Pholcus taptaoensis Yao & Li

Dong, Tingting, Zheng, Guo, Yao, Zhiyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2016, Fifteen new species of the spider genus Pholcus (Araneae: Pholcidae) from Southeast Asia, Zootaxa 4136 (2), pp. 201-246 : 233

Pholcus taptaoensis Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 23–24

Type material. Holotype: male, Tap Tao Cave (19°39.670′N, 99°07.050′E, elevation 590 m) Chiangmai, Thailand, 29 June 2014, S. Li leg. Paratypes: 3 females, same data as holotype.

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

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. n am ou Huber, 2011 (see Huber 2011: 298, figs 1378–1379, 1409–1410, 1471–1475) in having similar male chelicerae ( Fig. 24 D), bulbal apophyses ( Fig. 24 C), and female genitalia ( Figs. 24 A–B) but can be distinguished by the procursus being strongly bifurcated distally ( Figs 23 A–B).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length 3.86 (4.17 with clypeus), carapace 1.17 long, 1.33 wide, opisthosoma 2.69 long, 1.09 wide. Leg I: – (10.58 + 0.58 + 10.90 + – + –), leg II: 28.84 (7.69 + 0.59 + 7.21 +12.18 + 1.17), leg III: 17.22 (5.26 + 0.52 + 4.17 + 6.41 + 0.86), leg IV: 24.03 (7.56 + 0.56 + 5.64 + 9.17 + 1.10); tibia I L/ d: 87. Distance PME-PME 0.33; diameter PME 0.11; distance PME-ALE 0.05; distance AME-AME 0.15; diameter AME 0.05. Sternum wider than long (0.88/0.65). Habitus as in Figs 24 E–F. Carapace yellowish, with Vpattern posteriorly; ocular area brownish; sternum yellowish, with brown marks. Legs yellowish, patellae, distal parts of femora and tibiae, and proximal parts of metatarsi dark brown, darker rings absent. Opisthosoma pale grey, with brown and whitish marks. Ocular area elevated; each eye triad on top of a short, laterally directed eye-stalk (as in P. hinsonensis sp. nov., cf. Fig. 31 C). Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Fig. 24 D, with a pair of weakly sclerotized proximo-lateral apophyses, a pair of black distal apophyses, each with three teeth. Pedipalps as in Figs 23 A–B; trochanter with a long ventral apophysis; procursus simple proximally, bifurcated distally; uncus with a scaly edge; appendix with scales and a branch proximally; embolus weakly sclerotized, with a transparent projection distally. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 7.2%; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi; without spines and curved setae.

Female: Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 24 G–H. Total length 4.72 (4.87 with clypeus), carapace 1.36 long, 1.48 wide, opisthosoma 3.36 long, 1.48 wide; tibia I: 9.62; tibia I L/d: 60. Distance PME-PME 0.25; diameter PME 0.10; distance PME-ALE 0.03; distance AME-AME 0.03; diameter AME 0.05. Sternum wider than long (0.94/ 0.81). Opisthosoma yellowish. Ocular area without eye-stalks. External genitalia ( Fig. 24 A) with a long knob. Vulva ( Fig. 24 B) with a sclerotized anterior arch and two long pore plates.

Distribution. Thailand (Chiangmai, type locality; Fig. 32 ).

Natural history. The species was found in the entrance zone of the cave.

Figures

FIGURE 23. Pholcus taptaoensis 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: 0.10 (A – B), 0.08 (C – D).

FIGURE 24. Pholcus taptaoensis sp. nov., holotype male (C – F) and paratype female (A – B, G – H). A. External genitalia, ventral view, arrow points at knob; 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, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, pp = pore plate, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.05 (A – B), 0.10 (C – D), 0.50 (E – H).

FIGURE 31. Male and female ocular area, frontal view. A – B. Pholcus tharnlodensis sp. nov., holotype male (A) and paratype female (B). C – D. P. hinsonensis sp. nov., holotype male (C) and paratype female (D). E – F. P. zhuchuandiani sp. nov., holotype male (E) and paratype female (F). Scale bars: 0.10 (A – F).

FIGURE 32. Distribution records of new Pholcus species from Southeast Asia. ® Pholcus anaiensis sp. nov.; P. ballarini sp. nov.; P. cenranaensis sp. nov.; P. chiangmaiensis sp. nov.; P. gou sp. nov.; © P. hinsonensis sp. nov.; P. kaebyaiensis sp. nov.; P. kottawagamaensis sp. nov.; P. krachensis sp. nov.; P. musensis sp. nov.; © P. songkhonensis sp. nov.; ® P. taptaoensis sp. nov.; © P. tharnlodensis sp. nov.; ® P. w a n sp. nov.; ® P. zhuchuandiani sp. nov.