Pseudopoda ying J. Zhang, H. Zhang & Y. Zhong, 2025

Pseudopoda ying J. Zhang, H. Zhang & Y. Zhong sp. nov.

Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 25 View Figure 25 , 26 View Figure 26 , 27 View Figure 27 , 28 G View Figure 28

Holotype.

♂ ( YNZY 007 ), China: • Yunnan Pro.: Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture: Pingbian Co., Daweishan National Park , 22.94 ° N, 103.70 ° E, c. 2365 m, by hand, 14 IV 2024, Y. Zhong & S. Yang leg. GoogleMaps Paratype: • 1 ♂ ( YNZY 026 ), same data as holotype GoogleMaps .

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the Chinese pinyin ‘ yìng ’, which means ‘ hard’, referring to the conductor heavily sclerotized and well developed; adjective.

Diagnosis.

Median-sized Sparassidae with body length of males 7.8 mm, belonging to the daliensis species group. Male of the new species can be easily distinguished from all other congroupers, with the exception of P. sicyoidea , by having similar palp with Ƨ-shaped, wide embolus (E), and broad ventral part of RTA (vRTA) with two distinct margins that resemble mountains, but can be distinguished by: (1) conductor (C) exhibits high degree of sclerotization (vs. membranous) (cf. Figs 25 A View Figure 25 , 26 A, B View Figure 26 , 27 A – C View Figure 27 and Zhang et al. 2017: 274, figs 13 A, 14 A); (2) embolic tip (ET) blunt, slightly curved, directing prolatero-distally, terminating at c. 12 o’clock position (vs. sharp and peak-shaped, distinctly curved, directing proximally, terminating at c. 10–11 o’clock position) (cf. Figs 25 A View Figure 25 , 27 B View Figure 27 and Zhang et al. 2017: 274, figs 12 A, 14 A).

Description.

Male ( YNZY 007). Total length 7.8. Carapace 3.9 long, 3.6 wide, anterior width 2.0. Opisthosoma 3.9 long, 2.4 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.28, ALE 0.35, PME 0.29, PLE 0.30, AME – AME 0.18, AME – ALE 0.07, PME – PME 0.24, PME – PLE 0.36, AME – PME 0.34, ALE – PLE 0.28, CH AME 0.34, CH ALE 0.28. Spination: palp: 131, 101, 2101; Fe: I – III 323, IV 321; Pa: I – IV 101; Ti: I – IV 2226; Mt: I – II 1014, III 2026, IV 3036. Measurements of palp and legs: palp 6.0 (2.1, 0.7, 1.1, 2.1) I 24.3 (7.7, 2.0, 6.7, 6.2, 1.7); II 28.0 (7.9, 2.7, 8.2, 7.1, 2.1); III 19.6 (5.7, 1.7, 5.5, 5.2, 1.5); IV 23.4 (7.3, 1.4, 6.2, 6.7, 1.8). Cheliceral furrow with ~ 26 denticles.

Colouration in ethanol (Fig. 27 D, E View Figure 27 ): DS yellowish brown, darker anteriorly and marginally; median band bright yellowish-brown, distinctly delimited to black lateral bands, with distinct Ψ-shaped markings starting from behind PER, almost reaching distinct fovea; fovea and radial grooves distinctly marked. Cheliceral base yellowish white, with red fangs. Sternum yellowish white, marked with numerous purplish spots. Endites and labium coloured as sternum. Legs dark yellowish-brown, with numerous brown spots, and covered by short spines. OS elongate-oval, dorsum anteriorly with median band, reaching 4 / 5 of abdomen length; median band consisting of cross-shaped anterior stripe and nearly square-shaped posterior stripe, the two stripes fused; ventral OS medially with V-shaped markings.

Palp (Figs 25 View Figure 25 , 26 View Figure 26 , 27 A – C View Figure 27 , 28 G View Figure 28 ). Femur and patella unmodified. Tibia (Ti) relatively short, ca. 2 / 5 cymbium length, with retrolateral apophysis (RTA) arising proximally to mesially; RTA subdivided, with ventral part (vRTA) and dorsal part (dRTA): dRTA basally wide, mesially and distally narrowed, apex nearly triangular, ca. 1 / 2 length of tibia; vRTA broad and slightly shorter than dRTA, with two distinct margins that look like mountains, among them the dorsal margin with quadrilateral-shaped apophysis. Cymbium (Cy) relatively short and wide, ca. 2.1 × longer than wide, retrolaterally with a large bulge (CB). Tegulum (T) elongate-oval, ca. 1.3 × longer than wide, strongly bulged and prolapsed. Spermophor (Sp) sinuate, forming a loop along tegular margin. Embolus (E) broad, ca. 4 / 5 of tegulum length, and wider than 1 / 2 of tegulum width, Ƨ-shaped in ventral view, arising at approximately the 8–9 o’clock position, terminating at c. 12 o’clock position; embolic tip (ET) wide and blunt, apex rugged. Conductor (C) heavily sclerotized, c. 1 / 2 of the embolus length, originating at 12–1 o’clock position portion of tegulum; the base of conductor (C) relatively narrow, inserted dorsally to embolus; the tip of conductor (C) relatively wide and extending above apex of embolus.

Female. Unknown.

Comments.

A total of four Pseudopoda species are known only from females in Honghe Prefecture: P. daweiensis , P. rhopalocera , P. zhaoae , and P. zuoi (Table 1 View Table 1 ). However, none of them could be matched with P. ying sp. nov. due to their different habitus: abdomen with a distinct median band, which consists of a cross-shaped anterior stripe and a nearly square-shaped posterior stripe in P. ying sp. nov. vs. abdominal median band indistinct and not as above in P. daweiensis , P. rhopalocera , P. zhaoae , and P. zuoi (cf. Fig. 21 D View Figure 21 and Zhang et al. 2023 a: figs 85 A, 206 A, 278 A, 282 A and Yang et al. 2009: fig. F). Moreover, males of P. ying sp. nov. exhibit typical daliensis - group features (diagnosis of P. daliensis - group, see Zhang et al. 2017: 273) and resemble the core species of the daliensis - group, such as P. sicyoidea , for their characteristic embolus and RTA (for a detailed diagnosis, see above). In contrast, females of P. daweiensis , P. rhopalocera , P. zhaoae and P. zuoi exhibit the following distinctive suite of characters, here contrasted with the corresponding condition in daliensis - group: amLL distinctly oblique in P. daweiensis and P. zuoi (vs. amLL almost transversal to body length axis in daliensis - group species) (cf. Zhang et al. 2023 a: figs 84 A, 281 A and Zhang et al. 2017: figs 2 B, 4 C, 6 A, 9 A, 12 B, 14 C, 16 A, 17 A); spermathecae covered by first windings in P. rhopalocera , located internally to first windings in P. zhaoae , not extending laterally beyond first winding (vs. extending laterally beyond first winding in daliensis - group species) (cf. Zhang et al. 2023 a: figs 205 B, 277 C and Zhang et al. 2017: figs 2 D, 4 D, 6 D, 9 D, 12 D, 14 D, 16 B, 17 B). Therefore, we can rule out the possibility that the above four species are conspecific with P. ying sp. nov.

Distribution.

Presently known only from the type locality (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ).