title: Four new species of the trapdoor spider genusConotheleThorell, 1878 from Mainland China and Laos (Araneae, Ctenizidae).
abstract: Here for the first time the presence of the trapdoor spider genusConotheleThorell, 1878 (Araneae: Ctenizidae) is reported from mainland China and Laos. FourConothelespecies collected from the regions are described as new to science, based on the female genital morphology:Conothele baiyunensisXu, Xu & Liu,sp. n.(Guangdong Province),Conothele daxinensisXu, Xu & Li,sp. n.(Guangxi Province),Conothele sidiechongensisXu, Xu & Liu,sp. n.(Yunnan Province, China and Vietnam),Conothele yundingensisXu, Xu & Li,sp. n.(Yunnan Province).
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution (CBEE), College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution (CBEE), College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution (CBEE), College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Fengxiang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution (CBEE), College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Zengtao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543.
authors.forename: Daiqin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: Araneae; China; Conothele; Ctenizidae; Laos; taxonomy