Karaops keithlongbottomi Crews & Harvey, 2011

Crews, Sarah C., 2023, But wait, there's more! Descriptions of new species and undescribed sexes of flattie spiders (Araneae, Selenopidae, Karaops) from Australia, ZooKeys 1150, pp. 1-189 : 1

Karaops keithlongbottomi Crews & Harvey, 2011

Figs 17E , 18C-E , 18I, J , 19A, B , Maps 1 , 7

Karaops keithlongbottomi Crews & Harvey, 2011: 34, figs 19-20 (♂, examined).

Material examined.

Western Australia • ♂ (reared in captivity) , 6 imm.; Mitchell River National Park, Bujani ( Little Merten's Falls ); -14.82218, 125.7131; 21 May 2016; J. DeJong leg.; on rocks at night; sel_1244-1245; SCC16_047; (WAM T155620-T155621) .

Emended diagnosis.

Given the number of the new, morphologically similar species described here, the diagnosis is updated, and new illustrations are provided for ease of identification. The male is similar to other members of the group but is most easily differentiated by the RTA (Figs 18D, E , 19A, B ). In ventral view, the vRTA is somewhat shaped like the tube and bell of a sousaphone, rather than the oblong or spoon-shaped vRTA of other species. The dRTA is short and plicate.

Description.

The description is updated here based on the recently collected additional male. The full description of the male can be found in Crews and Harvey (2011).

Male (sel_1244, WAM T155620). Color (in life Fig. 17E /preserved Fig. 18C, I, J ): Carapace: pale tan-yellow with two dark marks mediolaterally on either side of fovea and a small, dark mark posteromedially/orangish brown, darker markings not as conspicuous, with dark, slender setae, darker where two dark marks located, distributed somewhat densely but integument still visible beneath, a few dark, stiff setae posteriorly. Chelicerae: yellowish tan, paturon with dark edges (Fig. 18J )/orangish with dark marks less conspicuous than in life. Abdomen: pale brown with dark brown spots anteriorly and laterally, slightly dark in cardiac area, two dark patches medially, chevrons posteriorly, black, undulate mark posteriorly/orangish yellow, with spots and markings less conspicuous, long, dark, slender setae. Legs: pale yellowish white, Cx with dark marks prolaterally, Tr, Fm with small black dots at Tr-Fm joint, dark marks paler centrally, Fm with dark annulation at Fm-Pt joint, Pt with dark annulation at Pt-Ti joint, Ti with dark annulation mid-Ti and one closer to the Ti-Mt joint, Mt with annulation at both ends, Ta dusky distally/orangish brown, dark marks less conspicuous; spination leg I Ti v 2-2-2-2-2-2, Mt v 2-2; leg II Ti v 2-2-2-2-2, Mt v 2-2-2.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.

Known from Ngauwudu (Mitchell Plateau), Northern Kimberley, Western Australia (Map 7 ).

Natural history.

Very little is known about the type other than it was collected from Drysdale River Station, late 1995. The precise locality, time of year, and microhabitat are unknown. The abdomen of the type is damaged (Fig. 18C ). The new specimens were collected on rocks at night at Bujani (Little Merten’s Falls), Mitchell River National Park. Males and penultimate males are known from the drier, cooler part of the year. This species is known from the Mitchell subregion of the North Kimberley bioregion. The area has a tropical savannah climate, and it is very wet in the wet season, often rendering roads impassable ( Graham 2001b).

Discussion.

This specimen and the penultimate female are quite large - the largest Karaops species known. The length of the holotype is unknown due to abdominal damage, but the carapace is 3.3. The length of the newly collected specimen is 8.41, with a carapace length of 4.64. The female remains undescribed. Although we only know of two areas where it is found, the new data do help to provide a bit more knowledge of its range, highlighting the importance targeted collecting and rearing to adulthood (Suppl. material 2: tables S1, S6).

Figures

Map 1. Map of Australia showing areas that are expanded in subsequent figures. CD = Central Desert group, D = Karaops dawara group, F = Karaops francesae group, K = Kimberley group, UA = species that are not assigned to a group, PG = Pilbara-Gascoyne group.

Map 7. Species of the Kimberley species group. Diamonds (juveniles): light purple = Mimbi Caves; blue = Geike Gorge, green = Adcock Gorge, teal = Augustus Island, pink = Little Mertens Falls, yellow = Emma Gorge, orange = Kelly's Knob, red = Keep River National Park; Circles: green = Karaops dejongi sp. nov., blue = Karaops jenniferae, red = Karaops dalmanyi sp. nov., purple = Karaops sp. adult male (will be described in subsequent publication), white = Karaops conilurus sp. nov., pink = Karaops umiida, yellow = Karaops alanlongbottomi, teal = Karaops keithlongbottomi, mauve = Karaops larryoo, orange = Karaops garyodwyeri sp. nov., black = Karaops malumbu sp. nov. Juveniles are treated as distinct species based on molecular data.

Figure 17. Members of the Kimberley species group A Karaops sp., Kelly's Knob, Western Australia B Karaops sp., Kelly's Knob, Western Australia C Karaops sp., Keep River National Park, Northern Territory (sel _ 1320, MAGNT A 004876) D Karaops sp. eating a fly, Kelly's Knob, Western Australia E Karaops keithlongbottomi, Bujani (Little Merten's Falls), Mitchell River National Park, Western Australia (sel _ 1244, WAM T 155620).

Figure 18. Members of the Kimberley species group A Karaops sp., Keep River National Park, Northern Territory (sel _ 1315, MAGNT A 004871) B habitat, Keep River National Park, Northern Territory C Karaops keithlongbottomi, holotype male, Drysdale River Station, Western Australia (WAM T 55002) D Karaops keithlongbottomi, palp, dorsal, Bujani (Little Merten's Falls), Mitchell River National Park, Western Australia (sel _ 1244, WAM T 155620) E Karaops keithlongbottomi, holotype male, palp, dorsal, Drysdale River Station, Western Australia (WAM T 55002) F Karaops dejongi sp. nov., holotype female, RAAF Boab Quarry, Western Australia (sel _ 1273, WAM T 155649) G Karaops umiida, holotype female, Irvine Island, Western Australia (WAM T 110393) H habitat, Keep River National Park, Northern Territory I Karaops keithlongbottomi, Bujani (Little Merten's Falls), Mitchell River National Park, Western Australia (sel _ 1244 WAM T 155620) J same, face showing marks on chelicerae. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (D, E); 1 mm (A, C, F, J); 5 mm (G, I).

Figure 19. Members of the Kimberley species group A Karaops keithlongbottomi, palp, ventral, Bujani (Little Merten's Falls), Mitchell River National Park, Western Australia (sel _ 1244, WAM T 155620) B same, retrolateral C Karaops sp., Mimbi Caves, Western Australia (sel _ 1276, WAM T 155652) D Karaops dejongi sp. nov., paratype male, RAAF Boab Quarry, Western Australia (sel _ 1272, WAM T 155648) E Karaops sp., Geike Gorge, Western Australia (sel _ 1267, WAM T 155643) F habitat, Mimbi Caves, Western Australia. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A, B); 1 mm (C-E).