00 (2.14, 0.26, 2.20, 1.54, 0.86); II 6.14 (1.88, 0.26, 1.94, 1.28, 0.78); III 4.62 (1.52, 0.24, 1.36, 0.90, 0.60); IV 5.43 (1.76, 0.25, 1.60, 1.18, 0.64). Leg formula: I-II-IV- III. Colulus wider than long, covered densely long setae, with a small projection distally.
Genital area bears a row of long setae on postomargin anteriorly. Postomargin slightly sclerotized laterally, straight mesially. Another row setae on epigastric furrow posteriorly. Spermatheca strongly distorted, forms strange asymmetric shape distally.
Distribution. China (Guangxi) (Fig. 20).
description: Published as part of Lin, Yucheng & Li, Shuqiang, 2010, Long-legged cave spiders (Araneae, Telemidae) from Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, southwestern China, pp. 1-34 in Zootaxa 2445 on pages 26-29, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.195036