Pholcus metta, Huber, 2019

Huber, Bernhard A., 2019, The pholcid spiders of Sri Lanka (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 1-57 : 16

Pholcus metta sp. n.

Figures 56–58 , 67–68 , 76–78 , 86 , 90

Diagnosis. Males are easily distinguished from other species in ceylonicus group by shape of genital bulb ( Figs 76–78 ): distinctive main bulbal process (‘appendix’), i.e. large sclerotized process without retrolateral membrane and retrolateral conical projection (in contrast to P. ceylonicus ), narrower in dorsal view than in P. puranappui ; without prolateral process (in contrast to P. uva ); distinguished from P. uva also by shape of procursus ( Figs 67–68 ; narrower and with subdistal dorsal process). Females are distinguished from P. ceylonicus and P. uva by larger posterior excavation of pre-epigynal plate ( Fig. 86 ); from P. puranappui by narrower pre-epigynal plate (compare Figs 86–87 ).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Pāli word mettā , one of the four Buddhist virtues or brahmavihāras (active good will towards all); noun in apposition.

Type material. SRI LANKA: ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 20048), North Central Province, Dimbulagala (7.860°N, 81.118°E), 140 m a.s.l., 11.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) .

Other material examined. SRI LANKA: 2♂ 5♀, ZFMK (Ar 20049), and 1♂ 1♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL126 ), same data as holotype .

Description. Male (holotype). MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 7.3, carapace width 1.8. Distance PME- PME 240 µm, diameter PME 170 µm, distance PME-ALE 60 µm, distance AME-AME 40 µm, diameter AME 85 µm. Sternum width/length: 1.23/0.97. Leg 1: 55.7 (13.3 + 0.8 + 13.5 + 24.8 + 3.3), tibia 2: 9.5, tibia 3: 6.9, tibia 4: 8.8; tibia 1 L/d: 71. Femora 1–4 width (at half length): 0.24, 0.24, 0.23, 0.22.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre-yellow with large dark brown posterior mark, ocular area also brown, clypeus not darkened; sternum ochre-yellow with star-shaped light brown median mark; legs ochre to light brown, with indistinct darker rings subdistally on femora and tibiae, tips of femora and tibiae whitish; abdomen ochregray, with series of cuticular dorsal marks, brown area in front of gonopore and pair of smaller dark marks lateral of gonopore, indistinct wide median band between gonopore and spinnerets.

BODY. Habitus as in close relatives (cf. Figs 47, 50–52 ); ocular area slightly raised, each triad on low hump; carapace without median furrow; clypeus and sternum unmodified.

CHELICERAE. As in P. ceylonicus (cf. Huber & Benjamin 2005: fig. 2d), with pair of distal apophyses close to laminae, each with two modified hairs, and pair of small proximal lateral apophyses.

PALPS. As in Figs 56–58 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with strong retrolateral apophysis with large modified hair at its tip and rounded subdistal process prolaterally; femur large, with distinct dorsal process and two small ventral processes; procursus simple compared to most congeners ( Figs 67–68 ), with dorsal and prolateral processes distally; genital bulb as in Figs 76–78 , partly whitish, partly sclerotized and brown, with three processes: conical membranous process (putative embolus), small sclerotized process close to proximal bulbal sclerite, and large mostly sclerotized main bulbal process (‘appendix’).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 5.5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with many pseudosegments but only distally ~10 distinct.

Male (variation). Tibia 1 in 2 other males: 14.5, 14.7. Carapace and sternum marks as in holotype, abdominal pattern variably distinct.

Female. In general similar to male; tibia 1 in 4 females: 11.1, 12.0, 12.3, 13.9. Epigynum as in Fig. 86 , with large sclerotized area (pre-epigynal plate) in front of small epigynal plate; the latter in circular excavation of preepigynal plate and provided with finger-shaped median process (‘knob’); width of circular excavation: 0.17–0.18. Internal genitalia as in Fig. 90 , with pair of oval pore plates.

Natural history. This species was very abundant among large rocks at the type locality. Webs and behavior at disturbance as in P. ceylonicus .

Distribution. Known from type locality only ( Fig. 223 ).

Figures

FIGURES 53–58. Left male palps in prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 53–55. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039). 56–58. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049). Abbreviations: a, ‘appendix’ (main bulbal process); b, genital bulb; c, coxa; e, embolus; f, femur; p, procursus; ta, tarsus; ti, tibia; tr, trochanter. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 65–72. Left procursi in retrolateral (upper row) and dorsal views. 65–66. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039). 67–68. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049); arrows point at subdistal dorsal process, asterisks mark prolateral processes. 69–70. Pholcus puranappui sp. n. (from Dematagala, ZFMK Ar 20051). 71–72. P. uva sp. n. (from Inginiyagala, ZFMK Ar 20055). At different scales.

FIGURES 73–78. Left genital bulbs in prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 73–75. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039); asterisks mark small sclerotized process close to proximal bulbal sclerite (Fig. 73) and distinctive conical projection (Fig. 74); arrow points at distinctive retrolateral membrane. 76–78. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049). Abbreviations: a, ‘appendix’ (main bulbal process); b, genital bulb; e, embolus; pbs, proximal bulbal sclerite. Scales lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 85–88. Epigyna in ventral views, all at same scale. 85. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039). 86. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049). 87. Pholcus puranappui sp. n. (from Dematagala, ZFMK Ar 20051). 88. P. uva sp. n. (from Inginiyagala, ZFMK Ar 20055). Abbreviations: ep, epigynal plate; k, ‘knob’ (median epigynal process); pep, pre-epigynal plate. Scale line: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 89–92. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal views, all at same scale. 89. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039). 90. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049). 91. Pholcus puranappui sp. n. (from Dematagala, ZFMK Ar 20051). 92. P. uva sp. n. (from Inginiyagala, ZFMK Ar 20055). Scale line: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 47–52. Pholcus, live specimens and habitat photo. 47–50. P. ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869, male from Mitirigala, rock cleft at Ethagala Mountain, containing ~1000 large specimens of P. ceylonicus; female with egg-sac from Kitulgala, and male from Gowindahela. 51. P. puranappui sp. n., male from Dematagala. 52. P. uva sp. n., male from Inginiyagala.

FIGURES 222–223. Known distributions of Leptopholcus (222) and of the Pholcus ceylonicus species group (223) in Sri Lanka.