Pholcus langensis Yao & Li

Dong, Tingting, Zheng, Guo, Yao, Zhiyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2016, Thirteen new species of the spider genus Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 4170 (1), pp. 1-40 : 8-11

Pholcus langensis Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 5–6

Type material. Holotype: male, Lang Kulong Cave (35°46.585′N, 113°45.748′E, elevation 446 m), Yaojie Village , Nanzhai Town , Hui County, Xinxiang, Henan, China, 18 June 2014, Y. Li and J. Liu leg . Paratype: 1 female, same data as holotype .

Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality; adjective.

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. crypticolens Bösenbery & Strand, 1906 (see Huber 2011b: 355, figs 1651–1653, 1669–1670, 1709–1724) and P. zichyi Kulczyński, 1901 (see P. crypticolens in Zhu & Zhang 2009: 326 , figs 3–4 and Huber 2011b: 358, figs 1725–1726) with similar male chelicerae ( Fig. 6 D), appendix ( Fig. 6 C) and epigynum ( Fig. 6 A) but can be distinguished by the distinct ventral hump on the pedipalpal femur ( Fig. 5 B), by the presence of a large, strongly sclerotized prolatero-dorsal apophysis distally on the procursus (arrow 1 in Fig. 5 C), by the wide uncus ( Fig. 6 C) and the long distance between two vulval pore plates ( Fig. 6 B); also distinguished from P. zichyi by the presence of a small, sclerotized prolatero-ventral apophysis subdistally on the procursus (arrow 2 in Fig. 5 C).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length Total length 2.92 (3.36 with clypeus), carapace 0.86 long, 1.03 wide, opisthosoma 2.06 long, 0.86 wide. Leg I: 26.55 (7.05 + 0.53 + 7.21 + 10.13 + 1.63), leg II: 18.49 (5.38 + 0.48 + 4.74 + 6.79 + 1.10), leg III: 12.07 (3.85 + 0.44 + 2.63 + 4.62 + 0.80), leg IV: 17.57 (5.26 + 0.45 + 4.74 + 6.15 + 0.97); tibia I L/d: 66. Distance PME-PME 0.21; diameter PME 0.11; distance PME-ALE 0.03; distance AME- AME 0.04; diameter AME 0.06. Sternum wider than long (0.75/0.61). Habitus as in Figs 6 E–F. Carapace yellowish, with brown marks extending to ocular area and brown bands marginally; ocular area yellowish; sternum brown, with yellowish marks. Legs yellowish, patellae dark brown, distal parts of femur and tibiae whitish, femora (subdistally) and tibiae (subdistally) with darker rings. Opisthosoma yellowish, with small spots dorsally and laterally. Ocular area elevated, without eye-stalks (as in P. gonggarensis sp. nov., cf. Fig. 27 C). Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Fig. 6 D, with a pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, a pair of black distal apophyses, each with three cone-shaped teeth, and a pair of frontal apophyses. Pedipalps as in Figs 5 A–B; trochanter with a curved ventral apophysis; femur with a distinct ventral hump; procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with a prolatero-dorsal spine medially (arrow in Fig. 5 D), a large strongly sclerotized prolatero-dorsal apophysis distally and a small, sclerotized prolatero-ventral apophysis subdistally (arrows in Fig. 5 C); uncus with scales; appendix swollen, with some small apophyses medially; embolus weakly sclerotized. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 9%; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi; without spines and curved setae; tarsus I with 22 distinct pseudosegments.

Female: Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 6 G–H. Total length 3.03 (3.28 with clypeus), carapace 0.90 long, 0.97 wide, opisthosoma 2.13 long, 1.60 wide; tibia I: 4.87; tibia I L/d: 54. Distance PME-PME 0.13; diameter PME 0.09; distance PME-ALE 0.03; distance AME-AME 0.03; diameter AME 0.05. Sternum wider than long (0.73/ 0.59). Epigynum ( Fig. 6 A) with a knob. Vulva ( Fig. 6 B) with a sclerotized anterior arch and two large elliptic pore plates.

Distribution. China (Henan, type locality; Fig. 28 ).

Natural History. The species was found on the wall in the entrance zone of the cave.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Pholcus langensis sp. nov., holotype male. A – B. Right pedipalp (A. Prolateral view; B. Retrolateral view); C – D. Distal part of procursus (C. Prolateral view, arrow 1 points at large, sclerotized prolatero-dorsal apophysis distally, arrow 2 points at small, sclerotized prolatero-ventral apophysis subdistally; D. Retrolateral view, arrow points at prolatero-dorsal spine medially). a = appendix, b = bulb, pr = procursus, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.10 (A – B), 0.02 (C – D).

FIGURE 6. Pholcus langensis sp. nov., holotype male (C – F) and paratype female (A – B, G – H). A. Epigynum, ventral view; B. Vulva, dorsal view; C. Bulbal apophyses, prolateral view; D. Chelicerae, frontal view; E – H. Habitus (E, G. Dorsal view; F, H. Ventral view). a = appendix, da = distal apophysis, e = embolus, fa = frontal apophysis, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, pp = pore plate, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.05 (A – D), 0.50 (E – H).

FIGURE 27. Male and female ocular area, frontal view. A – B. Pholcus yanjinensis sp. nov., holotype male (A) and paratype female (B). C – D. P. gonggarensis sp. nov., holotype male (C) and paratype female (D). E – F. P. zhongdongensis sp. nov., holotype male (E) and paratype female (F). Scale bars: 0.10 (A – F).

FIGURE 28. Distribution records of new Pholcus species from China. 1. Pholcus yanjinensis sp. nov. from P. bidentatus species group (pink); 2. P. jingyangensis sp. nov., 3. P. langensis sp. nov. and 4. P. longus sp. nov. from P. crypticolens species group (light blue); 5. P. huoxiaerensis sp. nov. from P. ponticus species group (green); 6. P. difengensis sp. nov., 7. P. gonggarensis sp. nov., 8. P. hamaensis sp. nov., 9. P. lingguanensis sp. nov., 10. P. qingyunensis sp. nov., 11. P. tangyuensis sp. nov.; 12. P. tianmuensis sp. nov. and 13. P. zhongdongensis sp. nov. from P. yichengicus species group (red).