﻿Crab spiders (Araneae, Thomisidae) of Jinggang Mountain National Nature Reserve, Jiangxi Province, China

﻿Abstract A list of 34 thomisid species belonging to 21 genera collected in Jangxi Province of China is provided. Five new species are described: Angaeusxieluae Liu, sp. nov. (♂♀), Lysitelessubspirellus Liu, sp. nov. (♀), Oxytatemucunica Liu, sp. nov. (♀), Phartalingxiufengica Liu, sp. nov. (♀), Stephanopisxiangzhouica Liu, sp. nov. (♀). A new combination is proposed: Ebelingiaforcipata (Song & Zhu, 1993) comb. nov. (ex. Ebrechtella Dahl, 1907). Previously unknown females of E.forcipata (Song & Zhu, 1993), Oxytatebicornis Liu, Liu & Xu, 2017, and Xysticuslesserti Schenkel, 1963 are described for the first time. Stephanopis O Pickard-Cambridge, 1869, a genus previously known from Australasia and South America, is recorded from the Asian mainland for the first time.


Introduction
Thomisidae Sundevall, 1833, commonly known as crab spiders, is the seventh largest spider family with a global distribution, comprising 2154 extant species belonging to 171 genera (WSC 2022). More than half of the Thomisidae species are known from a single sex: 752 of these were described from females and 337 from males (WSC 2022). More than fifty species were described from juveniles (WSC 2022).
The family has never been globally revised, but regional revisions have been made in, e.g., Canada (Dondale and Redner 1978), Japan (Ono 2009), and China (Song et al. 1999), etc. In the past ten years, many efforts were made to review or re-assign species described or recorded from China. Although there are several recent publications dealing with revisions, re-assignments of species, and descriptions of unknown sexes of Chinese crab spiders, there are still many species requiring study.
Thomisids in China are relatively well studied due to the revisions by Song et al. (1999) and Tang and Li (2010a, b). Currently, 306 species belonging to 51 genera are known from this country (Li 2020;WSC 2022). Level of knowledge is uneven in different provinces. Numbers of species known per province varies from north (Heilongjiang, n = 10) to south (Hainan, n = 47). One of the poorly studied provinces is Jiangxi, with only eight known species (Li and Lin 2016). To fill this gap, we studied material collected from the Jinggang Mountain National Nature Reserve in Jiangxi Province of China.
The aims of the present paper are (1) to report findings of 34 species belonging to 21 genera, (2) to provide detailed descriptions of five new species, (3) to provide descriptions of previously unknown females of three species, (4) to propose a new combination, and (5) to provide the first record of the genus Stephanopis from Asian mainland.

Materials and methods
More than 300 adult specimens belonging to 34 species from 21 genera were collected from Jinggang Reserve. Specimens were examined using a Zeiss Stereo Discovery V12 stereomicroscope with a Zoom Microscope System. Both male palps and female copulatory organs were detached and examined in 75% ethanol, using a Zeiss Axio Scope A1 compound microscope with a KUY NICE CCD. For SEM photographs, specimens were dried under natural conditions and photographed with a ZEISS EVO LS15 scanning electron microscope. The epigynes were cleared in pancreatin. Specimens including detached male palps and epigynes were stored in 80% ethanol after examination. All the specimens treated in this work are deposited in the Animal Specimen Museum, Life Science of College, Jinggangshan University (ASM-JGSU).
Measurements were taken with the AxioVision software (SE64 Rel. 4.8.3) and are given in millimetres. Terminology of the male and female copulatory organs follows Benjamin (2011), Ramírez (2014), and Machado et al. (2019). Promarginal and retromarginal teeth on the chelicerae are given as the first, second, third, etc., and measured from the base of the fang to the distal groove.
Leg measurements are given as total length (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). The abbreviations used in the text are:

Eyes ALE
anterior lateral eye; AME anterior median eye; MOA median ocular area; PLE posterior lateral eye; PME posterior median eye.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Jiangxi Province of China (Fig. 17).

Genus Ebelingia Lehtinen, 2004
Comments. This genus includes only two species, both from East Asia (WSC 2022).

Female. Habitus as in
Distribution. China: Jiangxi and Fujian Provinces (Song et al. 1993; present data). Note. The left leg I was lost when we reviewed the holotype after photography.
Comments. This species clearly belongs to Ebelingia due to the markedly bifurcated retrolateral tibial apophysis, short embolus, broad anterior hood, and kidneyshaped spermathecae.

Genus Lysiteles Simon, 1895
Comments. This genus includes 60 species, mainly distributed in eastern Asia. Half of them are recorded from China, but there are still 13 species known only from females in China, and three from males. Most of them (ten species) are recorded from Yunnan Province. No species were recorded from Jiangxi Province. Etymology. The specific name is derived from that of a similar species, L. spirellus Tang, Yin, Peng, Ubick & Griswold, 2008;adjective. Diagnosis. The new species is similar to L. auriculatus Tang, Yin, Peng, Ubick &Griswold, 2008 andL. spirellus Tang, Yin, Peng, Ubick &Griswold, 2008 in having coiling spermathecae (SP), but differs from them by the carapace lacking pale median band (vs. present), abdomen with three pairs of large, touching, dark brown markings (Fig. 7A) (vs. relatively narrowed and widely separated markings). The new species can be distinguished from L. auriculatus by copulatory ducts (CD) located at posteromedian part of epigyne (vs. located anteriorly) (cf. Fig. 7C and Tang et al. 2008: fig. 2b, d). Finally, L. subspirellus sp. nov. differs from L. spirellus by spermathecae forming a tight coil (vs. loose coil) (cf. Fig. 7D and Tang et al. 2008: fig. 16d, f ).
Male Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Jiangxi Province of China (Fig. 17).

