Male (holotype) (Figs 1, 3A−D and Fig. 4A, B). Total length 5.35 mm.

Figure 1.  

Mallinella shahu sp. n., male holotype. A habitus, dorsal view; B same, ventral view; C eyes, dorsal view; D chelicerae and endites, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A, B); 0.1 mm (C, D).

Figure 2.  

Mallinella shahu sp. n., female paratype. A habitus, dorsal view; B same, ventral view; C eyes, dorsal view; D chelicerae, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A, B); 0.1 mm (C, D).

Figure 3.  

Mallinella shahu sp. n., male palp of holotype and female epigyne of paratype. A palp, retrolateral view; B same, ventral view; C same, retrolateral view; D same, dorsal view; E epigyne, ventral view; F same, retrolateral view; G same, posterior view; H same, lateral view. Abbreviations: Con – conductor, EB – embolic base, Em − embolus, FD − fertilisation duct, ID − insemination duct, LB − lateral border, MA – median apophysis, RTA − retrolateral tibial apophysis, Spe − spermathecae. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

Figure 4.  

Mallinella shahu sp. n., living specimen. A & B male; C & D female.

Carapace (Fig. 1A, C) 2.91 mm long, 2.15 mm wide, anteriorly narrowed to half of its maximum width, with abundant short setae. Eye sizes and interdistances: AER and PER procurved in dorsal view; AME 0.13, ALE 0.14, PME 0.13, PLE 0.16, AME−AME 0.08, AME−ALE 0.19, PME−PME 0.12, PME−PLE 0.32, AME−PME 0.21, AME−PLE 0.28, ALE−ALE 0.64, PLE−PLE 0.91, ALE−PLE 0.06; MOA 0.43 long, front width 0.35, back width 0.39. Chelicerae without promarginal and retromarginal teeth. Endites triangular, longer than wide, anteriorly convergent, with dense brush hairs anterolaterally. Labium triangular, wider than long. Sternum strongly sclerotised, as long as wide, anteromedially with a wide notch, laterally with sclerotised serration-shaped margin, posterior end blunt. Legs (Fig. 1A, B): measurements: I 7.56 (1.97, 0.67, 1.78, 1.9, 1.24); II 5.95 (1.91, 0.71, 1.54, 1.79); III 7.04 (1.77, 0.76, 1.51, 1.92, 1.08); IV 8.61 (2.22, 0.84, 2.07, 2.5, 0.98); spination: I Fe: d3, p1; Ti: p1, v6; Mt: v7; II Fe: d3, p1; Pa: p1; Ti: p2, v7; Mt: v6; III Fe: d3, p3, r1; Pa: p1; Ti: d2, p2, r2, v6; Mt: d1, p3, r2, v8; IV: Fe: d4, p3, r1; Pa: p1; Ti: d1, p3, r3, v6; Mt: d1, p3, r4, v8. Pedicel (Fig. 1A, B) 0.15 mm long, cylindrical, sclerotised. Abdomen (Fig. 1A, B) 2.29 mm long, 1.83 mm wide, scutum covering less than half of dorsum; venter with a weakly sclerotised epigastric region anteriorly, two pairs of patches medially and a single row of ventral spines situated in front of the spinnerets.

Colouration (Fig. 1). Carapace black. Chelicerae brown to black. Endites yellow to brown. Labium and sternum reddish-brown. Legs yellow to light brown, femora darker than other leg segments. Pedicel dark yellow. Abdomen chestnut-brown, with four pairs of yellowish oval marks; venter yellow to brown, laterally with many small yellow patches.

Palp (Fig. 3A−D). Cymbium fold broad, strongly sclerotised, occupying slightly less than half cymbial length. Retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) digitiform, apex terminally bluntly pointed. Apical ridge strongly sclerotised on ventral side of palpal tibia. Median apophysis (MA) strongly curved forward on ventrolateral view. Conductor (Con) thick, tooth-like. Embolic base (EB) strongly curved laterally, embolus (Em) flattened, branching submedially; mesal ramus distinctly longer, relatively broad, terminally blunt, with two tooth-like apophyses subapically; lateral ramus relatively narrowed.

