Poecilipta waldockae, Raven, 2015

Raven, Robert J., 2015, & lt; strong & gt; A revision of ant-mimicking spiders of the family Corinnidae (Araneae) in the Western Pacific & lt; / strong & gt;, Zootaxa 3958 (1), pp. 1-258 : 193

Poecilipta waldockae sp. nov.

( Fig. 108a–e . Map 66)

Material. Western Australia: holotype ♂, Woodstock Stn , 21°36'40"S, 119°02'23"E, 10–17 Feb 1989, J.M. Waldock, R . Howe, J. Dell, WAM 98 /1661.

Diagnosis. Differs from other known Western Australian species of Poecilipta in the almost untwisted cymbial tip ( Fig. 108b, c ), the very narrow gap of soft cuticle separating the dorsal and genital abdominal scutes ( Fig. 108d, e ), and the narrowly twisted embolus tip and the long shallow posterior slope of the carapace. The male differs from those of P. kgari in the cork-screw embolus tip ( Fig. 108b, c ). Female unknown.

Etymology. The species epithet is in honour of Julianne Waldock, of the Western Australian Museum, in recognition of her passion for conservation of the land’s flora and fauna.

Description Holotype male WAM 98/1661

Carapace 2.12 long, 1.31 wide. Abdomen 2.75 long, 1.25 wide. Total length 5.0.

Colour: carapace matt orange brown without bloom. Dark brown dorsal abdominal scute for length, with similar cuticle but short dark setae on raised bases; two narrow transverse bands of white hair anteriorly and near midpoint. Basal femora orange brown, otherwise legs uniformly yellow brown. Carapace: lines of short white hair on small dark raised bases, cuticle lightly pustulose with steep ledge above distinctly serrate margin. Caput arched, the highest point; fovea set just behind centre and anterior to long gentle posterior slope. Eyes: of back row much larger than those of front. PME ca. one diameter apart. Chelicerae: fangs short; dentition 2R, 2P. Sternum: low, arched with rebordered edge and ca. 20 long submarginal bristles. Wide intercoxal triangles between coxae II and III. Legs: feathery hairs white, as light cover, on dorsal coxae and trochanters, black on femora to metatarsi; precoxal strips narrow between and above III and IV; tarsi ventrally with short thick setae; distinct subdistal constriction on femora III, less so on IV; coxae and basal femora pustulose. Spines: I: fe pv1d3; ti v2.2.2; me v2.2. II: fe d4; ti v2.2.2; me v2.2. III: fe p1d3r1; pa d1; ti p2r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.2. IV: fe p1d4r1; ti p2r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.2. Palp: fe p1d2; pa p1d1; ti p2. Palp: cymbium with slight apical twist, paracymbial spine small, conical, on small base, subtegular retrolateral indent small, embolic division with two small apical twists. Abdomen: scutes: dorsal and genital with fine pallid suture line (cf. Corinnomma ), with pair of long horizontal setae directed forward, genital anterodorsally concave; ventral scute wide, laterally convex, posteriorly widest fused to tracheal scute; petiolar collar long with strong distal ridge; post-epigastric sclerites long curved, rounded.

Distribution. Known only from Woodstock Station, north-west Western Australia.

Remarks. P. waldockae is unusual among the Western Australian Poecilipta treated here in the tightly, rather than widely, spiralled embolus tip but along with the almost fused dorsal and ventral scutes and the long sloping profile of the posterior carapace, it sits uncomfortably both in the P. carnarvon species group and the P. janthina species group; based on the embolus tip, it is included in the latter.

Figures

FIGURE 108. Poecilipta waldockae sp. nov., holotype male, WAM 98/1661: a, habitus; b, embolus tip, scanning electron micrograph; c, palpal patella to cymbium, ventral view; d, e, carapace, pedicel and abdomen, dorsal (d) and lateral (e) views.