Pseudopoda oliviformis Zhang, Jager & Liu 2023
Creators: name: Zhang, Jianshuang
name: Pan, Tianqin
name: Zhang, He
name: Xing, Yuanqian
name: Yu, Hao
name: Zhong, Yang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Sparassidae
Pseudopoda
Pseudopoda oliviformis

description: Pseudopoda oliviformis Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023
Figs 1, 12, 13, 14, 15, 28 C
Pseudopoda oliviformis Zhang, Jäger & Liu, in Zhang et al. 2023 a: 210, figs 191 A, C, 192 A, B (♀).
Holotype.
♀ (CBEE, LJ 2140), China: • Yunnan Pro.: Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Luechun Co., Martyr Cemetery, 22.99 ° N, 102.45 ° E, c. 1934 m, by hand, 30 X 2015, Y. Zhong & Y. Zhu leg. Examined.
New material examined.
• 2 ♂, 2 ♀ (YNZY 011, YNZY 012, YNZY 015, YNZY 016), same locality as holotype, by hand, 15 IV 2024, Y. Zhong & S. Yang leg.
Diagnosis.
Both sexes of P. oliviformis resemble those of P. zixiensis Zhao & Li, 2018 in the general shape of the male palp, the epigynal plate, and vulva. The palps of the two species share the similarly shaped embolus (E), which has a torsional tip, and the finger-like dorsal branch of RTA (dRTA), but differ in the following: (1) ventral branch of RTA (vRTA) subtriangular, apex sharp in retrolateral view (vs. humble and broad, with a blunt apex) (cf. Fig. 13 B and Jiang et al. 2018: fig. 34 C); (2) retrolateral rim of embolus (E) distinctly curved in ventral view (vs. almost straight) (cf. Figs 12 A, 13 A, B, 14 A – C and Jiang et al. 2018: figs 35 A, B); (3) embolic projection absent (vs. present) (cf. Figs 12 A, 13 A, 14 B and Jiang et al. 2018: figs 34 B, 35 A). Female resembles P. zixiensis in having the similarly shaped lateral lobes (LL) and the spherical spermathecae (S), but can be recognised by: (1) anterior band (AB) and anterior margin of epigynal field (aEF) indistinct (vs. both distinct) (cf. Fig. 15 A, B and Jiang et al. 2018: fig. 36 A); (2) posterior margins of lateral lobes (pmLL) with distinct posterior incision (PI) on each side, respectively (vs. PI absent) (cf. Fig. 15 A, B and Jiang et al. 2018: fig. 36 A); (3) spermathecae (S) surface smooth, without coiling ducts embedded (vs. surface wrinkled, with coiling ducts embedded) (cf. Fig. 15 C and Jiang et al. 2018: fig. 36 B).
Description.
Male (YNZY 011). Total length 8.4. Carapace 4.3 long, 4.4 wide; anterior width 2.3. Opisthosoma 4.1 long, 2.6 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.21, ALE 0.34, PME 0.27, PLE 0.32, AME – AME 0.13, AME – ALE 0.05, PME – PME 0.26, PME – PLE 0.32, AME – PME 0.34, ALE – PLE 0.30, CH AME 0.42, CH ALE 0.33. Spination: palp: 131, 101, 2101; Fe: I – III 323, IV 321; Pa: I – IV 101; Ti: I – II 2026, III – IV 2126; Mt: I – II 1014, III 2026, IV 3036. Measurements of palp and legs: palp 5.9 (2.0, 1.0, 1.1, 1.8), I 19.1 (5.0, 2.0, 5.2, 5.1, 1.8), II 20.2 (5.5, 2.0, 5.5, 5.2, 2.0), III 16.1 (4.6, 1.7, 4.1, 4.2, 1.5), IV 18.4 (5.3, 1.6, 4.5, 5.2, 1.8). Cheliceral furrow with ~ 42 denticles.
Colouration in ethanol (Fig. 14 D, E). DS yellowish white, with numerous indistinct, irregularly shaped patches; lateral bands and margin slightly darker, relatively smooth, sparsely covered with hairs; median band bright yellowish, with distinct Ψ-shaped markings starting from behind PME, almost reaching reddish fovea; fovea and radial furrows distinctly marked. Cheliceral base coloured as DS, cheliceral fang red. Sternum mainly yellowish, with two pairs of indistinct dots located at lateral parts. Endites and labium yellowish, slightly darker on inner margin. Legs coloured as DS, with numerous black spots, and bearing short spines. OS oval; dorsum anteriorly with nearly ‘ ⨅ ‘ - shaped bright region, centrally with indistinct ‘ ⚲ ’ - shaped median band, posteriorly with large ‘) (‘ - shaped black pattern located on both sides of median band, distally marked with more or less semicircular transverse yellow band; venter of OS centrally with inverted trapezoidal black patch.
