Pholcus pennatus Zhang, Zhu & Song, 2005

Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, A review of the genus Pholcus (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 2037 (1), pp. 1-114 : 65-67

Pholcus pennatus Zhang, Zhu & Song, 2005

( Fig. 35 )

Pholcus pennatus Zhang, Zhu & Song 2005: 65 , f. 1–8.

Diagnosis. Among its near Pholcus relatives (see the remark of P. alloctospilus ) this species is very similar to P. gaoi in the shape of the palpal bulb and epigynum, both without appendix of palpal bulb ( Fig. 35G ), and with a knob-shaped epigynal apophysis and a sclerotized arch of epigynum anteriorly ( Figs. 13A–B ). It can be distinguished from P. gaoi by the shape of the tip of the procursus ( Figs. 35G–H ), by the shorter ventral apophysis of trochanter ( Figs. 35D, G–H ), and by the close pore plates ( Fig. 35B ).

Redescription. Male (holotype) total length 4.9: cephalothorax 1.5 long, 1.5 wide; abdomen 3.2 long, 1.3 wide. Leg I: 37.6 (9.5+0.8+9.3+15.3+2.7), tibia II: 6.4, tibia III: 4.4, tibia IV: 5.6; tibia I L/D: 62. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 35C . 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 centrally, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.46, slightly ochre, with a brown triangular patch centrally. Distance AME–AME 0.04. Diameter AME 0.10, ALE 0.15, PME 0.12, PLE 0.13. Chelicerae as in Fig. 35E , 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 light yellow. Sternum slightly ochre, with three pairs of brown marginal marks and an anterior mark as in Fig. 35F . Femora, patellae and tibiae brown, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi brown. Abdomen cylindrical, pale ochre, dorsum with many brown spots as in Fig. 35C . Venter pale brown, without marks. Palps as in Figs. 35G and 35H , bulb with a mushroom-shaped uncus and transparent embolus, without appendix.

Variation. Tibia I in four male paratypes: 8.9, 8.9, 9.2, 9.2. Body length in four male paratypes: 4.7, 4.8, 4.8, 4.9.

Female: in general very similar to male. Total length of paratypes 4.8–5.1. A specimen measured (paratype), total length 5.0: cephalothorax 1.6 long, 1.7 wide; abdomen 3.4 long, 1.6 wide. Tibia I: 7.7. Distance AME–AME 0.04. Epigynum roughly round as in Fig. 35A , with a nipple-shaped apophysis. Dorsal view as in Fig. 35B , with a W-shaped sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of egg-shaped pore plates centrally.

Material examined. CHINA: Hebei: Zanhuang County, Mt. Zhangshiyan , June 15, 1998, leg. M. S. Zhu and F. Zhang, male holotype, 4♀, 4♂ paratypes ( MHBU) .

Distribution. Known from type locality only.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Pholcus guani Song & Ren, 1994 (illustrations modified from Song & Ren 1994). A. female prosoma, dorsal view. B. epigynum, ventral view. C. same, dorsal view. D. male left chelicera, frontal view. E. trochanter of male left palp, retrolaterodorsal view. F. left palp, prolateral view. G. same, retrolateral view. Scale lines: 1.0mm (A), 0.5mm (B–D, F, G), 0.2mm (E).

FIGURE 35. Pholcus pennatus Zhang, Zhu & Song, 2005 (illustrations modified from Zhang et al. 2005). 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. male sternum, ventral view. G. left palp, prolateral view. H. same, retrolateral view. Scale lines: 1.0mm (C), 0.5mm (A, B, E–H), 0.2mm (D).