Pholcus bat Lan & Li sp.

Lan, Tianqi, Jäger, Peter, Zhu, Wenhui & Li, Shuqiang, 2021, Pholcid spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae) from Southeast Asia, with descriptions of five new species, Zootaxa 4963 (3), pp. 545-562 : 555

Pholcus bat Lan & Li sp. nov.

Figs 7–8

Type material. Holotype: male (IZCAS-Ar41842), Bat Cave (21°43’28.52”N, 101°23’12.30”E, elevation 1000 m), Chengzi Village , Mengyuan Town , Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China, 4 October 2017, P. Jäger leg. Paratypes: 2 females (IZCAS-Ar41843–Ar41844), same data as holotype .

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

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. zhaoi Yao, Pham & Li, 2015 (see Yao et al. 2015: 17, figs 58–60) with a similar bulbal apophyses ( Fig. 8C ) and male chelicerae ( Fig. 8D ) but can be distinguished by the presence of a strongly protruding subdisto-ventral process (arrow in Fig. 7C ; not strongly protruding in P. zhaoi ), small biangular subdisto-dorsal apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 7D ; nearly semicircular in P. zhaoi ) and conch-shaped distal apophysis (arrow 2 in Fig. 7D ; ladder-shaped in P. zhaoi ) on procursus.

Description. Male (holotype, IZCAS-Ar41842): Total length 6.76 (6.99 with clypeus), carapace 1.50 long, 1.72 wide, opisthosoma 5.26 long, 2.05 wide. Leg I: 45.68 (11.85 + 0.75 + 11.54 + 19.17 + 2.37), leg II: – (8.91 + 0.72 + 8.40 + 13.59 + –), leg III: 23.87 (6.86 + 0.66 + 6.03 + 9.10 + 1.22), leg IV: 30.84 (8.78 + 0.66 + 7.56 + 12.24 + 1.60); tibia I L/d: 53. Distance PME-PME 0.34, diameter PME 0.17, distance PME-ALE 0.04, distance AME-AME 0.03, diameter AME 0.08. Sternum wider than long (1.04/0.79). Habitus as in Figs 8E, F . Carapace yellowish, with brown marks medially; ocular area yellowish, with brown marks; clypeus yellowish; sternum black. Legs yellowish, but 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 spots dorsally and laterally. Ocular area elevated, each eye triad on top of short laterally directed eye stalk. Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Fig. 8D , with pair of small proximo-lateral apophyses, pair of distal apophyses and pair of frontal apophyses. Pedipalps as in Figs 7A, B ; trochanter with small ventral apophysis; femur with distinct ventral protuberance; procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with two prolatero-dorsal spines (arrows in Fig. 7D ), subdisto-ventral process (arrow in Fig. 7C ), small biangular subdisto-dorsal apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 7D ) and large, conch-shaped distal apophysis (arrow 2 in Fig. 7D ); uncus with scaly edge ( Fig. 8C ); appendix with two long hooked branches (arrows in Fig. 8C ); embolus weakly sclerotized, with some transparent projections distally ( Fig. 8C ). Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 4% proximally; legs with short, vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi, without spines and curved setae; tarsus I with 33 distinct pseudosegments.

Female (paratype, IZCAS-Ar41843): Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 8G, H . Total length 6.73 (6.88 with clypeus), carapace 1.67 long, 1.86 wide, opisthosoma 5.06 long, 1.47 wide; tibia I: 12.56; tibia I L/d: 48. Distance PME-PME 0.30, diameter PME 0.19, distance PME-ALE 0.04, distance AME-AME 0.03, diameter AME 0.10. Sternum wider than long (1.12/0.84). Epigynum ( Fig. 8A ) with proximal knob. Vulva ( Fig. 8B ) with sclerotized anterior arch, pair of sclerites (arrows in Fig. 8B ), and pair of long pore plates.

Variation: Tibia I in another female paratype: 12.11 (IZCAS-Ar41844).

Distribution. China (Yunnan, type locality; Fig. 11 ).

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

Figures

FIGURE 7. Pholcus bat sp. nov., holotype male. A, B. Pedipalp (A. Prolateral view; B. Retrolateral view); C, D. Distal part of procursus (C. Prolateral view, arrow points at strongly protruding subdisto-ventral process; D. Dorsal view, two arrows point at two prolatero-dorsal spines, arrow 1 points at small biangular subdisto-dorsal apophysis, arrow 2 points at conch-shaped distal apophysis). a = appendix, b = bulb, e = embolus, pr = procursus, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.20 (A, B), 0.10 (C, D).

FIGURE 8. Pholcus bat sp. nov., holotype male (C–F) and paratype female (A, B, G, H). A. Epigynum, ventral view; B. Vulva, dorsal view, two arrows point at pair of sclerites; C. Bulbal apophyses, prolateral view, arrows point at two long hooked branches; D. Chelicerae, frontal view; E–H. Habitus (E, G. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view; H. Ventral view). a = appendix, da = distal apophysis, e = embolus, fa = frontal apophysis, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, pp = pore plate, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.10 (A–D), 1.00 (E–H).

FIGURE 11. Known distribution records of new Pholcid species from Southeast Asia. 1. Holocneminus samanggi sp. nov.; 2. Khorata kep sp. nov.; 3. Khorata musee sp. nov.; 4. Pholcus bat sp. nov.; 5. Pholcus phnombak sp. nov.