Pholcophora mazatlan Huber, 2023

Huber, Bernhard A., Meng, Guanliang, Valdez-Mondragón, Alejandro, Král, Jiří, Ávila Herrera, Ivalú M. & Carvalho, Leonardo S., 2023, Short-legged daddy-long-leg spiders in North America: the genera Pholcophora and Tolteca (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 880 (1), pp. 1-89 : 19-24

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2023.880.2173

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3F806FD6-2EB3-456A-AFD7-780A0FBEB2DA

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8155474

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C787210E-FE17-42BD-AF00-7C5364558495

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:C787210E-FE17-42BD-AF00-7C5364558495

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Pholcophora mazatlan Huber
status

sp. nov.

Pholcophora mazatlan Huber sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C787210E-FE17-42BD-AF00-7C5364558495

Figs 3B–E View Fig , 9–13 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig , 33C–D View Fig

Diagnosis

Distinguished from similar congeners ( P. papanoa sp. nov., P. mexcala , P. americana ) by shape of male cheliceral apophyses ( Fig. 10A–B View Fig ; very long, directed upwards, without proximal humps) and by shape of male bulbal process ( Fig. 10F–H View Fig ; small dorsal process in very distal position; distinctive semi-transparent ventral flap). From very similar P. papanoa also by main element of procursus more gradually narrowing distally ( Fig. 10E View Fig ), by male cheliceral apophyses more strongly directed upwards, and by thinner male leg femora (0.18–0.20 vs 0.28–0.30). From P. americana also by tip of procursus (semi-transparent process not widening distally) and by shape of epigynum ( Fig. 11A, C View Fig ; main epigynal plate posteriorly straight).

Etymology

The species name is derived from the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype MEXICO – Guerrero • ♂; ~ 2 km N of Mazatlán ; 17.4567° N, 99.4740° W; 1300 m a.s.l.; 3 Oct. 2019; B.A. Huber and A. Valdez-Mondragón leg.; LATLAX. GoogleMaps

Paratypes MEXICO – Guerrero • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 23943 GoogleMaps 1 ♂, 11 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; LATLAX GoogleMaps .

Other material examined

MEXICO – Guerrero • 3 ♀♀, in pure ethanol; same collection data as for holotype; one female used for SEM; ZFMK Mex209 GoogleMaps 3 ♀♀ abdomens, together with female paratype; same collection data as for holotype; prosomata used for molecular work; ZFMK Ar 23943 GoogleMaps .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 1.90, carapace width 0.80. Distance PME-PME 70 µm; diameter PME 60 µm; distance PME-ALE 30 µm; distance AME-AME 20 µm; diameter AME 30 µm. Leg 1: 4.55 (1.30 + 0.30 + 1.15 + 1.30 + 0.50), tibia 2: 1.00, tibia 3: 0.85, tibia 4: 1.25; tibia 1 L/d: 12; diameters of leg femora 0.18–0.20, of leg tibiae 0.10.

COLOUR (in ethanol). Prosoma and legs ochre-yellow, carapace with indistinct Y-mark, legs without darker rings; abdomen grey with dark bluish internal marks; ventrally with ochre plate in front of gonopore.

BODY ( Fig. 3B–C View Fig ). Ocular area barely raised. Carapace with distinct but shallow thoracic groove (cf. Fig. 13A View Fig ). Clypeus unmodified, very short (clypeus rim to ALE: 0.22). Sternum slightly wider than long (0.56/0.46), oval (not narrow posteriorly), with pair of distinct anterior processes (~0.1 long) near coxae 1. Abdomen globular.

CHELICERAE ( Fig. 10A–B View Fig ). With pair of long frontal apophyses; stridulatory files very fine, poorly visible in dissecting microscope; distances between cheliceral stridulatory ridges proximally 2.4 µm, distally 3.5 µm.

PALPS ( Fig. 9 View Fig ). Coxa unmodified; trochanter without process; femur proximally with retrolateral-ventral process and prolateral stridulatory pick, distally widened but simple, slightly curved towards dorsal; femur-patella joints slightly shifted toward prolateral side; tibia globular, with two trichobothria; tibia-tarsus joints not shifted to one side; procursus very simple ( Fig. 10C–E View Fig ), narrow distal part slightly bent towards prolateral, with semi-transparent tip; genital bulb with small dorsal process in very distal position, distally with distinctive semi-transparent ventral flap ( Fig. 10F–H View Fig ).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; with vertical hairs in two narrow dorsal bands proximally on tibiae 1 and 2 (length ~30 µm; length of dorsal trichobothrium on tibia 1: ~90 µm); retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 64%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~7 pseudosegments, only distally 2–3 distinct.

Variation (male)

Tibia 1 in second male: 1.30.

Female

In general, similar to male ( Fig. 3D–E View Fig ) but sternum without pair of anterior humps, tibiae without higher than usual density of short vertical hairs, and chelicerae without stridulatory files. Tibia 1 in 11 females: 1.00–1.20 (mean 1.08). Epigynum ( Figs 11 View Fig , 13B View Fig ) with simple anterior plate protruding in lateral view; posterior plate wide, median part separated anteriorly from lateral parts by pair of whitish areas. Internal genitalia ( Fig. 12 View Fig ) very simple, apparently without or with small and indistinct median receptacle, without or with very small pore plates.

Distribution

Known from type locality only, in Mexico, Guerrero ( Fig. 2 View Fig ).

Natural history

The spiders were found by turning rocks in a forested valley ( Fig. 34A View Fig ). They shared the microhabitat with at least four further species of Pholcidae (Modisiminae) : two representatives of Modisimus Simon, 1893 , one Psilochorus Simon, 1893 , and one species of uncertain generic position.

ZFMK

Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Pholcidae

Genus

Pholcophora

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