Two new species of the genus Cyrtarachne (Araneae: Araneidae) from Japan hitherto identified as C. inaequalis

Abstract

After examining many specimens identified as Cyrtarachne inaequalis Thorell 1895 from various localities in Japan, females from Okinawajima Is. were found to be morphologically distinguishable from those from the Mainland and to be the independent species, while unidentified male specimens from Okinawajima Is. were found. A comparison of mt-DNA COI gene sequencing data revealed that the males and females from Okinawajima Is. belonged to the same species. The female specimens from the Mainland and Okinawajima Is. were compared with syntypes of C. inaequalis, but neither of the two species could be identified using this approach. Consequently, it was concluded that both of these species are new to science. They are described under the names C. akirai n. sp. (from the Mainland) and C. jucunda n. sp. (from Okinawajima Is.). © Arachnological Society of Japan.