Pholcus vietnamensis Yao & Li, 2017

Dong, Tingting, Zheng, Guo, Yao, Zhiyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2017, Ten new species of the spider genus Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Southeast Asia, Zootaxa 4306 (3), pp. 339-369 : 346-351

Pholcus vietnamensis Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 7–8

Type material. Holotype: male (Ar29649), Nui Chua National Park (11°43.983′N, 107°11.130′E, elevation 102 m), Ninh Thuan, Vietnam, 31 August 2015, Q. Zhao, Z. Chen and Y. Li leg. Paratypes: 1 male and 2 females (Ar 29650–29652), same data as holotype.

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

Diagnosis. The species can be easily distinguished from all known congeners in the P. bidentatus species group by the small, simple and nearly triangular uncus ( Fig. 8 C), by the very large and distally strongly protruding appendix ( Fig. 8 C) and by the triangular pore plates ( Fig. 8 B).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length 8.50 (8.97 with clypeus), carapace 1.94 long, 2.23 wide, opisthosoma 6.56 long, 1.68 wide. Leg I: – (15.58 + 1.02 + 15.26 + 37.3 + –), leg II: 42.54 (11.22 + 0.94 + 10.90 + 17.63 + 1.85), leg III: 30.87 (9.23 + 0.88 + 7.44 + 11.99 + 1.33), leg IV: 39.09 (11.58 + 0.90 + 9.74 + 15.13 + 1.74); tibia I L/d: 66. Distance PME-PME 0.44; diameter PME 0.17; distance PME-ALE 0.06; distance AME-AME 0.05; diameter AME 0.05. Sternum wider than long (1.40/1.20). Habitus as in Figs 8 E–F. Carapace yellowish, with brownish V-pattern and a narrow brown line medially; ocular area brownish; sternum dark brown. Legs yellowish, patellae, subdistal parts of femora and tibiae, and proximal parts of femora dark brown, distal parts of femora and tibiae whitish, darker rings absent. Opisthosoma yellowish, with brown marks dorsally and a brown band ventrally. Ocular area elevated, each eye triad on top of a laterally directed eye-stalk. Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Fig. 8 D, with two pairs of proximo-lateral apophyses, a pair of distal apophyses, and a pair of indistinct frontal apophyses. Pedipalps as in Figs 7 A–B; trochanter with a short retrolatero-ventral apophysis (arrow in Fig. 7 B); femur with a distinct ventral protuberance; procursus simple proximally but complex distally; bulbal apophyses as in Fig. 8 C; uncus small and simple; appendix large, with scales; embolus weakly sclerotized. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 6%; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi; without spines and curved setae.

Female: Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 8 G–H. Total length 7.33 (7.50 with clypeus), carapace 1.75 long, 2.00 wide, opisthosoma 5.58 long, 1.40 wide; tibia I: 12.88; tibia I L/d: 59. Distance PME-PME 0.28; diameter PME 0.17; distance PME-ALE 0.05; distance AME-AME 0.06; diameter AME 0.09. Sternum wider than long (1.17/1.09). Ocular area without eye-stalks. Epigynum ( Fig. 8 A) with a knob. Vulva ( Fig. 8 B) with a sclerotized anterior arch and two triangular pore plates.

Variation: Leg I lost in male paratype. Tibia I in another female paratype: 13.46.

Distribution. Vietnam (Ninh Thuan, type locality; Fig. 21 ).

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

Figures

FIGURE 7. Pholcus vietnamensis Yao & Li sp. nov., holotype male. A – B. Pedipalp (A. Prolateral view; B. Retrolateral view, arrow points at short retrolatero-ventral apophysis on trochanter); C – D. Distal part of procursus (C. Prolateral view; D. Dorsal view). a = appendix, b = bulb, e = embolus, pr = procursus, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.20 (A – B), 0.05 (C), 0.03 (D).

FIGURE 8. Pholcus vietnamensis Yao & Li 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: 0.10 (A – C), 0.20 (D), 1.00 (E – H).

FIGURE 21. Distribution records of new Pholcus species from Southeast Asia. 1. Pholcus bulacanensis Yao & Li sp. nov. from the P. bicornutus species group; 2. P. duan Yao & Li sp. nov., 3. P. ping Yao & Li sp. nov. and 4. P. vietnamensis Yao & Li sp. nov. from the P. bidentatus species group; 5. P. fuza Yao & Li sp. nov. and 6. P. mueangensis Yao & Li sp. nov. from the P. buatong species group; 7. P. cheni Yao & Li sp. nov. and 8. P. subwan Yao & Li sp. nov. from the P. halabala species group; 9. P. shuye Yao & Li sp. nov. from the P. krabi species group; 10. P. dongxue Yao & Li sp. nov. from the P. yichengicus species group.