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 : 40-43

Pholcophora ? “Car544”

Figs 31 , 33M

S298 Pholcophora ? Car 544 Car 544 – Eberle et al. 2018 (molecular data). — Huber et al. 2018: 55.

Remarks

The two adult females available of this species resemble P. bahama Gertsch, 1982 that is known from a single adult female specimen (from Bahamas, West Caicos Island). The two species are distinguished by the strong rectangular sclerite between pedicel and epigynum in the present species ( Fig. 31C ). Habitus and size of the two species appear identical, and the female internal genitalia share a median tube-like sac (compare Fig. 31G with Huber 2000: fig. 1356). The distinctive pair of internal posterior structures appears more widely separated in the present species (only one female cleared). Our molecular data suggest that the present species (together with Pholcophora bahama if the similarity above indeed reflects close relationship) is more closely related with an undescribed Cuban species (see below) and with the Caribbean ( Curaçao) genus Papiamenta Huber, 2000 than with true Pholcophora . Our UCE dataset (G. Meng, L. Podsiadlowski, B.A. Huber, unpubl. data) does not include the present species.

Material examined

PUERTO RICO – Isla Monito • 2 ♀♀, 1 juv., in pure ethanol; precise locality not specified; 18.16° N, 67.95° W; 14 Aug. 2012; I. Agnarsson et al. leg.; USNM ENT 783463 , 783464 , 783466 .

Figures

Fig. 31. Pholcophora? “Car544”, females from Puerto Rico, Isla Mono (USNM ENT 783464, 783466). A–B. Habitus, dorsal and lateral views. C. Abdomen, ventral view. D–E. Abdomens of two specimens, lateral views (at same scale). F. Cleared female genitalia, ventral view. G. Detail of median internal structures, dorsal view. Abbreviations: as = anterior sclerite; ep = epigynum (main epigynal plate); pep = posterior epigynal plate. Scale bars: A–B = 1 mm; C–E = 0.3 mm; F–G =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.