Pholcus kuhapimuk Huber

Berhard A. Huber, Booppa Petchard, Charles Leh Moi Ung, Joseph K. H. Koh & Amir R. M. Ghazali, 2016, The Southeast Asian Pholcus halabala species group (Araneae, Pholcidae): new data from field observations and ultrastructure, European Journal of Taxonomy 190 (190), pp. 1-55 : 17-21

Pholcus kuhapimuk Huber , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:851588EA-3FD5-4800-9F4D-33BAE6E2E0F9

Figs 49–51 , 58–62 , 96–98

Diagnosis

Easily distinguished from most similar known relative ( Ph. khaolek sp. nov.) by morphology of male palps ( Figs 58–59 ; shapes of male palpal tarsus and procursus tip, small uncus, slender appendix) and by female internal genitalia ( Figs 61–62 ; absence of median triangular sclerite). From other putatively close relatives also by combination of pale coloration ( Figs 49–51 ), shape of male palpal trochanter apophysis (curved, proximally wide, distally pointed; Fig. 59 ), and small round pore plates far apart ( Fig. 62 ).

Etymology

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

Type material

THAILAND: holotype, ♂, ZFMK ( Ar 15026 ), Yala, Wat Kuhapimuk (6°31.7' N, 101°13.5' E), 40 m a.s.l., on wall in cave entry area, 4 Mar. 2015 (B.A. Huber, B. Petcharad) .

Other material examined

THAILAND: 3 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, ZFMK (2 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, Ar 15027 ) and PSUZC (1 ♂, 1 ♀), same data as holotype ; 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀, 4 juvs, in absolute ethanol, ZFMK ( Mal 324 ), same data .

Assigned tentatively

THAILAND: 1 ♀, 2 juvs, in absolute ethanol, ZFMK ( Mal 329 ), Satun , Thaleban National Park (6°43.58'N, 100°09.74' E), at rocks near cave entrance, 100 m a.s.l., 5 Mar. 2015 (B.A. Huber, B. Petcharad) .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 5.0, carapace width 1.4. Leg 1: 53.3 (12.9 + 0.5 + 12.9 + 25.0 + 2.0), tibia 2: 8.6, tibia 3: 5.4, tibia 4: 7.3; tibia 1 L/d: 98. Distance PME-PME 265 µm, diameter PME 115 µm, distance PME-ALE ~35 µm; distance AME-AME 35 µm; diameter AME 60 µm.

COLOR. Carapace pale ochre-grey with pair of brown marks posteriorly; ocular area slightly darker, clypeus not darkened; sternum pale grey with narrow dark margins; legs pale ochre-yellow with dark brown patellae and tibia-metatarsus joints; abdomen monochromous pale gray.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 49 ; ocular area slightly raised, with slightly stronger hairs behind each PME; carapace without median furrow; clypeus unmodified; sternum wider than long (1.00/0.67), unmodified.

CHELICERAE. As in Fig. 60 , with pair of distal frontal apophyses provided with one or two modified hairs each, pair of rounded lateral processes, and pair of small indistinct proximal frontal humps.

PALPS. As in Figs 58–59 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with large but weakly sclerotized retrolateroventral apophysis and low retrolateral hump; femur proximally widened on ventral side, with small retrolatero-dorsal apophysis; tarsus with short conical dorsal elongation carrying subdistal tarsal organ; procursus rather simple, ventral ‘knee’ with distal process; bulb with distinctive small uncus and slender appendix; weakly sclerotized short embolus.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 6%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; tarsus 1 with> 30 pseudosegments, distally fairly distinct.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in 2 other males: 11.1, 12.6.

Female

In general similar to male ( Fig. 51 ) but without stronger hairs behind PME; eye triads closer together than in male (PME-PME distance: 185 µm). Tibia 1 in 7 females: 8.1–9.8 (mean 8.7). Epigynum weakly sclerotized bulging area, only posterior margin more strongly sclerotized, apparently without ‘knob’, or ‘knob’ hidden below membranous flap ( Figs 61 , 96–97 ); internal genitalia as in Figs 62 and 98 , with small round pore plates far from each other. The specimens from Thaleban National Park are assigned tentatively because no male specimen is available from this locality.

Natural history

At both localities, specimens were only found on rocks at the cave entrances but not deeper in the caves. The spiders were extremely cryptic, tightly pressed against the rock surface and barely visible even at close distance.

Distribution

Known from two localities in southern Thailand only ( Fig. 57 ; specimens from Thaleban National Park assigned tentatively).

Figures

Fig. 57. Known distributions of species tentatively assigned to the Pholcus halabala species group.

Figs 49 – 56. Live specimens, Pholcus kuhapimuk Huber, sp. nov. (49 – 51), Ph. khaolek Huber, sp. nov. (52 – 53), and Ph. sudhami Huber, 2011 (54 – 56). 49 – 51. ♂, penultimate instar ♂, and ♀ with egg-sac from Wat Kuhapimuk, Thailand. 52 – 53. ♀ with spiderlings and ♂ from Khao Lek, Thailand. 54 – 55. ♂ from Tham Phraya Nakhon, Thailand. 56. ♂ from Erawan, Thailand.

Figs 58 – 62. Pholcus kuhapimuk Huber, sp. nov., ZFMK Ar 15027. 58 – 59. Left male palp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 60. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 61 – 62. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Abbreviations: a = appendix; b = genital bulb; e = embolus; p = procursus; u = uncus. Scale lines: 0.3 mm (61 – 62); 0.5 mm (58 – 60).

Figs 90 – 101. Female genitalia, untreated in ventral view, cleared in ventral and dorsal views. 90 – 92. Pholcus ubin Huber, sp. nov. 93 – 95. Ph. lintang Huber, sp. nov. 96 – 98. Ph. kuhapimuk Huber, sp. nov. 99 – 101. Ph. khaolek Huber, sp. nov.