Male (holotype). Total length 2.13; carapace 1.07 long, 0.74 wide, opisthosoma 1.06 long, 0.71 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.08, ALE 0.06, PME 0.06, PLE 0.06, AME–AME 0.05, AME–ALE 0.03, PME–PME 0.08, PME–PLE 0.08, AME–PME 0.09, ALE–PLE 0.05. MOA 0.21 long, front width 0.19, back width 0.19. Clypeus height 0.29. Chelicerae with 2 promarginal teeth. Leg measurements: I 3.00 (0.76, 0.24, 0.73, 0.78, 0.49), II 2.34 (0.64, 0.25, 0.48, 0.61, 0.36), III 2.34 (0.64, 0.25, 0.47, 0.64, 0.36), IV 3.23 (0.84, 0.25, 0.73, 0.96, 0.45).

Colouration (Fig. 4A, B). Carapace red-brown, edge brown. Chelicerae, endites, labium and sternum red-brown. Legs yellow-brown with black ring pattern. Opisthosoma oval, dark brown with numbers of small yellow-brown spots, with ventral scutum covering opisthosoma, dorsal white with purple spots. Spinnerets purple.

Figure 4.  

Asceua haocongi sp. n., male holotype (A, B) and female paratype (C, D), Habitus. A, C Dorsal view; B, D Ventral view.

Figure 5.  

Asceua zijin sp. n., holotype male. A Prolateral view; B Ventral view; C Retrolateral view. Abbreviations: C conductor; CF cymbial furrow; E embolus; EB embolic base; RTA retrolateral tibial apophysis; TA tegular apophysis; VTA ventral tibial apophysis.

a

b

Figure 6.

Asceua torquata and A. zijin sp. n., conductor and tegular apophysis, dorsal view. Abbreviations: C conductor; TA tegular apophysis.

a: A. torquata  
b: A. zijin sp. n.  

Figure 7.  

Asceua zijin sp. n., paratype female. A Epigyne, ventral view; B Vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD copulatory duct; CO copulatory opening; FD fertilisation duct; H hood; S spermatheca.

Figure 8.  

Asceua zijin sp. n., male holotype (A, B) and female paratype (C, D), Habitus. A, C Dorsal view; B, D Ventral view.

Palp (Fig. 2). Patella almost as long as tibia. Tibia with two apophyses, retrolateral tibial apophysis blunt, triangular-shaped; dorsal tibial apophysis lamellate. Cymbium almost two times longer than wide. Cymbial furrow with a hood anteriorly and a digitiform apophysis posteriorly. Bulb almost 1.5 times longer than wide. Tegulum almost round. Tegular apophysis black, terminal sharp. Conductor bent, originating dorsally on bulb, with slightly widened tip. Embolus slender and whip-like, distal portion pointing to middle of conductor in ventral view. Base of embolus large, with large membranous prolateral part, arising at 7 o’clock position.

Female (IZCAS-Ar44409). Total length 2.57; carapace 1.22 long, 0.84 wide, opisthosoma 1.35 long, 0.92 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.08, ALE 0.07, PME 0.06, PLE 0.06, AME–AME 0.05, AME–ALE 0.03, PME–PME 0.09, PME–PLE 0.10, AME–PME 0.10, ALE–PLE 0.06. MOA 0.23 long, front width 0.20, back width 0.21. Clypeus height 0.33. Chelicerae with 2 promarginal teeth. Leg measurements: I 2.90 (0.77, 0.27, 0.65, 0.73, 0.48), II 2.44 (0.67, 0.27, 0.49, 0.61, 0.40), III 2.45 (0.66, 0.28, 0.49, 0.66, 0.36), IV 3.34 (0.87, 0.28, 0.75, 0.98, 0.46).

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.

Epigyne (Fig. 3). Epigynal plate as long as wide. Copulatory openings located on anterior portion of epigyne. Copulatory ducts intertwined. Spermathecae kidney-shaped, two times wider than copulatory ducts. Fertilisation ducts directed at the 2 o'clock position from spermathecae.

The male is similar to that of Asceua radiosa Jocqué, 1986 by the triangular-shaped retrolateral tibial apophysis, same shaped cymbial furrow and tegular apophysis needle-shaped. Females share the same shape of the copulatory duct. However, the new species can be distinguished from A. radiosa by the cymbial furrow with a digitiform apophysis posteriorly (Fig. 2C) [vs. absent in A. radiosa (see Jocqué (1986), fig. 4)] and tegular apophysis strongly curved (Fig. 2B) [vs. almost straight in A. radiosa (see Jocqué (1986), fig. 5)]. The female can be distinguished from A. radiosa by the kidney-shaped spermatheca (Fig. 3B) [vs. oval in A. radiosa (see Jocqué (1986), fig. 8)].

The species is named after the collector Mr. Haochong Yang; noun (name) in genitive case.

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

Figure 9.  

Distribution records of new Asceua species in China: 1 A. haocongi sp. n.; 2 A. zijin sp. n.

Male (holotype). Total length 3.33; carapace 1.56 long, 1.17 wide, opisthosoma 1.77 long, 1.03 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.06, PME 0.07, PLE 0.07, AME–AME 0.06, AME–ALE 0.06, PME–PME 0.09, PME–PLE 0.14, AME–PME 0.13, ALE–PLE 0.05. MOA 0.26 long, front width 0.17, back width 0.22. Clypeus height 0.40. Chelicerae with 2 promarginal teeth. Leg measurements: I 4.12 (1.06, 0.37, 1.01, 1.03, 0.65), II 3.69 (0.99, 0.38, 0.84, 0.91, 0.57), III 3.41 (0.96, 0.41, 0.70, 0.88, 0.46), IV 4.38 (1.17, 0.42, 1.06, 1.18, 0.55).

Colouration (Fig. 8A, B). Carapace brown, middle with two oblong black-brown spots. Chelicerae, endites, labium and sternum brown. Legs yellow-brown. Opisthosoma oval, black, dorsum with three pairs of pale oblong spots, second one largest, followed by a pale spot. Spinnerets black.

Palp (Figs 5, 6b). Tibia two times longer than patella. Tibia with two apophyses; ventral tibial apophysis digitiform; retrolateral tibial apophysis bifurcate, ventral ramus digitiform, transverse, dorsal ramus sickle-shaped. Cymbium almost 1.5 times longer than wide. Cymbial furrow wide, almost as wide as cymbium in retrolateral view. Tegulum almost oblong. Tegular apophysis with two lateral processes. Conductor membranous, with a prolateral apophysis. Embolus slender and whip-like. Base of embolus large, with membranous prolateral part, arising at the 6:30 o'clock position.

Female (IZCAS-Ar44415). Total length 3.98; carapace 1.70 long, 1.16 wide, opisthosoma 2.28 long, 1.38 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.06, ALE 0.08, PME 0.07, PLE 0.08, AME–AME 0.06, AME–ALE 0.08, PME–PME 0.09, PME–PLE 0.15, AME–PME 0.15, ALE–PLE 0.04. MOA 0.27 long, front width 0.16, back width 0.23. Clypeus height 0.42. Chelicerae with 2 promarginal teeth. Leg measurements: I 3.70 (1.00, 0.39, 0.86, 0.85, 0.60), II 3.45 (0.95, 0.41, 0.75, 0.80, 0.54), III 3.40 (0.93, 0.44, 0.70, 0.88, 0.45), IV 4.23 (1.10, 0.44, 1.00, 1.12, 0.57).

Colouration (Fig. 8C, D). Similar to that of male, except paler.

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. Fertilisation ducts directed at the 1:00 o'clock position from spermathecae.

The male 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)].

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

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