Pholcus chaoyang 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 chaoyang

description: Pholcus chaoyang S. Li & Yao sp. nov.
Figs 3, 4
Type material.
Holotype: China • ♂; Liaoning, Chaoyang, Chaoyang County, Qingfengling Town, Qingfengling Scenic Spot; 41.186698°N, 120.190401°E; alt. 486 m; 17 Jul. 2024; Z. Yao, J. Li & M. Yan leg.; SYNU -Ar 00415. Paratypes: China • 1 ♂; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00416 • 2 ♀; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00417 –18.
Etymology.
The specific name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.
Diagnosis.
The new species resembles Pholcus huailai Yao, Li & Lu, 2022 (Lu et al. 2022: 534, S 18, figs S 17 A – D, S 18 A – H) by having a similar uncus (Fig. 4 C) and male chelicerae (Fig. 4 D), but it can be distinguished by the: procursus with a raised, prolatero-subdistal membranous edge (arrow 1 in Fig. 3 C vs. absent), the straight distal edge of the sclerotized distal apophysis on the procursus (arrow 1 in Fig. 3 D vs. curved), epigynal knob column shaped (kn in Fig. 4 A vs. wedge shaped), vulval anterior arch curved (aa in Fig. 4 B vs. nearly trapezoidal).
Description.
Male (holotype): Total length 4.95 (5.14 with clypeus), carapace 1.55 long, 1.88 wide, opisthosoma 3.40 long, 1.60 wide. Leg I: 36.07 (9.29, 0.76, 9.10, 14.62, 2.30), leg II: 25.27 (7.12, 0.72, 6.35, 9.55, 1.53), leg III: 18.79 (5.45, 0.67, 4.55, 6.99, 1.13), leg IV: 24.69 (7.24, 0.68, 6.22, 9.10, 1.45); tibia I L / d: 55. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.21, PME 0.14, PME – ALE 0.04, AME – AME 0.04, AME 0.09. Sternum width / length: 1.19 / 0.98. Habitus as in Fig. 4 E, F. Carapace yellowish, with brown radiating marks and marginal brown bands; ocular area yellowish, with median and lateral brown bands; clypeus yellowish, with brown marks; 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. 4 D), pair of distal apophyses (da in Fig. 4 D) with two teeth each, and pair of frontal apophyses (fa in Fig. 4 D). Palps as in Fig. 3 A, B; trochanter with long (3 × longer than wide), retrolaterally bulged ventral apophysis; femur with retrolatero-proximal protrusion (arrow in Fig. 3 B) and indistinct ventral protrusion; tibia with prolatero-ventral protrusion (arrow in Fig. 3 A); procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with raised, prolatero-subdistal membranous edge bearing sclerotized apophysis (arrows 1, 2 in Fig. 3 C), sclerotized distal apophysis (arrow 3 in Fig. 3 C), and one slender and one strong dorsal spines (arrows 2, 3 in Fig. 3 D); uncus with scaly edge (u in Fig. 4 C); “ pseudo-appendix ” curved (arrow in Fig. 4 C); embolus weakly sclerotized, with transparent distal projections (e in Fig. 4 C). Retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia I at 6 % proximally; legs with short, vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi, and tarsi; tarsus I with 31 distinct pseudosegments.
Female (paratype, SYNU -Ar 00417): Similar to male, habitus as in Fig. 4 G, H. Total length 5.12 (5.26 with clypeus), carapace 1.44 long, 1.66 wide, opisthosoma 3.68 long, 2.08 wide; tibia I: 7.18; tibia I L / d: 48. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.23, PME 0.12, PME – ALE 0.05, AME – AME 0.04, AME 0.08. Sternum width / length: 1.05 / 0.94. Clypeus brown. Epigyne posteriorly strongly curved, with lateral brown marks and knob (kn in Fig. 4 A). Vulva with curved, sclerotized anterior arch (aa in Fig. 4 B) and pair of nearly elliptical pore plates (pp in Fig. 4 B).
Variation.
Tibia I in paratype male (SYNU -Ar 00416): 9.23. Tibia I in another paratype female (SYNU -Ar 00418): 7.24.
Habitat.
Underside of overhang on rocky cliffs in mountainous area.
Distribution.
Liaoning; known only from the type locality (Figs 1, 2 A).
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