Research Article |
Corresponding author: Qiaoqiao He ( heqq@synu.edu.cn ) Corresponding author: Zhiyuan Yao ( yaozy@synu.edu.cn ) Academic editor: Fedor Konstantinov
© 2023 Lan Yang, Fangyu Zhao, Qiaoqiao He, Zhiyuan Yao.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Yang L, Zhao F, He Q, Yao Z (2023) A survey of pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China. ZooKeys 1186: 175-184. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1186.105736
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The family Pholcidae C.L. Koch, 1850 is highly diverse in Guizhou Province, southwestern China, and currently contains four genera and 22 species. Nevertheless, the distribution of pholcid spiders is conspicuously patchy in Guizhou. Species from Guiyang are poorly studied, and only Pholcus spilis Zhu & Gong, 1991 has been recorded. A survey was undertaken for the first time to study the pholcids in Guiyang. A total of four species are reported, comprising Belisana yuhaoi Yang & Yao, sp. nov. and three other species: Leptopholcus tanikawai Irie, 1999 (new record for Guiyang), Pholcus spilis Zhu & Gong, 1991 and Spermophora senoculata (Dugès, 1836) (new record for Guizhou).
Biodiversity, fauna, new record, new species, taxonomy
The species-rich spider family Pholcidae currently contains 97 genera and 1937 species (
Guizhou Province, in the southwest of China, is one of the most spectacular examples of humid subtropical karst landscapes, and also exhibits high diversity of pholcids. Currently, four genera (Belisana Thorell, 1898, Khorata Huber, 2005, Leptopholcus Simon, 1893, Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805) and 22 species have been recorded (
Specimens were examined and measured with a Leica M205 C stereomicroscope. The left male palp was photographed. The epigyne was photographed before dissection. The vulva was treated in a 10% warm solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH) to dissolve soft tissues before illustration. Images were captured with a Canon EOS 750D wide zoom digital camera (24.2 megapixels) mounted on the stereomicroscope mentioned above and assembled using Helicon Focus v.3.10.3 image stacking software (
Terminology and taxonomic descriptions follow
Subfamily Pholcinae C.L. Koch, 1850
Belisana tauricornis Thorell, 1898.
Holotype: ♂ (SYNU-Ar00301), cave without a name (27°5.40'N, 106°30.00'E, 1109 m), Liutong Town, Xiuwen County, Guiyang, Guizhou, China, 5 June 2022, H Yu & Q Lu leg. Paratypes: 2♂ (SYNU-Ar00302, Ar00303) and 3♀ (SYNU-Ar00304–00306), same data as for the holotype. 1♀ (SYNU-Ar00307), Duobing Cave (27°6.00'N, 106°30.00'E, 1026 m), other data as for the holotype.
The specific name is a patronym in honor of the collector Hao Yu; noun (name) in genitive case.
The new species resembles B. galeiformis Zhang & Peng, 2011 (
Belisana yuhaoi sp. nov., holotype male A, B palp: A prolateral view B retrolateral view C, D distal part of procursus: C prolateral view, arrow 1 indicates prolatero-subdistal sclerite, arrow 2 indicates sclerotized prolatero-ventral lamella, arrow 3 indicates distal membranous lamella, arrow 4 indicates curved distal spine, arrow 5 indicates sclerotized dorsal apophysis D retrolateral view. Abbreviations: b = bulb, ba = bulbal apophysis, e = embolus, f = flap, pr = procursus. Scale bars: 0.10 mm (A, B); 0.02 mm (C, D).
Belisana yuhaoi sp. nov., holotype male (C–F) and paratype female (A, B, G, H) A epigyne, ventral view B vulva, dorsal view C bulbal apophyses, prolateral view D chelicerae, frontal view E–H habitus: E, G dorsal view F lateral view H ventral view. Abbreviations: b = bulb, ba = bulbal apophysis, da = distal apophysis, e = embolus, ep = epigynal pocket, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, pp = pore plate. Scale bars: 0.05 mm (A–D); 0.20 mm (E–H).
