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Photo#787247
Pholcophora americana? - Pholcophora americana - female

Pholcophora americana? - Pholcophora americana - Female
Mill Canyon Road, Mono County, California, USA
June 10, 2013
Size: 3 mm
I found this female spider under a rock at about 6,700 feet elevation. I wanted to make this spider into a theridiid, but the eye arrangement and some other features suggested the possibility of a short-legged pholcid, and now it seems likely to be Pholcophora americana based on the epigynum and descriptions in Huber 2000 (see figs. 429-440) and Chamberlin and Ivie 1935b (plate VI, fig. 44). I'm going to see if RJ Adams can confirm the ID.

Images of this individual: tag all
Pholcophora americana? - Pholcophora americana - female Pholcophora americana? - Pholcophora americana - female Pholcophora americana? - Pholcophora americana - female Pholcophora americana? - Pholcophora americana - female Pholcophora americana? - Pholcophora americana - female

Bernhard Huber -
was kind enough to take a look at these images and agrees with the ID.

 
Nice work, Ken!
Nice work, Ken!

Levi also found the species, in the Black Hills (SD), "under rocks and logs" at 4300 ft.

Pholcophora americana?
Yes, very nice. I'm surprised how different the spider looks in alcohol.

 
Thanks -
yes, all the colors faded quite quickly in alcohol. The interesting spotted pattern on the abdomen, best seen in the lateral view of the preserved specimen and not really seen in the live image too well, is nicely illustrated in Huber (2000), fig. 429.

New genus
Nice!

Moved
Moved from Spiders. From RJ Adams:

"It absolutely looks like P. americana. I haven't had the opportunity to compare it to any of my specimens, but the eyes, legs, coloration, and overall structure look very good. If the epyginum looks like a match to the literature then I think you've got a winner".

See notes above for epigynum match to literature.

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