Meraha Huber

Huber, Bernhard A., Eberle, Jonas & Dimitrov, Dimitar, 2018, The phylogeny of pholcid spiders: a critical evaluation of relationships suggested by molecular data (Araneae, Pholcidae), ZooKeys 789, pp. 51-101 : 85

Meraha Huber gen. n.

Pholcus krabi group: Huber et al. 2016a: 30.

Type species.

Pholcus krabi Huber, 2016.

Etymology.

The name is derived from the Malay word merah (red), and refers to the red or orange colour of the male pedipalps. Gender feminine.

Diagnosis.

Medium size, light coloured pholcids with long legs and cylindrical abdomen ( Huber et al. 2016a: figs 102-109); distinguished from similar species in other genera ( Kelabita , Apokayana , Teranga , Muruta ) by combination of: six eyes; absence of modified hairs on distal male cheliceral apophyses ( Huber et al. 2016a: fig. 118); reduction of ALS spigots to two ( Huber 2011a: fig. 566, Huber et al. 2016a: fig. 122); reddish to orange male palps ( Huber et al. 2016a: figs 102, 106, 108). In the field they can be distinguished from most other genera (except Kelabita ) by their domed webs relatively high among the vegetation (0.5-2 m above the ground), usually with the apex of the dome attached to the underside of a leaf.

Distribution.

Mainland Southeast Asia and Borneo ( Huber et al. 2016a: fig. 110).

Composition.

Seven species newly transferred from Pholcus : M. chiangdao (Huber, 2011); M. khene (Huber, 2011); M. kinabalu (Huber, 2011); M. kipungit (Huber, 2016); M. krabi (Huber, 2016); M. narathiwat (Huber, 2016); M. shuye (Yao & Li, 2017).