Female (Figs 2, 3E−H and Fig. 4C, D). As in male, except as noted. Total length 5.89 mm, carapace 3.05 mm long, 2.11 mm wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.11, ALE 0.13, PME 0.12, PLE 0.14, AME−AME 0.1, AME−ALE 0.22, PME−PME 0.16, PME−PLE 0.33, AME−PME 0.25, AME−PLE 0.37, ALE−ALE 0.74, PLE−PLE 1, ALE−PLE 0.1. MOA 0.48 long, front width 0.31, back width 0.41. Leg measurements: I 6.77 (1.67, 0.72, 1.57, 1.5, 1.31); II 6.53 (1.82, 0.69, 1.33, 1.47, 1.22); III 6.88 (1.76, 0.78, 1.37, 1.83, 1.14); IV 8.77 (2.08, 0.8, 1.85, 2.56, 1.48); spination: I Fe: d3, p1; Ti: p1, v6; Mt: p1, v5; II Fe: d3, p1; Pa: p1; Ti: p2, v6; Mt: p2, v6; III Fe: d3, p3, r1; Pa: p1; Ti: d2, p2, r2, v5; Mt: d1, p3, r2, v7; IV: Fe: d4, p3, r1; Pa: p1; Ti: d2, p2, r2, v4; Mt: p5, r2, v5. Pedicel 0.09 mm long. Abdomen (Fig. 2A, B) 2.76 long, 2.15 wide, without scutum and ventral sclerite.

Colouration as in Fig. 2A, B. Abdomen paler than that of the male.

Epigyne (Fig. 3E−H). Epigynal plate (EP) broad V-shaped, median incision deep, almost reaching posterior margin. Lateral border (LB) along the lateral margin of epigynal plate heart-shaped. Insemination ducts (ID) pedicel-like, separated by their length, slightly parallel. Spermathecae (Spe) oval in dorsal view, ear-shaped in lateral view. Fertilisation ducts (FD) relative thin, as long as the width of insemination ducts.

The male of this new species is similar to that of Mallinella pseudokunmingensis Yu & Zhang, 2019 (Yu and Zhang (2019): 4, figs. 1, 4, 6−18) in having a strong digitiform retrolateral tibial apophysis and the flattened embolus, but can be distinguished from it by the abdomen with four pairs of small yellowish marks (vs. four pairs of large yellowish marks) (cf. Fig. 1A; Yu and Zhang (2019): 4, fig. 1), the conductor with the blunt apex (vs. spine-like) (cf. Fig. 3A; Yu and Zhang 2019: 4, fig. 6), the thick median apophysis covering less than half of tegulum (vs. thin, more than or nearly half of tegulum) (cf. Fig. 3A−C; Yu and Zhang (2019) 2019: 4, fig. 7). The female of the new species resembles M. pseudokunmingensis (Yu and Zhang (2019): 4, figs. 2, 3, 5, 6, 19−23) in having the lateral border forming a heart-shaped structure and the oval spermathecae, but it can be easily distinguished by the anterior three pairs of separated small marks (vs. touching large marks) (cf. Fig. 2A; Yu and Zhang (2019): 4, fig. 2) and the W-shaped epigynal plate (vs. V-shaped) (cf. Fig. 3E; Yu and Zhang (2019): 4, figs. 19, 20) and the erect insemination duct (vs. slanting) (cf. Fig. 3G; Yu and Zhang (2019): 4, fig. 22).

The species name is derived from the name of the type locality; noun in apposition.

Known from Ji’an and Ganzhou cities in Jiangxi Province, China (Fig. 5). It seems that this species has a wide distribution in this Province based on recent fieldwork.

Figure 5.  

Records of Mallinella shahu sp. n., from Jiangxi Province, China.

It was collected from leaf litter in areas of broad-leaved forests in hilly areas.