Pholcus longus Yao & Li

Dong, Tingting, Zheng, Guo, Yao, Zhiyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2016, Thirteen new species of the spider genus Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 4170 (1), pp. 1-40 : 11

Pholcus longus Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 7–8

Type material. Holotype: male, Di Xue Cave (40°21.612′N, 117°14.434′E, elevation 941 m), Beishuiyu Village , Zhenluoying Town, Pinggu District, Beijing, China, 8 January 2014, Z. Zha and Z. Chen leg . Paratypes: 2 males and 2 females, same data as holotype .

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin longus (long), in reference to the epigynum with a long knob of this species; adjective.

Diagnosis. The species can be easily distinguished from all known congeners in the P. crypticolens species group by the bifurcated proximo-lateral apophyses on the male chelicerae ( Fig. 8 D), by the distally large procursus ( Figs 7 A–D) and by the very long knob on the epigynum ( Fig. 8 A).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length 6.70(6.97 with clypeus), carapace 1.87 long, 2.23 wide, opisthosoma 4.83 long, 2.53 wide. Leg I: 55.07 (13.92 + 0.93 + 14.46 + 23.04 +2.72), leg II: 35.44 (9.96 + 0.91 + 8.98 + 14.07 + 1.52), leg III: 25.83 (7.71 + 0.84 + 6.34 + 9.63 + 1.31), leg IV: 30.08 (10.24 + 0.85 + 8.58 + 12.87 + 1.54); tibia I L/d: 78. Distance PME-PME 0.35; diameter PME 0.28; distance PME-ALE 0.06; distance AME- AME 0.04; diameter AME 0.02. Thoracic furrow absent. Sternum wider than long (1.55/1.13). Habitus as in Figs 8 E–F. Carapace yellowish, with brown radiating stripes and brown bands marginally; ocular area yellowish, with brown marks; sternum brown. Legs yellow, proximal parts of femur and distal parts of femur and tibiae whitish; darker rings absent. Opisthosoma yellowish, with small spots dorsally and laterally. Ocular area elevated, without eye-stalks (as in P. gonggarensis sp. nov., cf. Fig. 27 C). Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Fig. 8 D, with a pair of bifurcated proximo-lateral apophyses and a pair of distal apophyses, each with two cone-shaped teeth. Pedipalps as in Figs 7 A–B; trochanter with a ventral apophysis provided with a small apophysis proximally; femur with a small ventral protuberance; procursus simple proximally and very large distally; uncus with a scaly edge; appendix hooked, with a branch subdistally, embolus weakly sclerotized. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 5%; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi; without spines and curved setae; tarsus I with 13 distinct pseudosegments.

Female: Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 8 G–H. Total length 5.40 (5.83 with clypeus), carapace 1.51 long, 1.88 wide, opisthosoma 3.89 long, 1.91 wide; tibia I: 9.27; tibia I L/d: 52. Distance PME-PME 0.25; diameter PME 0.11; distance PME-ALE 0.04; distance AME-AME 0.05; diameter AME 0.06. Sternum wider than long (1.12/ 0.89). Epigynum ( Fig. 8 A) with a long knob. Vulva ( Fig. 8 B) with a nearly trapezoid anterior arch and two pore plates.

Distribution. China (Beijing, type locality; Fig. 28 ).

Natural History. The species was found on the wall in the entrance zone of the cave.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Pholcus longus sp. nov., holotype male. A – B. Pedipalp (A. Prolateral view; B. Ventral view); C – D. Distal part of procursus (C. Prolateral view; D. Ventral view). a = appendix, b = bulb, e = embolus, pr = procursus, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0. 20 (A – B), 0.10 (C – D).

FIGURE 8. Pholcus longus sp. nov., holotype male (C – F) and paratype female (A – B, G – H). A. Epigynum, ventral view; B. Vulva, dorsal view; C. Bulbal apophyses, prolateral view; D. Chelicerae, frontal view; E – H. Habitus (E, G. Dorsal view; F, H. Ventral view). a = appendix, da = distal apophysis, e = embolus, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, pp = pore plate, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.10 (A – B), 0.20 (C), 0.15 (D), 1.00 (E – H).

FIGURE 27. Male and female ocular area, frontal view. A – B. Pholcus yanjinensis sp. nov., holotype male (A) and paratype female (B). C – D. P. gonggarensis sp. nov., holotype male (C) and paratype female (D). E – F. P. zhongdongensis sp. nov., holotype male (E) and paratype female (F). Scale bars: 0.10 (A – F).

FIGURE 28. Distribution records of new Pholcus species from China. 1. Pholcus yanjinensis sp. nov. from P. bidentatus species group (pink); 2. P. jingyangensis sp. nov., 3. P. langensis sp. nov. and 4. P. longus sp. nov. from P. crypticolens species group (light blue); 5. P. huoxiaerensis sp. nov. from P. ponticus species group (green); 6. P. difengensis sp. nov., 7. P. gonggarensis sp. nov., 8. P. hamaensis sp. nov., 9. P. lingguanensis sp. nov., 10. P. qingyunensis sp. nov., 11. P. tangyuensis sp. nov.; 12. P. tianmuensis sp. nov. and 13. P. zhongdongensis sp. nov. from P. yichengicus species group (red).