Pholcus xinjiangensis, Hu & Wu, 1989

Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, A review of the genus Pholcus (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 2037 (1), pp. 1-114 : 98

Pholcu s xinjiangensis Hu & Wu, 1989

( Figs. 56–57 )

Pholcu s xinjiangensis Hu & Wu 1989: 74 , f. 56.1–8. Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 63, f. 25X–Z

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. manueli in the shape of the palpal bulb and the patterns of sternum and carapace, but can be distinguished from it by the broad axe-shaped appendix ( Fig. 56H ), by the shape of the tip of the procursus ( Figs. 56G–I ), and by the relatively small pore plates of the epigynum ( Fig. 56B ).

Redescription. Male: A specimen measured (Turpan City), total length 4.4: cephalothorax 1.3 long, 1.2 wide; abdomen 3.1 long, 1.2 wide. Leg I: 31.5 (8.2+0.8+7.9+12.4+2.2), tibia II: 5.8, tibia III: 4.5, tibia IV: 5.2; tibia I L/D: 53. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 56C . Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with pair of brown butterfly-shaped marks connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, without brown stripes centrally, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.55, slightly ochre, without brown marks centrally. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Chelicerae as in Fig. 56E , with pair of black serrated distal apophyses carrying two modified hairs each, with some macrosetae on each side near the apophyses, as in Figs. 57E–F , pair of unsclerotized thumb-shaped apophyses proximolaterally and pair of unsclerotized rounded apophyses proximocentrally. Labium and endites yellowish brown. Sternum blackish brown, with four pairs of yellow marks along margin and a central mark anteriorly as in Fig. 56F . Femora, patellae and tibiae ochre, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi brown. Tarsus with several pseudosegmentations as in Fig. 57C . Abdomen cylindrical, pale, dorsum without blackish brown spots as in Fig. 56C . Venter pale, without markings. Male gonopore with four epiandrous spigots as in Fig. 57B . Six spinnerets ( Fig. 57G ), ALS with six piriform gland spigots ( Fig. 57H ), PMS with two spigots ( Fig. 57I ) and PLS without any spigots. Palps as in Figs. 56H–I and 57J , bulb with a triangular uncus and axe-shaped appendix, femur of palp with a dorsal projection retrolaterally. Procursus as in Figs. 56G and 57K . Tarsal organ capsulate.

Female: in general very similar to male. A specimen measured (Turpan City), total length 4.8: cephalothorax 1.4 long, 1.1 wide; abdomen 3.5 long, 1.1 wide. Tibia I: 7.3. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Epigynum roughly volcano-shaped as in Figs. 56A and 57A , with a small knob-shaped apophysis on the top. Dorsal view as in Fig. 56B , with a rainbow-shaped sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of oval pore plates.

Distribution. Known from several localities in Xinjiang.

Material. Types. CHINA: Xinjiang: Cele County, June 8, 1982, leg. J. L. Hu, female holotype , male ‘allotype’, 3♂, 3♀ paratypes; Urumqi City , July 7, 1982, leg. J. L. Hu, 1♂, 2♀ paratypes ; Wusu County, July 20, 1982, leg. J. L. Hu, 3♂, 5♀ paratypes ; Wutai County, July 8, 1982, leg. W. G. Wu, 1♂, 3♀ paratypes ; Kashgar City , June 10, 1983, leg. X. Z. Li, 3♂, 6♀ paratypes ; Pishan County, June 1, 1983, leg. X. Z. Li, 2♂, 6♀ paratypes ; Miquan County, July 8, 1983, leg. W. G. Wu, 2♂, 2♀ paratypes ; Tacheng City , June 20, 1983, leg. Y. P. Fu, 1♂, 4♀ paratypes . All type material deposited in SDU, not examined.

Material examined. CHINA: Xinjiang: Kuqa City , August 11, 2006, 4♂, 4♀ ; Hami City , July 24, 2006, 6♂, 23♀ ; Turpan City , July 26, 2006, 9♂, 11♀ ; Kashgar City , August 7, 2006, 5♂, 10♀ ; Xiecheng County, August 5, 2006, 5♂, 10♀ ; Yining City , August 14, 2006, 2♂, 6♀ ; Alataw Pass , August 15, 2006, 5♂, 10♀ ; Kuitun City , August 18, 2006, 3♂, 3♀ ; Tacheng City , August 19, 2006, 5♂, 10♀ ; Hefeng County, August 23, 2006, 3♂, 6♀ ; Urumqi City, Sepember 1, 2006, 1♂ ; Altai City , August 26, 2006, 4♂, 13♀ . All above specimen were collected by F. Zhang ( MHBU).

Remarks. We collected many specimens of Pholcus at many different places of Xinjiang during the sixweek summer expedition of 2006, but only two species of Pholcus were found: P. manueli and P. xinjiangensis . Only these two species of Pholcus were recorded from Xinjiang ( Hu & Wu 1989; Song et al. 1999; Platnick, 2008). Based on this and other data, e. g. individual numbers and habitats, we find that the density and distribution of P. xinjiangensis is much greater than that of P. manueli in Xinjiang. P. xinjiangensis is an endemic species, thus only found in Xinjiang. However, P. manueli is a synanthropic species, and is mainly distributed in northeast Asia and the U. S. A., and has been recorded from many regions in China. Further, the patterns of body and structures of palpal organ and epigynum of P. xinjiangensis are similar to P. manueli . From these points, they may have a close phylogenetic relationship.

Figures

FIGURE 56. Pholcus xinjiangensis Hu & Wu, 1989. A. epigynum, ventral view. B. same, dorsal view. C. male body, dorsal view. D. trochanter of male left palp, dorsal view. E. male left chelicera, frontal view. F. male sternum, ventral view. G. left procursus, dorsal view. H. left palp, prolateral view. I. same, retrolateral view. Scale lines: 1.0mm (C), 0.5mm (A, B, E–I), 0.2mm (D).

FIGURE 57. Pholcus xinjiangensis Hu & Wu, 1989. A. epigynum, ventral view. B. male gonopore, showing four epiandrous spigots. C. pseudosegmentation on male tarsus 1. D. male cheliceral apophyses proximolaterally, frontal view. E. male cheliceral fang and distal cheliceral apophysis, with two modified hairs. F. male distal apophysis, showing two modified hairs. G. male spinnerets, overview. H. male ALS, with several piriform gland spigots. I. male PMS, with two spigots. J. right male bulb, prolateral view. K. tip of male right procursus, prolateral view. L. part of bulb uncus, showing numerous small teeth.