Wuliphantes

Wuliphantes
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Linyphiidae
Genus: Wuliphantes
Irfan, Wang & Zhang, 2023[1]
Type species
Wuliphantes trigyrus
Irfan, Wang & Zhang, 2023[1]
Species

See text

Wuliphantes is a genus of dwarf spiders in the family Linyphiidae, first described by Muhammad Irfan, Liang-Yu Wang, and Zhi-Sheng Zhang in 2023 based on specimens from Wulipo National Nature Reserve in Chongqing, China.[2]

Distribution

All species are known from various provinces of China,[1] particularly in Chongqing and adjacent regions such as Hubei, Guizhou, and Zhejiang.[2]

Diagnosis

The genus is characterized in males by a very long embolus forming multiple coils (ranging from two to four depending on the species), the presence of a conspicuous membranous protegulum at the distal end of the tegulum, and an embolic plate with two projections (dorsal and ventral). Females lack a scape in the epigyne, and their copulatory ducts are transparent with several tightly coiled loops before reaching the spermathecae, which can be compact or helical.[2]

Etymology

The genus name is a contraction of 五里铺; Wǔlǐpù and genus Bathyphantes, the former genus for W. tongluensis.[3]

Species

As of October 2025, this genus includes five species:[1]

  • Wuliphantes dahonghaiensis Irfan, C. C. Zhang, Cai & Z. S. Zhang, 2025China
  • Wuliphantes guanshan (Irfan, Wang & Zhang, 2022) – China
  • Wuliphantes tongluensis (Chen & Song, 1988) – China
  • Wuliphantes trigyrus Irfan, Wang & Zhang, 2023 – China (type species)
  • Wuliphantes yaan Yao & Li, 2023 – China

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Gen. Wuliphantes Irfan, Wang & Zhang, 2023". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  2. ^ a b c Irfan, Muhammad; Wang, Liang-Yu; Zhang, Zhi-Sheng (2023). "Survey of Linyphiidae spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Wulipo National Nature Reserve, Chongqing, China". European Journal of Taxonomy. 871: 1–85. doi:10.5852/ejt.2023.871.2129.
  3. ^ Irfan, Muhammad; Zhang, Chang-Cheng; Cai, Yu-Jun; Zhang, Zhi-Sheng (2025). "Four new species of Linyphiidae spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Jiangjin District of Chongqing, China". Zootaxa. 5647 (5): 435–450. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5647.5.2.