Pholcus huludao 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 huludao

description: Pholcus huludao S. Li & Yao sp. nov.
Figs 7, 8
Type material.
Holotype: China • ♂; Liaoning, Huludao, Jianchang County, Laodazhangzi Town, Longtan Grand Canyon Scenic Spot; 40.554405°N, 119.349993°E; alt. 504 m; 21 Jul. 2024; Z. Yao, J. Li & M. Yan leg.; SYNU -Ar 00423. Paratypes: China • 1 ♂; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00424 • 2 ♀; same data as for the holotype; SYNU -Ar 00425 –26.
Etymology.
The specific name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.
Diagnosis.
The new species resembles known congeners from the Lüliang Mountains (e. g., Pholcus wenshui Zhao, Li & Yao, 2023, P. jiaocheng Zhao, Li & Yao, 2023, P. luliang Zhao, Li & Yao, 2023, P. zhongyang Zhao, Li & Yao, 2023; Zhao et al. 2023 b: 7, figs 2 B, 4 C, D, 10 C, D, 12 C, D, 18 C, D) by having similar male chelicerae (Fig. 8 D) and a curved uncus (Fig. 8 C), but it can be distinguished by the following combination of characters: ventro-distal membranous lamella of procursus distally blunt and strongly curved (arrow 2 in Fig. 7 C vs. distally pointed and straight), dorso-distal membranous lamella of procursus strongly curved (arrow 3 in Fig. 7 C vs. straight), uncus proximally wide and distally narrow, and dorso-medially strongly protruding (arrow 1 in Fig. 8 C vs. wide and pointed, not protruding), epigyne posteriorly slightly curved (Fig. 8 A vs. strongly curved), vulval pore plates nearly semi-circular (pp in Fig. 8 B vs. elliptical).
Description.
Male (holotype): Total length 4.68 (4.80 with clypeus), carapace 1.44 long, 1.72 wide, opisthosoma 3.24 long, 1.27 wide. Leg I: 39.99 (9.94, 0.75, 10.13, 16.67, 2.50), leg II: 27.14 (7.45, 0.67, 6.73, 10.64, 1.65), leg III: 18.98 (5.58, 0.64, 4.62, 7.05, 1.09), leg IV: 25.51 (7.40, 0.66, 6.35, 9.62, 1.48); tibia I L / d: 68. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.23, PME 0.15, PME – ALE 0.04, AME – AME 0.05, AME 0.10. Sternum width / length: 1.17 / 0.98. Habitus as in Fig. 8 E, F. Carapace yellowish, with brown radiating marks and marginal brown bands; ocular area yellowish, with median and lateral brown bands; clypeus brown; 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. 8 D), pair of distal apophyses (da in Fig. 8 D) with two teeth each, and pair of frontal apophyses (fa in Fig. 8 D). Palps as in Fig. 7 A, B; trochanter with long (4 × longer than wide), retrolaterally bulged ventral apophysis; femur with retrolatero-proximal protrusion (arrow in Fig. 7 B) and distinct ventral protrusion; tibia with prolatero-ventral protrusion; procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with raised, prolatero-subdistal membranous edge bearing pointed, sclerotized apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 7 C), curved, ventro-distal membranous lamella (arrow 2 in Fig. 7 C), curved, dorso-distal membranous lamella (arrow 3 in Fig. 7 C), and one slender dorsal spine (arrow in Fig. 7 D); uncus curved, proximally wide and distally narrow, with scales (u in Fig. 8 C); “ pseudo-appendix ” semi-transparent (arrow 2 in Fig. 8 C); embolus weakly sclerotized, with transparent distal projections (e in Fig. 8 C). Retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia I at 2 % proximally; legs with short, vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi, and tarsi; tarsus I with 30 distinct pseudosegments.
Female (paratype, SYNU -Ar 00425): Similar to male, habitus as in Fig. 8 G, H. Total length 5.13 (5.26 with clypeus), carapace 1.53 long, 1.95 wide, opisthosoma 3.60 long, 1.60 wide; tibia I: 8.78; tibia I L / d: 59. Eye interdistances and diameters: PME – PME 0.21, PME 0.14, PME – ALE 0.05, AME – AME 0.05, AME 0.10. Sternum width / length: 1.11 / 0.97. Epigyne posteriorly slightly curved, with lateral brown marks and knob (kn in Fig. 8 A). Vulva with curved, sclerotized anterior arch (aa in Fig. 8 B) and pair of nearly semi-circular pore plates (pp in Fig. 8 B).
Variation.
Tibia I in paratype male (SYNU -Ar 00424): 9.80. Tibia I in another paratype female (SYNU -Ar 00426): 9.25.
Habitat.
Underside of overhang on rocky cliffs in mountainous area.
Distribution.
Liaoning; known only from the type locality (Figs 1, 2 C).
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