Abstract
We describe eight new species of the genus Pholcus, and document their microhabitats. Four species are assigned to the previously described Pholcus ethagala group: P. tanahrata Huber sp. nov., P. uludong Huber sp. nov., and P. bukittimah Huber sp. nov. from the Malay Peninsula, and P. barisan Huber sp. nov. from Sumatra. These species are all litter-dwellers that build domed sheet webs on the undersides of large dead leaves on the ground. The other four species are assigned to newly created species groups: the P. tambunan group with two species from northern Borneo: P. tambunan Huber sp. nov. and P. bario Huber sp. nov.; and the P. domingo group with two species from the Philippines, Mindanao: P. domingo Huber sp. nov. and P. matutum Huber sp. nov. These latter four species are leaf-dwellers that build barely visible silk platforms tightly attached to the undersides of live leaves. The main rationale for this paper is to provide part of the taxonomic and natural history background for upcoming phylogenetic and evolutionary (microhabitat shifts) analyses.
Highlights
Pholcidae occupy a wide range of microhabitats, in tropical forests
None of the species described above is a ‘typical’ Pholcus, i.e., none of them belongs to what has been described as the “core group” of Pholcus (Huber 2011)
Most representatives of this core group are characterized by the combination of two characters: a heavily sclerotized epigynal plate, and male chelicerae with proximal frontal apophyses
Summary
Pholcidae occupy a wide range of microhabitats, in tropical forests. Some prefer leaf litter, some live in larger sheltered spaces among rocks and logs and in caves, some build their webs freely among vegetation, and some are found on the undersides of live leaves up to several meters above ground. While some genera are homogeneous in this respect (e.g., all Ninetinae seem to be ground-dwellers; all Calapnita Simon, 1892 seem to be leaf-dwellers), others include representatives from various different microhabitats (e.g., Belisana Thorell, 1898; Mesabolivar González-Sponga, 1998; Metagonia Simon, 1893; Modisimus Simon, 1893; Smeringopus Simon 1890; see Huber 2005, 2012, 2015 and Huber et al 2005, 2010). This implies that evolutionary microhabitat shifts have occurred, both among and within genera. Several such shifts have recently been documented in some detail (e.g., Dimitrov et al 2013; Huber et al 2015), but our general understanding of the patterns is still rudimentary because it requires good data about both microhabitat and phylogeny, and at least one of them is often missing or incomplete.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
