Pholcus paralinzhou, 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 : 61-62

Pholcus paralinzhou sp. nov.

( Fig. 32 )

Types. Male holotype, 6♂, 8♀ paratypes, CHINA: Henan Province, Hui County [35°24’N, 113°42’E], Mt. Baligou , July 11, 2004, leg. M. S. Zhu ( MHBU) .

Diagnosis. Very similar to P. linzhou , but can be distinguished from the it by the shape of the procursus tip ( Figs. 32G–I ), by the valley-shaped uncus and hook-like appendix ( Fig. 32H ), and by the shape of the epigynum ( Fig. 32A ).

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

Description. Male (holotype) body length 5.1: cephalothorax 1.4 long, 1.5 wide; abdomen 3.7 long, 1.6 wide. Leg I: 39.0 (9.7+0.8+9.7+16.2+2.6), tibia II: 7.0, tibia III: 4.8, tibia IV: 6.2; tibia I L/D: 63. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 32C . Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with pair of brown marks broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, with a longitudinal brown stripe and many brown small dots centrally, ocular area dark yellow. Clypeus 0.49, dark ochre, without marks. Distance AME–AME 0.06. Diameter AME 0.09, ALE 0.15, PME 0.13, PLE 0.14. Chelicerae as in Fig. 32E , with pair of black apophyses distally and pair of unsclerotized thumb-shaped apophyses proximolaterally. Labium light yellow. Endites gray. Sternum dark gray, with regular yellow patches centrally and laterally as in Fig. 32F . Femora, patellae and tibiae yellow, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi brown. Abdomen cylindrical, pale ochre, dorsum with brown patterns as in Fig. 32C . Venter pale brown. Palps as in Figs. 32H and 32I , bulb with a valley-shaped uncus, appendix with a hook-shaped tip. Procursus as in Fig. 32G . Tarsal organ capsulate.

Variation. Tibia I in six male paratypes: 9.2–9.9 (mean 9.6). Body length in six male paratypes: 4.8–5.5.

Female: in general very similar to male. Total length of bodies 5.2–6.0. A specimen measured, total length 5.8: cephalothorax 1.7 long, 1.9 wide; abdomen 4.1 long, 2.0 wide. Tibia I: 9.0. Distance AME–AME 0.05. Diameter AME 0.09, ALE 0.15, PME 0.13, PLE 0.14. Epigynum roughly triangular as in Fig. 32A , with a long whip-shaped apophysis on the top and a semicircular dark shadow centrally. Dorsal view as in Fig. 32B , with wavy sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of oval pore plates.

Distribution. Known from type locality only.

Figures

FIGURE 32. Pholcus paralinzhou sp. nov. A. epigynum, ventral view. B. same, dorsal view. C. male body, dorsal view. D. trochanter of male left palp, dorsal view. E. male left chelicera, frontal view. F. male sternum, ventral view. G. left procursus, dorsal view. H. left palp, prolateral view. I. same, retrolateral view. Scale lines: 1.0mm (C), 0.5mm (A, B, D–I).