Male (holotype, SYNU-Ar00301): total length 1.93 (2.03 with clypeus), prosoma 0.74 long, 0.78 wide, opisthosoma 1.19 long, 0.96 wide. Legs I and IV missing, femur II: 3.92 (other segments missing), leg III: 10.18 (2.97, 0.33, 2.48, 3.56, 0.84). Eye interdistances and diameters: PME–PME 0.13, PME 0.10, PME–ALE 0.04, AME absent. Sternum width/length: 0.65/0.62. Habitus as in Fig.
Female (paratype, SYNU-Ar00304): similar to male, habitus as in Fig.
In one male paratype (SYNU-Ar00302), leg I: 23.28 (6.02, 0.39, 5.71, 9.36, 1.80); tibia I L/d: 60. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 6% proximally; legs with short vertical setae on metatarsi, without spines and curved setae; tarsus I with 22 distinct pseudosegments. Tibia I in another male paratype (SYNU-Ar00303): 5.38. Tibia I in the other two female paratypes (SYNU-Ar00305, Ar00306): 3.28, 3.75 (leg I missing in SYNU-Ar00307).
The species was found inside cave.
China (Xiuwen County in Guizhou; type locality, Fig.
Leptopholcus signifer Simon, 1893.
Leptopholcus tanikawai Irie, 1999: 37, figs 1–5 (♂♀).
Leptopholcus tanikawai
Irie, 2009: 108, figs 9–11 (♂♀).
1♂ (GZNU), Taoyuanhe (26°31.80'N, 106°28.20'E, 1237 m), Xiuwen County, Guiyang, Guizhou, China, 4 June 2022, H Yu leg. 3♀ (GZNU), a forest park (26°33.60'N, 106°45.60'E, 1165 m), Nanming District, Guiyang, Guizhou, China, 10 August 2021, H Yu, H Zhang, D Wang, L Li & J Xin leg. 1 juvenile (GZNU), Guizhou Botanical Garden (26°37.80'N, 106°43.80'E, 1249 m), Yunyan District, Guiyang, Guizhou, China, 4 June 2022, H Yu & Q Lu leg.
China (Xiuwen County, Nanming District and Yunyan District in Guizhou; Fig.
Aranea phalangoides Fuesslin, 1775.
Pholcus spilis Zhu & Gong, 1991: 22, fig. 4A–G (♂♀).
Pholcus spilis
Song, Zhu and Chen 1999: 59, fig. 24E–H (♂♀).
1♂ (GZNU), Sanchahe (26°16.20'N, 106°48.00'E, 1162 m), Gaopo Town, Huaxi District, Guiyang, Guizhou, China, 20 May 2022, H Yu & Q Lu leg.
China (Huaxi District in Guizhou; Fig.
Spermophora meridionalis Hentz, 1841.
2♂ (GZNU) and 2♀ (GZNU), Sanchahe (26°16.20'N, 106°48.00'E, 1162 m), Gaopo Town, Huaxi District, Guiyang, Guizhou, China, 20 May 2022, H Yu & Q Lu leg. 1♂ (GZNU), Laobanghe (26°20.40'N, 106°43.80'E, 1022 m), Qiantao Town, Huaxi District, Guiyang, Guizhou, China, 18 May 2022, H Yu & Q Lu leg.
China (Huaxi District in Guizhou; Fig.
The manuscript benefited greatly from comments by Gergin Blagoev, Fedor Konstantinov and Kadir B Kunt. Joseph KH Koh kindly checked the English.
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
No ethical statement was reported.
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC-32170461, 31872193) and the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Shenyang Normal University (BS201841). Field work and part of the laboratory work was supported by the Project of Biodiversity Survey and Assessment in Guiyang (GZZC-2021-018).
ZY and QH designed and funded the study. LY and ZY performed morphological species identification. LY and FZ finished the species descriptions and took the photos. LY and ZY drafted the manuscript. QH and ZY revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Lan Yang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7754-9275
Fangyu Zhao https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1005-8471
Qiaoqiao He https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9381-7444
Zhiyuan Yao https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1631-0949
All of the data that support the findings of this study are available in the main text.