Three new species of the genus Zodarion (Araneae, Zodariidae) from China

Abstract Three new species of the genus Zodarion Walckenaer, 1826, from China, are described as Zodarionapertumsp. n. (♂♀, from Xinjiang), Z.planumsp. n. (♂, from Shaanxi), and Z.ovatumsp. n. (♂♀, from Yunnan).

Presently, Zodarion is the largest genus of the subfamily Zodariinae, and includes 160 species. The genus has been recorded in European, Asian, and North African countries (Jocqué 1991;Bosmans 1994Bosmans , 1997Bosmans , 2009Marusik and Koponen 2001;Pekár et al. 2011;Bosmans et al. 2014;Jocqué and Henrard 2015;Li and Lin 2016;WSC 2018), and each species has a limited distribution. From Asia, 34 species are known. 24 species are only known from females and 14 from males (World Spider Catalog 2018). Species of Zodarion are rare in China, with only three documented species: Zodarion chaoyangense Zhu & Zhu, 1983, from Liaoning and Hebei provinces; Z. furcum Zhu, 1988 from Hebei Province; and Z. hunanense Yin, 2012 from Hunan Province (Li and Lin 2016). During the examination of spider collections from China, we recognized three new zodariid species which are described here as Zodarion apertum sp. n., Z. planum sp. n., and Z. ovatum sp. n.

Materials and methods
All specimens have been preserved in 75% ethanol and were examined, illustrated, and measured under a Tech XTL-II stereomicroscope equipped with an Abbe drawing tube. Photographs were taken with a Leica M205A stereomicroscope fitted with a Leica DFC550 camera and LAS software (ver. 4.6). Carapace length was measured medially from the anterior margin to the rear margin of the carapace. Eye size was measured as the maximum diameter of the lens in dorsal or frontal view. The measurements of legs are shown as total length (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). Only one paratype was measured. Epigynes were cleared in a warm solution of potassium hydroxide, and then transferred to 75% ethanol for drawing. All measurements are given in millimeters. All specimens studied are deposited in the Museum of Hebei University (MHBU), Baoding, China.
The following abbreviations are used in the text and figures legends:

