Two new species of the genus Asceua Thorell, 1887 (Araneae, Zodariidae) from China

Abstract Background The spider genus Asceua Thorell, 1887 contains 34 species, almost entirely limited to Indochina, India, Sri Lanka and China, with a regional distribution. Eleven species of Asceua are currently only known from China, five of them are described only from one sex. New information Two new spider species of the genus Asceua are reported from China, A.haocongi sp. n. (♂♀, Hainan) and A.zijin sp. n. (♂♀, Jiangsu). Photos and a morphological description of the new species are provided.


Introduction
The ant spider family Zodariidae Thorell, 1881 contains 90 genera and 1264 known species worldwide (World Spider Catalog 2023).Members of this family are small to medium-sized (Jocqué 1991).Asceua Thorell, 1887, with the type species A. elegans Thorell, 1887 described from Myanmar, is a relatively large genus of the family Zodariidae and currently comprises 34 species mainly distributed in Asia and Africa.Members of this genus can be distinguished from other zodariids by their small size, laterally compressed bulb, developed cymbial fold and long and meandering copulatory ducts (Zhang and Zhang 2018).Recently, a large number of new spider species have been reported from China (Li 2020, Li et al. 2021, Yao et al. 2021, Zhao et al. 2022, Lu et al. 2022), but Zodariidae is poorly studied in China, especially for Asceua.Until now, only 11 species are known, all species are endemic to China except, A. torquata (Simon, 1909) from China, Laos and Vietnam, most of those being distributed in Yunnan and Hainan (Song and Kim 1997, Yin et al. 2012, Zhang et al. 2012, Barrion et al. 2013, Zhang and Zhang 2018, Li et al. 2022, Lin et al. 2023).
During the examination of spider collections from China (Hainan and Jiangsu), we found two new species and describe them here as A. haocongi sp.n. and A. zijin sp.n (Fig. 1).The goal of this paper is to provide descriptions of the new species.

Materials and methods
All specimens were preserved in 80% ethanol.The spermathecae were cleared in trypsin enzyme solution to dissolve non-chitinous tissues.Specimens were examined under a Leica M205C stereomicroscope.Photomicrographs were taken with an Olympus C7070 zoom digital camera (7.1 megapixels).Laboratory habitus photographs were taken with a Sony A7RIV digital camera equipped with a Sony FE 90 mm Goss lens.Photos were stacked with Helicon Focus® (Version 7.

Taxon treatments
Asceua haocongi Lin & Li, 2023, sp.n.Colouration (Fig. 4C, D).As in male, except lacking scutum on opisthosoma and opisthosoma with three pairs of white spots, first pair oblong-oval, longitudinal, largest; second pair irregular in shape, positioned lateral to the first pair, third pair ovoid, transverse, slightly connected to the second pair.

Etymology
The species is named after the collector Mr. Haochong Yang; noun (name) in genitive case.
Epigyne (Fig. 7).Epigynal plate as long as wide, with a hood anteriorly, the hood almost 1.5 times longer than wide.Copulatory openings located on anterior portion of epigyne.Copulatory ducts intertwined, starting part expanded.Spermathecae oval.

Diagnosis
The is similar to Asceua torquata (Simon, 1909) and A. japonica (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) by the same shape of retrolateral tibial apophysis and cymbium, long and slender embolus.Females share the same shape of the copulatory duct.However, the new species can be distinguished from A. torquata by the opisthosoma dorsum with seven pale spots (Fig. 8) [vs.four yellow spots, a triangular black spot in the middle of the largest spot (see Zhang and Zhang (2018), figs.7A, C)] conductor with an apophysis prolaterally and tegular apophysis with a lamellate apophysis (Fig. 6b) [vs.absent in A. torquata (Fig. 6a)].The female can be distinguished from A. torquata and A. japonica by the obvious, semi-circular hood, 1.5 times longer than wide (Fig. 7B) [vs.oval in A. torquata (see Zhang and Zhang (2018), fig.8D) and eight times longer than wide in A. japonica (see Ono (2009), fig.30)] and copulatory ducts starting part expanded (Fig. 7B) [vs.absent in A. japonica (see Ono (2009), fig.30)].

Etymology
The specific name refers to the type locality; noun (name) in genitive case.

Distribution
Known only from the type locality (Fig. 9).