Vacrothele fuyuanensis Zheng, Zhao & Yang, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zheng, Yu-Lin
name: Zhao, Yu
name: Yang, Zi-Zhong
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Macrothelidae
Vacrothele
Vacrothele fuyuanensis

description: Vacrothele fuyuanensis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6BB2A5D4-A6CF-4519-A87E-C667EC182C41
Figs 1–4
Diagnosis
The new species is similar to V. pseudohunanica Tang et al., 2022 in having the conical spines dorsally on palpal tibia and the embolus of the same shape, but males can be distinguished by the following characters: palpal tibia with 13 short spines visible in dorsal view (vs 7 short spines on the palpal tibia); relatively large bend in the middle of the embolus (vs relatively small bend). Females of V. fuyuanensis sp. nov. can be differentiated from V. pseudohunanica by copulatory duct extending flatly from the middle to the distal end (vs copulatory duct curved from the middle to the distal end).
Etymology
The specific epithet refers to the type locality.
Material examined
Holotype
CHINA • ♂; Yunnan Province, Qujing City, Fuyuan County; 25°33′3′′ N, 104°17′58′′ E; 1914 m a.s.l.; 2 Aug. 2021; Yong-Ming You, Li-Jun Ding, Xiao-Liang Gu leg.; DUIER, Specimen No. YN-VA-20210802001.
Paratypes
CHINA – Yunnan Province • 1 ♂; same data as for holotype; DUIER, Specimen No. YN-VA-20210802002 • 3 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; YN-VA-20210802003 to YN-VA-20210802005 • 1 ♂; Qujing City, Yingshang Town, Xiaojiagou; 25°28′45′′ N, 104°17′37′′ E; 1910 m a.s.l.; 31 Jul. 2021; Yong-Ming You, Li-Jun Ding, Xiao-Liang Gu leg.; DUIER, Specimen No. YN-VA-20210731001 • 4 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; DUIER, Specimen No. YN-VA-20210731002 to YN-VA-20210731005.
Description
Male (holotype Figs 2–3)
MEASUREMENTS. Total length: 13.15 (not including chelicerae and spinnerets): cephalothorax 5.55 long, 4.68 wide; abdomen 7.40 long, 5.29 wide (Fig. 2A).
PROSOMA. Carapace hirsute, dark chestnut and grey. Fovea transverse. Dorsal view with both eyes concave. Labium brown, with ca 87 cuspules; maxillae 1.80 long, cuspules area 1.10 long. Sternum black, with three pairs of sigilla (Fig. 2B).
EYES. Eyes sizes and inter-distances: AME 0.27, ALE 0.40, PME 0.18, PLE 0.25; ALE–AME 0.14, AME–AME 0.18, ALE–PLE 0.21, PLE–PME 0.10, PME–PME 0.59. Eye group 1.01 long, 1.54 wide.
CHELICERAE. Black brown, with 11 stout promarginal teeth and 11 small teeth plus 20 tiny basomesal teeth (Fig. 2D).
PALP. Palpal tibia with 13 stout dorsal spines (Fig. 3A–C). Embolus thick and long, tapering from base to end, flared at end, length 3.72 (Fig. 3D–G).
LEGS. Brown, with numerous spines. Leg I: NPFS 1; NPPS 2; NPTS 1, NRTS 2, NVTS 5; NPMS 1, and NVMS 16; NPTaS 3 and NRTaS 4. Leg II: NPFS 1; NPPS 2; NPTS 1, NVTS 4 (Fig. 2E); NPMS 1, NVMS 6; NPTaS 5, NRTaS 4, with 3 claws. Leg III: NRPS 1, NRPS 1; NPTS 2, NRTS 2, NDTS 2, NVTS 7; NVMS 8, NPMS 4, NRMS 3; NPTaS 4, NRTas 5. Leg IV: NPFS 1; NPPS 2, NRPS 1; NPTS 3, NRTS 2, NVTS 9, NDTS 1; NPMS 3, NRMS 2, NDMS 1, NVMS 9; NPTaS 7, NRTaS 6. Measurement of legs: I 13.44 (3.19, 1.36, 3.43, 3.67, 1.79); II 13.84 (3.62, 1.47, 3.42, 3.76, 1.57); III 14 (3.13, 1.34, 3.77, 3.89, 1.87); IV 14.2 (3.37, 1.40, 3.94, 3.79, 1.70). Leg formula: 4321.
SPINNERETS. PMS white; PLS slenderness, basal, distal end white; PMS 2.23 long, 0.48 wide; PLS 11.79 long (3.39, 3.62, 4.78); PMS–PMS 1.33 (Fig. 2C).
Female (Fig. 4)
MEASUREMENTS. Total length 11.21 (not including chelicerae and spinnerets), cephalothorax 5.35 long, 4.65 wide; abdomen 8.60 long, 6.32 wide (Fig. 4A).
EYES. Eyes sizes and inter-distances: AME 0.24, ALE 0.39, PME 0.26, PLE 0.38; AME–AME 0.25, ALE–AME 0.16, ALE–PLE 0.25, PME–PME 0.62, PLE–PME 0.17. Eye group 0.94 long, 1.79 wide.
CHELICERAE. Chelicerae brownish, with 11 stout internal teeth, basomesally with 20 tiny teeth, with 11 smaller external teeth (Fig. 4B).
LEGS. Brown, with numerous spines. Leg I: NVMS 5; NPTaS 5, NRTaS 4. Leg II: NPTS 1, NVTS 2; NPMS 5, NRMS 6; NPTaS 5, NRTaS 4. Leg III: NPPS 2, NRPS 2; NPTS 3, NRTS 2, NDTS 1, NVTS 2; NVMS 6, NPMS 5, NRMS 2, NDMS 2; NPTaS 5, NRTaS 6. Leg IV: NPPS 2, NRPS 1; NPTS 2, NRTS 2, NVTS 2; NPMS 3, NRMS 4, NVMS 8, NDMS 3; NPTaS 9, NRTaS 6. Measurement of legs: I 11.64 (2.85, 1.58, 3.01, 2.97, 1.23); II 11.79 (2.98, 1.39, 2.85, 3.10, 1.47); III 12.25 (2.78, 1.30, 3.35, 3.68, 1.14); IV 12.61 (2.97, 1.74, 3.33, 2.97, 1.60). Leg formula: 4321.
SPERMATHECAE. Receptacula finger-like. Copulatory ducts broad at base, gradually tapering posteriorly (Fig. 4C).
SPINNERETS. PMS white; PLS slenderness, distal end white. PMS 1.97 long, 0.43 wide; PLS 6.44 long (2.27, 1.92, 2.25); PMS–PMS 1.72
Natural history
The spiders primarily inhabit existing rock crevices or caves, dirt slopes, and under leaf litter along highways.
Distribution
Qujing, Yunnan Province, China
description: Published as part of Zheng, Yu-Lin, Zhao, Yu & Yang, Zi-Zhong, 2025, Description of three new species of genus Vacrothele (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Macrothelidae) from China with notes on two taxonomic amendments, pp. 92-107 in European Journal of Taxonomy 976 (1) on pages 95-98, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2025.976.2779, http://zenodo.org/record/14834010