Pholcophora americana Banks, 1896: 57

HUBER, BERNHARD A., 2000, New World Pholcid Spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae): A Revision At Generic Level, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (254), pp. 1-348 : 114-117

Pholcophora americana Banks, 1896: 57 58.

Gertsch, 1935: 11, 13, figs. 19 21. Chamberlin and Ivie, 1935: fig. 44. Gertsch, 1982: 97, 99, figs. 1 4, 7 9.

Pholcophora obscura Chamberlin and Ivie, 1935: 12 , fig. 45. First synonymized by Gertsch, 1982.

TYPES: P. americana : two male and two female syntypes from Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA ; no date (N. Banks), in MCZ (examined). P. obscura : female holotype from Aspen Valley , Yosemite Park, California, USA ; Aug. 11, 1931 (W. Ivie) (not examined; this type should be at the AMNH but I was not able to find it) .

DIAGNOSIS: Close relative of P. mexcala and texana ; easily distinguished from both by the shape of the male cheliceral apophyses (compare figs. 435, 442, 444); also by the shape of the procursus (compare figs. 437, 441, 445); from P. texana also by the lack of modified hairs on the male palpal femur.

MALE (Hat Creek, California; for general description see Gertsch, 1982): Total length 2.2, carapace width 0.93; leg 1: 6.0 (1.6+0.4+1.6+1.8+0.6), tibia 2: 1.4, tibia 3: 1.2, tibia 4: 1.7; tibia 1 l/d: 14. Habitus and prosoma shape as in figs. 429 431. Distance PME-ALE about 30% of PME diameter. Chelicerae with stridulatory files laterally (fig. 435; stridulatory pick is a modified hair proximally on palpal femur). Procursus simple rod, distally with semitransparent projection (fig. 437). Tarsal organ capsulate. Sternum frontally with pair of humps (figs. 431, 436), as already noted in original description (Banks, 1896). Legs without spines, without curved and vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 57%; tarsus 1 with ~ 5 8 pseudosegments. Gonopore with two pairs of epiandrous spigots (fig. 129). ALS with several piriform gland spigots (fig. 155).

VARIATION: Tibia 1 in 11 males (Hat Creek, California): 1.55 1.74 (x¯ = 1.64).

FEMALE (Hat Creek, California): Total length (N = 12) 2.1 2.6; tibia 1 (N = 13) 1.23 1.68 (x¯ = 1.47). Epigynum as in figs. 438 439; internally as in fig. 440; I could not see pore plates.

DISTRIBUTION: Widely distributed in the western U.S., throughout the Rocky Mountains; also known from one locality in southwestern Canada. So far not reported from Mexico.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: USA: Numerous specimens from the following states: Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Wyoming, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, all in AMNH. CANADA: British Colombia (117°40'W, 49°05'N), Sept. 8, 1963 (J. & W. Ivie), 13 ( AMNH).

Pholcophora mexcala Gertsch, 1982 Figures 441 442

Pholcophora mexcala Gertsch, 1982: 99 , figs. 5 6, 10 11.

TYPE: Male holotype from Mexcala , Guerrero, Mexico ; July 2, 1941 (L. I. Davis), in AMNH (examined) .

DIAGNOSIS: Closely related to P. americana and texana ; distinguished from both by the shape of the cheliceral apophyses (compare figs. 435, 442, 444), the shape of the procursus (compare figs. 437, 441, 445), and the significantly larger size; from P. texana also by the absence of modified hairs on the palpal femur (cf. fig. 443).

MALE (holotype; see Gertsch, 1982 for general description): Total length 3.1, carapace width 1.4; femur 1: 3.3 (other segments missing), tibia 2: 3.0, tibia 3: 2.2, tibia 4 missing. Habitus and prosoma shape as in P. americana (cf. figs. 429 431). Carapace with shallow but distinct thoracic groove, sternum with distinct anterior humps. Chelicerae with stridulatory files laterally (fig. 442; stridulatory pick is a modified hair proximally on femur), and characteristic apophyses frontally (fig. 442; see also fig. 5 in Gertsch, 1982). Palps in general identical to those of P. americana (cf. figs. 432 433); procursus simple rod, distally with semitransparent projection (fig. 441). Legs without spines, without curved and vertical hairs.

