Abstract
Background
The spider genus Stiphropus Gerstaecker, 1873 currently includes 21 extant species that are distributed in Africa (12) and Asia (9). Four species, S.falciformus Yang, Zhu & Song, 2006, S.myrmecophilus Huang & Lin, 2020, S.ocellatus Thorell, 1887 and S.soureni Sen, 1964, are currently known from China.
New information
The mismatched female of S.falciformus is reported as a new species: S.qianlei sp. n. (♂♀). The unknown male of S.soureni Sen, 1964 is described for the first time. Photos and morphological descriptions are provided.
Keywords: diagnosis, new species, misidentification, taxonomic, myrmecophilous
Introduction
The crab spider family Thomisidae Sundevall, 1833 contains 171 genera and 2172 known species worldwide (World Spider Catalog 2023). The subfamily Stiphropodinae Simon, 1895 includes three genera: Stiphropus Gerstaecker, 1873, Stiphropella Lawrence, 1952 and Heterogriffus Platnick, 1976, which possess peg-like setae on the chelicerae (Benjamin 2011), Stiphropus with the type species S.lugubris Gerstaecker, 1873, described from east Africa, being one of its easily recognised taxa. The type species can be distinguished by the stout and fused metatarsus and tarsus with densely plumose hairs (Ono 1980).
Stiphropus currently comprises 21 species, distributed in Asia and Africa. Recently, a large number of new spider species have been reported from China (Li 2020, Li et al. 2021, Yao et al. 2021, Lu et al. 2022, Zhao et al. 2022), but Stiphropus is poorly studied in the region. Until now, only four species are known from China, three species are endemic, whereas S.ocellatus Thorell, 1887 is recorded from China, Myanmar and Vietnam (Sen 1964, Ono 1980, Yang et al. 2006, Zhu and Shan 2007, Huang and Lin 2020).
During the examination of Stiphropus specimens from China (Guizhou, Tibet and Yunnan), we found the undescribed male of S.soureni Sen, 1964 from Tibet and determined that the supposed female of S.falciformus Yang, Zhu & Song, 2006 described from Guizhou is mismatched and, in actuality, constitutes a new species: S.qianlei sp. n. is the new species and is closely allied with the ant species Aphaenogastersmythiesii (Forel, 1902). The goal of this paper is to provide description of this new species and the undescribed female of S.soureni.
Materials and methods
All specimens were preserved in 80% ethanol. The spermathecae were cleared in trypsin enzyme solution to dissolve non-chitinous tissues. Specimens were examined under a Leica M205C stereomicroscope. Photomicrographs were taken with an Olympus C7070 zoom digital camera (7.1 megapixels). Laboratory habitus photographs were taken with a Sony A7RIV digital camera, equipped with a Sony FE 90mm Goss lens. Photos were stacked with Helicon Focus® (Version 7.6.1) or Zerene Stacker® (Version 1.04) and processed in Adobe Photoshop CC2022®. The distribution map was generated with ArcGIS v. 10.2 (ESRI Inc.).
All measurements are in millimetres (mm) and were obtained with an Olympus SZX16 stereomicroscope with a Zongyuan CCD industrial camera. All measurements of body lengths do not include the chelicerae. Eye sizes are measured as the maximum diameter from either the dorsal or frontal view. Leg measurements are given as follows: total length (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). The type materials are deposited in the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing (IZCAS).
Abbreviations: AG accessory gland; ALE anterior lateral eye; AME anterior median eye; CD copulatory duct; CO copulatory opening; DTA dorsal tibial apophysis; E embolus; FD fertilisation duct; PLE posterior lateral eye; PME posterior median eye; S spermatheca; Tu tutaculum; VTA ventral tibial apophysis.
Taxon treatments
Stiphropus qianlei
Lin & Li, 2023 sp. n.
