Pholcus kimi Song & Zhu, 1994

Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, A review of the genus Pholcus (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 2037 (1), pp. 1-114 : 43-47

Pholcus kimi Song & Zhu, 1994

( Figs. 21–22 )

Pholcus kimi Song & Zhu 1994: 37 , f. 2A–D. Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 58, f. 24I–J. Zhang, Zhu & Song, 2004: 77, f. 1A–G.

Diagnosis. Very similar to P. bidentatus , but can be distinguished from it by the shape of the tip of the procursus ( Figs. 21F–G ) and by the appendix without two thorn-shaped apophyses centrally ( Fig. 21F ).

Redescription. Male: A specimen measured (Huangguoshu Waterfall), total length 6.1: cephalothorax 1.6 long, 1.7 wide; abdomen 4.5 long, 1.3 wide. Leg I: 47.7 (12.3+0.7+11.5+21.6+2.7), tibia II: 7.9, tibia III: 5.6, tibia IV: 7.2; tibia I L/D: 76. Prosoma shape as in Fig 21D . Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with pair of brown butterfly-shaped mark broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, with brown stripe centrally and two pairs of brown dots posteriorly, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.75, slightly ochre, with brown marks. Distance AME–AME 0.08. Diameter AME 0.09, ALE 0.21, PME 0.19, PLE 0.20. Chelicerae as in Fig. 21C , with pair of black serrated apophyses distally and two pairs of unsclerotized round apophyses proximolaterally. Labium light yellow. Endites yellow. Sternum almost dark ochre, without markings as in Fig. 21E . Femora, patellae and tibiae brown, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi brown. Tarsus with several pseudosegmentations as in Fig. 22E . Abdomen cylindrical, pale ochre, dorsum with numerous brown spots as in Fig. 21D . Venter pale brown, without marks. Male gonopore with four epiandrous spigots. Six spinnerets, ALS with six piriform gland spigots ( Fig. 22H ), and PMS with two spigots ( Fig. 22I ). Palps as in Figs. 21F and 21G , bulb with cleaver-shaped uncus, tip of appendix split into two parts, trochanter with short ventral apophysis. Palpal tarsal organ capsulate, on conical projection of cymbium ( Fig. 22F ).

Variation. Body length in other males 5.4–6.3. Color of specimens from Huangguoshu Waterfall more pronounced than in the holotype.

Female: in general very similar to male. Total length of bodies 5.6–7.2. A specimen measured (Huangguoshu Waterfall), total length 7.2, cephalothorax 1.3 long, 1.6 wide; abdomen 5.9 long, 2.1 wide. Tibia I: 6.4. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Diameter AME 0.10, ALE 0.21, PME 0.19, PLE 0.21. Tarsal organ capsulate on tarsus 1 as in Fig. 22A . Epigynum roughly triangular with swollen lateral edges as in Figs. 21A and 22B, a knob-shaped apophysis on the top. Dorsal view as in Fig. 21B , with a wavy sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of shoe-shaped pore plates.

Distribution. Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei.

Material examined. CHINA: Yunnan, Hekou County, collected from a cave, male holotype, 1♂ paratype, April 8, 1992, leg. M. S. Zhu ( MHBU) . Guizhou: Huangguoshu Waterfall , Anshun County, August 15, 2000, leg. J. X. Zhang, 1♂, 4♀ ( MHBU) ; same data as above, but in October 1, 1997, 1♂, 4♀ ( MHBU) ; Chishui County, Chishui Natural Reserve , May 27, 2005, leg. H. M. Chen, 3♂, 11♀ ( MHBU) ; Daozhen County, Dashahe Natural Reserve , May 26, 2004, leg. H. M. Chen and Z. S. Zhang, 4♂, 7♀ ( MHBU) . Hunan: Chenzhou City, Wugaishan State Forest Farm, May 19, 2002, leg. J. Y. Yang and Z. S. Zhang, 1♂ ( MHBU) . Hubei: Badong County, Bashan Forest Park, August 20, 2003, leg. J. X. Zhang, 1♂, 1♀ ( MHBU) .

Remark. The most important characters of this species are the conical projection of the cymbium and an arm-shaped procursus. Similar species, such as P. bidentatus and P. gui , are also distributed in southern China. We suggest they have a relatively close phylogenetic relationship.

Figures

FIGURE 21. Pholcus kimi Song & Zhu, 1994 (illustrations modified from Zhang et al. 2005). A. epigynum, ventral view. B. same, dorsal view. C. male left chelicera, frontal view. D. male body, dorsal view. E. male sternum, ventral view. F. left palp, prolateral view. G. same, retrolateral view. Scale lines: 1.0mm (D), 0.5mm (A–C, E–G).

FIGURE 22. Pholcus kimi Song & Zhu, 1994. A. tarsal organ on female tarsus 1. B. epigynum, ventral view. C. male gonopore, showing four epiandrous spigots. D. tip of male distal cheliceral apophysis. E. pseudosegmentation on male tarsus 1. F. male palpal tarsal organ. G. uncus, embolus and appendix of bulb. H. male ALS, with several piriform gland spigots. I. male PMS, with two spigots.