Pholcus gonggarensis 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 : 19-22

Pholcus gonggarensis Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 13–14 , 27 C–D

Type material. Holotype: male, Gonggar Town (29°04.824′N, 93°09.097′E, elevation 3184 m), Nang County, Nyingchi, Tibet, China, 11 August 2014, Y. Li leg . Paratype: 1 female, same data as holotype .

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

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. lijiangensis Yao & Li, 2012 (see Yao & Li 2012: 23, figs 102–105) with similar male chelicerae ( Fig. 14 D), appendix ( Fig. 14 C) and vulva ( Fig. 14 B) but can be distinguished by the long apophysis on male pedipalpal trochanter ( Figs 13 A–B), by the presence of a wide, membranous prolateral process distally and the absence of thick prolateral spines subdistally on the procursus ( Fig. 13 C), by the distally strongly protruding uncus (arrow in Fig. 14 C) and by the epigynum blunt on the lateral margins (arrow in Fig. 14 A).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length 4.84 (5.20 with clypeus), carapace 1.44 long, 1.64 wide, opisthosoma 3.40 long, 1.56 wide. Leg I: 45.37 (11.28 + 0.79 + 11.41 + 19.64 + 2.25), leg II, leg III and leg IV missing; tibia I L/d: 71. Distance PME-PME 0.28; diameter PME 0.11; distance PME-ALE 0.05; distance AME- AME 0.08; diameter AME 0.08. Sternum wider than long (1.06/0.81). Habitus as in Figs 14 E–F. Carapace yellowish, with radiating brown marks extending to ocular area; ocular area yellowish; sternum brown, with yellowish marks medially. Leg yellow, distal parts of femur and tibiae whitish, femora (subproximally and subdistally) and tibiae (subproximally and subdistally) with darker rings. Opisthosoma yellowish, with small spots dorsally and laterally. Ocular area elevated, without eye stalks ( Fig. 27 C). Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Fig. 14 D, with a pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, a pair of distal apophyses, and a pair of frontal apophyses. Pedipalps as in Figs 13 A–B; trochanter with a ventral apophysis; femur with a distinct ventral ridge; tibia with a projection prolaterally; procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with a wide, membranous prolateral process distally; uncus with a scaly edge and distally strongly protruding (arrow in Fig. 14 C); appendix hooked, with a branch medially; embolus weakly sclerotized, with some transparent projections distally. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 7%; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi; without spines and curved setae; tarsus I with 26 distinct pseudosegments.

Female: Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 14 G–H. Total length 4.35 (4.74 with clypeus), carapace 1.41 long, 1.42 wide, opisthosoma 2.94 long, 1.56 wide; tibia I: 9.49; tibia I L/d: 64. Distance PME-PME 0.23; diameter PME 0.11; distance PME-ALE 0.03; distance AME-AME 0.06; diameter AME 0.07. Sternum wider than long (1.01/ 0.81). Epigynum ( Fig. 14 A) with a knob. Vulva ( Fig. 14 B) with a sclerotized anterior arch and two nearly rounded pore plates.

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

Natural History. The species was found on the rock walls.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Pholcus gonggarensis 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 14. Pholcus gonggarensis sp. nov., holotype male (C – F) and paratype female (A – B, G – H). A. Epigynum, ventral view, arrow points at blunt lateral margins; B. Vulva, dorsal view; C. Bulbal apophyses, prolateral view, arrow points at distally strongly process on uncus; 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: 0.08 (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).