Pholcus puranappui, Huber, 2019

Huber, Bernhard A., 2019, The pholcid spiders of Sri Lanka (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 1-57 : 18

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4550.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2F7D1EC4-D4ED-4FAE-B227-CF7B79EAE833

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4581631

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/CA3B104C-FF84-FF8A-FF3D-FF39FB86E686

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Pholcus puranappui
status

sp. nov.

Pholcus puranappui View in CoL sp. n.

Figures 51 View FIGURES 47–52 , 59–61 View FIGURES 59–64 , 69–70 View FIGURES 65–72 , 79–81 View FIGURES 79–84 , 87 View FIGURES 85–88 , 91 View FIGURES 89–92

Pholcus View in CoL SL63: Eberle et al. 2018 (molecular data); Huber et al. 2018: fig. 12.

Diagnosis. Males are easily distinguished from other species in ceylonicus group by shape of genital bulb ( Figs 79– 81 View FIGURES 79–84 ): distinctive main bulbal process (‘appendix’), i.e. large sclerotized process without retrolateral membrane and retrolateral conical projection (in contrast to P. ceylonicus ), wider in dorsal view than in P. metta ; without prolateral process (in contrast to P. uva ); distinguished from P. uva also by shape of procursus ( Figs 69–70 View FIGURES 65–72 ; narrower and with subdistal dorsal process). Females are distinguished from P. ceylonicus and P. uva by larger posterior excavation of pre-epigynal plate ( Fig. 87 View FIGURES 85–88 ); from P. metta by wider pre-epigynal plate (compare Figs 86 and 87 View FIGURES 85–88 ).

Etymology. Named for Weerahennadige Francisco Fernando alias Puran Appu, member of the Matale Rebellion. He was executed by a firing squad on August 8, 1848.

Type material. SRI LANKA: ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 20050), Sabaragamuwa Province, above Dematagala (6.451°N, 80.751°E), 160 m a.s.l., 16.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) GoogleMaps .

Other material examined. SRI LANKA: 4♂ 3♀, ZFMK (Ar 20051), and 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL149 About ZFMK ), same data as holotype GoogleMaps . 1♂ 4♀, ZFMK (Ar 20052), and 1♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL137 About ZFMK ), Uva Province, near Okkampitiya (6.728°N, 81.336°E), 190 m a.s.l., 13.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) GoogleMaps . 6♂ 1♀, ZFMK (Ar 20053), and 1♂ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL148 About ZFMK ), Uva Province, near Weli Oya Bridge (6.769°N, 80.846°E), 830 m a.s.l., 15.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) GoogleMaps . 2♀ 3 juvs, ZMUT ( AA 3516–17 View Materials ), Ratnapura District, Belihul Oya [6°41’N, 80°46’E], on walls, 18.i.1969 (P. Lehtinen) GoogleMaps . 1♀, ZMUT ( AA 3518 View Materials ), Moneragala District, Diyaluma Falls [6°44’N, 81°02’E], in litter, 19.xi.1972 (P. Lehtinen) GoogleMaps .

Description. Male (holotype). MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 6.2, carapace width 1.8. Distance PME- PME 280 µm, diameter PME 140 µm, distance PME-ALE 40 µm, distance AME-AME 40 µm, diameter AME 90 µm. Sternum width/length: 1.1/0.8. Leg 1: 55.0 (13.5 + 0.8 + 13.6 + 23.9 + 3.2), tibia 2: 9.3, tibia 3: 6.4, tibia 4: 8.4; tibia 1 L/d: 72. Femora 1–4 width (at half length): 0.22, 0.22, 0.21, 0.22.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre-yellow with large dark brown posterior mark, ocular area also brown, clypeus not darkened; sternum ochre-yellow with large triangular brown median mark; legs ochre to light brown, with indistinct darker rings subdistally on femora and tibiae, tips of femora and tibiae whitish; abdomen ochregray, with series of cuticular dorsal marks, brown area in front of gonopore and pair of smaller dark marks lateral of gonopore, indistinct wide median band between gonopore and spinnerets.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 51 View FIGURES 47–52 ; ocular area slightly raised, each triad on low hump; carapace without median furrow; clypeus and sternum unmodified.

CHELICERAE. As in P. ceylonicus (cf. Huber & Benjamin 2005: fig. 2d), with pair of distal apophyses close to laminae, each with two modified hairs, and pair of small proximal lateral apophyses.

PALPS. As in Figs 59–61 View FIGURES 59–64 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with strong retrolateral apophysis with large modified hair at its tip and rounded subdistal process prolaterally; femur large, with distinct dorsal process and two small ventral processes; procursus simple compared to most congeners ( Figs 69–70 View FIGURES 65–72 ), with dorsal and prolateral processes distally; genital bulb as in Figs 79–81 View FIGURES 79–84 , partly whitish, partly sclerotized and brown, with three processes: conical membranous process (putative embolus), small sclerotized process close to proximal bulbal sclerite, and large mostly sclerotized main bulbal process (‘appendix’).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with many pseudosegments but only distally ~10 distinct.

Male (variation). Tibia 1 in 10 other males: 10.0–12.4 (mean 11.3). Males from Okkampitiya with main bulbal process slightly wider in dorsal view, with slightly larger dark mark on carapace, and mark on sternum larger and star-shaped rather than triangular.

Female. In general similar to male; tibia 1 in 11 females: 9.2–12.4 (mean 10.7). Epigynum as in Fig. 87 View FIGURES 85–88 ; with large sclerotized area (pre-epigynal plate) in front of small epigynal plate; the latter in circular excavation of preepigynal plate and provided with finger-shaped median process (‘knob’); width of circular excavation: 0.17–0.22. Internal genitalia as in Fig. 91 View FIGURES 89–92 , with pair of oval pore plates.

Natural history. This species was found in similar microhabitats and webs as P. ceylonicus , but never in high densities.

Distribution. Known from several localities in southern Sri Lanka ( Fig. 223 View FIGURES 222–223 ).

ZFMK

Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig

ZMUT

University of Tokyo, Department of Zoology

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Pholcidae

Genus

Pholcus

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