Heteropoda taygiangensis, Zhang & Hoang & Lei, 2025

Heteropoda taygiangensis sp. nov.

Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 , 3 View Figure 3 , 7 View Figure 7

Type material.

Holotype male: Vietnam • Quang Nam Province: Tay Giang District , 15.8377°N, 107.3819°E, elevation 1353 m, 23 July 2019, Quang Duy Hoang leg. ( MHU, LJ 20240068 ) GoogleMaps . Paratype: • 1 male, same locality data as holotype, collected on 18 July 2024, Quang Duy Hoang leg. ( MHU, LJ 20240069 ) GoogleMaps .

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the type locality, the Tay Giang District; adjective.

Diagnosis.

Males of H. taygiangensis sp. nov. resemble that of H. hainanensis Korai & Jäger, 2024 in having a similar shape of the tegulum and embolus, but can be distinguished from the latter by: (1) Conductor long, narrow, and distally curved in ventral view (Fig. 1 A – C, E View Figure 1 ) (broader and slightly more rounded distally in H. hainanensis , see fig. 5 A in Korai and Jäger 2024 b); (2) spermophor slightly curved in distal tegular half (Fig. 1 B View Figure 1 ) (obviously bent in distal tegular half in H. hainanensis , see fig. 5 A in Korai and Jäger 2024 b); and (3) dRTA significantly wide, bent inward, and blunt-tipped, presenting a short and pointed projection, directed ventrally (Fig. 1 B – D View Figure 1 ) (narrow, bent outward and pointed tip, without any projection in H. hainanensis, Korai and Jäger 2024 b : figs 5 A, 6 B).

Description.

Male (holotype): Measurements: Medium-sized. TL 10.4, PL 5.6, PW 5.2, OL 4.8, OW 3.2. Eyes: AME 0.25, ALE 0.45, PME 0.31, PLE 0.47, AME – AME 0.20, AME – ALE 0.14, PME – PME 0.37, PME – PLE 0.25, AME – PME 0.27, ALE – PLE 0.42, CH AME 0.44, CH ALE 0.33. Spination: Pp 131, 100, 2121; Fe I 123, II – III 323, IV 33 (4) 1; Pa I – II 101, III – IV 001; Ti I – IV 2226, III – IV 2126; Mt I – II 1014, III 2014, IV 3036. Measurements of palps and legs: Palp 7.5 (3.0, 1.6, 0.7, -, 2.2); I 22.5 (5.9, 2.4, 6.4, 5.8, 2.0); II 24.2 (6.5, 2.6, 7.3, 6.1, 1.7); III 18.5 (5.0, 2.2, 5.3, 4.8, 1.2); IV 20.2 (5.4, 1.8, 5.5, 5.6, 1.9). Leg formula: II-I-IV-III. Cheliceral furrow with 3 promarginal, 4 retromarginal teeth and ca. 42 denticles.

Palp (Fig. 1 A – E View Figure 1 ): As in diagnosis. RTA arising distally on tibia, vRTA in retrolateral view with rounded hump. Cymbium almost two times as long as Ti. Conductor long, beyond cymbial margin. Spermophor strongly curved close to the base of conductor. Embolus arising from tegulum in 4: 00 o’ clock position, filiform and almost forming a semicircular in ventral view.

Colouration (Fig. 2 A, B View Figure 2 ): DS reddish brown, with dense black hairs in the posterior part. Fovea and radial marks distinct. OS dorsally with four dark round marks, regularly arranged in the median field, and with a dark transverse line in posterior part. OS ventrally yellow, with lots of reddish-brown spots, irregularly arranged.

Female: Unknown.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality (Fig. 7 View Figure 7 ).

Notes.

To date, four Heteropoda species from Vietnam are known only from females: H. altmannae Jäger, 2008 from Ca Mau Province in southern Vietnam; H. ignichelis ( Simon, 1880) from Sai Gon, southern Vietnam; H. pressula Simon, 1886 from Bachiou (= Ba Chieu?), Sai Gon, Vietnam; and H. zuviele Jäger, 2008 from northern Vietnam ( Simon 1880, 1886; Jäger 2008). The newly described species, H. taygiangensis sp. nov., is represented by male specimens and could potentially be conspecific with one of these species, which are known only from females. However, H. taygiangensis sp. nov. is found more than 500 km away from the known localities of H. altmannae , H. ignichelis , and H. zuviele . Heteropoda altmannae and H. ignichelis have only been recorded from their original localities, with no further records available. Although H. zuviele has been documented beyond its type locality, all known records are restricted to the north of the type locality. The type locality of H. pressula , “ Bachiou, ” remains uncertain. Simon (1886) repeatedly referred to it as a locality in Cambodia, but its exact location has not been verified. Because “ Bachiou ” cannot be confidently located in Cambodia, some subsequent authors ( Ono et al. 2012; Yamasaki et al. 2018; Seyfulina and Kartsev 2022) have suggested it may correspond to Ba Chieu, Sai Gon, Vietnam. Determining whether “ Bachiou ” lies in Vietnam or Cambodia requires further investigation, particularly through re-examination of the H. pressula type specimen. Therefore, we consider the new species, H. taygiangensis sp. nov. to be a separate species in the present study. To support future efforts to resolve this taxonomic ambiguity, we provide COI sequence data. Additionally, we constructed the first phylogenetic tree of the genus Heteropoda based on all currently available COI sequences (Fig. 3 View Figure 3 ).