Pholcus sakaew Zhu & Yao & Bai & Li 2018, sp. nov.

Pholcus sakaew Yao & Li sp. nov.

FIGS 1–2

Type material. Holotype: MAlE, THAM PHET SAI KAEW CAVE (13°24.962'N, 102°19.589'E, ElEVATION 243 M), KlONG HAT SUBDISTRICT, Sakaew, Thailand, 9 NOVEMBER 2016, H. ZHAO, Y. LI AND Z. CHEN lEG. Paratype: 1 FEMAlE, SAME DATA AS HOlOTYPE.

Etymology. THE SPECIFIC NAME REFERS TO THE TYPE lOCAlITY, AND IS A NOUN IN APPOSITION.

Diagnosis. THIS SPECIES CAN BE EASIlY DISTINGUISHED FROM All KNOWN CONGENERS IN THE P. bidentatus SPECIES- GROUP BY THE PRESENCE OF A lONG, MEMBRANOUS PROlATERAl PROCESS DISTAllY (ARROW 1 IN FIG. 1C) AND A lONG, SClEROTIZED PROlATERAl APOPHYSIS DISTAllY (ARROW IN FIG. 1D) ON THE PROCURSUS AND BY THE lONG, MEDIAllY CURVED APPENDIX (FIG. 2C).

Description. Male (holotype): TOTAl lENGTH 5.51 (5.64 WITH ClYPEUS), CARAPACE 0.94 lONG, 1.02 WIDE, OPISTHOSOMA 4.47 lONG, 1.44 WIDE. LEG I: – (11.92 + 0.73 + 12.50 + – + –), lEG II: 32.52 (9.29 + 0.69 + 8.44 + 12.50 + 1.60), lEG III: 24.88 (7.69 + 0.65 + 5.83 + 9.49 + 1.22), lEG IV: 30.79 (8.97 + 0.66 + 8.27 + 11.35 + 1.54); TIBIA I L/D: 71. DISTANCE PME-PME 0.81; DIAMETER PME 0.16; DISTANCE PME-ALE 0.06; DISTANCE AME-AME 0.05; DIAMETER AME 0.05. STERNUM WIDER THAN lONG (1.02/0.94). HABITUS AS IN FIGS 2E–F. CARAPACE GREY, WITH NARROW BROWN lINE MEDIAllY; OCUlAR AREA AND ClYPEUS GREY; STERNUM GERY, WITH BROWN MARKS. LEGS YEllOWISH, BUT WHITISH ON DISTAl PARTS OF FEMORA AND TIBIAE, WITHOUT DARKER RINGS. OPISTHOSOMA GREY, WITH BROWN MARKS POSTERIORlY. OCUlAR AREA ElEVATED; EACH EYE TRIAD ON TOP OF A lONG, lATERAllY DIRECTED EYE-STAlK. THORACIC FURROW ABSENT. CHElICERAE AS IN FIG. 2D, WITH A PAIR OF PROXIMO-lATERAl APOPHYSES, A PAIR OF DISTAl APOPHYSES, AND A PAIR OF FRONTAl APOPHYSES. PEDIPAlPS AS IN FIGS 1A–B; TROCHANTER WITH A lONG RETROlATERO-VENTRAl APOPHYSIS; FEMUR WITH A SMAll DORSAl APOPHYSIS PROXIMAllY (ARROW IN FIG. 1B) AND AN INDISTINCT VENTRAl PROTUBERANCE; PROCURSUS SIMPlE PROXIMAllY BUT COMPlEX DISTAllY, WITH A lONG, MEMBRANOUS PROlATERAl PROCESS DISTAllY (ARROW 1 IN FIG. 1C), A lONG, SClEROTIZED PROlATERAl APOPHYSIS DISTAllY (ARROW IN FIG. 1D), AND A PROlATERO-DORSAl SPINE (ARROW 2 IN FIG. 1C); UNCUS WITH A SCAlY EDGE; APPENDIX lONG AND CURVED; EMBOlUS WEAKlY SClEROTIZED, WITH SOME TRANSPARENT PROJECTIONS DISTAllY. RETROlATERAl TRICHOBOTHRIUM OF TIBIA I AT 4% PROXIMAllY; lEGS WITH SHORT VERTICAl SETAE ON TIBIAE, METATARSI AND TARSI, WITHOUT SPINES AND CURVED SETAE.

Female: SIMIlAR TO MAlE, HABITUS AS IN FIGS 2 G–H. TOTAl lENGTH 5.90 (6.22 WITH ClYPEUS), CARAPACE 1.41 lONG, 1.66 WIDE, OPISTHOSOMA 4.49 lONG, 2.19 WIDE; lEG I MISSING. DISTANCE PME-PME 0.30; DIAMETER PME 0.18; DISTANCE PME-ALE 0.03; DISTANCE AME-AME 0.04; DIAMETER AME 0.05. STERNUM WIDER THAN lONG (1.06/0.94). CARAPACE YEllOWISH, WITH NARROW BROWN STRIPE AND lARGE lIGHT BROWN MARKS MEDIAllY. OPISTHOSOMA YEllOWISH, WITHOUT SPOTS. OCUlAR AREA WITHOUT EYE-STAlKS. EPIGYNUM (FIG. 2A) WITH A KNOB. VUlVA (FIG. 2B) WITH A SClEROTIZED ANTERIOR ARCH AND TWO NEARlY EllIPTIC PORE PlATES.

Distribution. THAIlAND (SAKAEW, TYPE lOCAlITY; FIG. 12).

Natural history. THE SPECIES WAS FOUND IN THE APHOTIC ZONE INSIDE THE CAVE.