Micropholcus harajah Huber, 2024

Huber, Bernhard A. & Meng, Guanliang, 2024, Old World Micropholcus spiders, with first records of acrocerid parasitoids in Pholcidae (Araneae), ZooKeys 1213, pp. 95-182 : 95-182

Micropholcus harajah Huber sp. nov.

Figs 3 B , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30

Type material.

Holotype. Saudi Arabia – ‘ Asir • ♂; SE of Al Harajah , ‘ site 1 ’; 17.8681 ° N, 43.3943 ° E; 2370 m a. s. l.; 22 Mar. 2024; B. A. Huber leg.; KSMA . Paratypes. Saudi Arabia – ‘ Asir • 2 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 24658 and 24659 .

Other material.

Saudi Arabia – ‘ Asir • 3 ♀♀, in pure ethanol; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK SA 114 .

Diagnosis.

Distinguished from known congeners by unique shapes of bulbal processes, in particular distinctive prolateral sclerite (arrowed in Fig. 28 D ; similar only in M. alfara sp. nov.) and by unique subdistal conical projection on hinged process of procursus (arrowed in Fig. 28 C ); from most congeners (except M. alfara sp. nov. and M. dhahran sp. nov.) also by rectangular hinged process of procursus with obtuse tip and small ventral terminal pointed process and small proximal spine (in other Saudi Arabian species procursus wider and more curved dorsally, without proximal spine; in M. fauroti relatively longer and without spine); from most congeners (except for three species above and M. jacominae and M. darbat sp. nov.) also by long trochanter apophysis (Fig. 27 C ; longer than palpal femur). Female with unique pair of external epigynal pockets (arrowed in Fig. 30 A ); with distinct internal crescent shaped structures (Fig. 29 C ; similar only in M. dhahran sp. nov. and M. alfara sp. nov.), crescent-shaped structures farther apart than in M. alfara sp. nov., and anterior arc narrower and with different curvature than in M. dhahran sp. nov.

Description.

Male (holotype). Measurements. Total body length 2.7, carapace width 0.9. Distance PME - PME 200 µm; diameter PME 80 µm; distance PME - ALE 20 µm; distance AME - AME 25 µm; diameter AME 55 µm. Leg 1: 26.2 (6.5 + 0.5 + 6.4 + 11.6 + 1.2), tibia 2: 4.0, tibia 3: 2.3, tibia 4: 3.3; tibia 1 L / d: 75; diameters of leg femora (at half length) 0.10–0.11; of leg tibiae 0.085.

Colour (in ethanol). Carapace pale ochre-yellow with large brown median mark connected posteriorly to series of small lateral marks, ocular area slightly darkened, clypeus without darker pattern; sternum mostly whitish, posteriorly slightly darkened; legs ochre-yellow, patellae brown, tibia-metatarsus joints with indistinct brown ring, femur 1 proximally slightly darkened; abdomen pale ochre-grey, dorsally and laterally with larger whitish internal marks.

Body. Habitus as in M. dhahran sp. nov. (cf. Fig. 3 A ). Ocular area slightly raised (more distinct in frontal view). Carapace without thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum wider than long (0.66 / 0.50), unmodified. Abdomen oval, approximately twice as long as wide.

Chelicerae. As in Fig. 29 A, B ; with pair of distal apophyses near laminae, each with two cone-shaped hairs; with pair of very low proximal frontal humps; with prominent pair of proximal lateral processes.

Palps. As in Fig. 27 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with very long ventral apophysis with small proximal retrolateral hump and modified hair on distal tip; femur small relative to tibia, distally widened, with distinct ventral hump; femur-patella joints shifted toward prolateral side; tibia-tarsus joints shifted toward retrolateral side; tarsus with large tarsal organ. Procursus (Fig. 28 A – C ) proximally with sclerotised prolateral hump; at half-length with prolateral-ventral sclerotised ridge, prolateral thick sclerotised ridge, and brush of dorsal hairs; distally with small retrolateral ridge and strong ventral apophysis, large membranous ventral-prolateral flap, and distinctive dorsal hinged process. Genital bulb (Fig. 28 D, E ) with strong proximal sclerite; two sclerotised processes of unclear homology: prolateral process with distinctive strong pointed cone directed towards bulbous part of genital bulb; retrolateral process originating from basis of embolus, heavily sclerotised with retrolateral row of four variably strong pointed processes; and mostly semi-transparent short embolus with distinct pointed process and subdistal row of transparent hair-like processes prolaterally.

