Pholcophora, Banks, 1896

Huber, Bernhard A., Meng, Guanliang, Valdez-Mondragón, Alejandro, Král, Jiří, Ávila Herrera, Ivalú M. & Carvalho, Leonardo S., 2023, Short-legged daddy-long-leg spiders in North America: the genera Pholcophora and Tolteca (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 880 (1), pp. 1-89 : 40

Pholcophora “Mex354”

Figs 3L , 30 , 33G–H

This species is not formally described because no male is available. The morphology of the epigynum ( Fig. 30A–B ) reminds of geographically close congeners ( P. mazatlan sp. nov.; P. papanoa sp. nov.) but the main epigynal plate is not straight posteriorly but has a pair of lateral indentations, and the legs tend to be longer (tibia 1 in 10 females 1.12–1.40, mean 1.28). The female of P. mexcala is unknown, but P. mexcala seems to be a much bigger species (male tibia 1 length>4.0). The specimens were collected in a dry area, together with a second representative of Pholcophora ( P. tehuacan sp. nov.), and five further species of Pholcidae ( Physocyclus modestus Gertsch, 1971 ; Physocyclus sp. ; Modisimus sp. ; Psilochorus spp. ). The spiders were usually found on the undersides of rocks, apparently in tiny webs; they did not run unless the web was damaged by turning the rock.

Material examined

MEXICO – Puebla • 5 ♀♀, in pure ethanol; ~ 35 km SE of Tehuacan , N of Calapa bridge; 18.1652° N, 97.2605° W; 1020 m a.s.l.; 24 Oct. 2019; B.A. Huber and Valdez-Mondragón leg.; thorn scrub, under rocks; two prosomata used for molecular work; ZFMK Mex 354 • 8 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; LATLAX .

Figures

Fig. 3. Pholcophora Banks, 1896, live specimens. A. P. americana Banks, 1896, male from USA, Colorado, near Golden.B–E. P. mazatlan Huber sp. nov., males and females with egg-sacs from Mexico, Guerrero, N of Mazatlán. F–G. P. papanoa Huber sp. nov., male and female from Mexico, Guerrero, S of Papanoa. H–I. P. texana Gertsch, 1935, male and female with egg-sac from Mexico, Hidalgo, SW of Jacala. J–K. P. tehuacan Huber sp. nov., male and female with egg-sac from Mexico, Puebla, SE of Tehuacan. L. P. “Mex354”, female with egg-sac from Mexico, Puebla, SE of Tehuacan.

Fig. 30. Pholcophora “Mex354”, females from Mexico, Puebla, SE of Tehuacan (ZFMK Mex354). A–B. Epigynum, ventral and lateral views. C–D. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. E–F. Detail of median internal structures in two different specimens. Scale bars: A–D = 0.3 mm; E–F = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 33. Pholcophora internal female genitalia, median sections of main transversal internal sclerite. A–B. P. americana Banks, 1896, females from USA, California, Inyo Nat. Forest (ZFMK G089) and Colorado, near Golden (ZFMK USA16). C–D. P. mazatlan Huber sp. nov., females from Mexico, Guerrero, N of Mazatlán (ZFMK Ar 23943). E–F. P. papanoa Huber sp. nov., females from Mexico, Guerrero, S of Papanoa (ZFMK Ar 23945). G–H. P. “Mex354”, females from Mexico, Puebla, SE of Tehuacan (ZFMK Mex354). I–J. P. texana Gertsch, 1935, females from Mexico, Hidalgo, SW of Jacala (ZFMK Ar 23952). K–L. P. tehuacan Huber sp. nov., females from Mexico, Puebla, SE of Tehuacan (ZFMK Ar 23949). M. Pholcophora? “Car544”, female from Puerto Rico, Isla Mono (USNM ENT 783464). N. Pholcophora? “Cu12-325”, female from Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, Siboney (ZFMK Cu12- 325). Scale bar = 0.1 mm.