Pholcus qingyunensis 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 : 27-30

Pholcus qingyunensis Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 19–20

Type material. Holotype: male, Qingyun Cave (29°29.087′N, 117°37.222′E, elevation 309 m), Gutanlingyuan Scenic Spot , Wuyuan, Jiangxi, China, 20 May 2013, Y. Luo and J. Liu leg . Paratypes: 1 male and 2 females, same data as holotype .

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

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. taibaiensis Wang & Zhu, 1992 (see Huber 2011b: 451, figs 2097–2099, 2124–2125, 2178–2183, 2185, 2189 and Yao & Li 2012: 34, figs 169–170) with similar male chelicerae ( Fig. 20 D), embolus ( Fig. 20 C) and epigynum ( Fig. 20 A) but can be distinguished by the presence of a membranous, fringed prolateral process and a sclerotized, hooked prolateral apophysis subdistally on the procursus (arrows in Fig. 19 C), by the blunt branch on the appendix medially ( Fig. 20 C), and by the long elliptic vulval pore plates ( Fig. 20 B).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length 4.19 (4.82 with clypeus), carapace 1.25 long, 1.41 wide, opisthosoma 2.94 long, 1.19 wide. Leg I: 44.36 (10.78 + 0.76 + 10.83 + 19.03 + 2.96), leg II: 29.63 (7.79 + 0.61 + 7.79 + 11.83 + 1.61), leg III: 19.45 (5.47 + 0.72 + 4.78 + 7.23 + 1.25), leg IV: 20.23 (5.77 + 0.63 + 4.83 + 7.83 + 1.17); tibia I L/d: 87. Distance PME-PME 0.24; diameter PME 0.13; distance PME-ALE 0.03; distance AME- AME 0.06; diameter AME 0.08. Sternum wider than long (0.94/0.84). Habitus as in Figs 20 E–F. Carapace yellowish, with brown marks extending to ocular area; ocular area yellowish, with brown marks; sternum yellowish with brown marks. Legs yellowish, femora (subdistally) and tibiae (subproximally and subdistally) with darker rings. Opisthosoma yellowish, with little and small spots dorsally. Ocular area elevated; without eye-stalks (as in P. gonggarensis sp. nov., cf. Fig. 27 C). Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Fig. 20 D, with a pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, a pair of black distal apophyses, and a pair of frontal apophyses. Pedipalps as in Figs 19 A–B; trochanter with a ventral apophysis; femur with a dorsal apophysis proximally and a distinct ventral ridge; tibia with an indistinct projection prolaterally; procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with a membranous, fringed prolateral process and a sclerotized, hooked prolateral apophysis subdistally (arrows in Fig. 19 C); uncus with a scaly edge; appendix hooked, with a blunt branch medially; embolus weakly sclerotized, with some nearly transparent projections distally. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 6%; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi; without spines and curved setae; tarsus I with 23 distinct pseudosegments.

Female: Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 20 G–H. Total length 4.24 (4.67 with clypeus), carapace 1.21 long, 1.32 wide, opisthosoma 3.03 long, 1.41 wide; tibia I: 8.01; tibia I L/d: 43. Distance PME-PME 0.22; diameter PME 0.07; distance PME-ALE 0.05; distance AME-AME 0.05; diameter AME 0.07. Sternum wider than long (0.90/ 0.81). Opisthosoma yellowish, with many small spots dorsally. Epigynum ( Fig. 20 A) with distinct a knob. Vulva ( Fig. 20 B) with a sclerotized anterior arch and two long elliptic pore plates.

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

Natural History. The species was found on the wall in the entrance zone of the cave.

Figures

FIGURE 19. Pholcus qingyunensis sp. nov., holotype male. A – B. Pedipalp (A. Prolateral view; B. Retrolateral view); C – D. Distal part of procursus (C. Prolateral view, arrow 1 points at sclerotized, hooked prolateral apophysis subdistally, arrow 2 points at membranous, fringed prolateral process subdistally; D. Dorsal view). a = appendix, b = bulb, e = embolus, pr = procursus, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.15 (A – B), 0.03 (C – D).

FIGURE 20. Pholcus qingyunensis 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), 0.08 (C), 0.10 (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).