Pholcus qinghaiensis Song & Zhu, 1999

Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, A review of the genus Pholcus (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 2037 (1), pp. 1-114 : 75

Pholcus qinghaiensis Song & Zhu, 1999

( Fig. 41)

Pholcus qinghaiensis Song & Zhu, 1999 , in Song, Zhu & Chen 1999: 59, f. 24W–Z, A'–D'.

Diagnosis. Among its close Pholcus relatives (see the remark of P. clavatus ), this species is very similar to in the shape of the palpal bulb and epigynum, both with branched appendices of the palpal bulb ( Figs. 9H and 41G) and with a short club-shaped epigynal apophysis ( Figs. 9A and 41C). It can be distinguished from P. dali sp. nov. by the shape of the tip of the procursus ( Figs. 41G–H), and by the shorter ventral apophysis of trochanter ( Fig. 41E).

Redescription. Male (holotype), total length 3.7: cephalothorax 1.2 long, 1.4 wide; abdomen 2.6 long, 1.4 wide. Leg I: 39.3 (10.1+0.8+10.0+16.2+2.2), tibia II: 6.9, tibia III: 4.6, tibia IV: 5.9; tibia I L/D: 63. Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with pair of brown markings broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, without brown longitudinal stripe centrally, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.46, slightly ochre, without marks. Distance AME–AME 0.08. Chelicerae as in Fig. 41F, with pair of black serrated apophyses distally, pair of unsclerotized thumb-shaped apophyses proximolaterally and pair of small unsclerotized rounded apophyses proximocentrally. Labium and endites yellowish brown. Sternum pinkish yellow, submargin each with four triangular, light brown spots. Femora, patellae and tibiae ochre, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi brown. Abdomen cylindrical, fawn, dorsum with numerous blackish brown spots. Venter pale brown, without markings. Palps as in Figs. 41G and 41H, bulb with tile-shaped uncus, appendix with a small branch centrally.

Variation. Tibia I in three male paratypes (other two males Tibia I missing): 9.6, 9.6, 10.0. Body length in five male paratypes: 3.3–3.8.

Female: in general very similar to male. Total length of bodies 3.3–4.1. A specimen measured (paratype), total length 3.9: cephalothorax 1.2 long, 1.6 wide; abdomen 2.7 long, 1.4 wide. Tibia I: 7.2. Prosoma shape as in Fig 41A. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Abdomen cylindrical, fawn, dorsum with numerous blackish brown spots as in Fig. 41B. Epigynum roughly triangular as in Fig. 41C, with a knob-shaped apophysis on the top. Dorsal view as in Fig. 41D, with a straw hat-shaped sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of oval pore plates.

Distribution. Known from type locality only.

Material examined. CHINA: Qinghai, Huangzhong County, August 20, 1988, leg. J. F. Wang, Male holotype, 5♂, 15♀ paratypes ( MHBU) .