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2025
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| Accés en línia: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17417562 |
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- <p><b>Genus <i>Magnacrus</i> gen. nov. Hoang, Yu, Wendt, West, von Wirth</b></p><p><b>Type species:</b> <i>Magnacrus taynguyenensis</i> <b>gen. nov. sp. nov.</b></p><p><b>Etymology.</b> The generic name is a combination of Latin words “magna” (feminine adjective, meaning “large”) and “crus” (gender neutral noun meaning “leg”), reflecting the significantly thicker leg IV of the species females currently included. The gender is masculine.</p><p><b>Diagnosis.</b> <i>Magnacrus</i> <b>gen. nov.</b> and <i>Citharognathus</i> both exhibit modified (enlarged to some extent) posterior legs in females (Figs 4A, 8A, 12A). However, <i>Magnacrus</i> <b>gen. nov.</b> can be distinguished from all other genera of Ornithoctoninae, including <i>Citharognathus</i>, based on the following features in females: (1) the presence of spinules on the carapace on the posterior edge (Figs 13C–D); (2) the presence of a setal brush on the retrolateral side of leg IV, formed by conspicuously elongated setae of the patella to metatarsus (Figs 1C, 4A, 7C, 8A). These features are absent in both sexes of any other ornithoctonine genera (including <i>Citharognathus</i>), and are therefore considered putatively synapomorphic for <i>Magnacrus</i>. In females of <i>Magnacrus</i>, the patellae, tibiae, and metatarsi of legs III and IV are all relatively thicker and more robust than those in the legs I and II (Figs 4A, 8A), which is distinct from females of <i>Citharognathus</i>, where only the middle part of tibia IV is slightly enlarged (Fig. 9C). <i>Magnacrus</i> lacks spinules above the suture of the palpal coxa (Figs 1E, 2E, 5E, 7E), a feature that aligns it with <i>Cyriopagopus</i> and distinguishes them from all remaining genera (Fig. 10E). However, aside from the putative synapomorphies mentioned above, <i>Magnacrus</i> can be further distinguished from <i>Cyriopagopus</i> by the following: <i>Magnacrus</i> lacks a dense fringe of long white hairs above the retrolateral cheliceral scopulae and has a reduced number of spines on metatarsus IV (no more than 5 spines). In contrast, species of <i>Cyriopagopus</i> either possess such a fringe on the cheliceral scopulae (<i>C. schmidti</i> group) or always have more than 6 spines on metatarsus IV (<i>C. minax</i> group). The LRF of female <i>Magnacrus</i> is below 90, whereas females of other ornithoctonine genera are consistently above 90, with the exception of <i>Cyriopagopus longipes</i> (von Wirth & Striffler, 2005) (LRF~ 85).</p><p><b>Description.</b> Medium to large spiders (34–55 mm) with remarkably thickened rear legs in females, which have a more or less dense brush of longer hairs on the tibiae retrolaterally. Carapace elongated oval, with small spines in the marginal dorsal-basal area. Caput raised in females. Eye group elongated oval or roundish oval, wider than long, ocular tubercle well defined. Clypeus distinct. Labium wider than long. Labiosternal groove with two distinct mounds. Cuspules 67–106 in the sub-apical region of the labium. Maxillae longer than wide, overall setose, prolateral anterior angle distinctly produced, serrula absent. Chelicerae retrolateral with a large field of feathered setae. In the basal-dorsal region, the setae are more pronounced. In the basal-ventral region, some of these setae are feathered and sword-shaped. Prolateral face of maxilla consists of diffusely arranged spines. Sternum longer than wide. Legs moderately stout, hirsute, spines present on tibiae and metatarsi I–IV. Abdomen roundish oval, with very weak pattern. Spermathecae undivided with distinct dent in middle. Tibial apophysis of males apically numerous bristled.</p><p><b>Distribution.</b> China (?); Vietnam (Fig. 17).</p><p><b>Biogeography.</b> Based on the first author’s field observations, all specimens of <i>M. tongmianensis</i> from Vietnam were collected or observed at elevations below 600 m above sea level. In contrast, the new species <i>M. taynguyenensis</i> was collected at elevations higher than 1000 m above sea level, suggesting a distinct altitudinal distribution pattern among members of the genus <i>Magnacrus</i>.</p><p><b>Remark.</b> Based on the examination of nearly all type species of ornithoctonine genera by Volker von Wirth, the presence of spines above the prolateral palp coxa suture are recognized as a synapomorphy. This character may be useful for dividing the subfamily Ornithoctoninae into two major clades. However, the result will be published in a separate study.</p><p>Although, <i>Magnacrus tongmianensis</i> (Zhu, Li & Song, 2002) <b>gen. nov. comb. nov.</b>, was original described under the genus <i>Citharognathus</i>, the new genus <i>Magnacrus</i> is separated from <i>Citharognathus</i> by: both male and female specimens of new genus without spines above the prolateral palp coxa suture (Figs 1E, 2E, 5E, 7E) vs. present in <i>Citharognathus</i> (Figs 9E, 10E); in females, there is a unique dense setal brush on the metatarsus of leg IV retrolaterally (Figs 4A, 8A) while absent in <i>Citharognathus</i> (Fig. 12A); there are no spinules on the carapace in <i>Citharognathus</i> (Fig. 9A); the strongly incrassate patella, tibia and metatarsus of legs III and IV compared to legs I and II (Figs 4A, 8A) while in <i>Citharognathus</i> only the tibia of leg IV is incrassate (Fig. 12A); there are numerous short, stout black spinules on patellae, tibiae and metatarsi of leg III & IV in <i>C. hosei</i> (Figs 9C, 12A, 13B), but absent in the new genus <i>Magnacrus</i>. Additionally, male <i>Citharognathus</i> possess distinct long dense setae on all legs and abdomen (Fig. 12B) while this feature is less distinct in male <i>Magnacrus</i> (Figs 4B, 8B). Thus, we propose the new ornithortonine genus <i>Magnacrus</i> <b>gen. nov.</b>, to accommodate the new combination <i>M. tongmianensis</i> (Zhu, Li & Song, 2002) <b>gen. nov. comb. nov.</b>, and the new species <i>M. taynguyenensis</i> <b>gen. nov. sp. nov.</b>, both from Vietnam.</p><p>Additionally, the two genera show differences in both distribution and lifestyle species as <i>Magnacrus</i> are currently known only from the Central Highlands of Vietnam and are typical ground-dwelling spiders (Figs 14A–D, 15A–B), whereas the type species of <i>Citharognathus</i>, <i>C. hosei</i>, is an arboreal species distributed in northern Borneo (Fig. 16 A–B).</p><p>Although both genera show an incrassate tibia of leg IV, the thickened posterior legs are not rare for Theraphosids, and this trait is usually of multiple independent origins, such as those genera of the theraphosinae, <i>Eupalaestrus</i> Pocock, 1901, <i>Crassicrus</i> Reichling & West, 1996 (Reichling & West 1996; Borges <i>et al.</i> 2021). At first glance, this feature seems to closely link <i>Magnacrus</i> and <i>Citharognathus</i>. However, the presence of spinules above the maxillary suture and the presence of numerous short, stout black spinules on patella, tibia and metatarsus of leg III & IV in <i>Citharognathus</i> (Figs 9C, 12A, 13B) as well as their geographical distribution and lifestyle, suggest that their phylogenetic positions are actually quite distant from each other (Wendt <i>et al.</i> in prep.)</p>