Ozarchaea westraliensis Rix, 2006

Rix, Michael G. & Harvey, Mark S., 2010, The first pararchaeid spider (Araneae: Pararchaeidae) from New Caledonia, with a discussion on spinneret spigots and egg sac morphology in Ozarchaea, Zootaxa 2414, pp. 27-40 : 32-33

Ozarchaea westraliensis Rix, 2006

Figs 32–35

Ozarchaea westraliensis Rix, 2006: 243 , figs 107–110, 119, 127.

Material examined. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 1 female, Mount Cooke, 32°25’26.9”S, 116°18’39.0”E, sifting wet leaf litter below ‘saddle’, 30 August 2009, M. Rix, D. Harms, S. Harms, J.

Waldock ( WAM T99059); 1 egg sac, Cottonwood Crescent (formerly ‘Tuart Hill’) Bushland Reserve, Dianella, Perth, 31°52’S, 115°51’E, 20 August 2006, M. Rix.

Description of egg sac. Similar in most respects to that described for Anarchaea raveni Rix, 2006 (see Rix, 2006, fig. 146), with two discrete protective layers comprising a remarkable silken complex ( Fig. 35 ). Egg sac proper discoid, circular in dorsal profile, attached to substrate. Inner silken layer covering egg sac, attached to substrate around margins, comprised of fine, mesh-like silk. Outer silken layer complex, starshaped, forming protective three-dimensional ‘cap’ over inner layer and egg sac.

Remarks. While a female spider was not collected with the described egg sac, Ozarchaea westraliensis is the only pararchaeid species recorded from Cottonwood Crescent Reserve, which is also the type locality of this species ( Rix 2006).

Figures

FIGURES 32 – 35. Live images of Ozarchaea westraliensis Rix: 32 – 34, female from Mount Cooke, Western Australia, photographed in captivity; 35, egg sac from Cottonwood Crescent Reserve, Perth, Western Australia, showing complex outer layer and star-shaped ‘ cap’.