Two new species of the spider genus Songthela (Mesothelae, Liphistiidae) from Hunan Province, China

By

Han, Shoushuo
Zhang, Yan
Li, Daiqin
Xu, Xin

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-6-16

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1241

Pages

291--300

Subjects

Araneae , Barcode gene , bispina-group , COI , Description , Morphology , taxonomy , trapdoor spiders , unispina-group

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1241.146992

 

Abstract

Two new species of the primitively segmented spider genus Songthela Ono, 2000, which were collected from Hunan Province, China, are described based on specimens of both sexes: S. dongtasp. nov. (♂♀), and S. lixisp. nov. (♂♀). Songthela dongtasp. nov. is assigned to the bispina-group, while S. lixisp. nov. belongs to the unispina-group, based on the morphology of male palps and female genitalia. We also provide mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences for species identification and calculate the intra- and interspecific genetic distance among these two new species and 26 known Songthela species. These molecular data highlight distinct genetic divergence between the two new species and their congeners, facilitating future species delimitation. This study not only expands the known diversity of Songthela, but also contributes to a growing framework for understanding biogeographic patterns and evolutionary processes in ancient spider lineages.