Cthulhu Appreciation Thread

Etymology

Pimoa is derived from the language of the Gosiute people in Utah and means "big legs". Gustavo Hormiga, who named the species, derived the specific name from Howard Phillips Lovecraft's fictional deity Cthulhu, which Hormiga writes is "akin to the powers of Chaos".

Distribution

The range of Pimoa cthulhu is restricted to areas of Mendocino and Sonoma counties in western California. Within that range the species is associated with redwood forestland habitats such as redwood stumps and logs.

Description

Male Pimoa cthulhu are distinguishable from related species by the unique cluster of thick spines found on the cymbial projection. Female P. cthulhu are very similar to the related species P. vera, but are distinguishable by the long sausage-like epigynum which is narrower and laterally compressed at the distal end. Males of P. cthulhu have a cephalothorax length which ranges from 4.4 to 5.7 millimetres (0.17 to 0.22 in) while females range from 4.0 to 6.1 millimetres (0.16 to 0.24 in). Both males and females are very similar in coloration, with a light to very light brown cephalothorax that is slightly darker towards the margins and an abdomen that is dark gray with four dorsal whitish spots. The males have a brown sternum, while in the females the sternum is reddish brown. While the females have legs which are dark reddish, the male legs are covered in long setae instead.