Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869

Huber, Bernhard A., 2019, The pholcid spiders of Sri Lanka (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 1-57 : 14-16

Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869

Figs 47, 49–50 , 53–55 , 65–66 , 73–75 , 85 , 89

Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge 1869: 378 , pl. 11, figs 13, 21–27 (♂ ♀, Sri Lanka).

Pholcus ceylonicus — Brignoli 1972: 909, figs 1–2, 4–7. Brignoli 1975: 36, fig. 2f (copied from Brignoli 1972). Huber & Benjamin 2005: 3306 , figs 1–4. Eberle et al. 2018 (molecular data). Huber et al. 2018: fig. 12.

Sihala ceylonica — Huber 2011: 31, fig. 145. Transferred back to Pholcus in Huber et al. 2018: 83 .

Diagnosis. Males are easily distinguished from other species in ceylonicus group by shape of genital bulb ( Figs 73–75 ): distinctive main bulbal process (‘appendix’), i.e. large sclerotized process with conical projection and unique membrane on retrolateral side. Females similar to P. metta sp. n. and P. puranappui sp. n. but with consistently smaller posterior excavation of pre-epigynal plate (compare Figs 85–87 ).

Description (amendments; see Huber & Benjamin 2005). Dark mark on carapace variably large and either undivided or medially posteriorly divided. Dark mark on sternum usually star-shaped, sometimes rather triangular with long posterior point. Males from Minneriya with slightly smaller retrolateral conical projection on main bulbal process. Males from Gowindahela with slightly wider main bulbal process in dorsal view. Tibia 1 in 32 newly examined males: 9.5–14.8 (mean 11.9); in 24 females: 8.7–12.0 (mean 10.4). Diameter of posterior excavation of pre-epigynal plate usually 90–140 µm, in females from Gowindahela 140–150 µm.

New records. SRI LANKA: 1♂ 1♀, NMSL , 7♂ 2♀, ZFMK (Ar 20036) and 1♀ 3 juvs in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL96 ), Western Province, Mitirigala Forest (6.997°N, 80.175°E), 70 m a.s.l., 6.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 2♂, ZFMK (Ar 20037) and 1♂ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL102 ), Sabaragamuwa Province, outside of Belilena Cave near Kitulgala (7.003°N, 80.436°E), 370 m a.s.l., 7.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 1♂ 3♀, ZFMK (Ar 20038) , Sabaragamuwa Province, near Kitulgala (6.985°N, 80.430°E), 170 m a.s.l., 7.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 3♂ 7♀, ZFMK (Ar 20039) and 2♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL106 ), Central Province, Kandy, Dunumadallawa Forest (7.282°N, 80.643°E), 600– 680 m a.s.l., 8.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 10♂ 2♀ 6 juvs, ZFMK (Ar 20040) and 1♂ 2♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL113 ), North Western Province, Kurunegala, at base of Ethagala (Athugala) Mountain (7.490°N, 80.369°E), 170 m a.s.l., 9.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 2♂ 2♀, ZFMK (Ar 20041) and 2♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL119 ), Central Province, Kandalama Forest (7.859°N, 80.711°E), 220 m a.s.l., 10.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 2♂ 3♀, ZFMK (Ar 20042) , North Central Province, Minneriya Forest (8.047°N, 80.832°E), 150 m a.s.l., 10.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 3♂ 4♀, ZFMK (Ar 20043) and 1♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL132 ), Uva Province, near Gowindahela (7.041°N, 81.538°E), 130–180 m a.s.l., 12.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 1♂ 2♀, ZFMK (Ar 20044) and 1♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL141 ), Uva Province, outside of cave near Ella (6.863°N, 81.050°E), 1030 m a.s.l., 13.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 1♂, ZFMK (Ar 20045) , Western Province, Poruwadanda (6.742°N, 80.132°E), 130 m a.s.l., 18.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 2♂ 2♀, ZFMK (Ar 20046) and 1♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL162 ), Sabaragamuwa Province, Mapalena Ella (6.774°N, 80.460°E), 270 m a.s.l., forest below waterfall, 19.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 1♀, ZFMK (Ar 20047) and 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL166 ), Western Province, Labugama Forest (6.846°N, 80.175°E), 150 m a.s.l., 20.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) .

Natural history. This species is common and often abundant among large rocks in humid forests, sometimes also between tree buttresses. Webs are often densely connected to each other, resulting in high numbers of specimens in relatively small spaces. In a horizontal rock cleft (~ 10 m long, ~ 30 cm high,> 1 m deep) at Ethagala Mountain ( Fig. 48 ), ~100 large specimens (i.e. excluding small juveniles) were counted per meter. The large domed sheet webs were often shared with numerous cecidomyiid flies. When disturbed, the spiders started swinging in high amplitude and retreated back to the rocks and to sheltered spaces.

Distribution. Widely distributed in central Sri Lanka ( Fig. 223 ). The female specimens from Belihul Oya and Diyaluma Falls reported in Huber (2011) were reexamined and found to belong to Pholcus puranappui (see below).

Figures

FIGURES 47–52. Pholcus, live specimens and habitat photo. 47–50. P. ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869, male from Mitirigala, rock cleft at Ethagala Mountain, containing ~1000 large specimens of P. ceylonicus; female with egg-sac from Kitulgala, and male from Gowindahela. 51. P. puranappui sp. n., male from Dematagala. 52. P. uva sp. n., male from Inginiyagala.

FIGURES 53–58. Left male palps in prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 53–55. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039). 56–58. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049). Abbreviations: a, ‘appendix’ (main bulbal process); b, genital bulb; c, coxa; e, embolus; f, femur; p, procursus; ta, tarsus; ti, tibia; tr, trochanter. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 65–72. Left procursi in retrolateral (upper row) and dorsal views. 65–66. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039). 67–68. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049); arrows point at subdistal dorsal process, asterisks mark prolateral processes. 69–70. Pholcus puranappui sp. n. (from Dematagala, ZFMK Ar 20051). 71–72. P. uva sp. n. (from Inginiyagala, ZFMK Ar 20055). At different scales.

FIGURES 73–78. Left genital bulbs in prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 73–75. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039); asterisks mark small sclerotized process close to proximal bulbal sclerite (Fig. 73) and distinctive conical projection (Fig. 74); arrow points at distinctive retrolateral membrane. 76–78. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049). Abbreviations: a, ‘appendix’ (main bulbal process); b, genital bulb; e, embolus; pbs, proximal bulbal sclerite. Scales lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 85–88. Epigyna in ventral views, all at same scale. 85. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039). 86. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049). 87. Pholcus puranappui sp. n. (from Dematagala, ZFMK Ar 20051). 88. P. uva sp. n. (from Inginiyagala, ZFMK Ar 20055). Abbreviations: ep, epigynal plate; k, ‘knob’ (median epigynal process); pep, pre-epigynal plate. Scale line: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 89–92. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal views, all at same scale. 89. Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 (from Kandy, ZFMK Ar 20039). 90. P. metta sp. n. (from Dimbulagala, ZFMK Ar 20049). 91. Pholcus puranappui sp. n. (from Dematagala, ZFMK Ar 20051). 92. P. uva sp. n. (from Inginiyagala, ZFMK Ar 20055). Scale line: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 222–223. Known distributions of Leptopholcus (222) and of the Pholcus ceylonicus species group (223) in Sri Lanka.