Pholcus zhongdongensis Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 25–26, 27 E–F

Type material. Holotype: male, Cave without a name beside Tufeng Cave (24°10.187′N, 111°12.423′E, elevation 154 m), Zhongdong Village, Huangyao Town, Zhaoping County, Hezhou, Guangxi, China, 21 July 2013, H. Zhao leg . Paratypes: 3 females, same data as holotype .

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

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. tuyan Yao & Li, 2012 (see Yao & Li 2012: 36, figs 183–186) with similar male chelicerae (Fig. 26 D), procursus (Figs 25 C–D) and uncus (Fig. 26 C) but can be distinguished by the presence of an angular branch subproximally on the very long and curved appendix (Fig. 26 C), by the wide knob (Fig. 26 A) and by the nearly rounded vulval pore plates (Fig. 26 B).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length 4.31 (4.73 with clypeus), carapace 1.28 long, 1.48 wide, opisthosoma 3.03 long, 1.41 wide. Leg I: 44.83 (10.43 + 0.74 + 11.20 + 20.18 + 2.28), leg II, leg III missing, leg IV: 26.47 (7.36 + 0.61 + 6.59 + 10.51 + 1.40); tibia I L/d: 78. Distance PME-PME 0.67; diameter PME 0.12; distance PME-ALE 0.03; distance AME-AME 0.08; diameter AME 0.02. Sternum wider than long (0.97/0.79). Habitus as in Figs 26 E–F. Carapace yellowish, with brownish marks; ocular area brownish; sternum yellow. Legs yellowish, distal parts of tibiae whitish, darker rings absent. Opisthosoma yellowish. Ocular area elevated; each eye triad on top of a long, laterally directed eye-stalk (Fig. 27 E); PME with a long apophysis (Fig. 27 E). Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Fig. 26 D, with a pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, a pair of black distal apophyses, and a pair of frontal apophyses. Pedipalps as in Figs 25 A–B; trochanter with a ventral apophysis; femur with a distinct ventral ridge; procursus simple proximally but complex distally; uncus with a scaly edge; appendix long and curved, with an angular branch subproximally; embolus weakly sclerotized, with transparent projections distally. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 4%; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi; without spines and curved setae; tarsus I with 35 distinct pseudosegments.

Female: Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 26 G–H. Total length 4.54 (4.61 with clypeus), carapace 1.41 long, 1.48 wide, opisthosoma 3.13 long, 1.28 wide. Distance PME-PME 0.36; diameter PME 0.08; distance PME-ALE 0.03; distance AME-AME 0.06; diameter AME 0.03. Sternum wider than long (0.88/0.72). Ocular area without eye-stalks (Fig. 27 F); PME protrudent anteriorly (Fig. 27 F). Epigynum (Fig. 26 A) with a wide knob. Vulva (Fig. 26 B) with a sclerotized anterior arch and two nearly rounded pore plates.

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

Natural History. The species was found in the aphotic zone inside the cave.