Pholcus jinzhou S. Li & Yao 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Li, Jinglin
name: He, Qiaoqiao
name: Li, Shuqiang
name: Yao, Zhiyuan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Pholcidae
Pholcus
Pholcus jinzhou

description: Pholcus jinzhou S. Li & Yao sp. nov.
Figs 9, 10
Type material.
Holotype: China • ♂; Liaoning, Jinzhou, Guta District, Beiputuoshan Scenic Spot; 41.173150°N, 121.042606°E; alt. 163 m; 15 Jul. 2024; Z. Yao, J. Li & M. Yan leg.; SYNU -Ar 00427. Paratypes: China • 2 ♂; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00428 –29 • 3 ♀; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00430 –32.
Etymology.
The specific name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.
Diagnosis.
The new species can be easily distinguished from all known congeners in the Pholcus phungiformes species group by the following combination of characters: procursus with curved prolatero-subdistal apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 9 C vs. absent) and comb-like, sclerotized prolatero-distal apophysis (arrow 3 in Fig. 9 C vs. absent), proximal apophysis of uncus on retrolateral part of uncus (arrow 1 in Fig. 10 C vs. same plane or absent), epigyne with pair of lateral protrusions anterior to epigynal plate (arrow in Fig. 10 A vs. absent).
Description.
Male (holotype): Total length 5.78 (6.01 with clypeus), carapace 1.73 long, 1.95 wide, opisthosoma 4.05 long, 1.93 wide. Leg I: 43.34 (11.09, 0.78, 11.54, 17.56, 2.37), leg II: 30.61 (8.27, 0.83, 7.82, 12.05, 1.64), leg III: 21.87 (6.35, 0.73, 5.32, 8.21, 1.26), leg IV: 28.41 (8.08, 0.73, 7.24, 10.77, 1.59); tibia I L / d: 68. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.28, PME 0.16, PME – ALE 0.03, AME – AME 0.05, AME 0.11. Sternum width / length: 1.30 / 0.94. Habitus as in Fig. 10 E, F. Carapace brown, with brown radiating marks and marginal brown bands; ocular area yellowish, with median and lateral brown bands; clypeus and sternum brown. 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. 10 D), pair of distal apophyses (da in Fig. 10 D) with two teeth each, and pair of frontal apophyses (fa in Fig. 10 D). Palps as in Fig. 9 A, B; trochanter with long (6 × longer than wide), retrolaterally strongly bulged ventral apophysis; femur with retrolatero-proximal protrusion (arrow in Fig. 9 B) and distinct ventral protrusion; tibia with prolatero-ventral protrusion; procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with raised prolatero-subdistal edge bearing curved apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 9 C), membranous process (arrow 2 in Fig. 9 C) and comb-like sclerotized apophysis (arrow 3 in Fig. 9 C), ventro-distal apophysis (arrow 4 in Fig. 9 C), dorso-distal apophysis (arrow 5 in Fig. 9 C), and two slender dorsal spines (arrows in Fig. 9 D); uncus with distinct retrolatero-proximal apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 10 C) and scaly edge; “ pseudo-appendix ” curved, distally sclerotized (arrow 2 in Fig. 10 C); embolus weakly sclerotized, with transparent distal projections (e in Fig. 10 C). Retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia I at 3 % proximally; legs with short, vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi, and tarsi; tarsus I with 35 distinct pseudosegments.
Female (paratype, SYNU -Ar 00430): Similar to male, habitus as in Fig. 10 G, H. Total length 5.56 (5.80 with clypeus), carapace 1.66 long, 2.05 wide, opisthosoma 3.90 long, 1.70 wide; tibia I: 9.94; tibia I L / d: 55. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.25, PME 0.15, PME – ALE 0.05, AME – AME 0.05, AME 0.09. Sternum width / length: 1.24 / 1.12. Epigyne posteriorly curved, with lateral brown marks, knob (kn in Fig. 10 A), and pair of lateral protrusions anterior to epigynal plate (arrow in Fig. 10 A). Vulva with curved, sclerotized anterior arch (aa in Fig. 10 B) and pair of long, elliptical pore plates (3 × longer than wide, pp in Fig. 10 B).
Variation.
Tibia I in two paratype males (SYNU -Ar 00428 –29): 11.15, 11.54. Tibia I in the other two paratype females (SYNU -Ar 00431 –32): 9.36, 9.42.
Habitat.
Underside of overhang on rocky cliffs in mountainous area.
Distribution.
Liaoning; known only from the type locality (Figs 1, 2 D).
description: Published as part of 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), pp. 285-310 in ZooKeys 1232 on pages 285-310, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1232.145622