Pholcus parayichengicus, 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 : 62-65

Pholcus parayichengicus sp. nov.

( Figs. 33–34)

Types. Male holotype, 3♂, 9♀ paratypes, CHINA: Henan Province, Luoyang City , Song County [34°6’N, 112°E], Mt. Tianchi , July 14, 2006, leg. M. S. Zhu ( MHBU); Nanyang City, Neixiang County , Baotianman Natural Reserve , 7♂, 23♀ paratypes, July 24, 2006, leg. M. S. Zhu ( MHBU) .

Diagnosis. Among its Pholcus relatives (see the remark of P. clavatus ), this species is very similar to P. harveyi sp. nov., P. huberi sp. nov., P. songxian 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 biforked ventral apophysis of the trochanter ( Figs. 15I, 17I, 33I, 46I and 60I) and long teat-shaped epigynal apophysis ( Figs. 15A, 17A, 33I, 46A and 60A). P. parayichengicus sp. nov. can be distinguished from the named species by the shapes of the tip of the procursus and appendix ( Figs. 33G–I), also from P. huberi sp. nov. by the branched appendix centrally ( Fig. 33H), also from P.yichengicus and P. harveyi sp. nov. by the cephalic region without brown central marks ( Fig. 33C) and also from P. songxian sp. nov. by the pair of smaller pore plates ( Fig. 33B).

Etymology. The species name refers to its similarity to P. yichengicus .

Description. Male (holotype) body length 5.3: cephalothorax 1.5 long, 1.8 wide; abdomen 3.8 long, 1.6 wide. Leg I: 40.8 (10.8+0.9+10.4+16.3+2.4), tibia II: 4.6, tibia III: 4.8, tibia IV: 6.9; tibia I L/D: 65. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 33C. Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with pair of brown marks broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, with many brown small dots centrally, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.52, dark ochre, without marks. Distance AME–AME 0.07. Diameter AME 0.09, ALE 0.18, PME 0.15, PLE 0.15. Chelicerae as in Fig. 33E, with pair of black distal apophyses carrying two modified hairs each as in Figs. 34D–E, pair of unsclerotized thumb-shaped apophyses proximolaterally and pair of unsclerotized rounded apophyses proximocentrally. Labium and endites light yellow. Sternum dark gray, with irregular yellow patches centrally as in Fig. 33F. Femora, patellae and tibiae ochre, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi ochre. Tarsal organ capsulate as in Fig. 34G. Several pseudosegmentations on tarsus as in Fig. 34I. Abdomen cylindrical, pale ochre, dorsum with several brown patterns as in Fig. 33C. Venter pale brown. Six spinnerets, ALS with six piriform gland spigots as in Fig. 34B, and PMS with two spigots as in Fig. 34C. Male gonopore with five epiandrous spigots as in Fig. 34H. Palps as in Figs. 33H–I and 34F, bulb with a round tile-shaped uncus and hooked appendix. Procursus as in Fig. 33G.

Variation. Tibia I in seven male paratypes (three specimens with Leg I missing): 9.6–10.5 (mean 9.9). Body length in ten male paratypes: 4.7–5.4.

Female: in general very similar to male. Total length of bodies 4.2–5.1. A specimen measured (Mt. Tianchi), total length 4.4: cephalothorax 1.2 long, 1.4 wide; abdomen 3.2 long, 1.3 wide. Tibia I: 6.0. Distance AME–AME 0.06. Diameter AME 0.08, ALE 0.14, PME 0.12, PLE 0.13. Epigynum roughly rectangular as in Figs. 33A and 34A, with a long necktie-shaped apophysis on the top. Dorsal view as in Fig. 33B, with a shallow M-shaped sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of teardrop-shaped pore plates.

Distribution. Known from type locality only.