Stephanopis longimana Thorell, 1881

Machado, Miguel, Teixeira, Renato Augusto & Milledge, Graham A., 2019, On the Australian Bark Crab Spider Genus Stephanopis: Taxonomic Review and Description of Seven New Species (Araneae: Thomisidae: Stephanopinae), Records of the Australian Museum 71 (6), pp. 217-276 : 255-257

Stephanopis longimana Thorell, 1881

Figs 30–31

Stephanopis longimana Thorell, 1881: 322 .

Type material examined. Holotype ♀, MSNG, Cape York , Queensland [10°42'S 142°31'E], Australia.

Other material examined. Australia, Queensland: ZMB 48561, 1♀, Yandin Natural Reserve , 26°34'55.87"S 152°58'46.03"E, D. Harms, 9 July 2006 ; QM S19432 , 1♂, Beerwah Forestry Reserve , 26°51'S 152°57'E, M. Glover, 10 October 1990 ; QM S67517 , 2♀♀, Buhot Creek ( Burbank ), 27°35'16.188"S 153°10'11.28"E, Queensland Museum Party, 6 September 2003 ; QM S67518 , 1♂, 31 October 2003 ; QM S62563, 1♂, 28 July–2 September 2003 . New South Wales: AMS KS.30417, 1♀, Mount Kaputar NP, 30°17'4.22"S 150°10'0.93"E, H. Smith, 20 October 1991 ; AMS KS.77855, 1♀, Bulls Ground State Forest , 31°35'S 152°41'E, A. York, February 2001 ; AMS KS.117018, 1♀, same data except November 2002 ; AMS KS.21662, 1♂, Jenolan Caves area , 33°49'16.04"S 150°1'10.76"E, G. Hunt, 6 July 1989 ; AMS KS.22517, 3♂♂, same data except 14 August 1989 ; AMS KS.22542, 1♂, same data except 14 August 1989 ; AMS KS.30030, 1♀, Kanangra Boyd NP, 33°59'18.74"S 150°5'18.11"E, M.Gray, 1971 ; AMS KS.44650, 1♂, Brindabella Rules Point , 35°23'36.82"S 148°44'54.43"E, M. Zabka & G. Hunt, 1 September 1988 ; AMS KS.11613, 1♂, Rockton ( Bondi State Forest ), 37°08'S 149°09'E, G. Gowing et al., 14 November 1980 . Tasmania: AMS KS.31447, 1♀, Domain , 42°52'6.98"S 147°19'49.31"E , V. V. Hickman , 23 March 1968 .

Diagnosis. The females of S. longimana can be easily distinguished by their first pair of legs being remarkably stouter and longer than the rest, resembling the general appearance of a palpimanid spider ( Fig. 30A ). The epigynal plate possesses CO hidden by a parallel pair of pockets arranged vertically ( Fig. 30C ), similar to that seen in S. cambridgei but more discrete. Males resemble those of S. arenata sp. nov., S. cambridgei , S. similis sp. nov. and S. spiralis sp. nov. by having the single-tipped and curved RTA and by the tegulum and cymbium retro-ventrally inclined, but these two latter copulatory structures are more elongated than rounded in S. longimana ( Fig. 31C ) The males of all these species also share the long thin and filiform barbs on tibiae and metatarsi I ( Fig. 31A ), but S. longimana is easily distinguished by the reduced body size compared to the other species.

Description. Female (ZMB 48561): Anterior eyes arranged in a recurved row ( Fig. 30B ) and posterior ones in a straight line; prosoma yellow with large brown or black patches, covered by many hyaline short setae ( Fig. 30A ). Leg I predominantly brown, with few yellow spots on femora, while the legs II, III and IV are yellow with marked brown patches ( Fig. 30A ). Opisthosoma obovate and wider on its posterior-lateral portion, covered by clavate setae; yellowish on the sides and with black circular spots delimiting a trapezoid greyish-brown area on the dorsum ( Fig. 30A ). Spermathecae granulose, preceded by copulatory ducts directed sideways and a pair of globose anterior chambers ( Fig. 30D ).

Measurements: eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.06, ALE 0.11, PME 0.09, PLE 0.11, AME–AME 0.10, AME–ALE 0.06, PME–PME 0.14, PME–PLE 0.19, MOQ length 0.30, width 0.27; leg formula: 1-2-4-3: leg I—femur 1.79/ patella 1.00/ tibia 1.61/ metatarsus 1.01/ tarsus 0.38/ total 5.79; II—1.41/ 0.77/ 1.22/ 0.86/ 0.48/ 4.74; III—1.02/ 0.57/ 0.73/ 0.55/ 0.36/ 3.23; IV—1.38/ 0.56/ 0.98/ 0.73/ 0.47/ 4.12. Total body length 9.62; prosoma length 2.06, width 1.93; opisthosoma length 2.12; clypeus height 0.19; sternum length 0.90, width 0.96; gnathocoxae length 0.49, width 0.27; labium length 0.25, width 0.32.

Male (AMS KS.22517): Eye arrangement as in female; clypeus possessing a set of median macrosetae ( Fig. 31B ), prosoma light-brown with a longitudinal darker marking on the median area ( Fig. 31A ). Leg I becoming gradually darker from the proximal part of the tibia to the tarsus; metatarsus I slightly curved ( Fig. 31A ). Other leg characteristics as in female. Palp with oval tegulum and embolus running along the prolateral side of the cymbium, laminar with a welldeveloped pars pendula ( Fig. 31C ); RTA curved retro-laterally and pointing ventrally, parallel to the tegulum ( Fig. 31D ).

Measurements: eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.05, ALE 0.12, PME 0.10, PLE 0.12, AME–AME 0.09, AME–ALE 0.06, PME–PME 0.08, PME–PLE 0.12, MOQ length 0.25, width 0.20; leg formula: 1-2-4-3: leg I—femur 2.10/ patella 1.12/ tibia 2.27/ metatarsus 1.50/ tarsus 0.56/ total 7.55; II—1.54/ 0.74/ 1.46/ 1.02/ 0.55/ 5.31; III—1.04/ 0.59/ 0.80/ 0.52/ 0.46/ 3.41; IV—1.50/ 0.63/ 1.06/ 0.74/ 0.49/ 4.42. Total body length 4.29; prosoma length 2.03, width 1.79; opisthosoma length 2.26; clypeus height 0.20; sternum length 0.90, width 0.97; gnathocoxae length 0.46, width 0.25; labium length 0.23, width 0.33.

Distribution. Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia ( Fig. 35 ).

Figures

Figure 30. Stephanopis longimana Thorell, 1881, female: (A) ZMB 48561, dorsal habitus; (B–D) AMS KS.122288 (B) front; (C) epigynal plate, ventral view; (D) epigynal plate/spermathecae.

Figure 31. Stephanopis longimana Thorell, 1881, male (AMS KS.22517). (A) dorsal habitus; (B) front; (C) ventral view of the left palp; (D) left palp, retro lateral view.

Figure 35. Distribution records of Stephanopis fissifrons, S. flagellata sp. nov., S. lata, S. longimana and S. monulfi.