Pholcus uludong Huber

Bernard A. Huber, Joseph K. H. Koh, Amir-Ridhwan M. Ghazali, Kamil A. Braima, Olga M. Nuñeza, Charles Leh Moi Ung & Booppa Petcharad, 2016, New leaf- and litter-dwelling species of the genus Pholcus from Southeast Asia (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 200 (200), pp. 1-45 : 9-13

Pholcus uludong Huber sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B379B03A-5BA0-4FEF-816D-DE9C3E6068A9

Figs 8–9 , 15–31 , 78 , 84–86

Diagnosis

Easily distinguished from most similar known relatives (other species of the P. ethagala group on the Malay Peninsula) by morphology of male palps ( Figs 15–16 ; procursus with large flat dorsal process; large appendix distally with two rounded sclerotized elements set with small scales; relatively straight trochanter apophysis similar only to P. phui ), by large anterior square-shaped structure in female internal genitalia, and by elongate anteriorly converging pore plates ( Figs 18–19 ).

Etymology

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

Material examined

Holotype

MALAYSIA: ♂, ZFMK ( Ar 15694 ), Pahang, Ulu Dong, ‘site 2’ (3.937°N, 102.032°E), 190 m a.s.l., forest near river, leaf litter, 21 Feb. 2015 (B.A. Huber, A.R.M. Ghazali, K.A. Braima) .

Other material

MALAYSIA: 7 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, ZFMK ( Ar 15695–96 ) , and 1 ♂, 1 ♀, MZUM, same data as holotype ; 1 juv. in absolute ethanol, ZFMK ( Mal 261 ), same data ; 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, ZFMK ( Ar 15697 ), Ulu Dong, ‘site 1’ (3.942°N, 102.027°E), 190 m a.s.l., forest near river, leaf litter, 20 Feb. 2015 (B.A. Huber, A.R.M. Ghazali, K.A. Braima) ; 2 ♀♀, 1 juv., in absolute ethanol, ZFMK ( Mal 250 ) .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 3.7, carapace width 1.05. Leg 1: 32.4 (7.6 + 0.4 + 7.7 + 14.8 + 1.9), tibia 2: 4.3, tibia 3: 2.9, tibia 4: 4.3; tibia 1 L/d: 88. Distance PME-PME 520 µm, diameter PME 115 µm, distance PME-ALE ~35 µm; AME absent.

COLOR. Carapace ochre-yellow with light brown median V-mark, clypeus light brown, ocular area not darkened; sternum ochre-yellow with slightly darker margins; legs ochre-yellow with darker brown patellae and tibia-metatarsus joints; abdomen ochre-gray with small black marks dorsally and laterally.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 8 ; ocular area raised and each triad on long stalk ( Figs 20 , 78 ); carapace without median furrow; clypeus unmodified; sternum wider than long (0.70/0.54), unmodified. ALS with one widened, one pointed, and six smaller cylindrically-shaped spigots ( Fig. 29 ).

CHELICERAE. As in Fig. 17 , with single pair of frontal proximal apophyses; without distal modification; without stridulatory ridges.

PALPS. As in Figs 15–16 , 22 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with very long straight retrolatero-ventral apophysis and small retrolateral apophysis; femur with dorsal and ventral rounded processes; procursus very complex, proximal part with large dorsal flat process with serrated rim ( Figs 23 , 27 ); with hinged distal elements; bulb with large appendix ( Figs 24–25 ), long slender embolus, and two rounded processes at base of appendix, one partly sclerotized as continuation of proximal bulbal sclerite.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 3%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; tarsus 1 with ~30 pseudosegments, indistinct and apparently irregular. Tarsus 4 comb-hairs as in Fig. 28 .

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in 9 other males: 6.3–7.8 (mean 7.1).

Female

In general similar to male ( Fig. 9 ) but eye triads not on stalks and much closer together than in male ( Fig. 21 ; PME-PME distance: 195 µm); clypeus darker brown. Tibia 1 in 9 females: 5.3–5.7 (mean 5.5). Epigynum weakly sclerotized and strongly bulging plate ( Fig. 84 ), only posterior rim slightly more sclerotized, with small elongate ‘knob’ ( Figs 18 , 31 ); internal genitalia with large anterior square-shaped sclerite visible through cuticle and pair of weakly sclerotized folds more laterally ( Figs 19 , 85–86 ). ALS as in male ( Fig. 30 ).

Natural history

All specimens were found under large dead leaves on the ground. They barely reacted to disturbance.

Distribution

Known from type locality in Malaysia only ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Fig. 1. Known distributions of the Pholcus ethagala group (Malay Peninsula and Sumatra; Sri Lankan species not shown), of the P. tambunan group (Borneo) and of the P. domingo group (Philippines).

Figs 2 – 9. Live specimens. 2 – 3. Pholcus phui Huber, 2011, Hala Bala, ♂ and ♀ with egg-sac. 4 – 7. P. tanahrata Huber sp. nov., Cameron Highlands, ♂, penultimate ♂, and ♀. 8 – 9. P. uludong Huber sp. nov., Ulu Dong, ♂ and ♀.

Figs 15 – 19. Pholcus uludong Huber sp. nov. (ZFMK, Ar 15695 – 96). 15 – 16. Left male palp, prolateral and retrolateral views; arrow points at uncus-like process of proximal bulbal sclerite. 17. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 18 – 19. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Scale bars: 15 – 16, 18 – 19 = 0.5 mm; 17 = 0.3 mm.

Figs 20 – 25. Pholcus uludong Huber sp. nov., SEM micrographs (ZFMK, Ar 15695 – 96). 20 – 21. Male and female prosomata, frontal views. 22. Right male palp, retrolateral view. 23. Right procursus and bulb, dorsal view. 24 – 25. Left bulb with appendix and embolus, prolateral and prolatero-dorsal views; arrow points at uncus-like process of proximal bulbal sclerite. Scale bars: 20, 22 = 300 µm; 21, 23 = 200 µm; 24 – 25 = 100 µm.

Figs 26 – 31. Pholcus uludong Huber sp. nov., SEM micrographs (ZFMK, Ar 15695 – 96). 26. Male ocular area, dorsal view. 27. Dorsal process of right procursus. 28. Comb-hairs on male tarsus 4. 29 – 30. Male and female ALS. 31. Epigynum, ventral view. Scale bars: 26, 31 = 200 µm; 27 = 60 µm; 28 – 30 = 20 µm.

Figs 77 – 80. Male prosomata, frontal views. 77. Pholcus tanahrata Huber sp. nov. 78. P. uludong Huber sp. nov. 79. P. bukittimah Huber sp. nov. 80. P. barisan Huber sp. nov.

Figs 81 – 86. Epigyna, ventral views, and cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. 81 – 83. Pholcus tanahrata Huber sp. nov. (ZFMK, Ar 15692). 84 – 86. P. uludong Huber sp. nov. (ZFMK, Ar 15696).