22. Pholcus xiuyan Zhao, Zheng & Yao sp. nov.

Figs 3, 4

Remarks.

This new species is assigned to the Pholcus phungiformes group by the following combination of characters: the male chelicerae with frontal apophyses (arrow fa in Fig. 4D), the male palpal tibia with a prolatero-ventral projection (Fig. 3A), the procursus with dorsal spines (arrows in Fig. 3D), the uncus with a “pseudo-appendix” (arrow 2 in Fig. 4C), and the epigyne with a knob (Fig. 4A).

Type material.

Holotype: ♂ (SYNU-Ar00251), Jiaxigou (40°15.200'N, 122°54.567'E, 318 m), Taipingling Village, Shihuiyao Town, Xiuyan County, Anshan, Liaoning, China, 13 July 2022, G Zheng, L Xiang & N Li leg. Paratypes: 1♂ (SYNU-Ar00252) and 2♀ (SYNU-Ar00253, Ar00254), same data as for the holotype.

Etymology.

The specific name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

The new species resembles P. brevis Yao & Li, 2012 (Yao and Li 2012: 12, figs 39A-D, 40A-E, 41A-D, 42A-D) with similar bulbal apophyses (Fig. 4C) and epigynal plate (Fig. 4A), but it can be easily distinguished by the procursus with a sclerotized dorsal protrusion (arrow 2 in Fig. 3C; a flat dorsal sclerite in P. brevis), the strong male cheliceral frontal apophyses (arrow fa in Fig. 4D; frontal apophyses indistinct in P. brevis), the epigyne with a pair of lateral protrusions (arrow in Fig. 4A; absent in P. brevis), the wavy vulval anterior arch (Fig. 4B; slightly curved anterior arch in P. brevis), and the male clypeus without frontal apophysis (Fig. 4E; present in P. brevis); also distinguished from all of its known congeners in Xiuyan County by the following combination of characters: the procursus with sclerotized, raised prolateral edge bearing a spine-shaped distal apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 3C) and a sclerotized dorsal protrusion (arrow 2 in Fig. 3C), the semitransparent “pseudo-appendix” (arrow 2 in Fig. 4C), the strong male cheliceral frontal apophyses (arrow fa in Fig. 4D), the epigyne with a pair of lateral protrusions (arrow in Fig. 4A), and the wavy vulval anterior arch (Fig. 4B).

Description.

Male (holotype, SYNU-Ar00251): total length 6.60 (6.73 with clypeus), prosoma 2.00 long, 2.15 wide, opisthosoma 4.60 long, 1.88 wide. Leg I: 49.82 (12.37, 0.91, 12.63, 20.90, 3.01), leg II: 34.84 (9.62, 0.85, 8.78, 13.65, 1.94), leg III: 19.07 (7.40, 0.73, 6.22, 3.33, 1.39), leg IV: 33.13 (9.62, 0.80, 8.46, 12.69, 1.56); tibia I L/d: 66. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME-PME 0.29, PME 0.17, PME-ALE 0.06, AME-AME 0.08, AME 0.11. Sternum width/length:1.43/1.08. Habitus as in Fig. 4E, F. Dorsal shield of prosoma yellowish, with brown radiating marks and marginal brown bands; ocular area yellowish, with median and lateral brown bands; clypeus and sternum yellowish, with brown marks. Legs overall yellowish, dark brown on patellae and whitish on distal parts of femora and tibiae, with darker rings on subdistal parts of femora and proximal and subdistal parts of tibiae. Opisthosoma yellowish, with dorsal and lateral black spots. Chelicerae (Fig. 4D) with pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, pair of distal apophyses with two teeth each (invisible in frontal view; cf. P. tianmenshan, fig. S20D in Yao et al. 2021), and pair of frontal apophyses.

Palp as in Fig. 3A, B; trochanter two times longer than wide, retrolaterally swollen; femur with small retrolatero-proximal protrusion and indistinct ventral protrusion; tibia with prolatero-ventral protrusion; procursus slender, simple proximally but complex distally, with sclerotized, raised prolateral edge bearing spine-shaped distal apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 3C), sclerotized dorsal protrusion (arrow 2 in Fig. 3C), subdistal membranous process (arrow 3 in Fig. 3C), and two strong and one slender dorsal spines (arrows in Fig. 3D); uncus curved, with scales and semicircular proximal apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 4C); “pseudo-appendix” short and semitransparent (arrow 2 in Fig. 4C); embolus weakly sclerotized, with some transparent distal projections (Fig. 4C). Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 3% proximally; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi, and tarsi; tarsus I with 38 distinct pseudosegments.

Female (paratype, SYNU-Ar00253): habitus as in Fig. 4G, H. Total length 5.80 (5.96 with clypeus), prosoma 1.72 long, 2.00 wide, opisthosoma 4.08 long, 1.78 wide; tibia I: 10.05; tibia I L/d: 57. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME-PME 0.22, PME 0.15, PME-ALE 0.04, AME-AME 0.06, AME 0.09. Sternum width/length: 1.22/0.94. Coloration generally as in male, except for dark brown clypeus.

Epigyne (Fig. 4A) postero-medially strongly curved, with median brown marks, short knob and pair of lateral protrusions (arrow in Fig. 4A). Vulva (Fig. 4B) with wavy, medially and laterally sclerotized anterior arch and pair of nearly triangular pore plates.

Variation.

Tibia I in paratype male (SYNU-Ar00252): 11.67. Tibia I in another paratype female (SYNU-Ar00254): 9.81.

Natural history.

The species was found on rock walls.

Distribution.

China (Liaoning, type locality; Fig. 1).