One new species of the genus Belisana Thorell, 1898 (Araneae, Pholcidae) from northern Vietnam

One new species Belisana denticulata sp. n. (♂) is reported from northern Vietnam based on material collected by fogging the forest canopy. This species resembles B. scharffi Huber, 2005, but can be distinguished by relatively long distance between proximal parts of proximo-lateral apophysis and distal apophysis on male chelicerae, by presence of a nearly saddle-shaped prolateral sclerite on procursus, and by different shape of retrolateral membranous flap on procursus. Type specimens are deposited in the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology in Hanoi

A remarkable new cave scorpion of the family Pseudochactidae Gromov (Chelicerata, Scorpiones) from Vietnam

A new genus and species of scorpion belonging to the family Pseudochactidae are described based on four specimens collected in the Tien Son cave at the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. The new species represents a true troglobitic element, the first one known for the family Pseudochactidae. This represents the third known record of a pseudochactid, and the first from Vietnam

LANDSCAPE BIODIVERSITY OF TROPICAL FOREST SPIDER COMMUNITIES IN VIETNAM (ARACHNIDA: ARANEAE)

Spiders were sampled from one-hectare tropical rainforest plots in three parks in northern Vietnam. Inventories were based on ecologically structured sampling employing five methods. A series of non-parametric estimators were used to extrapolate the true species richness from the samples for each locality and indicate the magnitude of sampling effort necessary to inventory a variety of protected Southeast Asian tropical forests. We investigated the Beta diversity between sites and explored the distinctness of the communities sampled by the various collecting methods. Our approach takes the incompleteness of our inven-tories into account and estimates the number of unobserved shared species. Rank sample abundance was positively correlated with number of sites observed. However, when sample abundance was scaled by incidence (as an index of de-tection probability), this relationship disappeared. This suggests no difference in the probability that abundant and rare species will be present in different sites even if the detection probability of rare species is low. The three sites differed in their observed and estimated point diversity with the lowest diversity site, Cuc Phuong, also having the least vertically-stratified spider community. The three sites, separated by 150–300 km and differing in vegetation community, eleva-tion, geology, and other attributes, experience an estimated 65–85% turnover in species composition over differences of this magnitude. We discuss the rationale for using the non-parametric estimator approach and caution that estimates can be unreliable when samples contain an insufficient portion of the community

Lehtinenia bisulcus Lin & Pham & Li 2009, new species

<i>Lehtinenia bisulcus</i> new species <p>(Figs. 1 A−B; 2A−F)</p> <p> <i>Material examined. –</i> Holotype <b>-</b> Male (IZCAS), Prehistoric Man Cave (20°18'N, 105°40'E; Alt: 256 m), Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam, coll. S. Li, 19 July 2008.</p> <p>Paratypes – 4 females (IZCAS), same data as holotype.</p> <p> <i>Diagnosis. –</i> The new specie is similar to <i>L. bicornis</i> from Hainan Island, China (Tong & Li, 2008), but can be distinguished by the proximally wider and distally narrower palpal bulb, the distally furcate embolus, the swollen palpal femur, and the elevated ocular area in males; and the arcuate epiginal pit, the short and broad inner vulval plate, and the presence of translucent center process in frontal of inner vulval plate in females.</p> <p> <i>Etymology. –</i> The specific name comes from Latin <i>bisulcus</i> = forked, in reference to the shape of the distal end of embolus.</p> <p> <i>Description. –</i> Holotype male. Body orange. Total length 1.14. Carapace 0.50 long, 0.40 wide; Carapace 0.32 high. Abdomen 0.72 wide, 0.52 long. Clypeus 0.23 high. Sternum 0.32 long, 0.30 wide. Carapace diamond-shaped, highest anteriorly at the eye group, slightly sloping backwards and sharply down forwards, with finely reticulate modification. Six eyes in one group, with black ring, and a blunt, short process behind them. Ocular and cephalic areas bear hairs. ALE>PLE>PME. Posterior eyes row recurved. Cheliceral promargin with a large tooth and lamina, frontal-middle with a condyle, another in inside base, fang short and strong, basal boss large. Sternum with reticular ornaments, marginally rugose. Femora, tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi with obviously modified granula and serrate hairs. Tibia bears three trichobothria, and one on metatarsus. Leg measurements: I 1.23 (0.42, 0.08, 0.31, 0.20, 0.22); II 1.09 (0.36, 0.08, 0.26, 0.19, 0.20); III 0.96 (0.30, 0.07, 0.21, 0.19, 0.19); IV 1.33 (0.41, 0.11, 0.34, 0.24, 0.23). Leg formula: 4 1 2 3. Abdominal dorsal scutum long, oval, with smooth surface. Lateral scutum I long, reaching the posterior margin of pulmonary plate. One pair of perigenital plates.</p> <p>Male palpal bulbus proximally swollen, pear-shaped, distally continued by a narrow extension; embolus relatively wide, strongly sclerotized, with distal end forming an asymmetric furcation; tibia longer than femur, swollen, nearly two times larger than femur, with one dorsal trichobothrium on distal tibia (Fig. 1 A, B).</p> <p> <b>Female.</b> Color as in male. Total length 1.24. Carapace 0.54 long, 0.42 wide. Carapace 0.27 high. Abdomen 0.82 long, 0.63 long. Clypeus 0.12 high. Sternum 0.31 long, 0.31 wide. Carapace and sternum reticular ornaments same as in male. Ocular area unmodified. Six eyes in one group, eyes smaller than corresponding eyes of male. ALE>PLE>PME. Cheliceral surface without modified process. Legs with granules. Ttrichobothria on legs same as in male. Leg measurements: I 1.19 (0.40, 0.08, 0.29, 0.20, 0.22); II 1.11 (0.37, 0.08, 0.26, 0.19, 0.21); III 0.98 (0.30, 0.07, 0.21, 0.20, 0.20); IV 1.37 (0.42, 0.13, 0.34, 0.24, 0.24). Leg formula: 4 1 2 3. Preanal plate larger than that of male, with a pair of sclerotized flakes on the posterolateral corners. Postgenital plate subequal to preanal plate in width, postgenital plate scale-shaped.</p> <p>Epiginal pit transversely crescent, with vulval stem connected via a pair of long, laterally extending, strongly sclerotized horns; lateral horns with procurved distal tip connected to the spermathecae; center process with length subequal to the inner vulval plate, rugose membrane; inner vulval plate weakly sclerotized, with a broad base. Epiginal fold distinct, almost reaching the margin of epiginal shield (Fig. 2 A).</p> <p> <i>Distribution. –</i> Known only from the type locality (Fig. 13).</p>Published as part of <i>Lin, Yucheng, Pham, Dinh-Sac & Li, Shuqiang, 2009, Six New Spiders From Caves Of Northern Vietnam (Araneae: Tetrablemmidae: Ochyroceratidae: Telemidae: Symphytognathidae), pp. 323-342 in Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 57 (2)</i> on pages 324-327, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/4508246">10.5281/zenodo.4508246</a&gt