53C6E257-9DE3-586A-B36C-A64DE3F64437
3076D183-D5D6-40E4-A150-10CC5960F0B1
Materials
Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Hao Yu, Qianle Lu; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: A91C5F74-DF5B-507E-87FD-266101905E4F; Taxon: scientificName: Stiphropusqianlei; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Guizhou; county: Xiuwen; locality: Liutong Town, Weijiayakou; verbatimElevation: 1109 m; verbatimCoordinates: 27.09°N, 106.50°E; Identification: identifiedBy: Yejie Lin; dateIdentified: 2023; Event: year: 2022; month: 6; day: 5; habitat: ant nest; Record Level: institutionCode: IZCAS-Ar44580
Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Hao Yu, Qianle Lu; individualCount: 1; sex: female; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: A4F5873C-8D16-5E40-A9DE-635752986206; Taxon: scientificName: Stiphropusqianlei; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Guizhou; county: Xiuwen; locality: Liutong Town, Weijiayakou; verbatimElevation: 1109 m; verbatimCoordinates: 27.09°N, 106.50°E; Identification: identifiedBy: Yejie Lin; dateIdentified: 2023; Event: year: 2022; month: 6; day: 5; habitat: ant nest; Record Level: institutionCode: IZCAS-Ar44581
Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Hao Yu, Qianle Lu; individualCount: 1; sex: female; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 48F30C8A-7113-5C52-9CDF-1E915D45A80F; Taxon: scientificName: Stiphropusqianlei; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Guizhou; county: Xiuwen; locality: Liutong Town, Weijiayakou; verbatimElevation: 1109 m; verbatimCoordinates: 27.09°N, 106.50°E; Identification: identifiedBy: Yejie Lin; dateIdentified: 2023; Event: year: 2022; month: 7; day: 4; habitat: ant nest; Record Level: institutionCode: IZCAS-Ar44582
Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Hao Yu, Qianle Lu; individualCount: 1; sex: female; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 96767AD9-BDD2-57D4-AF88-2F745D5D219C; Taxon: scientificName: Stiphropusqianlei; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Guizhou; county: Xiuwen; locality: Liutong Town, Weijiayakou; verbatimElevation: 1109 m; verbatimCoordinates: 27.09°N, 106.50°E; Identification: identifiedBy: Yejie Lin; dateIdentified: 2023; Event: year: 2022; month: 7; day: 4; habitat: ant nest; Record Level: institutionCode: IZCAS-Ar44583
Description
Male (holotype). Total length 2.71; carapace 1.29 long, 1.12 wide, opisthosoma 1.55 long, 1.16 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.06, ALE 0.11, PME 0.02, PLE 0.09, AME–AME 0.07, AME–ALE 0.17, PME–PME 0.17, PME–PLE 0.26, AME–PME 0.07, ALE–PLE 0.13. Chelicerae with seven promarginal spines. Endites 3 times longer than wide. Leg measurements: I 3.13 (0.86, 0.56, 0.92, 0.79), II 3.12 (0.84, 0.92, 0.54, 0.82), III 2.29 (0.68, 0.79, 0.34, 0.48), IV 2.38 (0.71, 0.81, 0.37, 0.49).
Colouration (Fig. 5a). Carapace dark-brown, covered with long sparse brown setae, glaborous posteriorly. Endites and labium brown. Sternum yellowish-brown. Legs brown to dark-brown, covered with plumose setae, more obvious in metatarsi and tarsi. Opisthosoma brown, covered with scutum, with long, sparse brown setae. Spinnerets yellow.
Stiphropusqianlei sp. n. and S.soureni, habitus, dorsal view. A Male holotype; B Female paratype; C Male; D Female.
Figure 5a.
Stiphropusqianlei sp. n.;
Figure 5b.
S.soureni.
Palp (Fig. 1). Patella almost as long as tibia. Tibia with 2 apophyses, ventral tibial apophysis blunt, little curved; dorsal tibial apophysis as long as ventral tibial apophysis, terminal sharp. Cymbium almost as long as wide. Cymbium covered with sparse plumose setae at dorso-prolateral half. Tutaculum with two sub-triangular projections in ventral view. Tegulum crescent-shaped. Embolus falciform, wrinkled and rounded distally in retrolateral view, widest at the middle, originating from 11:30 o’clock position and its tip ending at 3:00 o’clock position, opening dorsally at tip.
Figure 1.
Stiphropusqianlei sp. n., holotype male. A Prolateral view; B Ventral view; C Retrolateral view. Abbreviations: DTA dorsal tibial apophysis; E embolus; Tu tutaculum; VTA ventral tibial apophysis.
