TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: China, Sichuan Province, Jiulong County, Wuxuhai Lake, 29.05°N, 101.55°E, 26.VII.2006, coll. Y. Song & Y. Tong, ♂ (MNHN). Paratype: same data as for holotype, 1 ♀ (MNHN).
ETYMOLOGY. — Specific name from Latin adjective spineus = spiny, combined with prefix longi, in reference to a long spine on the cymbial retrobasal process of the male palp.
DISTRIBUTION. — Only known from Wuxuhai Lake in Sichuan Province, China (Fig. 12).
DESCRIPTION
Male
Total length 1.69. Carapace 0.74 long, 0.54 wide, dark brown, highly raised to form a large lobe carrying posterior median eyes, as well as several hairs scattered in the ocular area; a sulcus running back from each posterior lateral eye (Fig. 5A). Abdomen dark grey. Clypeus 0.14 high. AME diameter 0.04, ALE 0.05, PME 0.04, PLE 0.03, AME interdistance0.67 times their diameter, AME-ALE interdistance 1.50 times ALE diameter, PME interdistance 2.43 times their diameter, PME-PLE interdistance 4.00 times PLE diameter. Sternum 0.38 long, 0.39 wide. Coxa IV interdistance 1.22 times their width. Chelicerae with 5 promarginal teeth, 5 retromarginal teeth (Fig. 5C). Tibia I 5.50times longer than deep.Tm I 0.43,Tm IV absent.Dorsal spines on tibia of leg IV:2-2-1-1; dorsal spine on patella of leg IV:1-1-1-1. Leg measurements: I: 1.79 (0.53, 0.18, 0.41, 0.39, 0.29); II: 1.70 (0.48, 0.18, 0.38, 0.36, 0.31); III: 1.43 (0.41, 0.18, 0.30, 0.30, 0.25); IV: 1.88 (0.55, 0.18, 0.44, 0.43, 0.28). Palp: tibia with 1 claviform prolateral apophysis, membranous near its junction with tibia; with 1 prolateral and 1 retrolateral trichobothrium (Fig. 4D). Cymbial retrobasal process (Fig. 4C) with a strong obliquely upwards spine (Fig. 4D). Paracymbium spiral, with terminal part hooked (Fig.4C).Tegulum distal to subtegulum in unexpanded palp (Fig. 4C). Protegulum vestigial (Fig.4A). Suprategulum with a dentiform marginal apophysis and a bifurcate distal apophysis (Fig. 5B). Embolic division (Fig. 5D, E): anterior radical process relatively long and narrow compared with A. hyalinus n. sp., with an extra tooth behind; mesal tooth long claviform, pointed distally; posterior radical process broad at the base, strongly narrowed and pointed distally, accompanied by a strongly sclerotized long embolus which is evenly elongate at first but expanded abruptly near the end; embolic membrane wide with almost parallel margins; tailpiece slightly upwards, with distal end extended downwards to hold suprategulum (Figs 4A; 5E).
Female
Total length 1.69. Carapace 0.70 long, 0.53 wide, similar to male in general appearance and coloration, but without cephalic lobe and sulci. Clypeus 0.09 high.AME diameter 0.03, ALE 0.06, PME 0.05, PLE 0.05, AME interdistance 0.45 times their diameter, AME-ALE interdistance 0.78 times ALE diameter, PME interdistance 0.76 times their diameter, PME-PLE interdistance 0.76 times PLE diameter.Sternum 0.38 long, 0.39 wide. Coxa IV interdistance 1.30 times their width. Chelicerae with 6 promarginal teeth, 5 retromarginal teeth.Tibia I 5.08 times longer than deep. Tm I 0.39, Tm IV absent. Dorsal spines on tibia of leg IV: 2-2-1-1; dorsal spine on patella of leg IV: 1-1-1-1. Leg measurements:I: 1.78 (0.51, 0.18, 0.38, 0.38, 0.33); II: 1.68 (0.49, 0.17, 0.37, 0.34, 0.30); III: 1.49 (0.43, 0.17, 0.31, 0.32, 0.26); IV: 1.93 (0.58, 0.18, 0.48, 0.40, 0.29).
Epigynum with similar postero-median triangular prolongations as those of A. hyalinus n. sp. (Fig. 5G). Dorsal plate rectangular (Fig. 5F). Spermathecae U-shaped; the short arm longer than half of the long arm (Fig. 5H). Copulatory ducts enclosed in a slightly sclerotized capsule, with almost the same path as A. hyalinus n. sp., but narrower than the former (Fig. 5F, H). Fertilizaiton ducts short, mesally oriented (Fig. 5F). The path of copulatory duct is shown in Figure 5F.
REMARKS
Araeoncus longispineus n. sp. is closely related to A. hyalinus n. sp. See the remarks under A. hyalinus n. sp. for details. Specimens of A. longispineus n. sp. were found among the roots of moss in a mountain, at an altitude of 3500 m.