Pholcus zhongdongensis 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 : 35-39

Pholcus zhongdongensis Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 25–26 , 27 E–F

Type material. Holotype: male, Cave without a name beside Tufeng Cave (24°10.187′N, 111°12.423′E, elevation 154 m), Zhongdong Village , Huangyao Town , Zhaoping County, Hezhou, Guangxi, China, 21 July 2013, H. Zhao leg . Paratypes: 3 females, same data as holotype .

Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality; adjective.

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. tuyan Yao & Li, 2012 (see Yao & Li 2012: 36, figs 183–186) with similar male chelicerae ( Fig. 26 D), procursus ( Figs 25 C–D) and uncus ( Fig. 26 C) but can be distinguished by the presence of an angular branch subproximally on the very long and curved appendix ( Fig. 26 C), by the wide knob ( Fig. 26 A) and by the nearly rounded vulval pore plates ( Fig. 26 B).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length 4.31 (4.73 with clypeus), carapace 1.28 long, 1.48 wide, opisthosoma 3.03 long, 1.41 wide. Leg I: 44.83 (10.43 + 0.74 + 11.20 + 20.18 + 2.28), leg II, leg III missing, leg IV: 26.47 (7.36 + 0.61 + 6.59 + 10.51 + 1.40); tibia I L/d: 78. Distance PME-PME 0.67; diameter PME 0.12; distance PME-ALE 0.03; distance AME-AME 0.08; diameter AME 0.02. Sternum wider than long (0.97/0.79). Habitus as in Figs 26 E–F. Carapace yellowish, with brownish marks; ocular area brownish; sternum yellow. Legs yellowish, distal parts of tibiae whitish, darker rings absent. Opisthosoma yellowish. Ocular area elevated; each eye triad on top of a long, laterally directed eye-stalk ( Fig. 27 E); PME with a long apophysis ( Fig. 27 E). Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Fig. 26 D, with a pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, a pair of black distal apophyses, and a pair of frontal apophyses. Pedipalps as in Figs 25 A–B; trochanter with a ventral apophysis; femur with a distinct ventral ridge; procursus simple proximally but complex distally; uncus with a scaly edge; appendix long and curved, with an angular branch subproximally; embolus weakly sclerotized, with transparent projections distally. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 4%; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi; without spines and curved setae; tarsus I with 35 distinct pseudosegments.

Female: Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 26 G–H. Total length 4.54 (4.61 with clypeus), carapace 1.41 long, 1.48 wide, opisthosoma 3.13 long, 1.28 wide. Distance PME-PME 0.36; diameter PME 0.08; distance PME-ALE 0.03; distance AME-AME 0.06; diameter AME 0.03. Sternum wider than long (0.88/0.72). Ocular area without eye-stalks ( Fig. 27 F); PME protrudent anteriorly ( Fig. 27 F). Epigynum ( Fig. 26 A) with a wide knob. Vulva ( Fig. 26 B) with a sclerotized anterior arch and two nearly rounded pore plates.

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

Natural History. The species was found in the aphotic zone inside the cave.

Figures

FIGURE 25. Pholcus zhongdongensis sp. nov., holotype male. A – B. Pedipalp (A. Prolateral view; B. Retrolateral view); C – D. Distal part of procursus (C. Prolateral view; D. Retrolateral view). a = appendix, b = bulb, e = embolus, pr = procursus, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.15 (A – B), 0.03 (C – D).

FIGURE 26. Pholcus zhongdongensis 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, fa = frontal apophysis, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, pp = pore plate, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.05 (A – B), 0.10 (C – D), 0.50 (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).