Lysiteles conflatus Tang, Yin, Peng, Ubick & Griswold, 2008, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Tang, Guo
name: Yin, Chang-Ming
name: Peng, Xian-Jin
name: Ubick, Darrell
name: Griswold, Charles
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Thomisidae
Lysiteles
Lysiteles conflatus

description: Lysiteles conflatus sp. nov.
Figs 4 a–l, 21
Type material: Holotype: male, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Tengchong County, Jietou Township, Datang Village, Daheling, Ganjiao [N25.75720°, E098.69459°], 2078 m, 16 May 2006, Xian-Jin Peng, Xin-Ping Wang and Peng Hu.
Paratypes: Tengchong County: 3 Ψ, same data as holotype (HNU-PWH 06051607); 5 Ψ, same locality and collectors as holotype, 2430 m, 17 May 2006 (CAS-PWH 06051702); 1 Ψ, same locality and collectors as holotype [N25.42018°, E098.40946°], 1878 m, 19 May 2006, Xian-Jin Peng, Xin-Ping Wang and Peng Hu (HNU-PWH 06051911); 1 ɗ, Mingguang Township, Zizhi Village, Cizhuhe [N25.45598°, E098.370226°], 2120 m, 21 May 2006, Chang-Min Yin and Jia-Fang Hu (CAS-YHY0903). Lushui County: 2 Ψ, Pianma Township, Chanyanhe [N25.99363°, E098.66651°], 2470 m, 14 May 2005, Charles Griswold (HNU- CGY10703).
Etymology. The specific name comes from the Latin conflatus, meaning swollen and referring to the shape of the embolus, adjective.
Diagnosis. The female of this species is similar to that of L. davidi Tang, Yin, Peng, Ubick & Griswold 2007 in having thick copulatory ducts, but can be separated from the latter by: having straight copulatory ducts (S-shaped in L. davidi) and opisthosoma dorsum with 3 pairs of triangular black markings (small black spots in L. davidi). The male resembles L. torsivus Zhang, Zhu & Tso 2006 (Figs 18) in having a long and thick embolus, but can be separated from the latter by: dorsal shield of prosoma with 2 pairs of longitudinal stripes (1 pair of wide stripes in L. torsivus); opisthosoma dorsum with 3 pairs of triangle black markings posteriorly (2 pairs of small stripes in L. torsivus); and left embolus twisting anticlockwise (clockwise in L. torsivus).
Description. Male (holotype): Total length 3.40. Prosoma 1.55 long, 1.45 wide; opisthosoma 1.85 long, 1.25 wide. Dorsal shield of prosoma yellow, with pairs of black paramedian and marginal stripes. Eye tubercles blackish brown with grayish white rim. ALE tubercles largest. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.10, ALE 0.23, PME 0.06, PLE 0.15; AME-AME 0.13, AME-ALE 0.12, PME-PME 0.24, PME-PLE 0.27; MOA 0.30 long, front width 0.38, back width 0.38. Sternum yellow with black margin. Chelicerae, gnathocoxae and labium brown. Legs brown with distal parts of tibiae grayish black, femora I with 0-1-1-1 prolateral spines, femora I–IV with 1-1-1-1 dorsal spines, tibiae and metatarsi I, II with 2 pairs of ventral spines, tibiae and metatarsi III, IV with 1 pair of ventral spines. Leg measurements: I: 5.00 (1.70, 1.80, 0.80, 0.70), II: 5.40 (1.90, 1.90, 0.90, 0.70), III: 3.50 (1.10, 1.20, 0.70, 0.50), IV: 4.00 (1.30, 1.40, 0.70, 0.60); formula 2, 1, 4, 3. Opisthosoma elongate oval, dorsum yellow with 4 pairs of black bilateral markings; venter gray with 2 longitudinal black spots.
Palp (Figs 4 d–g, j). Male palp with RTA and VTA, VTA digitiform and apically hooked, RTA transparent spatulate, apically pointed; bulb flat with a truncate apophysis; embolus thick and long, apex pointing dorsally.
Female (one of the paratypes, PWH 06051607): Total length 3.70. Prosoma 1.20 long, 1.20 wide; opisthosoma 2.30 long, 2.10 wide. Markings as in male, markings fainter than in male. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.08, ALE 0.19, PME 0.06, PLE 0.12; AME-AME 0.14, AME-ALE 0.11, PME-PME 0.22, PME-PLE 0.25; MOA 0.30 long, front width 0.32, back width 0.34. Leg measurements: I: 3.50 (1.00, 1.30, 0.70, 0.50), II: 3.90 (1.00, 1.50, 0.80, 0.60), III: 2.40 (0.70, 0.80, 0.50, 0.40), IV: 2.60 (0.80, 0.90, 0.50, 0.40); formula: 2, 1, 4, 3. Opisthosoma wider than in male, dorsal markings with more broken white spots than in male; venter gray with 2 longitudinal black spots; laterally with broken white spots.
Epigyne-vulva (Figs 4 h–i, k–l). Sclerotized plate large, copulatory ducts thick and long; spermathecae spherical, of same thickness as copulatory ducts.
Variation. Total length: males 3.30–3.40 (n = 2); females 3.50–3.80 (n = 11). The body pigmentation varies from grayish black to blackish although the markings are constant (Figs 4. a–c).
Distribution. China (recorded from Tengchong and Lushui Counties of Yunnan Province).
description: Published as part of Tang, Guo, Yin, Chang-Ming, Peng, Xian-Jin, Ubick, Darrell & Griswold, Charles, 2008, The crab spiders of the genus Lysiteles from Yunnan Province, China (Araneae: Thomisidae), pp. 1-41 in Zootaxa 1742 on pages 9-11, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.181540