Twelve new species of the family Uloboridae (Arachnida: Araneae) from China

Тhree new spider species of the genus Miagrammopes O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1870 (Aranei, Uloboridae) from SE Asia

“…The three newly described species are indeed members of the genus Miagrammopes [sensu Opell, 1979Opell, , 1984Dong et al, 2005], as they have the main diagnostic characters of the genus: viz., anterior eyes are lost (Figs 9,20), the labium and endites are twice as long as wide (Figs 10, 21), the sternum is divided into two/three flexi- ble parts by transverse grooves (Fig. 21), and the radix acts as a functional conductor (Figs 2, 12, 15, 24: R).…”

“…The latter character is unique not only in the genus Miagrammopes, but apparently in the whole family Uloboridae. The majority of described Miagrammopes species, for which the male is known, have the tibial extension resembling a thick dorsal outgrowth that is much shorter than the cymbial length [see Lehtinen, 1967;Dong et al, 2004Dong et al, , 2005Yoshida, 1982Yoshida, , 2009. The presence of nine easily distinguishable species groups in the genus Miagrammopes could possibly indicate its composite nature as a paraphyletic taxon [cf.…”

“…However, according to Coddington [1990: figs 37, 40], this sclerite should be called the «median apophysis». What was termed the «median apophysis» (consisting of two branches) by Opell [1979Opell [ , 1984, according to Coddington [1990: figs 37-41; followed by Dong et al, 2005: fig. 12], is to be termed the «conductor».…”

“…Eleven species are known from South Asia (India and Sri Lanka) [Pickard-Cambridge, 1870;Tikader, 1971;Sen et al, 2013;Rajoria, 2015], with all of them, except for M. thwaitesii Pickard-Cambridge, 1870, being known from the holotype females and the type localities only. Eight species are known from the continental SE Asia (viz., China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand) [Simon, 1886;Bösenberg, Strand, 1906;Kulczyński, 1908;Yoshida, 1982;Dong et al, 2004Dong et al, , 2005, including the common and currently best known species M. orientalis Bösenberg et Strand, 1906. Of the latter set of species, about a half (four species) is known from both sexes. Four species are known from Indonesia (Sumatra) and the Philippines [Thorell, 1887;Strand, 1911;Barrion, Litsinger, 1995]; all of them remain known from the holotypes only (three from the females).…”