Micropholcus jacominae Deeleman-Reinhold & van Harten, 2001

Huber, Bernhard A. & Meng, Guanliang, 2024, Old World Micropholcus spiders, with first records of acrocerid parasitoids in Pholcidae (Araneae), ZooKeys 1213, pp. 95-182 : 95-182

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.3897/zookeys.1213.133178
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B8E6EE1A-023D-4B64-8D3A-C1843F0D8376
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13841452
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0F814DD4-2AED-5AD9-9433-8E32E18DD5E8
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Micropholcus jacominae Deeleman-Reinhold & van Harten, 2001
status

Treatment

Micropholcus jacominae Deeleman-Reinhold & van Harten, 2001 View in CoL

Figs 19 View Figure 19 , 20 View Figure 20 , 21 View Figure 21 , 22 View Figure 22

Micropholcus jacominae Deeleman-Reinhold & van Harten, 2001: 199, figs 17, 18, 21–26 (♂ ♀). View in CoL

Material examined.

Yemen – Al Mahwit • 1 ♂, 1 ♀, paratypes; Khamis Bani Sa’d ; 15.185 ° N, 43.510 ° E (see Note below); 490 m a. s. l.; 11 Oct. 1999; A. van Harten leg.; RMNH ARA 15019 GoogleMaps .

Note.

The coordinates in Deeleman-Reinhold and van Harten (2001) (15 ° 11 ' N, 43 ° 25 ' E) mark a spot 10 km W of Khamis Bani Sa’d, at ~ 440 m a. s. l. (rather than 550 m as reported in the original description). We suspect that our coordinates above are closer to the actual collecting site that could only be reconstructed as being “ close to Khamis Bani Sa’d, but not in the village ” (A. van Harten, pers. comm. 22 Apr. 2021, 13 Mar. 2024).

Diagnosis.

Easily distinguished from known congeners by numerous details of male palp: long ventral apophysis on trochanter (Fig. 19 C View Figure 19 ; similar in some Saudi Arabian species, cf. Figs 27 C View Figure 27 , 31 C View Figure 31 ); distinct dorsal process on femur (arrowed in Fig. 19 C View Figure 19 ; similar only in M. abha sp. nov., cf. Fig. 35 C View Figure 35 ); dorsal-distal hinged process on procursus short and directed towards prolateral (Fig. 20 A – C View Figure 20 ); unique processes of genital bulb (Fig. 20 E, F View Figure 20 ), and by female epigynum and internal genitalia (Figs 21 C View Figure 21 , 22 View Figure 22 ): extensible knob in posterior position; pair of strongly curved lateral internal sclerites; long pore plates widening and only slightly converging anteriorly.

Redescription.

Male. Measurements. Total body length 2.3, carapace width 0.85. Distance PME - PME 200 µm; diameter PME 65 µm; distance PME - ALE 20 µm; distance AME - AME 25 µm; diameter AME 45 µm. Leg 1: 23.3 (5.9 + 0.4 + 5.7 + 10.2 + 1.1), tibia 2: 3.5, tibia 3: 2.1, tibia 4: 2.9; tibia 1 L / d: 76; diameters of leg femora (at half length) 0.08–0.09; of leg tibiae 0.07–0.08.

Colour (in ethanol). Prosoma and legs pale ochre-whitish, carapace with complex brown median mark similar to Saudi Arabian species (cf. Fig. 3 View Figure 3 ); legs with darkened patellae and tibia-metatarsus joints; abdomen pale grey to whitish.

Body. Habitus similar to Saudi Arabian species (cf. Fig. 3 View Figure 3 ). Ocular area raised (distinct in frontal view). Carapace without thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum wider than long (0.50 / 0.40), unmodified. Abdomen oval, almost twice as long as wide.

Chelicerae. As in Fig. 21 A, B View Figure 21 ; with pair of relatively long distal apophyses near laminae, each with two modified (cone-shaped) hairs; pair of proximal lateral processes weakly sclerotised and directed towards proximal; and pair of small but distinct proximal frontal processes.

Palps. As in Fig. 19 View Figure 19 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with long ventral apophysis with very indistinct retrolateral hump proximally and modified hair at tip (Fig. 20 D View Figure 20 ); femur with weakly sclerotised but distinct processes retrolateral-dorsally and prolateral-ventrally; femur-patella joints shifted toward prolateral side; tibia-tarsus joints shifted toward retrolateral side; tarsus with large tarsal organ. Procursus (Fig. 20 A – C View Figure 20 ) proximally with sclerotised prolateral hump; at half length with prolateral sclerotised ridge transforming distally into transparent membrane, and brush of dorsal hairs; distally with retrolateral ridge, membranous ventral-prolateral flap, pointed prolateral process, and distinctive dorsal hinged process. Genital bulb (Fig. 20 E, F View Figure 20 ) with strong proximal sclerite; two sclerites of unclear homology, with two pointed processes each; and mostly semi-transparent short embolus, proximally sclerotised, distally membranous with pointed transparent extension.

Legs. Without spines, without curved hairs, without sexually dimorphic short vertical hairs (many hairs missing); retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 8 %; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with> 20 pseudosegments, distally distinct.

Female. In general very similar to male but ocular area slightly less raised and triads closer together (PME - PME 170 µm), carapace pattern more fragmented than in male. Tibia 1: 4.4. Epigynum (Fig. 22 A View Figure 22 ) anterior plate oval, protruding, with membranous, possibly expandable knob in posterior position, tip directed towards posterior; lateral internal sclerites clearly visible in untreated specimens; posterior epigynal plate very short and indistinct. Internal genitalia (Figs 21 C View Figure 21 , 22 B, C View Figure 22 ) with pair of long pore plates converging and widening anteriorly, pair of lateral sclerites, and transversal ventral sclerotised band; with sclerotised anterior arc continued to posterior margin.

Distribution.

Known from type locality only, in western Yemen (Fig. 13 C View Figure 13 ).

Natural history.

Deeleman-Reinhold and van Harten (2001) report that the spiders were shaken from dry plant debris in an irrigated banana plantation. This microhabitat is unusual for Micropholcus on the Arabian Peninsula and needs confirmation.