Metleucauge kompirensis

Metleucauge kompirensis is a species of spider in the family Tetragnathidae. It is found across East Asia, including Russia, China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.

Etymology

The specific epithet kompirensis refers to the location "Saga, Kompira" in Japan, near Nagasaki. Bösenberg & Strand repeatedly mentions this location for specimens collected by Dönitz.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described as Meta kompirensis by Wilhelm Bösenberg and Embrik Strand in 1906. At the same time, the synonym Meta vena was described by Dönitz & Strand. In 1955, Yaginuma synonymized Meta vena with Meta kompirensis. The species was transferred to the genus Metleucauge by Herbert Walter Levi in 1980.

Distribution

M. kompirensis has been recorded from the Russian Far East, various provinces in China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.

Description

Females are larger than males, with total body length ranging from 10.7–15.6 mm compared to males at 5.7–7.8 mm. The cephalothorax in females measures 4.2 × 3.4 mm, while in males it is 2.6 × 2.1 mm. The opisthosoma is 6.5 × 4.3 mm in females and 3.1 × 2.0 mm in males.
The species can be distinguished from the closely related Metleucauge yunohamensis by several characteristics: the "V"-shaped marking on the carapace is uniform without light-colored spots, the anterior portion of the abdominal folium is distinct and darker, the middle bulge of the epigyne is sub-spherical, the spermathecae are relatively larger, and in males the tibia is slightly longer than the cymbium, though their length ratio does not exceed 1.5.