Gongylidioides ensis 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
Gongylidioides
Gongylidioides ensis

description: Gongylidioides ensis Irfan, Zhang & Peng, sp. n.
(剑ä圆be)
Figures 88–90, 307, 312
Types. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Hubei Prov.: Xuanen Co., Zhang Tanhe Township, Mahuping Vill., 29.97436°N, 109.582645°E, 509 m, 05.V.2016, W. Liu et al. leg. Paratypes: 9♀, with same data as for holotype; Chongqing: 2♂ 2♀, Nanchuan Co., Dayou Town, 28.99736°N, 107.33591°E, 1021 m, 13.VIII.2015, X.J. Peng et al. leg. (HNU–CQ– IV–1508).
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin noun “ensis ” meaning “sword” and referring to the sword-shaped retrolateral tibial apophysis in ventral view in male palp.
Diagnosis. The male of Gongylidioides ensis sp. n. resembles that of G. microdontus sp. n. in having the similar disc-shaped radix and the long, sclerotized, helical-shaped embolus (Figs 88A–D; Figs 91A–D), but can be distinguished by the tibia with a sword-shaped reterolateral tibial apophysis in ventral view in G. ensis sp. n. (Figs 88B–D), vs. reterolateral tibial apophysis Lshaped, retrodorsal margin with teeth in G. microdontus sp. n. (Figs 91B–D); retrodorsal tibial apophysis present in G. ensis sp. n. (Figs 88B–D), vs. absent in G. microdontus sp. n. (Figs 91B–D); suprategular membrane slightly curved, almost equal to the apex of cymbium in G. ensis sp. n. (Figs 88A, B, D), vs. tongue-shaped tapering towards tip, extending above to the apex of cymbium in G. microdontus sp. n. (Figs 91A, B, D). Female of G. ensis sp. n. resembles those of G. microdontus sp. n. with long copulatory ducts forming pair of large round loops anteriorly and the dorsal plate resembles those of G. microdontus in epigyne (Figs 89A–C; Figs 92A–D; Tu & Li, 2006, fig. 2J), and can be distinguished by the copulatory ducts forming two loops before joining the spermathecae in G. ensis sp. n. (Figs 89B–D), vs. forming one loop before joining the spermathecae in G. microdontus sp. n. (Figs 92C–E); spermathecae pointing towards the posterior end in G. ensis sp. n. (Figs 89B, C), vs. pointing towards the anterior end of the epigyne in G. microdontus sp. n. (Figs 92B, C).
Description. Male (holotype, Figs 90A, B): Total length: 1.87. Carapace 0.84 long, 0.70 wide, cephalic region elevated with cephalic pits, ocular quad narrow, yellow brown, fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.25 high. Chelicerae with five promarginal and six retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, yellowish brown with microsetae. Eyes: AER recurved, PER straight, slightly wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.05, ALE 0.07, PME 0.07, PLE 0.07, AME–AME 0.03, PME–PME 0.05, AME–ALE, 0.02, PME–PLE 0.04, AME–PME 0.05, ALE–ALE 0.27, PLE–PLE 0.32, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 3.11 (0.85, 1.06, 0.69, 0.51), II 2.74 (0.79, 0.89, 0.63, 0.43), III 2.3 (0.67, 0.74, 0.52, 0.37), IV 3.09 (0.89, 0.99, 0.73, 0.48). Tibial spine formula: 2-2-1-1. TmI 0.29 and TmIV 0.23. Opisthosoma 1.03 long, 0.60 wide, oval, dusky grey, mid–dorsally with black band, ventral side dusky grey with light green band.
Palp (Figs 88A–D): Femur unmodified, almost longer than both patella and tibia. Patella as long as tibia, slightly curved mesally. Tibia with one reterolateral and one dorsal trichobothria; reterolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) longer than wide; retrodorsal tibial apophysis (rDTA) sclerotized, longer than wide with serrated tip, longer than half the length of retrolateral tibial apophysis; dorsal tibial apophysis (DTA) tongue-shaped, with blunt end, covered with spines; cymbium unmodified, hoof-shaped; paracymbium (PC) sclerotized, J-shaped, apical tip hook-shaped; suprategular membrane (STM) transparent, tongue-shaped, longer than wide almost equal to the apex of cymbium; tegulum (T) with a transparent bifurcated protegulum (PT); distal suprategular apophysis (DSA) stout. Radix (R) sclerotized, disc-shaped; tailpiece long, slightly curved with blunt tip, pointing towards the basal margin of cymbium; lamella (L) translucent, tapering towards the tip; embolus (E) sclerotized, long, helical-shaped, extending above the apex of cymbium.
Female (one of paratype, Figs 90C, D): Total length: 2.06. Carapace 0.94 long, 0.72 wide, cephalic region slightly elevated, yellow brown, fovea, cervical and radial grooves distinct. Clypeus 0.21 high. Chelicerae with five promarginal and six retromarginal teeth. Sternum longer than wide, brown with microsetae. Eyes: AER recurved, PER straight, slightly wider than AER. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.05, ALE 0.07, PME 0.06, PLE 0.07, AME–AME 0.02, PME–PME 0.06, AME–ALE, 0.01, PME–PLE 0.04, AME–PME 0.05, ALE–ALE 0.27, PLE–PLE 0.32, ALE–PLE contiguous. Length of legs: I 2.82 (0.79, 0.96, 0.63, 0.44), II 2.66 (0.78, 0.87, 0.58, 0.43), III 2.25 (0.67, 0.71, 0.54, 0.33), IV 2.86 (0.84, 0.95, 0.67, 0.40). Tibial spine formula: 2-2-1-1. TmI 0.31 and TmIV 0.24. Opisthosoma 1.12 long, 0.69 wide, oval, dusky grey, dorsally with greenish black band, ventral side dusky grey with greenish black band.
Epigyne (Figs89A–D):Epigynal plate as long as wide; ventral plate (VP) wider than long; copulatory opening (CO) located in atrium ventro-mesally at the junction of dorsal and ventral plate; dorsal plate (DP) somewhat heart-shaped, slightly depressed posteriorly; copulatory ducts (CD) long, extend anteriorly than curve back as a loop to spermathecae; spermathecae (S) globular, present posterolaterally, spaced by six diameters; fertilization ducts (FD) short, extending mesally.
Distribution. Known only from the type localities (Chongqing and Hubei Province, Figs 307, 312).
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 67-70, DOI: 10.11646/megataxa.15.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14985176