Rhopalopsole shennongjia Yang & Du 2025, sp. nov.

2.1.1. Rhopalopsole shennongjia Yang & Du, sp. nov. 2.1.1.1. Male. Body length: 6.2–6.3 mm, forewings length: 6.6–6.8 mm, and hindwings length: 4.1–4.3 mm. Head dark brown; wider than pronotum; ocelli pale brown; antennae and palpi light brown; pronotum brown, quadrate, with all angles rounded; legs dark brown; and wings hyaline with veins light brown (Figure 1). Tergum 9 weakly sclerotized, with a wide, incised anterior margin that is more poorly sclerotized medially with a distinct transverse ridge medially in lateral view. Sternum 9 basally long, 1X longer than width, with subcircular vesicle bearing dense hairs. Tergum 10 bearing a big central plate that is evenly sclerotized. Transverse plates roughly oval with apical setae. Lateral projections of tergum 10 originating as a rounded base and extending upwards and backwards in a short plate, ending in a forked process, with the lower point slightly larger. Epiproct short, not tapering appreciably along its course, ending in a shallow wavy process. Subanal lobes medium sized, narrow at base, expanding distally, and then narrowing to the end. Cercus hairy and upcurved, without spines (Figures 2 and 3). 2.1.1.2. Female. Subgenital plate, heavily sclerified, produced into a tongue-like extension with a rounded tip. Sternum 8 with a pair of subtriangular plates is separated by a large membranous area (Figure 4). 2.1.1.3. Type of Materials. Holotype: male, China: Hubei Province, Shennongjia Forestry District, Muyu Town, 787 m, 31.396181N, 110.479157E, 2024-IV-20, leg. Yang Xiao and Zhu Ya-Fei. Paratypes: 2 males and 3 females, same data as holotype. The specimens are deposited in ICYZU. 2.1.1.4. Etymology. This new species is named after its type locality. 2.1.1.5. Diagnosis and Remarks. Rhopalopsole shennongjia sp. nov. is a member of the Rhopalopsole dentata Sivec and Harper, 2008, west group as proposed by Sivec, Harper, and Shimizu [14], with tergum 10 of the adult male possessing a central plate with lateral bars strongly sclerotized, lateral projections typically ending in a forked process, epiproct simple and thick, and subanal lobes typical of this group. The new species is very similar to R. basinigra Yang & Yang, 1995. The males of R. shennongjia sp. nov. and R. basinigra share the similar shape of subanal lobes and the shape of the lateral projections of tergum 10. In R. shennongjia, the epiproct is short, not tapering along its course; and the tergum 9 is weakly sclerotized, with a wide, incised anterior margin that is more poorly sclerotized medially. However, in R. basinigra, the tergum 9 has a distinct sclerotized area in the center; the end of epiproct is hook like.

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2025-03-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15420152
Primary Topic
Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies
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article
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article

Rhopalopsole shennongjia Yang & Du 2025, sp. nov.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies
article

Rhopalopsole shennongjia Yang & Du 2025, sp. nov.

article en

Abstract

2.1.1. Rhopalopsole shennongjia Yang & Du, sp. nov. 2.1.1.1. Male. Body length: 6.2–6.3 mm, forewings length: 6.6–6.8 mm, and hindwings length: 4.1–4.3 mm. Head dark brown; wider than pronotum; ocelli pale brown; antennae and palpi light brown; pronotum brown, quadrate, with all angles rounded; legs dark brown; and wings hyaline with veins light brown (Figure 1). Tergum 9 weakly sclerotized, with a wide, incised anterior margin that is more poorly sclerotized medially with a distinct transverse ridge medially in lateral view. Sternum 9 basally long, 1X longer than width, with subcircular vesicle bearing dense hairs. Tergum 10 bearing a big central plate that is evenly sclerotized. Transverse plates roughly oval with apical setae. Lateral projections of tergum 10 originating as a rounded base and extending upwards and backwards in a short plate, ending in a forked process, with the lower point slightly larger. Epiproct short, not tapering appreciably along its course, ending in a shallow wavy process. Subanal lobes medium sized, narrow at base, expanding distally, and then narrowing to the end. Cercus hairy and upcurved, without spines (Figures 2 and 3). 2.1.1.2. Female. Subgenital plate, heavily sclerified, produced into a tongue-like extension with a rounded tip. Sternum 8 with a pair of subtriangular plates is separated by a large membranous area (Figure 4). 2.1.1.3. Type of Materials. Holotype: male, China: Hubei Province, Shennongjia Forestry District, Muyu Town, 787 m, 31.396181N, 110.479157E, 2024-IV-20, leg. Yang Xiao and Zhu Ya-Fei. Paratypes: 2 males and 3 females, same data as holotype. The specimens are deposited in ICYZU. 2.1.1.4. Etymology. This new species is named after its type locality. 2.1.1.5. Diagnosis and Remarks. Rhopalopsole shennongjia sp. nov. is a member of the Rhopalopsole dentata Sivec and Harper, 2008, west group as proposed by Sivec, Harper, and Shimizu [14], with tergum 10 of the adult male possessing a central plate with lateral bars strongly sclerotized, lateral projections typically ending in a forked process, epiproct simple and thick, and subanal lobes typical of this group. The new species is very similar to R. basinigra Yang & Yang, 1995. The males of R. shennongjia sp. nov. and R. basinigra share the similar shape of subanal lobes and the shape of the lateral projections of tergum 10. In R. shennongjia, the epiproct is short, not tapering along its course; and the tergum 9 is weakly sclerotized, with a wide, incised anterior margin that is more poorly sclerotized medially. However, in R. basinigra, the tergum 9 has a distinct sclerotized area in the center; the end of epiproct is hook like.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Yangzhou University (CN)
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 41%
Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies
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