Pholcus taishan 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 : 93

Pholcus taishan Song & Zhu, 1999

( Fig. 53)

Pholcu s taishan Song & Zhu, 1999 , in Song, Zhu & Chen 1999: 63, f. 25L–S.

Diagnosis. Among its near Pholcus relatives (see the remark of P. henanensis ), this species is very similar to P. henanensis in the shape of the palpal bulb and epigynum, both with long necktie-shaped epigynal apophysis ( Fig. 53A). It can be distinguished from P. henanensis by the shape of procursus tip and the appendix tip ( Figs. 53F–G), and by the round pore plates of the epigynum ( Fig. 53B).

Redescription. Male (holotype), total length 4.7: cephalothorax 1.4 long, 1.5 wide; abdomen 3.3 long, 1.7 wide. Leg I: 38.5 (9.8+0.8+9.6+16.1+2.2), tibia II: 7.3, tibia III: 4.9, tibia IV: 6.8; tibia I L/D: 64. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 53C. Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with brown marks broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, with brown longitudinal stripes centrally, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.56, slightly ochre, without mark centrally. Distance AME–AME 0.04. Chelicerae as in Fig. 53E, with pair of black serrated apophyses distally and pair of unsclerotized thumb-shaped apophyses proximolaterally. Labium and endites yellowish brown. Sternum yellow, with regular light brown spots. Femora, patellae and tibiae ochre, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi light brown. Abdomen cylindrical, fawn, dorsum with numerous small blackish brown spots as in Fig. 53C. Venter pale brown, without markings. Palps as in Figs. 53F–G, bulb with axe-shaped uncus, appendix with swollen tip, trochanter with long ventral apophysis.

Variation. Tibia I in two male paratypes (other two males missing Leg I): 9.3, 9.4. Body length in four male paratypes: 4.3–4.7.

Female: in general very similar to male. Total length of bodies 4.7–5.3. A paratype measured (Mt. Taishan), total length 5.3: cephalothorax 1.5 long, 1.9 wide; abdomen 3.8 long, 2.2 wide. Tibia I: 8.6. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Epigynum roughly triangular as in Fig. 53A, with a long necktie-shaped apophysis on the top. Dorsal view as in Fig. 53B, with a short sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of round pore plates posteriorly.

Distribution. Known from type locality only.

Material examined. CHINA: Shandong: Tai’an City, Mt. Taishan , August 5, 1988, leg. M. S. Zhu, male holotype, 4♂, 6♀ paratypes ( MHBU) .