Pholcophora papanoa Huber, 2023

Huber, Bernhard A., Meng, Guanliang, Valdez-Mondragón, Alejandro, Král, Jiří, Ávila Herrera, Ivalú M. & Carvalho, Leonardo S., 2023, Short-legged daddy-long-leg spiders in North America: the genera Pholcophora and Tolteca (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 880 (1), pp. 1-89 : 24-29

Pholcophora papanoa Huber sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C2E5858B-2822-4630-BCEC-D34864087C0A

Figs 3F–G , 14– 18 , 33E–F

Diagnosis

Distinguished from similar congeners ( P. mazatlan sp. nov., P. mexcala , P. americana ) by shape of male bulbal process ( Fig. 15F–H ; distinctive dorsal process, without ventral flap) and by shape of male cheliceral apophyses ( Fig. 15A–B ; long, directed upwards, without or with barely visible proximal humps); from very similar P. mazatlan also by main element of procursus more truncated ( Fig. 15E ), by male cheliceral apophyses less strongly directed upwards, and by thicker male leg femora (0.28–0.30 vs 0.18–0.20). From P. americana also by tip of procursus (semi-transparent process not widening distally) and by shape of epigynum ( Fig. 16 ; main epigynal plate posteriorly straight).

Etymology

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

Type material

Holotype MEXICO – Guerrero • ♂; ~ 5 km S of Papanoa ; 17.2711° N, 101.0328° W; 75 m a.s.l.; 4 Oct. 2019; B.A. Huber and A. Valdez-Mondragón leg.; low forest, leaf litter; LATLAX.

Paratypes MEXICO – Guerrero • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 23945 .

Other material examined

MEXICO – Guerrero • 3 ♀♀, 1 juv., in pure ethanol (one female used for SEM); same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Mex216 • 3 ♀♀ abdomens, together with paratypes (prosomata used for molecular work); same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 23945 • 2 ♂♂ (partly used for µ-CT study); same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 23947 • 1 ♂ (partly used for karyotype analysis); same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 23948 .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 2.4, carapace width 1.05. Distance PME-PME 60 µm; diameter PME 70 µm; distance PME-ALE 30 µm; distance AME-AME 20 µm; diameter AME 40 µm. Leg 1: 5.30 (1.50 + 0.40 + 1.30 + 1.55 + 0.55), tibia 2: 1.15, tibia 3: 1.05, tibia 4: 1.50; tibia 1 L/d: 9; diameters of leg femora 0.28–0.30, of leg tibiae 0.14–0.15.

COLOUR (in ethanol). Prosoma and legs ochre-orange, no dark marks on carapace, leg femora distally darkened; abdomen grey with dark bluish internal marks; ventrally with light brown plate in front of gonopore.

BODY ( Fig. 3F ). Ocular area barely raised. Carapace with distinct but shallow thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified, very short (clypeus rim to ALE: 0.24). Sternum slightly wider than long (0.68/0.58), heart-shaped (i.e., narrow posteriorly), with pair of distinct anterior processes near coxae 1. Abdomen globular.

CHELICERAE ( Fig. 15A–B ). With pair of long frontal apophyses; stridulatory files fine but clearly visible in dissecting microscope; distances between cheliceral stridulatory ridges proximally 3.0 µm, distally 3.8 µm.

PALPS ( Fig. 14 ). Coxa unmodified; trochanter without process; femur proximally with retrolateral-ventral process and prolateral stridulatory pick, distally widened but simple, slightly curved towards dorsal; femur-patella joints slightly shifted toward prolateral side; tibia globular, with two trichobothria; procursus very simple ( Fig. 15C–E ), narrow distal part directed towards prolateral, with semi-transparent tip; genital bulb with distinctive dorsal process and sclerotized and membranous distal elements ( Fig. 15F–H ).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; with vertical hairs in two narrow dorsal bands on all tibiae (length ~20 µm); length of dorsal trichobothrium on tibia 1: ~100 µm; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 57%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~7 pseudosegments, only distally 2–3 distinct.

Variation (male)

Tibia 1 in other male: 1.35.

Female

In general, similar to male ( Fig. 3G ) but sternum without pair of anterior humps, tibiae without higher than usual density of short vertical hairs, and chelicerae without stridulatory files. Tibia 1 in four females: 0.90, 0.90, 1.00, 1.05. Epigynum ( Figs 16 , 18C ) with simple anterior plate protruding posteriorly; posterior plate wide, median part separated anteriorly from lateral parts by pair of whitish areas. Internal genitalia ( Fig. 17 ) very simple, apparently without or with small and indistinct median receptacle, without or with very small pore plates.

Distribution

Known from type locality only, in Mexico, Guerrero ( Fig. 2 ).