Palp (Figs 12, 13, 14 A – C, 28 C). Femur and patella unmodified. Tibia (Ti) moderately long, ca. 2 / 3 cymbium length, with retrolateral apophysis (RTA) arising mesially; RTA bifurcated, with ventral part (vRTA) and dorsal branch (dRTA): dRTA ɔ-shaped in retrolateral view, curved and tapering, ca. 2 / 5 of tibia length, extending to cymbial base; vRTA represented by a distinctly short triangular lamina, ca. 1 / 3 length of dRTA, apex sharp. Cymbium (Cy) distinctly slender, ca. 2.7 × longer than wide, cymbial bulge (CB) indistinct. Tegulum (T) oval, ca. 1.35 × longer than wide, relatively flattened, proximally slightly bulged and prolapsed, slightly excavated on prolatero-apical side to accommodate embolus (E) and conductor (C); spermophor (Sp) sinuate, not distinct, oriented clockwise along the margin of the tegulum (T). Embolus (E) nearly Ƨ-shaped in ventral view, ca. 2 / 3 of tegulum length; embolic base (EB) situated meso-prolaterally on the tegulum (T) (approximately the 9 o’clock position); mesially broadened and flattened, nearly 1 / 2 of tegulum width; embolic tip (ET) distinctly narrowed, with subterminal torsion and distal beak-shaped bend, apex sharp, terminated at ~ 11 o’clock position. Conductor (C) membranous, irregularly shaped, inserted apically (at approximately 11–12 o’clock position relative to the tegulum).
Female (YNZY 012). Total length 10.5. Carapace 4.3 long, 4.0 wide, anterior width 2.4. Opisthosoma 6.2 long, 4.8 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.21, ALE 0.34, PME 0.27, PLE 0.33, AME – AME 0.18, AME – ALE 0.07, PME – PME 0.28, PME – PLE 0.35, AME – PME 0.32, ALE – PLE 0.31, CH AME 0.40, CH ALE 0.35. Spination: palp: 131, 101, 2121, 1014; Fe: I – III 323, IV 321; Pa: I – IV 101; Ti: I – IV 2126; Mt: I – II 2024, III – IV 3036. Measurements of palp and legs: palp 5.6 (1.7, 0.9, 1.2, 1.8), I 15.2 (4.3, 1.9, 3.9, 3.7, 1.4), II 16.7 (4.8, 2.1, 4.3, 4.0, 1.5), III 13.6 (4.3, 1.8, 3.1, 3.2, 1.2), IV 14.7 (4.6, 1.4, 3.5, 4.0, 1.2). Cheliceral furrow with ~ 46 denticles. Colouration in ethanol as in males, but body slightly darker (Fig. 15 D, E; see Zhang et al. (2023 a) for others described).
Epigyne (Fig. 15 A – C). Epigynal field ca. 1.17 × wider than long; anterior margin (aEF) indistinct, trilobate, anterolaterally with two large U-shaped incisions that are well separated by ca. one width; anterior bands (AB) indistinct. Median field (MF) nearly fan-shaped, large, ca. 1 / 2 epigyne length and 2 / 3 epigyne width; anterior margin invisible, posteriorly with a circular patch anterior to lateral lobes (LL) with special surface structure of cuticle. Lateral lobes (LL) distinctly longer than wide; anterior margins (amLL) slightly recurved, almost straight, forming the letter ‘ V’; median margins (mmLL) entirely touching each other along the middle line; posterior margins (pmLL) ‘ ∧ ’ - shaped, with distinct posterior incision (PI) on each side, respectively. Copulatory openings (CO) indistinct, located at basolateral borders of median field (MF). First windings (FW) membranous, tubular, slightly curved; starting from copulatory openings (CO), descending obliquely, then connecting with spermathecae at mid length of epigyne. Spermathecae (S) spherical, not subdivided, widely separated by ca. 1.5 diameters. Membranous sac (MS) large, nearly disc-shaped, located at posterior portion of vulva; anterior margin distinctly recurved, ca. 3 / 4 epigyne width, separated from epigastric fold by ca. 1 / 2 epigyne length, reaching cross point of anterior margins of lateral lobes (amLL); posterior margin distinctly procurved, as long as anterior margin, separated from epigastric fold by ca. 1 / 6 epigyne length. Fertilization ducts (FD) hyaline, slightly curved, relatively long, nearly 1 / 2 epigyne width; arising at central axis of vulva, extending laterally, terminating at lateral margin of epigynal field.
Distribution.
Known only from the type locality (Fig. 1).
description: Published as part of Zhang, Jianshuang, Pan, Tianqin, Zhang, He, Xing, Yuanqian, Yu, Hao & Zhong, Yang, 2025, Species delimitation of newly collected spiders of the genus Pseudopoda (Araneae, Sparassidae) from Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, China: An integrated morphological and molecular approach, pp. 141-171 in Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (1) on pages 141-171, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.136177