New arachnid species identified in Southwest China

Chinese researchers recently published a study unveiling the discovery of Trechaleidae, the 74th spider family in China. The research team at Southwest University, led by Zhang Zhisheng, also reported the identification of a previously unknown species of arachnids in Tsona county of the Xizang autonomous region.

The team named the Tsona county arachnid species Shinobius cona Wang et al.2024 in reference to Cona, the Mandarin name of the county in which it was discovered.

The survey result was recently published in the international zoological journal ZooKeys.

According to Wang Luyu, an associate professor of the university and a key member of the team, the realm of Chinese spiders boasts an impressive diversity, with over 6,300 known species spread across 73 families.

"This revelation places Chinese spider diversity at a pivotal global position, constituting more than half of the total spider superfamilies worldwide and accounting for approximately one-tenth of all spider species globally," Wang said, as quoted by Chinanews.com.cn.

Wang noted that the Trechaleidae family, a relatively small group in the spider kingdom, comprises 17 genera and 133 species and is predominantly confined to the Neotropical realm encompassing Central and South America, southern Mexico, and the West Indies.

Notably, the Shinobius genus' sole species, the Shinobius orientalis, was previously documented solely in Japan. The name originates from Japanese and denotes a spider that clandestinely infiltrated Japan.