Uthina khaosokensis, Yao, Zhiyuan, Li, Shuqiang & Jäger, Peter, 2014

Yao, Zhiyuan, Li, Shuqiang & Jäger, Peter, 2014, Four new species of pholcine spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae) from Southeast Asia, Zootaxa 3793 (3), pp. 331-349 : 344

Uthina khaosokensis spec. nov.

Figs 44–56

Type material. THAILAND: Surat Thani: holotype male, Khao Sok, Tham (Cave) Pantoorat, 8°54.033′N, 98°31.488′E, 28 February 2012, H. Steiner ( SMF).

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

Diagnosis. Uthina khaosokensis spec. nov. can be distinguished from U. luzonica Simon, 1893 (see ‘ Pholcus tagoman ’ Huber 2001, figs 363–377; Huber 2011a, figs 36–38, 52–59, 109–125, 146) and U. ratchaburi Huber, 2011 (see Huber 2011a, figs 39–40, 60–61, 126–136) by the relatively wide appendix ( Figs 44–45 , 53–54 ; appendix relatively slender in U. luzonica and U. ratchaburi ); by the strongly protruding dorsal procursus ( Figs 44–45 , 53–54 ; procursus slightly protruding in U. luzonica and U. ratchaburi ); by the presence of a very large curved sclerite on the prolateral procursus ( Figs 44, 46 , 49 , 53 ); and by the long, membranous retrolateral apophysis on the distal median part of the procursus ( Figs 45, 47 , 54 ; membranous retrolateral apophysis on the distal part of procursus short in U. luzonica and U. ratchaburi ).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length 4.08 (4.25 with clypeus), prosoma 1.08 long, 1.17 wide, opisthosoma 3.00 long, 1.02 wide. Leg I: 46.53 (10.89 + 0.64 + 11.22 + 21.02 + 2.76), leg II: 29.14 (7.50 + 0.62 + 7.24 + 12.24 + 1.54), leg III: 18.63 (5.45 + 0.58 + 4.45 + 7.12 + 1.03), leg IV: 25.33 (7.37 + 0.59 + 6.15 + 9.94 + 1.28); tibia I L/d: 94. Habitus as in Figs 50–52 . Dorsal shield of prosoma yellowish, with small brown marks; sternum yellowish. Legs yellowish, but slightly whitish on distal parts of tibiae, without darker rings. Opisthosoma yellowish, without spots. Distance PME-PME 0.36, diameter PME 0.13, distance PME-ALE 0.02, AME absent. Ocular area elevated, with long hairs; each eye triad on top of a relatively long eye-stalk, the latter laterad. Thoracic furrow absent. Sternum wider than long (0.86/0.73). Chelicerae as in Figs 48 , 55–56 , with a pair of black distal apophyses and a pair of thumb-shaped proximo-lateral apophyses, without frontal apophyses. Pedipalp as in Figs 44–45 , 53–54 ; trochanter with a short retrolateral apophysis; femur with a dorsal apophysis retrolaterally; procursus simple proximally but complex distally; uncus curved, with scales; appendix hooked; embolus weakly sclerotized, with some transparent distal projections. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 3% of length; legs with short vertical hairs on metatarsi and tarsi (most hairs missing on femora and tibiae), without spines and curved hairs; tarsus I with about 10 distinct pseudosegments.

Female: Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 57 ).

Remarks. U. luzonica , a widely distributed species, is known from the Seychelles, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. Huber (2011a) has examined a large number of specimens from these regions and according to his observations, variation of U. luzonica mainly occurs in the uncus, the appendix, and the epigyne. We have examined several specimens from the Seychelles (4 males, 2 females) and from Taiwan, China (5 males, 5 females; new record from China). These specimens are assigned to U. luzonica , because their morphological characters are consistent with Huber’s (2011a) description and variation range. Although no female specimens of U. khaosokensis were available for the present study, the different morphological characters of U. khaosokensis as listed in the diagnosis and the absence of intermediates between U. luzonica suggest that the former is a separate species.

Figures

FIGURE 57. Known distribution records of four new pholcine species from Southeast Asia. 1, Belisana protumida spec. nov.; 2, Khorata bayeri spec. nov.; 3, Pholcus schawalleri spec. nov.; 4, Uthina khaosokensis spec. nov.

FIGURES 44 – 47. Uthina khaosokensis spec. nov., holotype male. 44 – 45 Pedipalp (44 prolateral view, arrow points at a large curved sclerite on procursus; 45 retrolateral view); 46 – 47 Distal part of procursus (46 prolateral view, arrow points at a large curved sclerite; 47 retrolateral view). a = appendix, b = bulb, e = embolus, pr = procursus, u = uncus.

FIGURES 48 – 52. Uthina khaosokensis spec. nov., holotype male. 48 Chelicerae, frontal view; 49 Distal part of procursus, dorsal view (arrow points at a large curved sclerite); 50 – 52 Habitus (50 dorsal view, 51 ventral view, 52 lateral view). da = distal apophysis, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis.

FIGURES 53 – 56. Uthina khaosokensis spec. nov., holotype male. 53 – 54 Pedipalp (53 prolateral view, arrow points at a large curved sclerite on procursus; 54 retrolateral view); 55 – 56 Chelicerae (55 frontal view, 56 lateral view). a = appendix, b = bulb, da = distal apophysis, e = embolus, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, pr = procursus, u = uncus.