Pholcus huoxiaerensis Yao & Li

Dong, Tingting, Zheng, Guo, Yao, Zhiyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2016, Thirteen new species of the spider genus Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 4170 (1), pp. 1-40 : 16

Pholcus huoxiaerensis Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 9–10

Type material. Holotype: male, G314 National Road 1550 km (38°56.854′N, 75°30.264′E, elevation 1833 m), Huoxiaer Hydropower Station , Akto County, Kizilsu Kirghiz, Xinjiang, China, 2 August 2014, K. Meng, Y. Lin, J. Liu and J. Wu leg . Paratype: 1 male, same data as holotype .

Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality; adjective.

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. ponticus Thorell, 1875 (see Huber 2011b: 345, figs 1645, 1646, 1661– 1662, 1677–1692) with similar male chelicerae ( Fig. 10 B), uncus, embolus ( Fig. 10 A) but can be distinguished by the presence of a nearly rounded hump proximally on the male pedipalpal femur ( Figs 9 A–B), by the absence of sclerotized hooked apophyses distally on the procursus ( Figs 9 A–D), by the strongly protruding medially procursus (arrow in Fig. 9 A) and by the presence of scales distally on the appendix ( Fig. 10 A).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length 4.86 (5.06 with clypeus), carapace 1.50 long, 1.56 wide, opisthosoma 3.36 long, 1.63 wide. Leg I: 26.4 (7.44 + 0.68 + 7.05+ 10.03+ 1.20), leg II: 19.68 (5.90 + 0.63 + 4.95 + 7.24 + 0.96), leg III: 20.18 (6.15 + 0.64 + 5.13 + 7.05 + 1.21), leg IV: 25.35 (7.44 + 0.66 + 6.76 + 9.23 + 1.26); tibia I L/d: 41. Distance PME-PME 0.45; diameter PME 0.10; distance PME-ALE 0.03; distance AME-AME 0.05; diameter AME 0.07. Sternum wider than long (1.02/0.94). Habitus as in Figs 10 C–E. Carapace yellowish, with brown marks medially; ocular area yellowish; sternum yellowish with radiating pale brown marks. Legs yellowish, darker rings absent. Opisthosoma yellowish. Ocular area elevated; each eye triad on top of a long, laterally directed eye-stalk (as in P. zhongdongensis sp. nov., cf. Fig. 27 E). Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Fig. 10 B, with a pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, a pair of distal apophyses, each with three cone-shaped teeth, and a pair of indistinct frontal apophyses. Pedipalps as in Figs 9 A–B; trochanter with a ventral apophysis; femur with a dorsal apophysis proximally and distinct ventral hump; tibia with a projection prolaterally; procursus simple, with a retrolateral spine-like apophysis distally; uncus with scales; appendix swollen and twisted distally, with scales distally, embolus weakly sclerotized with some transparent projections distally. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 6%; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi; without spines and curved setae; tarsus I with 20 distinct pseudosegments.

Female: Unknown.

Distribution. China (Xinjiang, type locality; Fig. 28 ).

Natural History. The species was found in an old house.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Pholcus huoxiaerensis sp. nov., holotype male. A – B. Pedipalp (A. Prolateral view, arrow points at strongly protruding medially procursus; B. Retrolateral view); C – D. Distal part of procursus (C. Prolateral view; D. Retrolateral view). a = appendix, b = bulb, e = embolus, pr = procursus, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.15 (A – B), 0.03 (C – D).

FIGURE 10. Pholcus huoxiaerensis sp. nov., holotype male. A. Bulbal apophyses, prolateral view; B. Chelicerae, frontal view; C – E. Habitus (C. Dorsal view; D. Ventral view; E. Lateral view). a = appendix, da = distal apophysis, e = embolus, fa = frontal apophysis, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.05 (A), 0.08 (B), 0.50 (C – E).

FIGURE 27. Male and female ocular area, frontal view. A – B. Pholcus yanjinensis sp. nov., holotype male (A) and paratype female (B). C – D. P. gonggarensis sp. nov., holotype male (C) and paratype female (D). E – F. P. zhongdongensis sp. nov., holotype male (E) and paratype female (F). Scale bars: 0.10 (A – F).

FIGURE 28. Distribution records of new Pholcus species from China. 1. Pholcus yanjinensis sp. nov. from P. bidentatus species group (pink); 2. P. jingyangensis sp. nov., 3. P. langensis sp. nov. and 4. P. longus sp. nov. from P. crypticolens species group (light blue); 5. P. huoxiaerensis sp. nov. from P. ponticus species group (green); 6. P. difengensis sp. nov., 7. P. gonggarensis sp. nov., 8. P. hamaensis sp. nov., 9. P. lingguanensis sp. nov., 10. P. qingyunensis sp. nov., 11. P. tangyuensis sp. nov.; 12. P. tianmuensis sp. nov. and 13. P. zhongdongensis sp. nov. from P. yichengicus species group (red).