Pholcus songxian, Zhang & Zhu, 2009

Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, A review of the genus Pholcus (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 2037 (1), pp. 1-114 : 82-83

Pholcus songxian sp. nov.

( Fig. 46)

Types. Male holotype, 5♂, 10♀ paratypes, CHINA: Henan Province, Song County [ 34°6’N, 112°’E], Mt. Tianchi , July 14, 2004, leg. M. S. Zhu ( MHBU) .

Diagnosis. Among its near Pholcus relatives (see the remark of P. clavatus ), this species is very similar to P. harveyi sp. nov., P. huberi sp. nov., P. parayichengicus sp. nov. and P. yichengicus (all from Henan Province except P. yichengicus that occurs in the adjacent Shanxi Province) in the shape of the palpal bulb and epigynum, all with a biforked ventral apophysis of the trochanter ( Figs. 15I, 17I, 33I, 46I and 60I) and a long teat-shaped epigynal apophysis ( Figs. 15A, 17A, 33I, 46A and 60A). It can be distinguished from them by the shape of the tip of the procursus and appendix ( Figs. 46G–I), also from P. huberi sp. nov. by the branched appendix centrally ( Fig. 46H), also from yichengicus and P. harveyi sp. nov. by the cephalic region without brown central marks ( Fig. 46C) and also from P. parayichengicus sp. nov. by the pair of large pore plates ( Fig. 46B).

Etymology. The species name is a noun in apposition and refers to the type locality.

Description. Male ( holotype): total body length 5.8: cephalothorax 1.7 long, 1.9 wide; abdomen 4.1 long, 1.5 wide. Leg I: 41.5 (10.6+1.0+10.0+17.1+2.7), tibia II: 6.1, tibia III: 3.9, tibia IV: 5.3; tibia I L/D: 61. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 46C. Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with brown butterfly-shaped marks broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, with some brown small dots centrally, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.50, dark ochre, without marks. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Diameter AME 0.10, ALE 0.20, PME 0.18, PLE 0.18. Chelicerae as in Fig. 46E, with pair of black apophyses distally, pair of unsclerotized thumb-shaped apophyses proximolaterally and pair of unsclerotized small rounded apophyses proximocentrally. Labium light yellow. Endites gray. Sternum almost dark brown, with irregular yellow patches centrally as in Fig. 46F. Femora, patellae and tibiae ochre, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi fawn. Abdomen cylindrical, pale ochre, dorsum with numerous small brown spots as in Fig. 46C. Venter pale brown. Palps as in Figs. 46H–I, bulb with tile-shaped uncus, appendix with median branch and hooked, ventral apophysis of trochanter biforked. Procursus as in Fig. 46G.

Variation. Tibia I in five male paratypes: 8.9–10.1 (mean 9.6). Body length in five male paratypes: 4.9–5.9.

Female: in general very similar to male. Total length of bodies 3.9–4.4. A specimen measured (Mt. Tianchi), total length 4.2: cephalothorax 1.2 long, 1.4 wide; abdomen 3.0 long, 1.3 wide. Tibia I: 8.4. Distance AME–AME 0.04. Diameter AME 0.09, ALE 0.15, PME 0.16, PLE 0.16. Epigynum roughly triangular as in Fig. 46A, with a large necktie-shaped apophysis on the top. Dorsal view as in Fig. 46B, with an unusual sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of oval pore plates centrally.

Distribution. Known from type locality only.