Blakistonia bassi, Harrison & Rix & Harvey & Austin, 2018

Harrison, Sophie E., Rix, Michael G., Harvey, Mark S. & Austin, Andrew D., 2018, Systematics of the Australian spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Blakistonia Hogg (Araneae: Idiopidae), Zootaxa 4518 (1), pp. 1-76 : 14-17

Key to the species of Blakistonia known from Australia

NB. Males are unknown for B. bassi sp. n., B. nullarborensis sp. n., and B. wingellina sp. n. Females are unknown for B. bella sp. n., B. carnarvon sp. n., B. emmottorum sp. n., B. gemmelli sp. n., B. hortoni sp. n., B. newtoni sp. n., B. olea sp. n., B. parva sp. n., B. pidax sp. n., B. plata sp. n., B. raveni sp. n., B. tariae sp. n., and B. tunstilli sp. n.

1. Males............................................................................................... 2 - Females............................................................................................ 18 2. Tibia I with prolateral clasping spurs (2.1).................................................................. 3 - Tibia I with one or two prolateral macrosetae but without clasping spurs (2.2, 2.3).................................. 8 3. Abdomen strongly patterned with dark cardiac stripe (Fig. 3.1)............................... Blakistonia bella sp. n. - Abdomen with or without strong pattern but never with dark cardiac stripe (3.2, 3.3)............................... 4 4. Cymbium with thick spinules (4.1, 4.2).................................................................... 5 - Cymbium with setae but without spinules (4.3)............................................ Blakistonia pidax sp. n. 5. Spinules on palpal tibia roughly similar or only slightly shorter than those on RTA (5.1, 5.2).......................... 6 - Spinules on tibia much shorter than those on RTA (5.3).................................... Blakistonia tunstilli sp. n.

6. Eye group subquadrate (6.1); spinules on cymbium sparse, thick, spine-like and form rows (6.2).................................................................................................... Blakistonia emmottorum sp. n.

- Eye group square (6.3); spinules on cymbium thick and spine-like (6.4)........................................... 7 7. RTA relatively short and stout, with field of spinules extending only marginally onto palpal tibia (7.1); abdominal pattern very strong (7.2)..................................................................... Blakistonia gemmelli sp. n.

- RTA longer, with field of spinules extending further onto tibia (Fig. 7.3); abdominal pattern weak (7.4)............................................................................................... Blakistonia aurea Hogg, 1902 8. Tibia I with 1 prolateral macroseta (8.1, 8.2)................................................................ 9 - Tibia I with 2 prolateral macrosetae (8.3).................................................................. 13 9. Carapace dark brown (9.1); eye group subquadrate (9.1)...................................................... 10 - Carapace golden-brown (9.2, 9.3); eye group square (9.2, 9.3)................................................. 11 10. Maxillae without cuspules (10.2); abdominal pattern weak or non-existant (10.1)................. Blakistonia plata sp. n. - Maxillae with cuspules (10.4); abdominal pattern very strong (10.3)........................... Blakistonia birksi sp. n.

11. Field of spinules on palpal tibia in thin, rounded crescent-shape, and ventral margin of tibia distal to RTA strongly concave in prolateral view (11.1).............................................................. Blakistonia newtoni sp. n.

- Field of spinules on palpal tibia not in rounded crescent shape (11.2, 11.3)....................................... 12 12. Field of spinules on palpal tibia relatively narrow (12.1)........................... Blakistonia maryae sp. n. (in part*) - Field of spinules on palpal tibia relatively dense and broad (12.2)............................ Blakistonia hortoni sp. n. 13. Eye group longer than wide (13.1)...................................................... Blakistonia parva sp. n. - Eye group wider than long or square (13.2, 13.3)............................................................ 14 14. Eye group square (14.1).................................................. Blakistonia maryae sp. nov. (in part*) - Eye group wider than long (14.2, 14.3).................................................................. …15 15. AME significantly larger than ALE (15.1)................................................. Blakistonia olea sp. n. - AME of similar or smaller diameter than ALE (15.2, 15.3).................................................... 16 16. Distinctive dark ring around edge of carapace (16.1, 16.2).................................................... 17 - Carapace fairly uniform in colour (16.3)................................................ Blakistonia tariae sp. n. 17. Embolus narrows/tapers after midpoint (17.1)......................................... Blakistonia carnarvon sp. n. - Embolus narrows/tapers at midpoint (17.2).............................................. Blakistonia raveni sp. n. 18. Eye group distinctly trapezoidal (18.1, 18.2)........... Blakistonia wingellina sp. n. or Blakistonia nullarborensis sp. n. ** - Eye group square or subquadrate (18.3)................................................................... 19 19. Carapace covered in fine golden hairs (19.1).............................................. Blakistonia bassi sp. n. - Carapace without fine golden hairs (19.2, 19.3)............................................................. 20 20. Abdominal chevrons almost black (20.1)................................................. Blakistonia birksi sp. n. - Abdominal chevrons lighter brown (20.2, 20.3)............................................................. 21 21. Book lungs brown or dark brown, in contrast to abdomen (21.1)............................ Blakistonia mainae sp. n. - Book lungs similar colour to abdomen (21.2, 21.3).......................................................... 22 22. Cuspules absent from labium (22.1); trapdoor usually twig-lined (22.2)....................... Blakistonia maryae sp. n. - Cuspules present on labium (22.3); trapdoor distinctly D-shaped with no twig-lines (22.4)..... Blakistonia aurea Hogg, 1902