Pholcus xingren, Chen, Hui-Ming, Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2011

Chen, Hui-Ming, Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2011, Four new troglophilous species of the genus Pholcus Walckenaer (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Guizhou Province, China, Zootaxa 2922, pp. 51-59 : 54-57

Pholcus xingren sp. nov.

Figs. 16–22

Type. Male holotype, 3Ƥ paratypes, CHINA: Guizhou Province, Xingren County [25°24’N, 105°06’E], Xinlongchang Town, Jinlong Cave, May 28, 2006, leg. by H. M. Chen ( MHBU).

Diagnosis. Among the similar species (bulb absent appendix), this new species is similar to P. zhuolu , but it can be easily distinguished by the tip shape of procursus ( Figs 18–20 ); by the palpal femur present a dorsal projection retrolaterally ( Fig. 20 ), by the shape of uncus ( Fig. 19 ); also by epigynum with a transverse groove centrally ( Fig. 21 ).

Etymology. The species name is a noun in apposition, taken from the type locality.

Description. Male (holotype): total body length 5.3: cephalothorax 1.5 long, 1.5 wide; abdomen 3.8 long, 1.7 wide. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 16 . Leg I: (12.2+0.6+12.3+22.5+2.8), tibia II: 8.3, tibia III: 5.3, tibia IV: 7.6; tibia I L/D: 78. Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with brown marks broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, without brown central marks, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.41, ochre, without brown small marks. Each eye triad on the top of a relatively longer eye-stalk. Distance AME–AME 0.03, PME–PME 0.52. Diameter AME 0.07, ALE 0.17, PME 0.17, PLE 0.17. Chelicerae shape as in Fig. 17 , with pair of black distal apophyses, pair of unsclerotized teat-shaped apophyses proximolaterally and pair of sclerotized triangular apophyses proximocentrally. Labium and endites light yellow. Sternum dark gray, with yellow small patches. Legs ochre, femora, patellae and tibiae without dark rings. Tarsal organ of tarsus 1 capsulate. Abdomen cylindrical, pale ochre, dorsum with small brown patterns as in Fig. 16 . Venter pale brown. Palps as in Figs. 19 and 20 , femur with a ventral triangular bulge, and also with a dorsal projection retrolaterally; tibia spindle-shaped, withouy triangular projection ventrally; bulb with unusual flat, sclerotized uncus; without appendix; embolus long and transparent, with a brush-shaped pointed tip; procursus arch-shaped, with a relatively simple tip.

Female: in general very similar to male. Total length of bodies 5.4–5.6. One paratype total length 5.4: cephalothorax 1.4 long, 1.4 wide; abdomen 4.0 long, 1.8 wide. Tibia I: 10.1. Distance AME–AME 0.05, PME–PME 0.23. Diameter AME 0.07, ALE 0.14, PME 0.14, PLE 0.13. Epigynum roughly round as in Fig. 21 , with a transverse shallow groove centrally. Dorsal view as in Fig. 22 , with a rainbow-shaped sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of oval pore plates.

Distribution. Known from type locality only.

Figures

FIGURES 16 – 22. Pholcus xingren sp. nov. 16. male body, dorsal view. 17. male left chelicera, frontal view. 18. left procursus, dorsal view. 19. left palp, prolateral view. 20. same, retrolateral view. 21. epigynum, ventral view. 22. same, dorsal view. Scale lines: 1.0 mm (16), 0.5 mm (17 – 22).