Pholcus miyi Li, Li & Yao, 2025

Li, Jinglin, Li, Shuqiang, Zhang, Xiaoqing & Yao, Zhiyuan, 2025, Diversity survey of Pholcus spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae) from eastern Sichuan and neighboring areas, with descriptions of six new species, ZooKeys 1240, pp. 39-64 : 39-64

Pholcus miyi Li, Li & Yao sp. nov.

Figs 10 , 11 , 14 E

Type material.

Holotype: China • ♂; Sichuan, Panzhihua, Miyi County, Puwei Town, Pengjiayakou Village ; 27.060020 ° N, 102.000282 ° E; alt. 2464 m; 5 Jun. 2024; X. Zhang, Y. Wang & Q. Meng leg.; SYNU -Ar 00485 . Paratypes: China • 1 ♂; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00486 • 2 ♀; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00487 –88 .

Etymology.

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

Diagnosis.

The new species resembles P. luding Tong & Li, 2010 ( Tong and Li 2010: 47, figs 2 J – L, Q, 11 A – F) by having similar uncus (Figs 11 C , 14 E ), male chelicerae (Fig. 11 D ) and epigyne (Fig. 11 A ), but can be distinguished by procursus with sclerotized pointed subdistal apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 10 C vs absent) and sawtooth subdistal membranous process (arrow 2 in Fig. 10 C vs absent), by appendix without bifurcated median apophysis (a in Figs 11 C , 14 E vs present), and by vulval pore plates 3 × longer than wide (pp in Fig. 11 B vs 2 ×).

Description.

Male (holotype): Measurements: Total length 3.84 (4.05 with clypeus), carapace 1.06 long, 1.31 wide, opisthosoma 2.78 long, 1.27 wide. Leg I: 36.66 (9.30, 0.58, 9.00, 15.58, 2.20), leg II: 23.31 (6.48, 0.54, 5.58, 9.23, 1.48), leg III: 15.19 (4.55, 0.51, 3.52, 5.51, 1.10), leg IV: 20.00 (5.77, 0.52, 4.80, 7.65, 1.26); tibia I L / d: 75. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.20, PME 0.14, PME – ALE 0.05, AME – AME 0.04, AME 0.10. Sternum width / length: 0.81 / 0.75.

Color: Carapace yellowish, with brown radiating marks and marginal brown bands; ocular area yellowish, with median and lateral brown bands; clypeus brown; sternum yellowish, with brown marks. Legs yellowish, but dark brown on patellae and whitish on distal parts of femora and tibiae, with darker rings on proximal, subproximal, submedian and subdistal parts of femora and proximal and subdistal parts of tibiae. Opisthosoma yellowish, with dorsal and lateral brown spots.

Body: Habitus as in Fig. 11 E, F ; ocular area elevated, without eye-stalks.

Chelicerae: As in Fig. 11 D , with pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, pair of distal apophyses with two teeth each, and pair of frontal apophyses.

Palp: As in Fig. 10 A, B ; trochanter with long (4 × longer than wide), retrolaterally strongly bulged ventral apophysis; femur with retrolatero-proximal protrusion (arrow in Fig. 10 B ) and distinct ventral protrusion; tibia with prolatero-ventral protrusion (arrow in Fig. 10 A ); procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with raised, prolatero-subdistal membranous edge bearing sclerotized pointed subdistal apophysis, sawtooth subdistal membranous process and distal membranous process (arrows 1–3 in Fig. 10 C ), sawtooth distal apophysis (arrow 4 in Fig. 10 C ), dorso-subdistal sclerite (arrow 5 in Fig. 10 C ), and one slender and two strong dorsal spines (arrows in Fig. 10 D ); uncus with scaly edge and proximal apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 11 C ; arrow in Fig. 14 E ); appendix hooked, with angular median branch (arrow 2 in Fig. 11 C ); embolus weakly sclerotized, with some transparent distal projections (Figs 11 C , 14 E ).

Legs: Retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia I at 6 % proximally; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi, and tarsi; tarsus I with 26 distinct pseudosegments.