Female (IZCAS-Ar44581). Total length 4.57; carapace 1.80 long, 1.45 wide, opisthosoma 2.64 long, 2.49 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.13, PME 0.02, PLE 0.13, AME–AME 0.09, AME–ALE 0.21, PME–PME 0.23, PME–PLE 0.34, AME–PME 0.13, ALE–PLE 0.16. Chelicerae with seven promarginal spines. Endites 3 times longer than wide. Leg measurements: I 3.73 (0.99, 1.07, 0.60, 1.07), II 3.85 (1.05, 1.14, 0.60, 1.06), III 3.06 (0.92, 1.06, 0.42, 0.66), IV 3.33 (1.02, 1.11, 0.53, 0.67).
Colouration (Fig. 5a). Similar to that of male, except paler and dorsal with two large muscle dots.
Epigyne (Fig. 2) raised near middle of the abdomen, with a transversal, sub-oval and wrinkled depression anteriorly, two creviced and arched copulatory openings located at sides of posterior margin of the wrinkled depression, touching each other. Copulatory ducts strongly sclerotised at parts next to ducts and almost as long as spermathecae. Spermathecae almost spherical, with irregularly distributed projections on the surface, spaced by less than 1 radius. Fertilisation ducts originated near mesal sides of spermathecae.
Figure 2.
Stiphropusqianlei sp. n., paratype female. A Epigyne, ventral view; B Vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: AG accessory gland; CD copulatory duct; CO copulatory opening; FD fertilisation duct; S spermatheca; Tu tutaculum.
Diagnosis
The male is similar to S.ocellatus Thorell, 1887 by the curved and wide embolus and long, terminal sharp dorsal tibial apophysis (see Ono 1980, figs. 22–27). However, the new species can be distinguished from S.ocellatus by the embolus strongly curved as C-shaped and widest at the middle [vs. no significant change in the width of the embolus in S.ocellatus (Ono 1980, figs. 22 and 25) and dorsal tibial apophysis pointed dorsally [vs. point anteriorly in S.ocellatus (Ono 1980, figs, 23, 24, 26 and 27). For diagnosis of females, see Li et al. (2010).
Etymology
The species is named after one of the collectors.
Distribution
China (Guizhou) (Fig. 7).
Figure 7.
Distribution records of Stiphropus species in Asia: 1 Stiphropusfalciformus; 2 S.myrmecophilus; 3 S.qianlei sp. n.; 4 S.ocellatus; 5 S.soureni. Brown circles shows the holotypes collection located.
Biology
All specimens were collected in two different nests of Aphaenogastersmythiesii (Forel, 1902). S.qianlei sp. n. can be classified as a myrmecophile or myrmecophage. The collectors did not search for S.qianlei sp. n. outside the ant nests, but evidence suggests that the discovery of S.qianlei sp. n. in ant nests is typical (Fig. 6).
Stiphropusqianlei sp. n., alive and host ant. Photos by Qianle Lu (A, B, C).
Figure 6a.
Holotype male;
Figure 6b.
Paratype female;
Figure 6c.
Holotype male with ant;
Figure 6d.
Host ant Aphaenogastersmythiesii.
Notes
The oval fan-shaped folds, the 90° folded copulatory duct and accessory gland point posteriorly show the females of S.falciformus in Li et al. (2010) are mismatched. Herein, we treated their female taxon as S.qianlei sp. n.
Compared material examined
Stiphropusfalciformus 1♂, CHINA: Yunnan: Xishuangbanna, Mengla County, Menglun Town, Menglun Nature Reserve, Guo Zheng leg.