FEMALE: Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION: Only known from type locality.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: MEXICO: Guerrero: Mexcala: type above.

Pholcophora texana Gertsch, 1935 Figures 443 447

Pholcophora texana Gertsch, 1935: 11 , figs. 22 24. Gertsch and Mulaik, 1941: 319. Gertsch and Davis, 1942: 8. Gertsch, 1971: 76 77; 1982: 100, figs. 16 18, 25 27.

TYPES: Male holotype, with 1♀ and one juvenile from 0.5 mi E Rio Grande City,

Brick Yard, Texas, USA ; Nov. 11, 1934 (S. Mulaik), in AMNH (examined) .

DIAGNOSIS: Closely related to P. americana and texana ; distinguished from both by the long straight cheliceral apophyses (fig. 444), the shape of the procursus (compare figs. 437, 441, 445), and the modified hairs on the male palpal femur (fig. 443).

MALE (holotype; see Gertsch, 1982 for general description): Total length 1.25, carapace width 0.6; leg 1: 3.8 (1.0+0.3 +0.96+1.1+0.4), tibia 2 missing, tibia 3: 0.7, tibia 4: 1.0; tibia 1 l/d: 12. Habitus and prosoma shape as in P. americana (cf. figs. 429 431); distance PME-ALE about 30% of PME diameter. Carapace with shallow thoracic groove, sternum with distinct anterior humps. Chelicerae with stridulatory files laterally and characteristic apophyses frontally (fig. 444). Palps in general identical to those of P. americana (cf. figs. 432 433), but femur with modified hairs ventrally (fig. 443), and procursus different (fig. 445). Legs without rings; without spines, without curved and vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 61%; tarsus 1 with ~ 5 pseudosegments.

VARIATION: Tibia 1 in other males: 0.97 (San Fernando, Tamaulipas), 1.39 (Santo Domingo, San Luis Potosí) (see Remarks below).

FEMALE: In general very similar to male; tibia 1 of female accompanying holotype: 0.97. Epigynum very simple (fig. 447), apparently with pair of receptacles (fig. 446).

DISTRIBUTION: Known from Texas ( USA) and several localities in north-eastern Mexico (see Remarks below).

MATERIAL EXAMINED (all in AMNH): USA: Texas: Starr County: 0.5 mi E Rio Grande City : type above ; same data, 1♀ ; 5 mi E Rio Grande City, Jan. 21, 1939 (S. Mulaik), 1♀ 1 juvenile. MEXICO: San Luis Potosí: 2 mi E Santo Domingo , June 6, 1941 (A. M. & L. I. Davis), 13 1♀ ; Tamaulipas: San Fernando , Mar. 28, 1937 (L. I. Davis), 13 1♀ ; El Tinieblo , Feb. 23, 1973 (W. Graham), 2♀ 2 juveniles ; Rio Gualolejo (?), near Forlon , Apr. 16, 1938 (L. I. Davis & B. Brown), 1♀ ; Nuevo León: Montemorelos , May 23, 1952 (M. Cazier, W. J. Gertsch, R. Schrammel), 1♀ 1 juvenile ; Grutas de San Bartolo , 10 mi S Santa Catarina, Feb. 1966 (B. Russell, D. McKenzie), 1♀ 1 juvenile ; Hidalgo: 2 mi SW Jacala , (99°13'W, 20°59'N), Aug. 18, 1964 (J. & W. Ivie), 1♀ .

REMARKS: Several of the vials contain only females. Considering the simplicity of the epigynum, these specimens are here assigned tentatively to the species. The two males from Mexico have considerably longer legs than the type (see above), but I could find no differences in the palp and chelicerae.