Female (paratype, SYNU -Ar 00487 ): Similar to male, habitus as in Fig. 11 G, H . Total length 3.82 (3.99 with clypeus), carapace 1.13 long, 1.33 wide, opisthosoma 2.69 long, 1.44 wide; tibia I: 6.92; tibia I L / d: 58. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.19, PME 0.13, PME – ALE 0.04, AME – AME 0.04, AME 0.09. Sternum width / length: 0.82 / 0.77. Epigyne nearly triangular, laterally strongly sclerotized, with knob (Fig. 11 A ). Vulva with curved, posteriorly sclerotized anterior arch and pair of nearly elliptic pore plates (Fig. 11 B ).

Variation.

Tibia I in paratype male ( SYNU -Ar 00486 ): 8.85. Tibia I in another paratype female ( SYNU -Ar 00488 ): 6.41.

Habitat.

Underside of overhang on rocky cliffs in the mountain area.

Distribution.

China (Sichuan, type locality; Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Distribution records of Pholcus spiders from the eastern of Sichuan and neighboring areas in this study. The bidentatus group: 1 P. bidentatus 2 P. kimi 3 P. qiaojia sp. nov.; the crypticolens group: 4 P. aba sp. nov. 5 P. chang 6 P. ganziensis 7 P. manueli 8 P. spilis 9 P. wenchuan sp. nov.; the yichengicus group: 10 P. jiulong 11 P. kangding 12 P. kunming 13 P. luding 14 P. mengding sp. nov. 15 P. miyi sp. nov. 16 P. qingchengensis 17 P. qinghaiensis 18 P. taibaiensis 19 P. yaan sp. nov. 20 P. zhangae. Blue, green, and red circles represent previously recorded species, species collected in this study, and new species, respectively.

Figure 10. Pholcus miyi sp. nov., holotype male A, B palp (A prolateral view, arrow points at prolatero-ventral protrusion B retrolateral view, arrow points at retrolatero-proximal protrusion) C, D distal part of procursus (C prolateral view, arrow 1 points at sclerotized pointed subdistal apophysis, arrow 2 points at sawtooth subdistal membranous process, arrow 3 points at distal membranous process, arrow 4 points at sawtooth distal apophysis, arrow 5 points at dorso-subdistal sclerite D dorsal view, arrows point at dorsal spines). Abbreviations: a = appendix, b = bulb, e = embolus, pr = procursus, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.20 (A, B); 0.10 (C, D).

Figure 11. Pholcus miyi sp. nov., holotype male (C – F) and paratype female (A, B, G, H) A epigyne, ventral view B vulva, dorsal view C bulbal apophyses, prolateral view, arrow 1 points at proximal apophysis, arrow 2 points at angular median branch D chelicerae, frontal view E – H habitus (E, G dorsal view F lateral view H ventral view). Abbreviations: a = appendix, aa = anterior arch, b = bulb, da = distal apophysis, e = embolus, fa = frontal apophysis, kn = knob, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, pp = pore plate, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.10 (A – C); 0.20 (D); 1.00 (E – H).

Figure 14. Bulbal apophyses, retrolatero-ventral views A Pholcus qiaojia sp. nov., arrow 1 points at proximal apophysis, arrow 2 points at latero-median protrusion, arrow 3 points at slender subdistal branch B P. aba sp. nov., arrow 1 points at proximal apophysis, arrow 2 points at latero-median protrusion C P. wenchuan sp. nov., arrow 1 points at proximal apophysis, arrow 2 points at latero-median protrusion D P. mengding sp. nov., arrow 1 points at proximal apophysis, arrow 2 points at latero-median protrusion, arrow 3 points at hooked appendix, arrow 4 points at curved subdistal branch E P. miyi sp. nov., arrow points at proximal apophysis F P. yaan sp. nov., arrow 1 points at proximal apophysis, arrow 2 points at latero-median protrusion. Abbreviations: a = appendix, b = bulb, e = embolus, u = uncus. Scale bars: 0.20 (A – F).