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Type: Correspondence
Published: 2020-08-27
Page range: 441–444
Abstract views: 72
PDF downloaded: 6

Redescription of the type specimens of Althepus pictus Thorell, 1898 (Araneae, Psilodercidae) from Myanmar

Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Diversity, College of Life Science, Langfang Normal University, Langfang 065000, China
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale ‘Giacomo Doria’, Genova 16121, Italy
Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Diversity, College of Life Science, Langfang Normal University, Langfang 065000, China
Araneae

Abstract

Althepus pictus Thorell, 1898 is the type species of the genus Althepus Thorell, 1898 from the family Psilodercidae Machado, 1951. This genus includes 60 species from Southeast Asia (WSC 2020). A. pictus was described on the basis of one male and one female from Carin Chebà mountains, elevation 600800 m, Kayin Province, Myanmar. Another female specimen lacking several legs was found in Farm Caves in Mawlamyine, Mon State, Myanmar. The original description was in Latin and without any figures. Fage (1912) redescribed it based on the same male and female type specimens from Carin Chebà, but without mentioning the female from Farm Caves. Fage (1912) provided measurements, but the figures of the male right palp are imprecise. The species is redescribed here based on the original male and female type specimens deposited in Museo Civico di Storia Naturale ‘Giacomo Doria’ (MSNG) in Italy. The male and female type specimens are the only known material of A. pictus. No information is available on the female specimen from Farm Caves, which maybe have been lost. No fresh material of this species has been collected in region during five subsequent expeditions to Myanmar tours organized by the Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute in the years 2016–2020.

 

References

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    Li, F., Li, S. & Jäger, P. (2014) Six new species of the spider family Ochyroceratidae Fage 1912 (Arachnida: Araneae) from Southeast Asia. Zootaxa, 3768 (2), 119–138.

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    Li, F., Liu, C. & Li, S. (2018a) Ten new species of the spider genus Althepus Thorell, 1898 from Southeast Asia (Araneae, Ochyroceratidae). ZooKeys, 776, 27–60.

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    Thorell, T. (1898) Viaggio di Leonardo Fea in Birmania e regioni vicine. LXXX. Secondo saggio sui Ragni birmani. II. Retitelariae et Orbitelariae. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Series 2, 19 [=39], 271–378.

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