Pholcus spilis, Zhu & Gong, 1991

Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, A review of the genus Pholcus (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 2037 (1), pp. 1-114 : 83

Pholcu s spilis Zhu & Gong, 1991

( Fig. 47 )

Pholcus spilis Zhu & Gong 1991: 22 , f. 4A–G; Song, Zhu & Chen 1999: 59, f. 24E–H

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. crypticolens in the shape of the palpal bulb, but can be distinguished from it by the shape of the procursus tip ( Figs. 47F–G ), by the triangular tip of the appendix ( Fig. 47F ), and by the sclerotized anterior arch of the epigynum ( Fig. 47B ).

Redescription. Male: A specimen measured (holotype), total length 3.4: cephalothorax 1.0 long, 1.0 wide; abdomen 2.4 long, 0.8 wide. Leg I: 21.8 (6.3+0.7+6.2+7.2+1.5), tibia II: 3.2, tibia III: 2.8, tibia IV: 3.5; Tibia I L/D: 48. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 47C . Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with pair of brown marks broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, with brown marks centrally, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.42, dark ochre, with yellow marks. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Diameter AME 0.06, ALE 0.17, PME 0.14, PLE 0.17. Chelicerae as in Fig. 47D , with pair of black apophyses distally, pair of unsclerotized thumb-shaped apophyses proximolaterally and pair of small unsclerotized rounded apophyses proximocentrally. Labium and endites slightly yellow. Sternum with seven regular yellowish brown spots. Femora, patellae, tibiae and metatarsi ochre, with numerous dark brown dots on them, tarsi brown. Abdomen cylindrical, pale ochre, dorsum with numerous small blackish brown spots as in P. crypticolens . Venter pale brown, with dark brown longitudinal stripe centrally. Palps as in Figs. 47F and 47G , with a long uncus, appendix with a large triangular tip.

Female: in general very similar to male. A specimen measured (‘allotype’), total length 3.5: cephalothorax 1.0 long, 1.0 wide; abdomen 2.3 long, 1.0 wide. Tibia I: 4.7. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Epigynum distinctly triangular as in Fig. 47A , with a knob-shaped apophysis on the top. Dorsal view as in Fig. 47B , with a sclerotized arch resembling grasping fingers anteriorly and a pair of large oval pore plates centrally.

Distribution. Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou.

Material examined. CHINA: Hunan: Dao County, May 27, 1984, leg. L. S. Gong, Male holotype, female ‘allotype’, 1♂, 2♀ paratypes ( MHBU) ; Changsha City, Mt. Yuelu , May 16, 2002, leg. Z. S. Zhang, 3♀ ( MHBU) ; August 23, 2004, leg. M. S. Zhu, 1♂, 2♀ ( MHBU) . Hubei: Wuhan City, September , 2003, collector unknown, 1♀ ( MHBU) ; Xuan’en County, Changtan Town , May 26, 1989, leg. M. S. Zhu, 3♂, 1♀ ( MHBU) ; Badong County, May 20, 1989, leg. M. S. Zhu, 2♂, 2♀ ( MHBU) . Sichuan: Mt. Wolong , July 20, 2003, leg. J. X. Zhang, 2♀ ( MHBU) . Guizhou: Guiyang City , August 14, 2000, leg. J. X. Zhang, 2♀ ( MHBU) ; Daozhen County, May 24, 2004, leg. Z. S. Zhang, 1♂, 4♀ ( MHBU) .

Figures

FIGURE 47. Pholcus spilis Zhu & Gong, 1991 (illustrations modified from Zhu & Gong 1991). A. epigynum, ventral view. B. same, dorsal view. C. male prosoma, dorsal view. D. male left chelicera, frontal view. E. trochanter of male left palp, retrolaterodorsal view. F. left palp, prolateral view. G. same, retrolateral view. Scale lines: 1.0mm (C), 0.5mm (A, B, D, F, G), 0.2mm (E).