Pholcus wenchuan 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 wenchuan Li, Li & Yao sp. nov.

Figs 6 , 7 , 14 C

Type material.

Holotype: China • ♂; Sichuan, Aba, Wenchuan County, Qingpo Village ; 31.512222 ° N, 103.661667 ° E; alt. 1389 m; 19 May 2024; X. Zhang, Y. Wang & Q. Meng leg.; SYNU -Ar 00478 . Paratypes: China • 1 ♂; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00479 • 1 ♀; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00480 .

Etymology.

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

Diagnosis.

The new species resembles P. ganziensis Yao & Li, 2012 ( Yao and Li 2012: 16, figs 65 A – D, 66 A – E, 67 A – D, 68 A – D) by having similar bulbal apophyses (Figs 7 C , 14 C ), male chelicerae (Fig. 7 D ) and epigyne (Fig. 7 A ), but can be distinguished by procursus with curved and elongated dorso-distal sclerite (arrow 4 in Fig. 6 C vs flat, nearly angular, and not elongated) and raised, sclerotized prolatero-subdistal edge bearing membranous part (arrow 1 in Fig. 6 C vs prolatero-subdistal edge without membranous part) and by vulval pore plates nearly quadrilateral (pp in Fig. 7 B vs nearly round).

Description.

Male (holotype): Measurements: Total length 3.66 (3.80 with clypeus), carapace 1.16 long, 1.25 wide, opisthosoma 2.50 long, 1.15 wide. Leg I: 25.27 (6.60, 0.52, 6.54, 9.81, 1.80), leg II: 17.19 (4.80, 0.49, 4.40, 6.35, 1.15), leg III: 12.76 (3.80, 0.48, 3.09, 4.50, 0.89), leg IV: 16.90 (5.00, 0.51, 4.40, 5.96, 1.03); tibia I L / d: 50. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.16, PME 0.14, PME – ALE 0.03, AME – AME 0.04, AME 0.06. Sternum width / length: 0.88 / 0.79.

Color: Carapace yellowish, with median brown marks and marginal brown bands; ocular area yellowish; clypeus yellowish, with brown marks; sternum brown. Legs yellowish, but brownish 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 light dorsal and lateral spots.

Body: Habitus as in Fig. 7 E, F ; ocular area elevated, without eye-stalks.

Chelicerae: As in Fig. 7 D , with pair of proximo-lateral apophyses, pair of distal apophyses with two teeth each, and pair of frontal apophyses.

Palp: As in Fig. 6 A, B ; trochanter with long (4 × longer than wide), retrolaterally strongly bulged ventral apophysis; femur with retrolatero-proximal protrusion (arrow 1 in Fig. 6 B ) and distinct ventral protrusion; procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with raised, sclerotized prolatero-subdistal edge bearing membranous part (arrow 1 in Fig. 6 C ), distal membranous process (arrow 2 in Fig. 6 C ), sclerotized retrolatero-distal apophysis (arrow 3 in Fig. 6 C ; arrow 2 in Fig. 6 B ), curved dorso-distal sclerite (arrow 4 in Fig. 6 C ), and two strong dorsal spines (arrows in Fig. 6 D ); uncus with scales, proximal apophysis, and distinct latero-median protrusion (arrows 1, 2 in Figs 7 C , 14 C ); appendix T-shaped (Figs 7 C , 14 C ); embolus weakly sclerotized, with some transparent distal projections (Figs 7 C , 14 C ).

Legs: Retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia I at 6 % proximally; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi, and tarsi; tarsus I with 35 distinct pseudosegments.

Female (paratype, SYNU -Ar 00480 ): Similar to male, habitus as in Fig. 7 G, H . Total length 3.92 (4.06 with clypeus), carapace 1.20 long, 1.33 wide, opisthosoma 2.72 long, 1.90 wide; tibia I: 5.90; tibia I L / d: 49. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.16, PME 0.13, PME – ALE 0.03, AME – AME 0.03, AME 0.04. Sternum width / length: 0.84 / 0.70. Epigyne nearly triangular, laterally strongly sclerotized, with knob (Fig. 7 A ). Vulva with curved, sclerotized anterior arch and pair of nearly quadrilateral pore plates (Fig. 7 B ).

Variation.

Unknown. Leg I missing in paratype male ( SYNU -Ar 00479 ).

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 6. Pholcus wenchuan sp. nov., holotype male A, B palp (A prolateral view B retrolateral view, arrow 1 points at retrolatero-proximal protrusion, arrow 2 points at sclerotized retrolatero-distal apophysis) C, D distal part of procursus (C prolateral view, arrow 1 points at membranous part, arrow 2 points at distal membranous process, arrow 3 points at sclerotized retrolatero-distal apophysis, arrow 4 points at curved dorso-distal 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 7. Pholcus wenchuan 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 latero-median protrusion D chelicerae, frontal view E – H habitus (E, G dorsal view F lateral view H ventral view). Abbreviations: a = appendix, aa = anterior arch, 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).