Pholcus triangulatus Zhang & Zhang, 2000

Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, A review of the genus Pholcus (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 2037 (1), pp. 1-114 : 93-94

Pholcus triangulatus Zhang & Zhang, 2000

( Fig. 54 )

Pholcu s triangulatus Zhang & Zhang 2000: 153 , f. 3A–H.

Diagnosis. Among its close Pholcus relatives (see the remark of P. alloctospilus ), this species is very similar to P. clavimaculatus and P. beijingensis in the shape of the palpal bulb and epigynum, all without appendices of palpal bulb ( Fig. 54F ) and with an epigynal knob-shaped apophysis ( Fig. 54A ). It can be distinguished from these two species by chelicerae without a pair of apophyses proximocentrally ( Fig. 54E ) and by the triangular tip of the procursus ( Fig. 54G ), also from P. beijingensis by the shorter ventral apophysis of the trochanter and a nearly round uncus ( Figs. 54F–G ).

Redescription. Male (holotype), total length 4.7: cephalothorax 1.6 long, 1.8 wide; abdomen 3.2 long, 1.4 wide. Leg I: 41.7 (10.4+0.9+10.1+17.7+2.7), tibia II: 7.4, tibia III: 4.8, tibia IV: 6.5; tibia I L/D: 63. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 54C . Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with pair of brown marks broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, with a brown longitudinal stripe and a pair of brown spots centrally, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.37, slightly ochre, without marks. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Diameter AME 0.09, ALE 0.17, PME 0.14, PLE 0.16. Chelicerae as in Fig. 54E , with pair of black apophyses distally and pair of unsclerotized thumb-shaped apophyses proximolaterally. Labium pale brown. Endites light yellow. Sternum slightly ochre, with some regular brown marks. Femora, patellae and tibiae ochre, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi brown. Abdomen cylindrical, pale ochre, dorsum with many brown spots as in Fig. 54C . Venter pale brown, without marks. Palps as in Figs. 54F–G , bulb with nearly round uncus, without appendix, procursus triangular.

Variation. Tibia I in 12 male paratypes: 9.3–10.1 (mean 9.8). Body length in 12 male paratypes: 4.4–4.8.

Female: in general very similar to male. Total length of bodies 4.5–4.8. A paratype measured (Mt. Baishi), total length 4.7: cephalothorax 1.4 long, 1.5 wide; abdomen 3.3 long, 1.5 wide. Tibia I: 6.1. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Epigynum roughly rounded as in Fig. 54A , with a small knob-shaped apophysis on the median place. Dorsal view as in Fig. 54B , with a rainbow-shaped sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of triangular pore plates.

Distribution. Known from type locality only.

Material examined. CHINA: Hebei: Laiyuan County, Mt. Baishi , July 19, 1999, leg. F. Zhang and J. X. Zhang, male holotype , 12♂, 15♀ paratypes ( MHBU); Tang County, Mt. Damao , May 6, 2001, leg. J. X. Zhang , 8♂, 11♀ ( MHBU) .

Figures

FIGURE 54. Pholcus triangulatus Zhang & Zhang, 2000 (illustrations modified from Zhang & Zhang 1999). A. epigynum, ventral view. B. same, dorsal view. C. male body, dorsal view. D. trochanter of male left palp, retrolaterodorsal view. E. male left chelicera, frontal view. F. left palp, prolateral view. G. same, retrolateral view. Scale lines: 1.0mm (C), 0.5mm (A, B, E–G), 0.2mm (D).