Raveniella luteola ( Hickman, 1945 ) Rix & Harvey, 2010

Rix, Michael & Harvey, Mark, 2010, The spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea): a relimitation and revision at the generic level, ZooKeys 36 (36), pp. 1-321 : 49

Raveniella luteola ( Hickman, 1945) , comb. n.

Figs 46B , 74 , 75C , 78 A–C, 79–83

Textricella luteola Hickman, 1945: 144 , figs 11–15. Forster, 1959: 275, fig. 3. Forster & Platnick, 1981: 266, figs 11–12, 25–26. Forster & Platnick, 1984: 92, figs 356, 368. Brignoli, 1983: 375, 695. Davies, 1985: 113. Platnick, 2009.

Type material. Syntype male and female: Mount Wellington, Tasmania, Australia, from moss, 23.VII.1943 ( AMS KS6693).

Selected material examined. AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: Mount Wellington, Horseshoe Bend , 25.IX.1977, P. McQuillan, 1♀ ( WAM T94136) ; Mount Wellington, Lenah Valley , 27.IV.2006, M. Rix, 9♁, 3♀ ( WAM T77730 SEM♁) ; same data, 1♁ ( WAM T80029 DNA-MPE) ; Mount Wellington, Woods Track to O’Grady’s Falls , 28.IV.2006, M. Rix, L. Boutin, 1♁ ( WAM T94102) ; Cuckoo Falls, near Scottsdale , 26.IV.2006, M. Rix, 4♁, 5♀ ( WAM T94103 SEM ♀) . Victoria: Beauchamp Falls, Otway Ranges , 24.IV.2006, M. Rix, 1♁, 10♀ ( WAM T94101) ; Yarra Ranges National Park, Mount Donna Buang , 27.V.1990, D. Black, 1♀ ( WAM T94151) ; Yarra Ranges National Park, ‘ The Beeches’, near Marysville , 18.IV.2006, M. Rix, 3♁, 5♀ ( WAM T94104) . New South Wales: Dorrigo National Park, Wonga Walk and track towards Never Never Picnic Area , 11.IV.2006, M. Rix, 5♁, 2♀ ( WAM T94095) ; Kosciusko National Park, Snowy Mountains, uphill from Betts Creek Crossing, 16.IV.2006, M. Rix, A. Rix, 1♁, 3♀ ( WAM T94100) . Queensland: Curtis Farm, Canungra , 31.III.1979, G. Monteith, 1♁, 1♀ ( AMNH) .

Remarks. Raveniella luteola is a distinctive and widespread species in south-eastern Australia, occurring in mesic forests from south-eastern Queensland to Tasmania, at both low and high altitudes. It can be extremely common in the moss, leaf litter and ferny understory of temperate rainforests (M. Rix, pers. obs.), often occurring in sympatry with other south-eastern Australian textricellin species, e.g. Eterosonycha alpina , E. aquilina , Epigastrina fulva , R. hickmani and Normplatnicka lamingtonensis . In alpine habitats at Kosciusko National Park, specimens of R. luteola have been collected from morning-thawed sphagnum moss, where the spiders presumably survive freezing night-time temperatures in the subniveal space (M. Rix, pers. obs.).

Figures

Figure 46. The enlarged, sinuous textricellin flagelliform gland spigot: A–B scanning electron micrographs of posterior lateral spinnerets of male Normplatnicka lamingtonensis (Forster) (left) and male Raveniella luteola (Hickman) (right), showing the characteristic FL gland spigot.

Figure 74. Raveniella luteola (Hickman) from Mount Wellington, Tasmania (WAM T77730): A male habitus, dorsal view B female habitus, dorsal view C male cephalothorax, antero-lateral view D female abdomen, ventral view.

Figure 75. Raveniella species, female cleared receptacula, dorsal view: A R. hickmani (Forster) from near Marysville, Victoria (WAM T94096) B detail of tracheae and right receptaculum of R. hickmani from near Marysville, Victoria (WAM T94096) C R. luteola (Hickman) from Mount Wellington, Tasmania (WAM T77730) D paratype R. peckorum sp. n. from Modong Nature Reserve, Western Australia (WAM T94408). Scale bars = 0.065 mm (65 µm).

Figure 78. Scanning electron micrographs of female Raveniella luteola (Hickman) from Mount Wellington, Tasmania (WAM T94103) and paratype male Raveniella peckorum sp. n. from Modong Nature Reserve, Western Australia (WAM T94408) (D–F): A R. luteola sternum, ventral view B detail of (A), showing reticulate sternal cuticle C R. luteola cephalothorax, dorso-lateral view D R. peckorum cephalothorax, lateral view E R. peckorum corner of carapace and ectal margin of left cheliceral paturon, anterodorsal view F detail of (E), showing cheliceral-pedipalpal stridulatory system.