Eight cobweb spider species from China building detritus-based, bell-shaped retreats (Araneae, Theridiidae)
Eight cobweb spider species building a detritus-based, bell-shaped retreat from China are reported in the current paper, including five new Campanicola species and three known species: Campanicola anguilliformis Li & Liu, sp. nov., Campanicola falciformis Li & Liu, sp. nov., Campanicola heteroidea Li & Liu, sp. nov., Campanicola tauricornis Li & Liu, sp. nov., Campanicola volubilis Li & Liu, sp. nov., Campanicola campanulata (Chen, 1993), Campanicola ferrumequina (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906), and Parasteatoda ducta (Zhu, 1998). Among them, the male of Parasteatoda ducta (Zhu, 1998) is described for the first time. We provide photographs of all species and descriptions for new species in the current paper. The type of bell-shaped retreat is rare in theridiid, and found only in four related genera. A natural next step upon completing this taxonomic study would be to analyse and understand the evolution of the retreat and related traits.
Found an error? Please report to login@optimap.science.