Pholcus weinan Yang & Yao, 2024

Yang, Lan, Fu, Chang, Zhang, Yaxuan, He, Qiaoqiao & Yao, Zhiyuan, 2024, A survey of Pholcus spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae) from the Qinling Mountains of central China, with descriptions of seven new species, Zoosystematics and Evolution 100 (1), pp. 199-221 : 199

Pholcus weinan Yang & Yao sp. nov.

Figs 12 , 13

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (SYNU-Ar00387) and paratypes 1♂ (IAECAS-Ar00388Y) 3♀ (SYNU-Ar00389-90, IAECAS-Ar00391Y), China, Shaanxi, Weinan, Tongguan County, Kuishudian Village (34°24.17'N, 110°17.05'E, 1214 m elev.), 20/07/2022.

Etymology.

The specific name refers to the type locality and is a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

The new species resembles P. parayichengicus Zhang & Zhu, 2009 ( Yao and Li 2012: 29, figs 140A-D, 141A-C) by having similar male chelicerae, bulbal apophyses and epigyne (Fig. 13A, C, D ), but can be distinguished by procursus without distal apophysis (Fig. 12C vs. with angular distal apophysis), by male palpal trochanteral apophysis without retrolateral branch (Fig. 12B vs. present), by epigynal knob column-shaped (Fig. 13A vs. wedge-shaped), by vulval anterior arch eyebrow-shaped (Fig. 13B vs. crescent-shaped) and by vulval pore plates elliptic (Fig. 13B vs. anteriorly wide and posteriorly narrow).

Description.

Male (holotype). Total length 5.44 (5.58 with clypeus), carapace 1.76 long, 1.98 wide, opisthosoma 3.68 long, 1.80 wide. Leg I: - (10.32, 0.79, 10.19, 17.18, -), leg II: 28.79 (7.80, 0.77, 7.15, 11.54, 1.53), leg III: 20.78 (5.83, 0.68, 5.13, 8.01, 1.13), leg IV: 27.10 (7.75, 0.70, 6.95, 10.32, 1.38); tibia I L/d: 58. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME-PME 0.26, PME 0.13, PME-ALE 0.05, AME-AME 0.07, AME 0.11. Sternum width/length: 1.28/0.94. Habitus as in Fig. 13E, F . Carapace yellowish, with brown radiating marks and marginal brown bands; ocular area yellowish, with lateral brown bands; clypeus brown; sternum yellowish, with brown marks. Legs yellowish, but dark brown on patellae and whitish on distal parts of femora and tibiae, with darker rings on subdistal parts of femora and proximal and subdistal parts of tibiae. Opisthosoma yellowish, with dorsal and lateral spots. Chelicerae (Fig. 13D ) with pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, pair of distal apophyses with two teeth each and pair of frontal apophyses. Palp as in Fig. 12A, B ; trochanter with long (4 times longer than wide), retrolatero-proximally strongly bulged ventral apophysis; femur with small retrolatero-proximal apophysis and distinct ventral protuberance; tibia with prolatero-ventral protuberance; procursus (Fig. 12C, D ) simple proximally, but complex distally, with raised prolatero-subdistal membranous edge bearing distal membranous process, sclerotised prolatero-subdistal apophysis, pointed sclerotised retrolatero-distal apophysis and two strong and one slender dorsal spines; uncus (Fig. 13C ) latero-medially contracted, with proximal apophysis and distal scaly edge; appendix (Fig. 13C ) hooked, with curved median branch and distal teeth; embolus (Fig. 13C ) sclerotised, with some indistinct transparent distal projections. Retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia I at 5% proximally; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae and metatarsi.

Female (paratype). Similar to male, habitus as in Fig. 13G, H . Total length 4.76 (4.90 with clypeus), carapace 1.56 long, 1.78 wide, opisthosoma 3.20 long, 1.43 wide; tibia I: 7.45; tibia I L/d: 47. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME-PME 0.21, PME 0.14, PME-ALE 0.06, AME-AME 0.05, AME 0.09. Sternum width/length: 1.10/0.80. Ocular area with median and lateral brown bands. Epigyne (Fig. 13A ) nearly triangular, laterally strongly sclerotised, with column-shaped knob. Vulva (Fig. 13B ) with eyebrow-shaped, sclerotised anterior arch, pair of elliptic pore plates and pair of nearly half-round sclerites.

Variation.

Tibia I in paratype male: 9.29. Tibia I in the other two paratype females: 6.45, 7.45.

Habitat.

Underside of overhang on rocky cliffs in the mountain area.

Distribution.

China (Shaanxi, type locality; Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Distribution records of Pholcus spiders from the Qinling Mountains in this study. The Pholcus bidentatus group: 1 P. bidentatus; the crypticolens group: 2 P. jingyangensis, 3 P. langensis, 4 P. manueli, 5 P. zichyi; the Pholcus taishan group: 6 P. jiaozuo sp. nov., 7 P. yugong; the Pholcus yichengicus group: 8 P. luonan sp. nov., 9 P. luoyang sp. nov., 10 P. lushan sp. nov., 11 P. ovatus, 12 P. parayichengicus, 13 P. shangluo sp. nov., 14 P. songxian, 15 P. taibaiensis, 16 P. tangyuensis, 17 P. weinan sp. nov., 18 P. yuncheng sp. nov.

Figure 12. Pholcus weinan sp. nov., holotype male A, B. Palp (A. Prolateral view; B. Retrolateral view); C, D. Distal part of procursus (C. Prolateral view; D. Dorsal view). Scale bars: 0.20 mm (A, B); 0.10 mm (C, D).

Figure 13. Pholcus weinan sp. nov., holotype male (C-F) and paratype female (A, B, G, H) A. Epigyne, ventral view; B. Vulva, dorsal view; C. Bulbal apophyses, prolateral view; D. Chelicerae, frontal view; E-H. Habitus (E, G. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view; H. Ventral view). Scale bars: 0.20 mm (A-D); 1.00 mm (E-H).