Stiphropus soureni
Sen, 1964
F5DFFCB8-39ED-5026-9F0A-474197EB03D5
52RSZ
Materials
Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Shri S. Biswas; individualCount: 1; sex: female; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 80E3E6C2-C7B3-50D7-A130-DAD83EBB5051; Taxon: scientificName: Stiphropussoureni; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Tibet; county: Lhoka; locality: Cona City, Dalongzong, Morshing (Mursing) Village; verbatimCoordinates: 27.1644°N, 92.2161°E; Identification: identifiedBy: J. K. Sen; dateIdentified: 1964; identificationRemarks: not examined; Event: year: 1961; month: 9; day: 7; Record Level: institutionID: Zoological Survey India; institutionCode: Calcutta 2805/18
Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Zhuo Chen; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: BF77FA44-4378-5C82-A84E-78595BCA4025; Taxon: scientificName: Stiphropussoureni; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Tibet; county: Nyingchi; locality: Medog County, Jiangxin Village; verbatimCoordinates: 29.2001°N, 95.1246°E; Identification: identifiedBy: Yejie Lin; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: year: 2015; month: 8; day: 15; habitat: under bark; Record Level: institutionCode: IZCAS-Ar44584
Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Zhuo Chen; individualCount: 1; sex: female; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: BDBF7D3E-8D76-5E3F-A306-9739D018B9EA; Taxon: scientificName: Stiphropussoureni; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Tibet; county: Nyingchi; locality: Medog County, Jiangxin Village; verbatimCoordinates: 29.2001°N, 95.1246°E; Identification: identifiedBy: Yejie Lin; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: year: 2015; month: 8; day: 15; habitat: under bark; Record Level: institutionCode: IZCAS-Ar44585
Description
Male. Total length 3.43; carapace 1.59 long, 1.44 wide, opisthosoma 1.80 long, 1.85 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.05, ALE 0.07, PME 0.02, PLE 0.06, AME–AME 0.05, AME–ALE 0.11, PME–PME 0.13, PME–PLE 0.18, AME–PME 0.06, ALE–PLE 0.08. Chelicerae with seven promarginal spines. Endites 3 times longer than wide. Leg measurements: I 3.41 (0.84, 1.09, 0.58, 0.90), II 3.53 (0.92, 1.15, 0.59, 0.87), III 2.71 (0.79, 0.95, 0.44, 0.53), IV 2.71 (0.87, 0.87, 0.44, 0.53).
Colouration (Fig. 5b). Carapace dark-brown, covered with long sparse brown setae, glabrous posteriorly. Endites and labium dark-brown. Sternum brown. Legs dark-brown, covered with plumose setae, more obvious in metatarsi and tarsi. Opisthosoma orange, covered scutum, with long, sparse brown setae and seven obvious muscle dots. Spinnerets yellow.
Palp (Fig. 3). Patella almost as long as tibia. Tibia with two apophyses, ventral tibial apophysis blunt, little curved; dorsal tibial apophysis almost two times longer than ventral tibial apophysis, terminal sharp. Cymbium slightly longer than wide (1:1.2). Cymbium covered with sparse plumose setae at dorso-prolateral half, with a sub-triangular projection adjacent to the tutaculum in retrolateral view. Tegulum crescent-shaped. Embolus falciform, wrinkled, terminal sharp in ventral view, widest at the middle, originating from 11:30 o’clock position and its tip ending at 2:00 o'clock position.
Figure 3.
Stiphropussoureni, male. A Prolateral view; B Ventral view; C Retrolateral view. Abbreviations: DTA dorsal tibial apophysis; E embolus; Tu tutaculum; VTA ventral tibial apophysis.
Female. See Ono (1980) (Fig. 4 and Fig. 5b). Large scuta around the pair of largest muscle dots.
Figure 4.
Stiphropussoureni female. A Epigyne, ventral view; B Vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: AG accessory gland; CD copulatory duct; CO copulatory opening; FD fertilisation duct; S spermatheca; Tu tutaculum.
Diagnosis
The male is similar to that of S.ocellatus Thorell, 1887 by the curved embolus, terminal sharp and long, strong dorsal tibial apophysis (See Ono (1980), figs. 22–27). However, the new species can be distinguished from S.ocellatus by the embolus pointed to 1:30 o’clock position and its tip ending at 2:00 o'clock position [vs. pointed to 2:00 o’clock position and its tip ending at 3:00 o’clock position in S.ocellatus (Ono (1980), figs. 22 and 25) and dorsal tibial apophysis pointed prolaterally [vs. point anteriorly in S.ocellatus (Ono (1980), figs. 23, 24, 26 and 27). For the diagnosis of females, see Ono (1980). In habitus, S.soureni sp. n. with orange opisthosoma in male (Fig. 5b) (black in S.ocellatus).
Distribution
China (Tibet) (Fig. 7).
Biology
This species live under the bark of trees.
Notes
The male is described here for the first time.
Supplementary Material
Acknowledgements
Danni Sherwood (UK) checked English. Yanbin Yao (Fujian, China) helped examine Stiphropusfalciformus. Hao Yu (Guizhou, China), Qianle Lu (Guangdong, China) and Zhuo Chen (Beijing, China) helped in fieldwork. Qianle Lu (Guangdong, China) helped with photographs. Fengyuan Li was supported in part by the Postdoctoral Fellowship of Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences.
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