Pholcus zham Zhang, Zhu & Song, 2006

Zhang, Feng & Zhu, Ming-Sheng, 2009, A review of the genus Pholcus (Araneae: Pholcidae) from China, Zootaxa 2037 (1), pp. 1-114 : 106-108

Pholcus zham Zhang, Zhu & Song, 2006

( Fig. 62 )

Pholcus zham Zhang, Zhu & Song 2006: 197 , f. 9–16.

Diagnosis. This species resembles P. medog , but can be readily distinguished from it by the shape of the palpal uncus ( Fig. 62F ), by the unsplit appendix ( Fig. 62F ), by the palpal femur with a dorsal projection retrolaterally ( Fig. 62G ), and by the chelicerae with a pair of unsclerotized round apophyses proximocentrally ( Fig. 62D ).

Redescription. Male (holotype): total body length 6.3: cephalothorax 1.6 long, 1.7 wide; abdomen 4.8 long, 1.3 wide. Leg I: 56.6 (13.8+1.2+12.8+25.7+3.2), tibia II: 9.0, tibia III: 6.0, tibia IV: 7.8; tibia I L/D: 75. Prosoma shape as in Fig. 62C . Carapace short, broad and almost circular, ochre, with brown marks broadly connecting to ocular area. Cephalic region raised, with a brown longitudinal mark centrally, ocular area yellow. Clypeus 0.80, ochre, without marks. Each eye triad on the top of a relatively long eye-stalk. Distance AME–AME 0.07. Diameter AME 0.11, ALE 0.22, PME 0.16, PLE 0.17. Chelicerae as in Fig. 62D , with pair of black apophyses distally, and two pairs of unsclerotized rounded apophyses proximolaterally and proximocentrally respectively. Labium and endites gray. Sternum dark gray, with roughly 5 pairs of irregular yellow patches on it as in Fig. 62E . Femora, patellae and tibiae ochre, with dark rings, metatarsi and tarsi light ochre. Abdomen cylindrical, pale ochre, dorsum with many brown marks as in Fig. 62C . Venter with long brown stripe centrally. Spinnerets yellowish brown. Femur of palp with a dorsal projection retrolaterally. Uncus of male palp large and curved and slightly rectangular, heavily sclerotized and provided with many scales at the edge ( Fig. 62F ). Appendix a single large rod, hook-shaped, sclerotized ( Fig. 62F ). Embolus between the uncus and appendix, soft and transparent. Procursus with ventral boss and complex tip ( Fig. 62G ).

Female: in general very similar to male. Total length of bodies 7.0–7.4. A specimen measured (paratype), total length 7.0: cephalothorax 1.7 long, 1.7 wide; abdomen 5.3 long, 1.5 wide. Tibia I: 12.8. Clypeus 0.49 high. Distance AME–AME 0.06. Diameter AME 0.10, ALE 0.22, PME 0.14, PLE 0.21. Epigynum roughly triangular as in Fig. 62A , with a knob-shaped apophysis on the top. Dorsal view as in Fig. 62B , with a rainbow-shaped sclerotized arch anteriorly and a pair of oval pore plates posteriorly.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Nyalam County, Tibet.

Material examined. CHINA: Tibet, Nyalam County, Zham Town , August 30, 2002, leg. F. Zhang and Z. S. Zhang, male holotype, 6♀ paratypes ( MHBU) .

Figures

FIGURE 62. Pholcus zham Zhang, Zhu & Song, 2006 (illustrations modified from Zhang et al. 2006). A. epigynum, ventral view. B. same, dorsal view. C. male body, dorsal view. D. male left chelicera, frontal view. E. male sternum, ventral view. F. left palp, prolateral view. G. same, retrolateral view. Scale lines: 1.0mm (C), 0.5mm (A, B, D–G).