Asceua nangunhe Zhang & Zhang, 2025

Asceua nangunhe Zhang & Zhang sp. nov.

Figures 3‒5 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 , 15 View FIGURE 15

Type material. Holotype ♂ (MHBUARA-2024-925-1), CHINA: Yunnan, Gengma Dai and Wa Autonomous County, Gengma Town , 23.6433°N, 99.3860°E, 1954.0 m elev., 5 November 2024, leg. X. Guo, C. Liu. GoogleMaps Paratype. 1♀ (MHBUARA-2024-925-2), same data as holotype GoogleMaps .

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality, Nangunhe National Nature Reserve; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. The male of this species resembles Asceua calciformis Li, Liu & Peng, 2022 in having a trifurcate VTA, a whip-like embolus and a strip-like conductor (see Li, Liu & Peng, 2022: 57, figs 2A‒F), but can be distinguished by: 1) the presence of a triangular spine on embolus ( Figs 4A View FIGURE 4 , 5A View FIGURE 5 , vs. smooth, without spine in A. calciformis ); 2) retrolateral branch of VTA shorter than the other two branches ( Figs 4C View FIGURE 4 , 5C View FIGURE 5 , vs. the median branch being the shortest in A. calciformis ); 3) the top-forked RTA ( Figs 4C View FIGURE 4 , 5C View FIGURE 5 , vs. base-forked RTA in A. calciformis ); 4) a hook-shaped DTA ( Figs 4C View FIGURE 4 , 5C View FIGURE 5 , vs. without DTA in A. calciformis ); 5) the beak-shaped median apophysis ( Figs 4B View FIGURE 4 , 5B View FIGURE 5 , vs. shoe-shaped, divided into two rami). The female resembles A. cingulata (Simon, 1905) in having an anteromedial, sclerotized, oval plate and the long, slender, tortuous copulatory ducts (see Sankaran, 2023: 382, figs 1E, 4D‒F, 5E‒F), but differs from the latter by: 1) the mid-positioned copulatory opening ( Figs 4D View FIGURE 4 , 5D View FIGURE 5 , vs. anterior positioned in A. cingulata ); 2) epigyne with both an oval and a triangular, sclerotized plate ( Figs 4D View FIGURE 4 , 5D View FIGURE 5 , vs. only an oval plate in A. cingulata ); 3) tubular spermatheca concealed beneath the copulatory duct, only partially visible in dorsal view ( Figs 4E View FIGURE 4 , 5E View FIGURE 5 , vs. globular, fully visible in dorsal view in A. cingulata ).

Description. Male ( holotype, Figs 3A‒B View FIGURE 3 ): total length 3.73; carapace 1.89 long, 1.57 wide; abdomen 1.84 long, 1.50 wide. Carapace brown, with a V-shaped dark patch anterior to fovea, radial grooves and fovea distinct. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.06, ALE 0.08, PME 0.09, PLE 0.11; AME‒AME 0.08, AME‒ALE 0.07, ALE‒ ALE 0.26, PME‒PME 0.13, PME‒PLE 0.16, PLE‒PLE 0.51, ALE‒PLE 0.12. MOA 0.38 long, anterior width 0.13, posterior width 0.30. Clypeus 0.60 high. Chelicera brown, with two promarginal teeth and without retromarginal teeth. Endite and labium yellowish brown, triangular. Sternum 0.85 long, 0.91 wide, featuring pale yellow center and brown margins. Legs yellow. Leg measurements: Ⅰ 6.26 (1.62, 0.54, 1.62, 1.60, 0.88), II 5.26 (1.47, 0.59, 1.21, 1.26, 0.73), III 5.15 (1.48, 0.58, 1.11, 1.39, 0.59), IV 7.20 (1.84, 0.57, 1.66, 2.22, 0.91); leg formula 4123. Abdomen oval, dorsum grey, anterior portion with two pairs of light spots and two chevron-shaped strips medially, posterior portion with three light spots medially and two irregular light spots on each side.

Palp ( Figs 4A‒C View FIGURE 4 , 5A‒C View FIGURE 5 ). VTA trifurcate, branches with bluntly rounded tips. RTA bifurcate, ventral branch triangular, retrolateral branch twisted and ribbon-like. DTA hook shaped. Median apophysis rostrum-shaped, with a forward pointing tip. Conductor membranous, strap-like, with a triangular projection at base. Embolus slender and whip-like, with a spine locating at 1/3 position from base.

Female ( paratype, Figs 3C–D View FIGURE 3 ): total length 4.05; carapace 2.07 long, 1.48 wide; abdomen 1.98 long, 1.55 wide. Carapace brown, with a V-shaped dark patch in median portion, radial grooves and fovea distinct. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.08, ALE 0.08, PME 0.12, PLE 0.12; AME‒AME 0.07, AME‒ALE 0.08, ALE‒ALE 0.30, PME‒PME 0.12, PME‒PLE 0.19, PLE‒PLE 0.61, ALE‒PLE 0.12. MOA 0.41 long, anterior width 0.13, posterior width 0.34. Clypeus 0.61 high. Chelicerae brown, cheliceral teeth as in male. Endites and labium yellowish brown, triangular. Sternum 0.90 long, 0.92 wide, pale yellow, edge slightly darker. Legs yellow. Leg measurements: Ⅰ 5.63 (1.54, 0.52, 1.33, 1.39, 0.85), II 4.62 (1.32, 0.53, 0.99, 1.10, 0.68), III 4.87 (1.32, 0.57, 1.04, 1.29, 0.65), IV 6.81 (1.71, 0.61, 1.48, 2.07, 0.94); leg formula 4132. Abdomen oval, dorsum brown, patterns as in male.

Epigyne ( Figs 4D‒E View FIGURE 4 , 5D‒E View FIGURE 5 ). Epigyne with a sclerotized oval plate and a roughly triangular sclerotized plate anteriorly. Copulatory openings situating medially at posterior margin of triangular plate. Tubular copulatory ducts with multiple windings. Spermathecae tubular, partially covered by copulatory ducts in dorsal view. Fertilization ducts crescent-shaped.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 15 View FIGURE 15 ).