Pholcus uva, Huber, 2019

Huber, Bernhard A., 2019, The pholcid spiders of Sri Lanka (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 1-57 : 20-24

Pholcus uva sp. n.

Figures 52 , 62–64 , 71–72 , 82–84 , 88 , 92

Pholcus SL43: Eberle et al. 2018 (molecular data). Huber et al. 2018: fig. 12.

Diagnosis. Males are easily distinguished from other species in ceylonicus group by shapes of procursus ( Figs 71– 72 ) and genital bulb ( Figs 82–84 ): procursus wider than in other species, with prolateral but without dorsal subdistal process; genital bulb with distinctive main bulbal process (‘appendix’), i.e. large sclerotized process with distinctive prolateral and retrolateral projections (arrows in Fig. 83 ). Females are easily distinguished from other species in ceylonicus group by shallow posterior excavation of pre-epigynal plate ( Fig. 88 ; not circular or semicircular).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the type locality (noun in apposition).

Type material. SRI LANKA: ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 20054), Uva Province, Inginiyagala (7.225°N,

81.535°E), 110 m a.s.l., 12.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber).

Other material examined. SRI LANKA: 3♂ 8♀, ZFMK (Ar 20055), and 1♀ 2 juvs in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL129 ), same data as holotype .

Description. Male (holotype). MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 5.7, carapace width 1.7. Distance PME- PME 260 µm, diameter PME 150 µm, distance PME-ALE 50 µm, distance AME-AME 30 µm, diameter AME 85 µm. Sternum width/length: 0.97/0.80. Leg 1: 55.1 (12.9 + 0.8 + 13.2 + 24.7 + 3.5), tibia 2: 9.2, tibia 3: 6.0, tibia 4: 7.9; tibia 1 L/d: 78. Femora 1–4 width (at half length): 0.19, 0.19, 0.18, 0.18.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre-yellow with large dark brown posterior mark, ocular area also brown, clypeus not darkened; sternum ochre-yellow with small triangular brown median mark; legs ochre to light brown, with barely visible darker rings subdistally on femora and tibiae, tips of femora and tibiae whitish; abdomen ochregray, with series of cuticular dorsal marks and numerous small internal dark marks, brown area in front of gonopore and pair of smaller dark marks lateral of gonopore, indistinct wide median band between gonopore and spinnerets.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 52 ; ocular area slightly raised, each triad on low hump; carapace without median furrow; clypeus and sternum unmodified.

CHELICERAE. As in P. ceylonicus (cf. Huber & Benjamin 2005: fig. 2d), with pair of distal apophyses close to laminae, each with two modified hairs, and pair of small proximal lateral apophyses.

PALPS. As in Figs 62–64 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with strong retrolateral apophysis with large modified hair at its tip and distinct conical subdistal process prolaterally; femur short and wide, with distinct dorsal process and two small ventral processes; procursus simple compared to most congeners, with prolateral process but without dorsal process distally ( Figs 71–72 ); genital bulb partly whitish, partly sclerotized and brown, with three processes ( Figs 82–84 ): conical membranous process (putative embolus), small sclerotized process close to proximal bulbal sclerite, and large mostly sclerotized main bulbal process (‘appendix’), the latter with distinctive prolateral and retrolateral projections.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with many pseudosegments but only distally ~10 distinct.

Male (variation). Tibia 1 in 2 other males: 12.5, 13.7. Carapace and sternum marks as in holotype, abdominal pattern variably distinct.

Female. In general similar to male; tibia 1 in 8 females: 10.1–12.4 (mean 11.6). Epigynum as in Fig. 88 ; with large sclerotized area (pre-epigynal plate) in front of small epigynal plate; the latter in small angular excavation of pre-epigynal plate and provided with slender median process (‘knob’). Internal genitalia as in Fig. 92 , with pair of oval pore plates.

Natural history. This species was found in similar microhabitats and webs as P. ceylonicus , but never in high densities. When disturbed, the spiders fled towards the rock rather than swinging in the web.

Distribution. Known from type locality only ( Fig. 223 ).

Figures

FIGURES 47–52. Pholcus, live specimens and habitat photo. 47–50. P. ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869, male from Mitirigala, rock cleft at Ethagala Mountain, containing ~1000 large specimens of P. ceylonicus; female with egg-sac from Kitulgala, and male from Gowindahela. 51. P. puranappui sp. n., male from Dematagala. 52. P. uva sp. n., male from Inginiyagala.

FIGURES 59–64. Left male palps in prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 59–61. Pholcus puranappui sp. n. (from Dematagala, ZFMK Ar 20051). 62–64. P. uva sp. n. (from Inginiyagala, ZFMK Ar 20055). Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 65–72. Left procursi in retrolateral (upper row) and dorsal views. 65–66. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039). 67–68. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049); arrows point at subdistal dorsal process, asterisks mark prolateral processes. 69–70. Pholcus puranappui sp. n. (from Dematagala, ZFMK Ar 20051). 71–72. P. uva sp. n. (from Inginiyagala, ZFMK Ar 20055). At different scales.

FIGURES 79–84. Left genital bulbs in prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 79–81. Pholcus puranappui sp. n. (from Dematagala, ZFMK Ar 20051). 82–84. P. uva sp. n. (from Inginiyagala, ZFMK Ar 20055); arrows point at distinctive prolateral and retrolateral projections. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 85–88. Epigyna in ventral views, all at same scale. 85. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039). 86. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049). 87. Pholcus puranappui sp. n. (from Dematagala, ZFMK Ar 20051). 88. P. uva sp. n. (from Inginiyagala, ZFMK Ar 20055). Abbreviations: ep, epigynal plate; k, ‘knob’ (median epigynal process); pep, pre-epigynal plate. Scale line: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 89–92. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal views, all at same scale. 89. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039). 90. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049). 91. Pholcus puranappui sp. n. (from Dematagala, ZFMK Ar 20051). 92. P. uva sp. n. (from Inginiyagala, ZFMK Ar 20055). Scale line: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 222–223. Known distributions of Leptopholcus (222) and of the Pholcus ceylonicus species group (223) in Sri Lanka.