Pholcus hebei S. Li & Yao, 2025

Li, Jinglin, He, Qiaoqiao, Li, Shuqiang & Yao, Zhiyuan, 2025, Filling a zoogeographical gap in China: Taxonomic descriptions of six new spider species of the Pholcus phungiformes species group (Araneae, Pholcidae), ZooKeys 1232, pp. 285-310 : 285-310

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1232.145622

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CE9ACAC8-0ED2-47EC-AA25-864E630D6D75

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15053211

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B26D19C2-B620-5CDB-9EA2-8BBC4932ADDC

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Pholcus hebei S. Li & Yao
status

sp. nov.

Pholcus hebei S. Li & Yao sp. nov.

Figs 5 View Figure 5 , 6 View Figure 6

Type material.

Holotype: China • ♂; Hebei, Chengde, Longhua County, Zhongguan Town, Longfengdong Scenic Spot ; 41.186398°N, 117.988977°E; alt. 496 m; 19 Jul. 2024; Z. Yao, J. Li & M. Yan leg.; SYNU -Ar 00419 GoogleMaps . Paratypes: China • 1 ♂; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00420 GoogleMaps 2 ♀; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00421 –22 GoogleMaps .

Etymology.

The specific name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

The new species resembles Pholcus zhuolu Zhang & Zhu, 2009 ( Zhang and Zhu 2009: 108, figs 64 A – I, 65 A – L, Yao and Li 2012: 43, figs 225 A – D, 226 A – C) by having a similar uncus (Fig. 6 C View Figure 6 ) and male chelicerae (Fig. 6 D View Figure 6 ), but it can be distinguished by the: procursus with a bifurcated prolatero-subdistal apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 5 C View Figure 5 vs. not bifurcated), the large distal membranous lamella (arrow 2 in Fig. 5 C View Figure 5 vs. indistinct), epigynal plate anteriorly straight (Fig. 6 A View Figure 6 vs. strongly curved), vulval pore plates long, 4 × longer than wide (pp in Fig. 6 B View Figure 6 vs. 2 ×).

Description.

Male (holotype): Total length 5.37 (5.67 with clypeus), carapace 1.52 long, 1.83 wide, opisthosoma 3.85 long, 1.80 wide. Leg I: 43.25 (10.96, 0.75, 11.03, 17.88, 2.63), leg II: 29.18 (8.01, 0.72, 7.31, 11.41, 1.73), leg III: 20.24 (5.83, 0.69, 4.81, 7.63, 1.28), leg IV: 26.48 (7.56, 0.71, 6.41, 10.26, 1.54); tibia I L / d: 74. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.24, PME 0.16, PME – ALE 0.04, AME – AME 0.05, AME 0.09. Sternum width / length: 1.25 / 1.03. Habitus as in Fig. 6 E, F View Figure 6 . Carapace yellowish, with brown radiating marks and marginal brown bands; ocular area yellowish, with median and lateral brown bands; clypeus and sternum yellowish, with brown marks. Legs yellowish, dark brown on patellae and whitish on distal parts of femora and tibiae, with darker rings on subdistal parts of femora and proximal and subdistal parts of tibiae. Opisthosoma yellowish, with dorsal and lateral brown spots. Chelicerae with pair of proximo-lateral apophyses (pa in Fig. 6 D View Figure 6 ), pair of distal apophyses (da in Fig. 6 D View Figure 6 ) with two teeth each, and pair of frontal apophyses (fa in Fig. 6 D View Figure 6 ). Palps as in Fig. 5 A, B View Figure 5 ; trochanter with long (4 × longer than wide), retrolaterally strongly bulged ventral apophysis; femur with retrolatero-proximal protrusion (arrow in Fig. 5 B View Figure 5 ) and indistinct ventral protrusion; tibia with prolatero-ventral protrusion (arrow in Fig. 5 A View Figure 5 ); procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with raised prolatero-subdistal edge bearing bifurcated apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 5 C View Figure 5 ), distal membranous lamella (arrow 2 in Fig. 5 C View Figure 5 ), distal apophysis (arrow 3 in Fig. 5 C View Figure 5 ), and one slender and three strong dorsal spines (arrows 4–7 in Fig. 5 C View Figure 5 ); uncus nearly elliptical, with scales (u in Fig. 6 C View Figure 6 ); “ pseudo-appendix ” semi-transparent (not visible in Fig. 6 C View Figure 6 ; cf. Fig. 8 C View Figure 8 ); embolus weakly sclerotized, with transparent distal projections (e in Fig. 6 C View Figure 6 ). Retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia I at 5 % proximally; legs with short, vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi, and tarsi; tarsus I with 36 distinct pseudosegments.

Female (paratype, SYNU -Ar 00421 ): Similar to male, habitus as in Fig. 6 G, H View Figure 6 . Total length 4.83 (5.01 with clypeus), carapace 1.48 long, 1.70 wide, opisthosoma 3.35 long, 1.84 wide; tibia I: 8.01; tibia I L / d: 53. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.20, PME 0.13, PME – ALE 0.05, AME – AME 0.04, AME 0.08. Sternum width / length: 1.16 / 0.91. Clypeus brown. Epigyne posteriorly straight, with lateral and median brown marks and knob (kn in Fig. 6 A View Figure 6 ). Vulva with curved, sclerotized anterior arch (aa in Fig. 6 B View Figure 6 ) and pair of long, elliptical pore plates (4 × longer than wide, pp in Fig. 6 B View Figure 6 ).

Variation.

Tibia I in paratype male ( SYNU -Ar 00420 ): 11.54. Tibia I in another paratype female ( SYNU -Ar 00422 ): 7.56.

Habitat.

Underside of overhang on rocky cliffs in mountainous area.

Distribution.

Hebei; known only from the type locality (Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 B View Figure 2 ).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Pholcidae

SubFamily

Pholcinae

Genus

Pholcus