Genus Oxytate L. Koch, 1878
Comments. This genus includes 28 species distributed mainly in Asia and Africa. Half of them have been recorded from China, mainly in Yunnan and Guangxi provinces (Li and Lin 2016), but two species are known only from females and three from males.
Comments. Some females were collected in the type locality and others raised from juveniles. Newly collected females have general appearance and leg spination similar to the holotype male. Based on this, we consider them conspecific. This judgment will be confirmed or rejected in future when both sexes are collected together, simultaneously.
Distribution. Known only from Jiangxi Province, China (Fig. 17). Etymology. The specific name is derived from the type locality, Mucun Town. Diagnosis. Female of the new species is similar to those of O. bhutanica Ono, 2001 and O. bicornis in having vulva with M-shaped pattern formed by copulatory ducts (CD) and spermathecae (SP), but differ from both species by the copulatory openings oriented anteriorly (vs. outwards or inwards) (cf. Fig. 10C vs. Fig. 9C and Ono 2001: fig. 4). Additionally, O. mucunica sp. nov. differs from O. bicornis by the copulatory ducts being as wide as spermathecae (vs. copulatory ducts 2 × thinner) (cf. Fig. 10D and Fig. 8D).

Male. Unknown.
Notes. While many juveniles were collected and reared in the lab, only one female reached maturity.
Comments. The new species could potentially be a synonym of one of the species known only from males and occurring in China: O. clavulata Tang, Yin & Peng, 2008 (Yunnan) or O. placentiformis Wang, Chen & Zhang, 2012 (Guangxi).
Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Jiangxi Province of China (Fig. 17).

Genus Pharta Thorell, 1891
Comments. This genus includes nine species, the majority of which are distributed in Southeast Asia (WSC 2022). Four species are known to occur in China, all in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces (Li and Lin 2016). Among them, only P. tengchong (Tang, Griswold & Yin, 2009) is known from the female. Etymology. The specific name is derived from the type locality, Lingxiufeng Scenic Spot; adjective.

Pharta lingxiufengica
Diagnosis. The female of P. lingxiufengica is similar to that of P. tangi Wang, Mi & Peng, 2016 in having well-developed transverse ridge of copulatory openings (TrR) (= atrial intermediate margin of Wang et al. 2016) and invisible copulatory openings (CO). The new species can be easily differentiated from P. tangi by the convex transverse ridge of copulatory openings (vs. concave) (cf. Fig. 11C and Wang et al. 2016: fig. 2C).

Male. unknown.
Comments. There is only one species in the region known from the male only, P. koponeni Benjamin, 2014 (Thailand); however, it is unlikely to be conspecific with our female because of differences in colouration, and the long distance between type localities.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Jiangxi Province of China (Fig. 17).

Genus Stephanopis O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869
Comments. This genus includes 23 species (WSC 2022). Most of them are distributed in South America, Oceania, Australia, and Papua New Guinea (WSC 2022). The recent phylogenetic analyses based on a matrix of 117 morphological characters scored for 77 terminal taxa have revealed a large variation in morphology among Stephanopis species (Machado and Teixeira 2021); these taxonomic revisions have greatly contributed to a better understanding of the group. Here we report the first species from the Asian continent as well as from the entire Oriental zoogeographical realm.  Xiangzhou Village, Fengshuping Group, 26°36'10.8"N, 114°15'28.8"E, 412 m, 5.VIII.2015, leg. K. Liu et al. leg. Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality, Xiangzhou Village. Diagnosis. The new species is similar to S. nigra O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 by having slit-like copulatory openings (CO), but differs by lacking lateral sclerotised margins of copulatory openings (vs. lateral margins sclerotised), touching membranous sacs (vs. separated) and slightly separated spermathecae (vs. touching) (cf. Fig. 13 and Machado et al. 2019: fig. 37C, D).
Male. unknown. Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Jiangxi Province of China (Fig. 17). Comments. Xysticus is one of the most diverse genera in Thomisidae with 293 named species (WSC 2022). Fifty-nine species are known from China. Of these, 19 are known only from females, and five from males. Most species are distributed in northern China and only one species, Xysticus lesserti Schenkel, 1963, is known from Guizhou Province (Li and Lin 2016). Schenkel, 1963 Figs 14-16 Xysticus lesserti Schenkel, 1963: 219, fig. 124a- (Fig. 14A, B). Carapace reddish brown with dark mottling, medially with broad pale yellow stripe extending from PME to posterior edge. Chelicerae, endites, and labium reddish yellow. Sternum yellow, with numerous dark brown spots. Legs: I and II darker than III and IV; femora I-IV dorsally with reddish brown stripes, other segments yellowish to dark brown, with dark brown spots. Abdomen with grey oval patten, sub-medially with two indistinct transverse whitish stripes. Epigyne (Fig. 14C, D). Epigyne approximately as long as wide. Anteriorly with two atria (At) separated by the septum (Se). Copulatory openings (CO) located in the anterior part of atria, hidden by sclerotised anterior margins of atria. Spermathecae (SP) kidney-shaped, with several constrictions. Fertilisation duct (FD) short, as long as width of the spermatheca in its posterior part, directed laterally.