Natural history

The spiders were found in dry leaf litter in a low hillside forest ( Fig. 34C ). They shared the microhabitat with at least three further species of Pholcidae (Modisiminae) : one representative of Modisimus Simon, 1893 , one Anopsicus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1938 , and one species of uncertain generic position.

Figures

Fig. 3. Pholcophora Banks, 1896, live specimens. A. P. americana Banks, 1896, male from USA, Colorado, near Golden.B–E. P. mazatlan Huber sp. nov., males and females with egg-sacs from Mexico, Guerrero, N of Mazatlán. F–G. P. papanoa Huber sp. nov., male and female from Mexico, Guerrero, S of Papanoa. H–I. P. texana Gertsch, 1935, male and female with egg-sac from Mexico, Hidalgo, SW of Jacala. J–K. P. tehuacan Huber sp. nov., male and female with egg-sac from Mexico, Puebla, SE of Tehuacan. L. P. “Mex354”, female with egg-sac from Mexico, Puebla, SE of Tehuacan.

Fig. 14. Pholcophora papanoa Huber sp. nov., male paratype from Mexico, Guerrero, S of Papanoa (ZFMK Ar 23945). Left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bar = 0.3 mm.

Fig. 15. Pholcophora papanoa Huber sp. nov., male paratype from Mexico, Guerrero, S of Papanoa (ZFMK Ar 23945). A–B. Chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. C–E. Left palpal tarsus and procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. F–H. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Abbreviation: dp, dorsal process. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 16. Pholcophora papanoa Huber sp. nov., females from Mexico, Guerrero, S of Papanoa (ZFMK Ar 23945), epigyna. A, C–D. Ventral views. B, E. Lateral views. Figs C and D show the same specimen, with genital plug (gp) and without plug. Scale bars = 0.3 mm.

Fig. 17. Pholcophora papanoa Huber sp. nov., females from Mexico, Guerrero, S of Papanoa (ZFMK Ar 23945), cleared female genitalia. A, D. Ventral views. B, E. Dorsal views. C, F. Detail of median internal structures. Scale bars: A–B, D–E = 0.2 mm; C, F = 0.05 mm.

Fig. 18. Pholcophora papanoa Huber sp. nov., female from Mexico, Guerrero, S of Papanoa (ZFMK Mex216). A. Ocular area, frontal view. B. Right chelicera, lateral view, showing absence of stridulatory file. C. Epigynum, posterior view. D. Spinnerets. E. Palpal tarsal organ (and base of ‘regular’ hair). F. Prolateral trichobothrium on tibia 2. Abbreviations: ep = epigynum (main epigynal plate); pep = posterior epigynal plate. Scale bars: A, C = 100 µm; B, F = 20 µm; D = 10 µm; E = 2 µm.

Fig. 33. Pholcophora internal female genitalia, median sections of main transversal internal sclerite. A–B. P. americana Banks, 1896, females from USA, California, Inyo Nat. Forest (ZFMK G089) and Colorado, near Golden (ZFMK USA16). C–D. P. mazatlan Huber sp. nov., females from Mexico, Guerrero, N of Mazatlán (ZFMK Ar 23943). E–F. P. papanoa Huber sp. nov., females from Mexico, Guerrero, S of Papanoa (ZFMK Ar 23945). G–H. P. “Mex354”, females from Mexico, Puebla, SE of Tehuacan (ZFMK Mex354). I–J. P. texana Gertsch, 1935, females from Mexico, Hidalgo, SW of Jacala (ZFMK Ar 23952). K–L. P. tehuacan Huber sp. nov., females from Mexico, Puebla, SE of Tehuacan (ZFMK Ar 23949). M. Pholcophora? “Car544”, female from Puerto Rico, Isla Mono (USNM ENT 783464). N. Pholcophora? “Cu12-325”, female from Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, Siboney (ZFMK Cu12- 325). Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 2. Known distributions of ‘true’ Pholcophora Banks, 1896 (orange marks) and of presumably misplaced Caribbean ‘Pholcophora’ and of Papiamenta Huber, 2000 (red marks). Dominican amber species currently placed in Pholcophora are represented by an “F” in a pink square. Our molecular data suggest that Caribbean ‘Pholcophora’ are more closely related with the genus Papiamenta than with true Pholcophora. Barcoded specimens of Pholcophora americana Banks, 1896 are marked with an “x” and accompanied by the vial code (see Table 1 for details).

Fig. 34. Representative sample of habitats of Pholcophora Banks, 1896 in Mexico. A. Guerrero, 2 km N of Mazatlán (type locality of P. mazatlan Huber sp. nov.). B. Hidalgo, 2.5 km SW of Jacala (P. texana Gertsch, 1935). C. Guerrero, 5 km S of Papanoa (type locality of P. papanoa Huber sp. nov.; with collecting tray). D. Puebla, 35 km SE of Tehuacan (type locality of P. tehuacan Huber sp. nov.).