Hotwheels sisyphus

Hotwheels sisyphus is a species of Chinese ground spiders (family Gnaphosidae). It is the only species in the genus Hotwheels.^[1] It was first described by Bo Liu and Feng Zhang, both from Hebei University, in 2024,^[2] and has only been found in China.^[1]

Hotwheels sisyphus
Male individual
Female individual
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Gnaphosidae
Genus:	Hotwheels Liu & Zhang, 2024[1]
Species:	H. sisyphus
Binomial name
Hotwheels sisyphus Liu & Zhang, 2024[1]

Etymology

The genus name is derived from Hot Wheels, an American brand of scale model cars. The long coiled embolus of the palpal bulb of this new genus reminded the authors of a looping Hot Wheels track.^[2] The species is named for Sisyphus, a king from Greek mythology, who is punished by the gods for cheating death. For this, the gods sentenced him to an eternity of rolling a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down. The cyclical nature of his punishment reminded the authors of the circular copulatory tube of the spider.^[2]

Description

This species is small in size with males having a total length of 4.86-5.44 millimeters while females have a total length of 5.45-5.98 millimeters. They have a overall yellow-brown color carapace while its abdomen is grey in color. The legs are brown.^[2]

Distribution

Distribution of H. sisyphus across southwestern China. The markers located distribution while the triangle marker marks type specimen.

It is only known to be found in China, specifically in the southwestern provinces Guizhou (type specimen location), Sichuan and Yunnan.^[2]