Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge 1869
Creators: name: Huber, Bernhard A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Pholcidae
Pholcus
Pholcus ceylonicus

description: Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869
Figs 47, 49–50, 53–55, 65–66, 73–75, 85, 89
Pholcus ceylonicus O. Pickard-Cambridge 1869: 378, pl. 11, figs 13, 21–27 (♂ ♀, Sri Lanka).
Pholcus ceylonicus — Brignoli 1972: 909, figs 1–2, 4–7. Brignoli 1975: 36, fig. 2f (copied from Brignoli 1972). Huber & Benjamin 2005: 3306, figs 1–4. Eberle et al. 2018 (molecular data). Huber et al. 2018: fig. 12.
Sihala ceylonica — Huber 2011: 31, fig. 145. Transferred back to Pholcus in Huber et al. 2018: 83.
Diagnosis. Males are easily distinguished from other species in ceylonicus group by shape of genital bulb (Figs 73–75): distinctive main bulbal process (‘appendix’), i.e. large sclerotized process with conical projection and unique membrane on retrolateral side. Females similar to P. metta sp. n. and P. puranappui sp. n. but with consistently smaller posterior excavation of pre-epigynal plate (compare Figs 85–87).
Description (amendments; see Huber & Benjamin 2005). Dark mark on carapace variably large and either undivided or medially posteriorly divided. Dark mark on sternum usually star-shaped, sometimes rather triangular with long posterior point. Males from Minneriya with slightly smaller retrolateral conical projection on main bulbal process. Males from Gowindahela with slightly wider main bulbal process in dorsal view. Tibia 1 in 32 newly examined males: 9.5–14.8 (mean 11.9); in 24 females: 8.7–12.0 (mean 10.4). Diameter of posterior excavation of pre-epigynal plate usually 90–140 µm, in females from Gowindahela 140–150 µm.
New records. SRI LANKA: 1♂ 1♀, NMSL, 7♂ 2♀, ZFMK (Ar 20036) and 1♀ 3 juvs in pure ethanol, ZFMK (SL96), Western Province, Mitirigala Forest (6.997°N, 80.175°E), 70 m a.s.l., 6.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber). 2♂, ZFMK (Ar 20037) and 1♂ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (SL102), Sabaragamuwa Province, outside of Belilena Cave near Kitulgala (7.003°N, 80.436°E), 370 m a.s.l., 7.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber). 1♂ 3♀, ZFMK (Ar 20038), Sabaragamuwa Province, near Kitulgala (6.985°N, 80.430°E), 170 m a.s.l., 7.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber). 3♂ 7♀, ZFMK (Ar 20039) and 2♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (SL106), Central Province, Kandy, Dunumadallawa Forest (7.282°N, 80.643°E), 600– 680 m a.s.l., 8.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber). 10♂ 2♀ 6 juvs, ZFMK (Ar 20040) and 1♂ 2♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (SL113), North Western Province, Kurunegala, at base of Ethagala (Athugala) Mountain (7.490°N, 80.369°E), 170 m a.s.l., 9.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber). 2♂ 2♀, ZFMK (Ar 20041) and 2♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (SL119), Central Province, Kandalama Forest (7.859°N, 80.711°E), 220 m a.s.l., 10.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber). 2♂ 3♀, ZFMK (Ar 20042), North Central Province, Minneriya Forest (8.047°N, 80.832°E), 150 m a.s.l., 10.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber). 3♂ 4♀, ZFMK (Ar 20043) and 1♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (SL132), Uva Province, near Gowindahela (7.041°N, 81.538°E), 130–180 m a.s.l., 12.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber). 1♂ 2♀, ZFMK (Ar 20044) and 1♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK (SL141), Uva Province, outside of cave near Ella (6.863°N, 81.050°E), 1030 m a.s.l., 13.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber). 1♂, ZFMK (Ar 20045), Western Province, Poruwadanda (6.742°N, 80.132°E), 130 m a.s.l., 18.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber). 2♂ 2♀, ZFMK (Ar 20046) and 1♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK (SL162), Sabaragamuwa Province, Mapalena Ella (6.774°N, 80.460°E), 270 m a.s.l., forest below waterfall, 19.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber). 1♀, ZFMK (Ar 20047) and 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK (SL166), Western Province, Labugama Forest (6.846°N, 80.175°E), 150 m a.s.l., 20.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber).
Natural history. This species is common and often abundant among large rocks in humid forests, sometimes also between tree buttresses. Webs are often densely connected to each other, resulting in high numbers of specimens in relatively small spaces. In a horizontal rock cleft (~ 10 m long, ~ 30 cm high,> 1 m deep) at Ethagala Mountain (Fig. 48), ~100 large specimens (i.e. excluding small juveniles) were counted per meter. The large domed sheet webs were often shared with numerous cecidomyiid flies. When disturbed, the spiders started swinging in high amplitude and retreated back to the rocks and to sheltered spaces.
Distribution. Widely distributed in central Sri Lanka (Fig. 223). The female specimens from Belihul Oya and Diyaluma Falls reported in Huber (2011) were reexamined and found to belong to Pholcus puranappui (see below).
description: Published as part of Huber, Bernhard A., 2019, The pholcid spiders of Sri Lanka (Araneae: Pholcidae), pp. 1-57 in Zootaxa 4550 (1) on pages 14-16, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4550.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2625030