Pholcus exilis, Tong & Li, 2010

Tong, Yanfeng & Li, Shuqiang, 2010, Eight new spider species of the genus Pholcus (Araneae, Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 2355, pp. 35-55 : 44

Pholcus exilis sp. nov.

Figs 1J–L, 7A–E

Type material: Holotype male, CHINA: Hebei Province, Chengde City, Yingshouyingzi, Sifang Cave (40°33.192´N, 117°40.159´E, alt. 492 m), 8 April 2005, X. Xu, Q. Wang, Y. Zheng & Y. Bi leg. Paratypes: 26 males and 13 females, same data as for holotype .

Etymology: The species name is from Latin, exilis , slender, in reference to the stick-shaped bulbal appendix; to be treated as adjectival for the purposes of nomenclature.

Diagnosis: The new species is similar to P. huberi Zhang & Zhu, 2009 , but can be distinguished by the stick-shaped bulbal appendix and the bifurcated uncus in male and the light yellow epigynum and internal structure of female genitalia.

Description: Male (holotype). Total length 4.86 (5.23 with clypeus), carapace width 1.73. Leg 1: 39.82 (9.99+0.71+9.99+17.14+1.99), tibia 2: 6.57, tibia 3: 4.56, tibia 4: 6.13; tibia 1 L/d: 53. Habitus as in figs 1J, K. Carapace yellowish, with brown radiated stripes; ocular area yellowish, with median brown band; clypeus yellowish, with light brownish marks laterally; sternum yellowish. Opisthosoma pale gray, with some spots dorsally and laterally. Distance PME–PME 0.22; diameter PME 0.14; distance PME–ALE 0.04; diameter AME 0.09. Chelicerae as in fig. 7C, with pair of black apophyses distally, pair of unsclerotized rounded apophyses proximolaterally, and pair of small pointed prominences frontally. Palps as in figs 7A, B; uncus bifurcated, basally with a pointed process (arrow in fig. 7A); bulbal appendix stick-shaped. Legs yellow, but dark brown on basal part of tibiae and whitish on tips of femora and tibiae, with darker rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (subdistally), without spines, curved and vertical hairs; tarsus 1 with pseudosegments, but only about 10 distinct distally.

Variation: Tibia 1 in other males (n = 26): 9.28–12.15 (mean: 10.29).

Females: In general similar to males. Tibia 1 in females (n = 13): 8.99–10.71 (mean: 9.85). Epigynum as in figs 1L and 7D, light yellow with distinctive pattern; with a long worm-shaped cylindrical outgrowth. Dorsal view as in fig. 7E.

Distribution: Only known from type locality.