Family Zodariidae Thorell, 1881
Genus Zodarion Thorell, 1887 Type species. Enyo nitida Audouin, 1826. Most Zodarion species are active at night and hide during the day in self-made retreats. Jocqué (1991) provided a generic diagnosis: the number of spinnerets reduced to two in males and six in females, the dense cover of flattened incised hairs on the tegument, and no more than one dorsal femoral spine. Bosmans (1994Bosmans ( , 1997Bosmans ( , 2009 revised the European Zodarion and classified them into 12 groups. Large AME are widely distributed among the taxa in the femoral organ clade, though species of the Z. thoni-group have small AME, which is one of the diagnostic characters of Zodariellum. Z. apertum and Z. planum are close to Central Asian spiders considered by Marusik and Koponen (2001) in Zodariellum, all these species have similar RTA and bulb. Therefore, the genus Zodarion needs to be carefully examined and revised in the future. Diagnosis. The male of Z. apertum sp. n. is very similar to that of Z. mongolicum (Marusik & Koponen, 2001) in having a fold on the apical tegular apophysis, a relatively wider bulb, and the wide and flat apical part of the retrolateral tibial apophysis enlarged. However, it can be distinguished from Z. mongolicum by the posteriorly downward direction of the embolic base (down-retrolaterally in Z. mongolicum), the retrolateral tibial apophysis with aclinal apical margin in ventral view (flat in Z. mongolicum), and the posterior tip of the conductor being at the 6-o'clock-position (5-o'clock-position in Z. mongolicum) (Figs 2A-C, 3A-C). The female of this new species resembles that of Z. zebra Charitonov, 1946, Z. spasskyi Charitonov, 1946, and Z. proszynskii Nenilin & Fet, 1985 in having a straight margin of the pocket and closer apices of the two spermathecae, though the spiracles of the spermathecae are smaller than in the latter three species (Figs 2D, E, 3D, E).
Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin apertum, in reference to the uncovered terminal of the retrolateral tibial apophysis; adjective.
Palp (Figs 2A-C, 3A-C). Coxae of palps white, other sections yellow; length to width ratio of femur 3.0, length to width ratio of patella 1.2; retrolateral tibial apophysis enlarged, about 3 times the tibial length, apical part wide and flat, apical margin aclinal, with thin hook-shaped dorsolateral terminal; cymbium with terminal spine, tutaculum obvious; tegular apophysis wide and strong, apical part with a fold, retrolaterally with long and beak shaped extension, tegular apophysis hook S-shaped in prolateral view, extends to basal embolus; membranous conductor long, lamellate and running almost along whole course of the embolus; base of embolus almost triangular.
Distribution. China (Xinjiang).  Zhu &Zhu, 1983, andZ. furcum Zhu, 1988, as all have dorsolateral processes extending from the middle part of the retrolateral tibial apophysis, though Z. planum can be distinguished from the others by the wide and fluent margins of the dorsolateral process (obviously curving in the other three species) (Figs 4C-E, 5A-C). Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin planum, in reference to the dorsolateral hook-shaped process of the retrolateral tibial apophysis; adjective.
Palp (Figs 4C, D, 5A-C). Coxae of palps white, other sections yellow; length to width ratio of femur 2.7, length to width ratio of patella 1.2; retrolateral tibial apophysis about 2.5 times the tibial length, thin apex finger-shaped, dorsolateral hook-shaped apophysis long and flat; cymbium with terminal spine, tutaculum obvious; tegular apophysis of moderate size, retrolaterally with flat and wide extension, tegular apophysis hook nearly straight in prolateral view; membranous conductor long, lamellate, and running almost along whole course of embolus; basal embolus almost triangular.
Female unknown.
Zodarion hunanense was described based only on a female specimen from Hunan province of China. The possibility exists that Z. planum sp. n. is conspecific with Z. hunanense.  -Yunnan-200505-90 -Yunnan-200505-122), same data as holotype.

Zodarion ovatum
Diagnosis. The males of Z. ovatum sp. n. are similar to those of Zodarion nitidum (Audouin, 1826), Z. christae Bosmans, 2009, Z. deltshevi Bosmans, 2009, and Z. samos Bosmans, 2009 because of the flagelliform embolus rising at the basal part of  the tegulum, the small tegular apophysis and the retrolateral tibial apophysis terminally pointed in ventral view, though it can be distinguished from the others by the small oval base of the embolus (triangular in the other three species), and the lack of a gland in the base of the cymbium (present in the other three species). The females of Z. ovatum sp. n. are similar to female Z. soror (Simon, 1873) in having swollen copulatory ducts, and also to Z. ludibundum Simon, 1914 andZ. nigriceps (Simon, 1873) by the oblique lateral margines of epigyne, but the copulatory ducts of Z. ovatum sp. n. are longitudinally arranged (Figs 7A-E, 8A-E) rather than oblique in the three other species.
Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin ovatum, in reference to the oval shape of the swollen copulatory ducts; adjective.
Palp (Figs 7A-C, 8A-C). Palps yellow brown; length to width ratio of femur 2.5, length to width ratio of patella 1.3; retrolateral tibial apophysis as long as tibia, thin and slightly curved in ventral view, but wide in retrolateral view, without dorsolateral process; tegular apophysis large and complex, tip turning gradually tapering, hook of tegular apophysis pointed posteriorly in prolateral view; membranous conductor short; base of embolus small and oval, connected to tegulum via white membrane.
Epigyne with two oblique chitinous sutures, copulatory openings situated almost in the central part of epigyne; anterior part of copulatory ducts swollen, visible through integument; spermathecae small, situated posteriorly and well separated (Figs 7D, E, 8D, E).
Remarks. The males of species Z. ovatum sp. n. belong to the lutipes group with their long embolus rising at the posterior part of the tegulum; tibial apophysis short, robust and without lateral process. The females of Z. ovatum sp. n. resemble the species of the italicum group (Bosmans 1997) with their parallel or converging chitinous sutures on the epigyne and swollen copulatory ducts.