Pholcus manueli Gertsch, 1937

Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, A review of the genus Pholcus (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 2037 (1), pp. 1-114 : 52-54

Pholcus manueli Gertsch, 1937

( Fig. 26 )

Pholcus manueli Gertsch 1937: 1 , f. 6–7. Senglet 2001: 62, f. 60–66.

Pholcus affinis Schenkel 1953: 23 , f. 12a–b. Zhu & Shi 1983: 66, f. 54a–e. Zhu, Tu & Shi 1986: 118, f. 1.1–7. Song 1987: 109, f. 71. Zhang 1987: 58, f. 42.1–4. Hu & Wu 1989: 74, f. 55.1–4. Feng 1990: 46, f. 21.1–6. Chen & Gao 1990: 39, f. 41a–b. Chen & Zhang 1991: 76, f. 67.1–4. Song, Zhu & Chen 1999: 52, f. 11H, 22D–G. Hu 2001: 81, f. 7.1–4. Song, Zhu & Chen 2001: 71, f. 28A–D.

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. bessus , P. crypticolens , and P. spilis in the shape of the palpal organ and epigynum and probably has an especially close relationship with P. bessus : carapaces both with small butterfly-shaped mark, epigyna with ball-shaped apophyses and V-shape of the anterior sclerotized arch, and palpal organ with large uncus. P. manueli can be distinguished from P. bessus by the shape of tip of the procursus and by the forceps-like tip of the appendix ( Figs. 26G–I ).

Redescription. Male: A specimen measured (Mt. Xiaowutai), total length 4.2: cephalothorax 1.3 long, 1.3 wide; abdomen 2.9 long, 1.4 wide. Leg I: 34.8 (9.1+0.7+9.0+14.0+2.0), tibia II: 6.3, tibia III: 4.0, tibia IV: 5.8; tibia I L/D: 60. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 26C . Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with pair of small brown butterfly-shaped marks broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, without brown central marks, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.46, slightly ochre, without marks. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Diameter AME 0.08, ALE 0.14, PME 0.12, PLE 0.13. Chelicerae as in Fig. 26E , with pair of black serrated apophyses distally, pair of unsclerotized thumb-shaped apophyses proximolaterally, and pair of small unsclerotized rounded apophyses proximocentrally. Labium and endites yellow. Sternum slightly ochre, with some regular yellow marks on it as in Fig. 26F . Femora, patellae and tibiae ochre, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi brown. Abdomen cylindrical, dark pale, dorsum without brown spots on it as in Fig. 26C . Venter pale, without marks. Palps as in Figs. 26H and 26I , bulb with long uncus, appendix with forceps-like tip. Procursus as in Fig. 26G .

Female: in general very similar to male. A specimen measured (Mt. Xiaowutai), total length 4.5: cephalothorax 1.5 long, 1.5 wide; abdomen 3.0 long, 1.6 wide. Tibia I: 7.2. Epigynum volcano-shaped as in Fig. 26A , with a basketball-shaped apophysis on the top. Dorsal view as in Fig. 26B , with a low mound sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of large triangular pore plates posteriorly.

Distribution. Known from many localities in China; Russia, U. S. A., Japan, Korea.

Material. Types. Pholcus manueli : male holotype and female allotype from a private building in Mendham, New Jersey, U.S.A, deposited in the American Museum of Natural History , New York (not examined). Pholcus affinis : male holotype and one male paratype collected from Tcheuly, Sìen hìen (now known as Xian County), 11 May , 1914, Hebei Province, China; one female paratype collected from Tietsin (now known as Tianjin), 2 March, 1933. One male paratype is deposited in the Natural History Museum of Basel, Switzerland, examined by Senglet (2001); other type material unknown .

Material examined. CHINA: Hebei: Zhuolu County, Yangjiaping Village , July 6, 2004, leg. F. Zhang, 5♂, 5♀ ; Yu County, Mt. Xiaowutai Natural Reserve , July 4, 1998, leg. F. Zhang, 3♂, 6♀ ; July 3, 2002, leg. F. Zhang, 10♂, 10♀ ; August 20, 2005, leg. F. Zhang, 3♂, 5♀; July 10, 2006, leg. F. Zhang, 1♂, 1♀; Baoding City, campus of Hebei University , May 3, 2002, leg. F Zhang, 3♂, 7♀ ; June 4, 2004, leg. Z. S. Zhang, 1♂ ; Dongfeng Park , November 7, 2001, leg. Z. S. Zhang, 1♂, 1♀ ; Sepember 20, 2003, leg. Z. S. Zhang, 1♂ ; Yinding Village , August 20, 2003, leg. Z. S. Zhang, 8♂, 6♀ ; Sepember 24, 2002, leg. Z. S. Zhang, 1♂, 2♀ ; Anxin County, May 11, 1999, leg. C. Zhang, 3♀ ; Huanghua City , May 3, 2002, collector unknown, 4♀ ; Qinhuangdao City , October 6, 2003, leg. W. H. Wang, 3♂ ; Handan City , August 1, 2002, leg. D. Li, 4♀, 3♂ ; October 2, 2003, leg. P. Wang, 2♀, 1♂ ; Qinglong County, Mt. Nanshan , August 4, 2002 leg. X. L. Jin, 7♀, 5♂ ; Neiqiu County, May 3, 2002, collector unknown, 10♀, 3♂ ; Chicheng County, August 26, 2003, leg. Z. S. Zhang, 3♀, 2♂ ; Shijiazhuang City , May 7, 2003, leg. P. Yu, 1♂ ; Sepember 26, 1998, leg. F. Zhang, 6♀, 2♂ ; Luquan County, October 6, 2003, leg. G. Geng, 3♀, 3♂ ; Xinji County, October 6, 2003, leg. Y. Duan, 3♀, 3♂ . Beijing: Badachu Park , July 23, 2003, leg. Z. S. Zhang, 3♀, 3♂ . Heilongjiang: Suihua City , July 25, 2003, leg. F. Zhang, 1♀ ; Suifenhe City , July 15, 2003, leg. F. Zhang, 1♀, 2♂ . Jilin: Mt. Changbai Natural Reserve , July 11, 2003, leg. F. Zhang, 31♀, 22♂ . Liaoning: Dandong City, Yalvjiang Park , July 5, 2003, leg. F. Zhang, 5♀, 2♂ ; Beipiao City, Mt. Dongshan , July 29, 2003, leg. F. Zhang, 16♀, 8♂ ; Kuandian County, Huangyishan Forest Park, July 26, 2003, leg. F. Zhang, 5♀, 2♂ . Sichuan: Qingchuan County, July 13, 2003, leg. J. X. Zhang, 4♀, 1♂ . Xinjiang: Yining City , August 14, 2006, leg. F. Zhang, 6♀, 3♂ ; Tacheng City , August 19, 2006, leg. F. Zhang, 7♀, 6♂ ; Hami City , July 25, 2006, leg. F. Zhang, 1♂ . All specimens in MHBU .

Remark. This species is very common in China, all specimens we collected were found in or close to a house or building, leading us to believe that it is a synanthropic species. Schenkel (1953) described it as a new species (collected from Xian County, Hebei Province, and Tianjin) and named it P. affinis . Thereafter this species was found in many places in China, until Senglet synonymized it with P. manueli in 2001.

Figures

FIGURE 26. Pholcus manueli Gertsch, 1937. 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).