Mediothele australis Raven & Platnick, 1978

T, Duniesky Rios & Goloboff, Pablo A., 2012, New species of Chilean Hexathelidae (Araneae, Mygalomorphae), Zootaxa 3422, pp. 32-51 : 41-42

Mediothele australis Raven & Platnick, 1978

Figures 25–32

Mediothele australis Raven & Platnick, 1978: 74 , figs 1–7.

Diagnosis. Females can be distinguished from those of all the other species except M. minima by the tarsi I without spines and metatarsi I with very few spines; and from all other Mediothele by the anteriorly narrowed sternum, the long spermathecae with the secondary lobe bent inwards, and the more numerous spigots (10–13) on the apical article of the ALS. (Males of other species remain unknown.)

Female. Total body length 8.64, cephalothorax long, slightly convex, length 3.00, width 2.28; pars cephalica length 1.92, width 1.80. Clypeus narrow, ALE largest, both eye rows recurved; with 10 setae in front, and 8 setae behind eye tubercle. Dorsal midline of cephalothorax with series of 7 setae reaching fovea; fovea procurved. Chelicerae robust, elongated; with strong apical hairs resembling “rastellum”; with 8 large promarginal teeth and 24 denticles occupying basal half of fang furrow. Palpal coxae with 13/15 cuspules; labium 0.28 long, 0.68 wide, without cuspules. Sternum as wide as long, 1.72, narrower in anterior part, with three pairs of small marginal sigilla. Leg formula 4123. Opisthosoma elongated, 3.96 long, brown with lighter chevron interrupted in middle. PLS long, with basal: medial: apical articles of lengths 0.64: 0.36: 0.32; PMS monoarticulate, length 0.48; ALS biarticulate, basal article length 0.16, apical segment of length 0.08, small, curved outwards and with 10/13 spigots. Tarsi I 0.56 long, 0.28 wide; metatarsi length 0.88. Chaetotaxy: All femora with series of dorsal setae along midline. Patellae: I, 0; II, 1 P A; III, 1 R M, 1–1–0–1 D, 9 P A (forming apical verticil), 7 P; IV, 1–1–2 P; palp, 0. Tibiae: I, 1 P M; II, 1– 1–1–0 P, 1 V A ANT, 1–1– 1 V POST; III, 1–1–1–0 D, 0–1–1–0 R, 4–3–0 P, 1–0– 2 V ANT, 1 V A POST; IV, 1–1 R, 1 D B, 1–1–1–0 P, 1–1– 2 V ANT, 1 V M, 1 V POST; palp, 0–1– 2 V ANT, 1–1– 2 V POST, all long, weak. Metatarsi: I, 1 V A ANT, 1 V POST, 1–1–0–0 V, with apical preening comb (of 3 bristles); II, 1 V A ANT, 1 V B, 0–1– 0– 1 V POST, with apical preening comb (of 4 bristles); III, 1–1– 1 V ANT, 1 V A (thin), 1 V POST, 1–1–1 D, 3–2– 2–1 P, with 3 apical preening combs (of 5–3–5 bristles); IV, 1–1–0–1 D, 1–1–1–1 P, 2–1– 1 V ANT, 1 V B, 0–1– 1 V POST, with 2 apical preening combs (of 7–4 bristles). Tarsi: I–III, 0; IV, 1 R A; palp, 0–1–1–0 V, 0–0–1–2 R INF, 0–1–1–1 P INF, 6 P A. Trichobothria: all tarsi with 4, forming straight line; metatarsi I–III with 4, IV with 8; tibiae with double row of 4.

Male. Described by Raven and Platnick (1978).

Distribution. Chile: Región VIII (Del Bio–Bio): Provinces of Concepción (male) and Arauco (female)

Other specimens examined. Chile: Región VIII (del Bio–Bio): Arauco: Pata de Gallina, S. of Contulmo [38° 3'38"S 73°13'44"W], 14 Feb 1992 (M. Ramírez – N. Platnick – P. Goloboff) 2 Ƥ ( MACN).

Note. The females described here were not collected with the males; they are assigned to the species because of their similar size and relative geographic proximity (about 140 km).

Figures

FIGURES 25 – 32. Mediothele australis, female. 25 – 26. Right leg I, retrolateral and ventral views. 27 – 28. Spinnerets. 29. Sternum and maxillae. 30 – 31. Cephalothorax. 32. Spermathecae.