Draconarius transparens Liu & Li & Pham 2010, sp. nov.

Draconarius transparens sp. nov. Figs 67–70, 87 Type material. Holotype male, 18 male paratypes, VIETNAM: Vinh Phuc Province, Tam Dao National Park (21º31.56’N, 105º33.15’E), March 2007 to March 2008, Dinh-Sac PHAM leg. Etymology. The specific epithet is taken from the Latin adjective ‘ transparens ’, referring to the transparent median apophysis in the new species. Diagnosis. The new species is similar to D. clavellatus sp. nov., but can be distinguished from the latter by the transparent median apophysis and almost rectangle-shaped embolus base (Figs 67B, 68A, 69B, 70B). Description. Male. Total length 7.00–7.53. Holotype total length 7.20, prosoma 3.75 long, 2.60 wide; opisthosoma 3.45 long, 2.35 wide. Eye measurements: AME 0.10; ALE 0.16; PME 0.15; PLE 0.15; AME– AME 0; AME–ALE 0; ALE–PLE 0; PME–PME 0.05; PME–PLE 0.03. Clypeus height 0.15. Leg formula: IV, I, II, III; leg measurements: I: 10.25 (3.00, 3.50, 2.75, 2.00); II: 9.55 (2.50, 3.10, 2.45, 1.50); III: 9.05 (2.50, 2.75, 2.50, 1.30); IV: 12.25 (3.25, 3.95, 3.50, 1.55). Chelicerae with three promarginal and two retromarginal teeth (Fig. 68B). Patellar apophysis short (Figs 68A, 70B); RTA occupying almost entire tibia length, distinctly extended distally (Figs 68A, 70B); lateral tibial apophysis present, widely separated from the RTA (Figs 68A, 70B); cymbial furrow more than half of cymbial length (Figs 68A, 70B); conductor long and large, extending posteriorly and reaching median apophysis, with a large dorsal apophysis (Figs 67B, 68A, 69B, 70B); median apophysis broad, transparent, not spoon-shaped (Figs 67B, 68A, 69B, 70B); embolus long, filiform, retrolateral in origin (Figs 67B, 69B). Female. Unknown. Habitat preferences. These specimens were collected by pitfall traps, this species may live on the forest floor or in leaf litter. Distribution. Vietnam (Vinh Phuc) (Fig. 87).Published as part of Liu, Jie, Li, Shuqiang & Pham, Dinh-Sac, 2010, 2377, pp. 1-93 in Zootaxa 2377 on pages 70-7