Pholcus wan Yao & Li, sp. nov.

Pholcus wan Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 17–18

Type material. Holotype: male, Cave without a name (06°59.395′N, 99°48.393′E, elevation 50 m), La-ngu District, Satun, Thailand, 4 December 2013, F. Ballarin leg. Paratypes: 2 females, same data as holotype.

Etymology. The specific name is from the Chinese pinyin for curved (wān), in reference to the acutely curved procursus; adjective.

Diagnosis. The species can be easily distinguished from all known congeners in the P. halabala species group by the elongate and strongly curved procursus (Figs 17 A–B), the presence of two laterally directed, large, distal apophyses on the appendix (arrows in Fig. 18 C), and by the elongate weakly sclerotized area of the female external genitalia (Fig. 18 A).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length 5.81 (6.15 with clypeus), carapace 1.60 long, 1.70 wide, opisthosoma 4.21 long, 1.33 wide. Leg I: 68.75 (16.41 + 0.88 + 16.41 + 31.85 + 3.20), leg II: 45.43 (11.74 + 0.81 + 11.67 +19.68 + 1.53), leg III: 29.25 (8.72 + 0.81 + 7.18 + 11.22 + 1.32), leg IV: 38.59 (10.90 + 0.81 + 9.49 + 15.51 + 1.88). Distance PME-PME 0.54; diameter PME 0.11; distance PME-ALE 0.05; distance AME-AME 0.03; diameter AME 0.06. Sternum wider than long (1.02/0.91). Habitus as in Figs 18 E–F. Carapace yellowish, with brown marks extending to ocular area; ocular area brown; sternum brown. Legs pale brown, distal parts of femora and tibiae whitish, darker rings absent. Opisthosoma pale grey, with brown spots dorsally and laterally. Ocular area elevated; each eye triad on top of a short, laterally directed eye-stalk (as in P. zhuchuandiani sp. nov., cf. Fig. 31 E). Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Fig. 18 D, with a pair of proximo-lateral apophyses; a pair of dark brown distal apophyses with two teeth each. Pedipalps as in Figs 17 A–B; trochanter with a long curved posteriory apophysis; femur with a distinct ventral modification retrolaterally; procursus long and strongly curved, nearly three times longer than tibia of procursus, simple proximally but complex distally; uncus small; appendix with two large distal apophyses directed towards laterally; embolus weakly sclerotized. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 4.4%; legs with short vertical setae on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi; without spines and curved setae; tarsus I with approximately 16 distinct pseudosegments.

Female: Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 18 G–H. Total length 6.41 (6.64 with clypeus), carapace 1.80 long, 2.03 wide, opisthosoma 4.61 long, 1.41 wide; tibia I: 15.26; tibia I L/d: 72. Distance PME-PME 0.33; diameter PME 0.16; distance PME-ALE 0.04; distance AME-AME 0.26; diameter AME 0.06. Sternum wider than long (1.30/1.10). Ocular area without eye-stalks. External genitalia (Fig. 18 A) with a knob. Vulva (Fig. 18 A) with a sclerotized anterior arch and two oval pore plates.

Distribution. Thailand (Satun, type locality; Fig. 32).

Natural history. The species was found in the entrance zone of the cave.