Pholcus hebei 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 hebei

description: Pholcus hebei S. Li & Yao sp. nov.
Figs 5, 6
Type material.
Holotype: China • ♂; Hebei, Chengde, Longhua County, Zhongguan Town, Longfengdong Scenic Spot; 41.186398°N, 117.988977°E; alt. 496 m; 19 Jul. 2024; Z. Yao, J. Li & M. Yan leg.; SYNU -Ar 00419. Paratypes: China • 1 ♂; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00420 • 2 ♀; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00421 –22.
Etymology.
The specific name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.
Diagnosis.
The new species resembles Pholcus zhuolu Zhang & Zhu, 2009 (Zhang and Zhu 2009: 108, figs 64 A – I, 65 A – L, Yao and Li 2012: 43, figs 225 A – D, 226 A – C) by having a similar uncus (Fig. 6 C) and male chelicerae (Fig. 6 D), but it can be distinguished by the: procursus with a bifurcated prolatero-subdistal apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 5 C vs. not bifurcated), the large distal membranous lamella (arrow 2 in Fig. 5 C vs. indistinct), epigynal plate anteriorly straight (Fig. 6 A vs. strongly curved), vulval pore plates long, 4 × longer than wide (pp in Fig. 6 B vs. 2 ×).
Description.
Male (holotype): Total length 5.37 (5.67 with clypeus), carapace 1.52 long, 1.83 wide, opisthosoma 3.85 long, 1.80 wide. Leg I: 43.25 (10.96, 0.75, 11.03, 17.88, 2.63), leg II: 29.18 (8.01, 0.72, 7.31, 11.41, 1.73), leg III: 20.24 (5.83, 0.69, 4.81, 7.63, 1.28), leg IV: 26.48 (7.56, 0.71, 6.41, 10.26, 1.54); tibia I L / d: 74. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.24, PME 0.16, PME – ALE 0.04, AME – AME 0.05, AME 0.09. Sternum width / length: 1.25 / 1.03. Habitus as in Fig. 6 E, F. Carapace yellowish, with brown radiating marks and marginal brown bands; ocular area yellowish, with median and lateral brown bands; clypeus and sternum yellowish, with brown marks. 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. 6 D), pair of distal apophyses (da in Fig. 6 D) with two teeth each, and pair of frontal apophyses (fa in Fig. 6 D). Palps as in Fig. 5 A, B; trochanter with long (4 × longer than wide), retrolaterally strongly bulged ventral apophysis; femur with retrolatero-proximal protrusion (arrow in Fig. 5 B) and indistinct ventral protrusion; tibia with prolatero-ventral protrusion (arrow in Fig. 5 A); procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with raised prolatero-subdistal edge bearing bifurcated apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 5 C), distal membranous lamella (arrow 2 in Fig. 5 C), distal apophysis (arrow 3 in Fig. 5 C), and one slender and three strong dorsal spines (arrows 4–7 in Fig. 5 C); uncus nearly elliptical, with scales (u in Fig. 6 C); “ pseudo-appendix ” semi-transparent (not visible in Fig. 6 C; cf. Fig. 8 C); embolus weakly sclerotized, with transparent distal projections (e in Fig. 6 C). Retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia I at 5 % proximally; legs with short, vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi, and tarsi; tarsus I with 36 distinct pseudosegments.
Female (paratype, SYNU -Ar 00421): Similar to male, habitus as in Fig. 6 G, H. Total length 4.83 (5.01 with clypeus), carapace 1.48 long, 1.70 wide, opisthosoma 3.35 long, 1.84 wide; tibia I: 8.01; tibia I L / d: 53. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.20, PME 0.13, PME – ALE 0.05, AME – AME 0.04, AME 0.08. Sternum width / length: 1.16 / 0.91. Clypeus brown. Epigyne posteriorly straight, with lateral and median brown marks and knob (kn in Fig. 6 A). Vulva with curved, sclerotized anterior arch (aa in Fig. 6 B) and pair of long, elliptical pore plates (4 × longer than wide, pp in Fig. 6 B).
Variation.
Tibia I in paratype male (SYNU -Ar 00420): 11.54. Tibia I in another paratype female (SYNU -Ar 00422): 7.56.
Habitat.
Underside of overhang on rocky cliffs in mountainous area.
Distribution.
Hebei; known only from the type locality (Figs 1, 2 B).
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