Hoplopholcus suluin, Huber, 2020

Huber, Bernhard A., 2020, Revision of the spider genus Hoplopholcus Kulczyński (Araneae, Pholcidae), Zootaxa 4726 (1), pp. 1-94 : 24-26

Hoplopholcus suluin sp. n.

Figs 8–9 , 76–91

Hoplopholcus Tur 32— Eberle et al. 2018 (molecular data). Huber et al. 2018: fig. 6.

Diagnosis. Easily distinguished from known congeners by unique shapes of bulbal sclerites ( Figs 86–89 ): putative ‘ventral sclerite’ almost entirely reduced and moved to prolateral position ( Fig. 87 ), embolar sclerite large, with hair-like processes (arrow in Fig. 89 ) (similar only in H. labyrinthi and H. minotaurinus ); also by shape of procursus ( Figs 82–83 ): indistinct ventral ‘knee’ but distinct prolateral hump, ventral spine very short, prolateral process with obtuse tip (arrow in Fig. 82 ). Females are difficult to distinguish externally from congeners; uterus externus with large but indistinct median pouch with parallel lateral margins ( Figs 80 , 90 ) (poorly visible in uncleared specimens) and pair of lateral pouches (sclerotized posterior margins visible in uncleared specimens); pore plates oval, converging anteriorly ( Figs 81 , 91 ).

Type material. TURKEY, Antalya: ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 20895), Finike District, Sulu İn Mağarası (= Gök Mağara ) (36.282°N, 30.150°E, 15 m a.s.l.), among rocks at cave entrance, 4.viii.2016 (H. Öztürk) .

Other material examined. TURKEY: 2♂ 1♀ and 1♀ abdomen, ZFMK (Ar 20896) and 2♀ in pure ethanol (1 abdomen transferred to ZFMK Ar 20896), ZFMK (Tur66), same data as holotype .

Etymology. The species name is derived from the type locality; noun in apposition.

Description. Male (holotype). MEASUREMENTS. Total length 6.9, carapace width 2.4. Distance PME-PME 190 µm; diameter PME 150 µm; distance PME-ALE 50 µm; diameter AME 80 µm; distance AME-AME 40 µm. Leg 1: 57.8 (16.3 + 1.2 + 15.7 + 21.7 + 2.9), tibia 2: 10.7, tibia 3: 8.1, tibia 4: 9.2; tibia 1 L/d: 60.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre-yellow to light brown, with darker brown pattern medially including ocular area; sternum dark brown to black; legs ochre-yellow to light brown, with darker rings subdistally on femora and tibiae and in patella area; abdomen pale gray, with dark marks dorsally in posterior half; ventrally with large brown mark in front of gonopore, smaller black marks at spinnerets and between gonopore and spinnerets.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 8 . Ocular area slightly elevated. Deep thoracic pit and pair of furrows diverging from pit toward posterior margin. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum wider than long (1.8/1.2), unmodified. Abdomen oval, dorso-posteriorly rounded.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 84–85 , with pair of latero-distal apophyses provided with three modified coneshaped hairs each (illustrated chelicerae are not from holotype); stridulatory ridges fine but clearly visible in dissecting microscope.

PALPS. As in Figs 76–78 ; coxa with low retrolateral bulge, trochanter barely protruding ventrally, femur retrolateral line barely visible, distinct prolateral stridulatory pick; procursus ( Figs 82–83 ) with indistinct ventral ‘knee’, with distinct prolateral hump, ventral spine very short, prolateral process with obtuse tip; genital bulb ( Figs 86–89 ) with putative ‘ventral sclerite’ almost entirely reduced and moved to prolateral position, embolar sclerite large, with hair-like processes (arrow in Fig. 89 ).

LEGS. Femur 1 with single row of ~35 ventral spines, femur 2 with only 2–3 spines; femur 1 spines alternating more or less regularly between short and long spines (~ 80–160 µm versus ~ 280–350 µm long); with few weakly curved hairs on tibiae and metatarsi 1 and 2; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 4%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on all other leg tibiae; tarsi without distinct pseudosegments but with many small platelets.

Male (variation). Tibia 1 in two other males: 11.9, 14.8. Modified hairs on cheliceral apophyses in other males 2+2 and 3+3, respectively. Smallest males with much fewer spines on femur 1 (~18).

Female. In general similar to male ( Fig. 9 ) but without spines on legs; females also with few barely curved hairs. Tibia 1 in three females: 10.7, 13.2, 13.7.

FEMALE GENITALIA. Epigynum as in Fig. 79 , internal sclerotized arcs visible in uncleared specimens; with pair of weakly bulging areas in front of epigynum; posterior plate short but wide. Internal genitalia with large oval pore plates converging anteriorly ( Figs 81 , 91 ), uterus externus with large median pouch rounded anteriorly, with parallel lateral margins, and pair of smaller lateral pouches with sclerotized posterior margins ( Figs 80 , 90 ).

Distribution. Known from type locality only ( Fig. 440 ).

Figures

FIGURE 440. Known distributions of Hoplopholcus gazipasa and H. suluin. TL = type locality.

FIGURES 6–11. Hoplopholcus spp., live specimens. 6–7. H. labyrinthi (Kulczyński, 1903), male and female from Spilaio Melidoniou. 8–9. H. suluin sp. n., male and female from Sulu İn Mağarası. 10–11. H. minous Senglet, 1971, male from Orino Gorge and female with egg-sac from Exo Mouliana.

FIGURES 76–81. Hoplopholcus suluin sp. n. from Sulu İn Mağarası (ZFMK Ar 20896). 76–78. Left male palp in prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 79–81. Epigynum, ventral view, and cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views.

FIGURES 82–91. Hoplopholcus suluin sp. n. from Sulu İn Mağarası (ZFMK Ar 20896). 82–83. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views (arrow points at distinctive prolateral obtuse process). 84–85. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 86–89. Left genital bulb, dorsal, prolateral, ventral, and retrolateral views (arrow points at hair-like processes on embolar sclerite). 90–91. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. es, embolar sclerite; mp, median pouch of uterus externus; lp, lateral pouch of uterus externus; vs, putative ventral sclerite. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.