Legs. Without spines, without curved hairs, without sexually dimorphic short vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 not seen in holotype, in paratype at 7 %; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with> 25 pseudosegments, distally distinct.

Variation (male). Tibia 1 in other male: 5.9; missing in third male.

Female. In general very similar to male. Tibia 1 in ten females: 4.3–5.9 (mean 4.9). Epigynum (Fig. 30 A, B ) variably protruding, anterior plate oval, with indistinct knob-shaped process posteriorly; with pair of lateral sclerites, each provided at posterior end with small pocket, and median internal dark structure visible through cuticle; posterior epigynal plate very short and indistinct. Internal genitalia (Figs 29 C , 30 C, D ) with pair of elongated pore plates in transversal position; with pair of lateral sclerites, median crescent-shaped structures, and large membranous anterior arc.

Etymology.

The species name is derived from the type locality; noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Known from type locality only, in Saudi Arabia, ‘ Asir Province (Fig. 13 C ).

Natural history.

The spiders were found sitting on the undersides of large boulders (Fig. 14 A ), in small cave-like spaces between boulders and between the ground and boulder. Two egg sacs contained ~ 30– 35 eggs each, with an egg diameter of 0.58–0.60 mm.

Figures

Figure 3. Micropholcus Deeleman-Reinhold & Prinsen; live specimens from Saudi Arabia A M. dhahran Huber, sp. nov., male from ‘ Asir, W of Dhahran Al Janub B M. harajah Huber, sp. nov., female with egg-sac from ‘ Asir, SE of Harajah C, D M. alfara Huber, sp. nov., male and female with egg-sac from ‘ Asir, S of Al Fara E M. abha Huber, sp. nov., male from ‘ Asir, N of Abha F M. tanomah Huber, sp. nov., male from ‘ Asir, NW of Tanomah G M. bashayer Huber, sp. nov., female with egg-sac from ‘ Asir, NW of Al Bashayer H M. maysaan Huber, sp. nov., male from Mecca, NW of Maysaan. Photographs BAH.

Figure 13. Known distribution of Micropholcus fauroti (Simon) (A) and of Old World Micropholcus in Mindanao (B), on the Arabian Peninsula (C) and in Morocco (D).

Figure 14. Typical habitats of Micropholcus Deeleman-Reinhold & Prinsen in the Old World A Saudi Arabia, ‘ Asir, SE of Harajah (type locality of M. harajah Huber, sp. nov.) B Saudi Arabia, ‘ Asir, S of Al Fara (type locality of M. alfara Huber, sp. nov.) C Saudi Arabia, ‘ Asir, N of Abha (type locality of M. abha Huber, sp. nov.) D Saudi Arabia, Mecca, NW of Maysaan (type locality of M. maysaan Huber, sp. nov.) E Oman, Dhofar, near Shaat sinkhole (type locality of M. shaat Huber, sp. nov.) F Morocco, Fès-Meknès, Kef El Ghar (type locality of M. ghar Huber, sp. nov.) G Morocco, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Imi n’Ifri (M. khenifra Huber, Lecigne & Lips, sp. nov.) H Philippines, Mindanao, Kabyaw Cave (M. bukidnon Huber, sp. nov.). Photos BAH.

Figure 27. Micropholcus harajah Huber, sp. nov.; male from Saudi Arabia, ‘ Asir, SE of Harajah (ZFMK Ar 24658). Left palp in prolateral (A), dorsal (B), and retrolateral (C) views. Scale bar: 0.3 mm.

Figure 28. Micropholcus harajah Huber, sp. nov.; male from Saudi Arabia, ‘ Asir, SE of Harajah (ZFMK Ar 24658) A – C left procursus in prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; bold arrowed in C points at distinctive subdistal projection on hinged process D, E left genital bulb in prolateral and retrolateral views; bold arrowed in D points at distinctive cone on prolateral bulbal process. Abbreviations: e, embolus; ps, proximal bulbal sclerite. Scale bars: 0.3 mm.

Figure 29. Micropholcus harajah Huber, sp. nov.; from Saudi Arabia, ‘ Asir, SE of Harajah A, B male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views (ZFMK Ar 24658) C cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (ZFMK Ar 24659). Scale bars: 0.3 mm.

Figure 30. Micropholcus harajah Huber, sp. nov.; female from Saudi Arabia, ‘ Asir, SE of Harajah (ZFMK Ar 24659) A, B abdomen, ventral and lateral views; arrows in A point at unique epigynal pockets C, D cleared genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Scale bars: 0.3 mm.