Anomalosa Roewer, 1960

Framenau, Volker W., 2006, Revision of the Australian wolf spider genus Anomalosa Roewer, 1960 (Araneae: Lycosidae), Zootaxa 1304, pp. 1-20 : 4-5

Genus Anomalosa Roewer, 1960

Anomalosa Roewer 1960: 977 . Lehtinen & Hippa 1979: 7.

Type species. Anomalomma kochi Simon, 1898 . By original designation.

Diagnosis. Within the Venoniinae (sensu Lehtinen & Hippa 1979), Anomalosa has somatic and genitalic characters similar to Venonia . It differs from Venonia in its colouration, as the dorsal shield of the prosoma and the opisthosoma have light median bands, in particular distinct in males, whereas the dorsal shield of the prosoma and the opisthosoma of Venonia are of uniform colouration with a posterodorsal white spot above the spinnerets. Pedipalp morphology shows distinct differences between Anomalosa and Venonia . The cymbium is not truncated apico­retrolaterally as in Venonia and the prolateral tegular lobe is much larger than the tegular apophysis in Anomalosa (smaller than the tegular apophysis in Venonia ). Anomalosa clearly differs from Anomalomma , where A. kochi was initially placed, as Anomalomma has short spinnerets (Simon in Hasselt 1890: 199: “Mammillae brevissimae, ut in Cybeo L. Koch.”). The type material of the type species of the genus, A. lycosinum Simon, 1890 , appears to be lost ( Lehtinen & Hippa 1983).

Description. Small wolf spiders (TL ca. 3.8–6.8 mm) with narrow, elongated prosoma and opisthosoma. Dorsal profile of prosoma straight in lateral view ( Fig. 4 ). Head flanks steep in frontal view ( Fig. 5 ). Uniform brown to black colouration, but centrally lighter or with a distinct light median band. Indistinct darker radial pattern. Anterior median eyes slightly larger than anterior lateral eyes, row of AE narrower than row of PME; row of AE procurved ( Fig. 5 ). Chelicerae with three promarginal and three retromarginal teeth. Labium as wide or slightly wider than long. Opisthosoma uniformly olive­grey to black, with a light median line, in particularly distinct in males. Posterior spinnerets distinctly longer than anterior spinnerets ( Fig. 3 ). Coxae light yellow­brown, femora II–IV with one basal and one central light annulation. Leg formula generally VI>I>II>III, but variable as legs I–III are of very similar length. Spination of legs: Femur: 2 or 3 dorsal, 0–1 (rarely 2) apicoprolateral; patella: 1 apicodorsal; tibia: 2 dorsal; 2 ventral pairs, 1 prolateral; metatarsus: 3 ventral pairs.

Tegulum with a prolateral, bipartite (i.e. partly sclerotised and partly membranous) lobe and a retrolateral extension in which the spermduct is visible. Tegular apophysis membranous (heavily reduced in A. kochi ). Embolus originating prolaterally on palea, long and slender and with a curled tip that rests in a cavity of the terminal apophysis. Terminal apophysis originates centrally on the apical part of the bulb. Epigyne a simple sclerotised plate with a posterior incision. Large, oval spermathecae and reduced fertilisation ducts.

Distribution. Currently only known from Australia ( Figs 12 , 21 ).

Remarks. A recent molecular phylogeny inferred from 12S rRNA and NADH1 including seventy world­wide lycosid species with the majority from the Australasian region, included A. oz sp. nov. (as Anomalosa kochi , WAM T56076) as representative of Anomalosa ( Murphy et al. 2006) . Independent of the phylogenetic analysis used (parsimony, Bayesian), A. oz sp. nov. represented the sister taxon of Venonia micarioides ( L. Koch, 1877) in a clade that also included both species of Allotrochosina Roewer, 1960 ( Vink 2001) . This confirmed the close relationship of Anomalosa and Venonia that is evident by similar somatic and genital morphology. This clade (Venoniinae sensu stricto) is sister to a clade including all species of Pirata (Piratinae sensu Zyuzin, 1993) ( Murphy et al. 2006).

The male pedipalp of Anomalosa is characterised by a large prolateral tegular lobe and membranous tegular apophysis (heavily reduced in A. kochi ). These structures are equivalent to structures in Venonia in which the prolateral tegular lobe is generally much smaller and the tegular apophysis much larger (Yoo & Framenau in press). Lethinen and Hippa (1979) did not know the second species of Anomalosa , which bears both, a distinct prolateral tegular lobe and a tegular apophysis (e.g. Fig. 16 ), and erroneously termed the prolateral lobe as median (= tegular) apophysis.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Spinnerets of male Anomalosa kochi (Simon) from Laidley Creek, Queensland, Australia (QM S 61256), ventral view. Scale bar 0.80 mm.

FIGURE 4. Male pedipalp (SEM) of Anomalosa kochi (Simon) from Boggomoss, Queensland, Australia (QM S 36893), ventral view.

FIGURE 12. Records of Anomalosa kochi (Simon) in Australia.

FIGURE 21. Records of Anomalosa oz sp. nov. in Australia.

FIGURES 5 – 11. Anomalosa kochi (Simon), male (QM S 36714) from Nathan Gorge, Queensland, Australia, female (QM S 36727) from Boggomoss, Queensland, Australia. 5 Male prosoma, lateral view; 6 male eye pattern, frontal view; 7 – 8 Left male pedipalp (7 ventral, 8 retrolateral view); 9 Apical part of bulbus, ventral view; 10 – 11 Female epigyne (10 ventral, 11 dorsal view). Scale bar: 5, 2.30 mm; 6, 0.90 mm; 7 – 8, 0.45 mm; 9, 0.30 mm; 10 – 11, 0.35 mm. The tip of the resting embolus in Fig. 9 is dislodged from its normal resting position behind, and in a grove of, the terminal apophysis, similar to A. oz sp. nov. (see Fig. 18).

FIGURES 16 – 20. Anomalosa oz sp. nov., male holotype (WAM T 65677) from Barmah State Forest, Victoria, Australia, and female paratype (WAM T 70050) from Lake Eppalock, Victoria, Australia. 16 – 17 Left male pedipalp (16 ventral, 17 retrolateral view); 18 Apical part of bulbus, ventral view. 19 – 20 Female epigyne (19 ventral, 20 dorsal view). Scale bar: 16 – 17, 1.30 mm; 18, 0.75 mm; 19 – 20, 0.30 mm.