Poecilipta wallacei, 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 : 195-197

Poecilipta wallacei sp. nov.

( Figs 3c , 109a–e . Map 67)

Material: Queensland: holotype ♂, Nob Ck , 22°52'S, 150°37'E, pitfall, Jan 1994, D. Wallace, Healy, QM S32637 . Paratypes : Queensland: (allotype) 1♀, Nipping Gully (Site 4), 25°40'S, 151°26'E, open forest, pitfall, 18 Dec 1998 – 25 Jan 1999, G. Monteith, C. Gough, QM S52271 ; 1♂, Beerwah Forestry Reserve (C4), 26°51'S, 152°57'E, 27 Feb 1991, M. Glover, QM S39279 ; 1♂, Braemar SF, 27°13'S, 150°50'E, pitfall, 4–8 Feb 1980, G. & S. Monteith, QM S29491 ; 1♂, Brookfield, Gold Ck Rd, 27°30'S, 152°55'E, litter, 23 Jun 1980, R. Raven, V. Davies, QM S29518 ; 1♂, Bushley Stn ( DW12 ), 23°32'S, 150°15'E, open forest, pitfall, 21 Mar–22 Oct 1990, D. Wallace, R. Raven, K. Williams, QM S39278 ; 1♂, Lawes, 15 Feb 1978, S. & I. Barrett, QM S39535 ; 1♂, Mt Mee , via Samford, 27°05'S, 152°47'E, rainforest, 26 Apr 1988, R. Raven, J. Gallon, QM S39466 ; 1♂ 1♀, Pheasant Ck, 23°45'S, 150°09'E, ironbark woodland, pitfall, Mar 1993, D. Wallace, F. Armstrong, QM S43785 . Western Australia: 4♂, Cocanarup Timber Reserve , 33°38'S, 119°54'E, salmon gum woodland, Nov. 1993, G. Harold .

Non-type Material: Northern Territory: 1♂, Barkly Highway , ca. 40 km E Camooweal (site 2), 19°58'S, 138°29'E, pitfall, 5–7 Apr 1997, R . J. Raven, QM S40562 .

Diagnosis. Males differs from those of P. janthina by one less whorl on the embolus tip and females by the relatively closer (3 diameters apart rather than 6) CO. The species differs from P. kgari sp. nov. in the posterior eye row set further back but lacking scales on the cephalothorax and abdomen, and by the orange cephalothorax and brown abdomen. Differs from P. venusta in the smooth carapace edge.

Etymology. In honour of the late Mr Doug Wallace, OAM (1923–2012) who long freely provided central Queensland with arachnological reassurance, talks and large spider displays at the Rockhampton Botanical Gardens. Doug substantially helped and supported the Queensland Museum's Pitfall Survey from 1990–1992, from which many new spider species in the families Barychelidae , Dipluridae , Lamponidae , Prodidomidae and Oonopidae have been described.

Description Holotype male QM S32637

Carapace 3.08 long, 1.64 wide. Abdomen 3.24 long, 1.48 wide. Total length 6.4.

Colour: carapace brown orange with darker margins, chelicerae, sternum and legs brown orange; abdomen dark brown with dark plum blue sheen; dorsal scute for ca. 0.9, with saddle at half length; ventral scute laterally parallel-sided, posteriorly indented. Basal half of femora I and II dark brown, rest yellow; femur III brown, rest orange; femur IV dark brown, patella to metatarsus light brown; tarsi all pallid. Carapace: with uniform cover of white hairs. Chelicerae: with strong bristles on dorsal face, weaker and medially directed more on ventral half. Sternum: Smooth, low with few long submarginal bristles. Legs: feathery hairs absent; femoral bases darker than rest of leg; no strong black setae ventrally on tarsi; femur IV unmodified. Spines: all strong. I: fe p1d3; ti v2.2.2; me v2.2. II: fe p1d3; ti v2.2; me v2.2. III: fe p2d3r2; pa p1 apical ti p2r2v2.2; me p3r1v2.1.1.3. IV: fe p1d3r2; pa p1 apical ti p2r1v1.1.1.1; me p2r1v2.1 v2.1.2.3. Palp: fe p1d2v0; pa p1d1.1; ti p2. Abdomen: pedicel collar very short; ventral scute very long, narrow and includes tracheal scute. Palp: paracymbial spine beak-like; embolus long, spiralled from prolateral across to retrolateral and to long slightly curved tip.

Allotype Female QM S52271

Carapace 3.16 long, 1.48 wide. Abdomen 3.60 long, 2.00 wide. Total length, 6.8.

Colour: carapace orange brown with blue bloom; sternum, coxae, and femora orange brown; patellae–tarsi I and II yellowish; III and IV brown with pallid tarsi; abdomen dorsally with small brown smooth long rectangular scute with blue bloom, with broad transverse band, deepest dorsally behind scute, and pallid central band meets posterior zone forming two contiguous pointed ovoid areas. Femora III and IV with paler longitudinal stripes. Carapace: orange peel surface with smooth margins; notable fine white hairs (not feathery) on caput and lines of hair in posterior striae, only scattered hairs elsewhere; long black bristle anteriorly directed behind each PLE; fovea long; posterior slope without basal plateau; prefoveal profile rounded, distinctly sloped down to eyes. Clypeus subvertical. Carapace margin smooth with narrow rebordered edge. Eyes: lower edge of AME in line with or below that of ALE. Chelicerae: strong bristle cover; 8–10 thick fang setae. Sternum: smooth; with blue bloom; low, domed; margins not thickened; ca. 20 long thick, erect bristles around submargin; short posteriorly; very subtle intercoxal points. Legs: black feathery hairs on femora; femora III and IV unmodified; thick setae ventrally on tarsi. 4–6 long erect thicker bristles ventrally off all coxae; two basally on femur III; 10–15 in basal half of femora I and II. Lanceolate setae ventrally on distal tibiae, and for full length of metatarsi and tarsi I and II and tarsi III and IV. Palpal claw bare. Spines, all strong: I: fe p1d3; pa 0; ti v2.2.2; me v2.2. II: fe d3; rest as for I. III: fe p2d3r1; pa d1; ti p2r2v.2; me p2r1v2.2.3. IV: fe p1d3r1; pa d1; ti p2r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.3. Palp: fe p1d2v4; pa p1d2; ti p2d1; ta p2. Scutes: dorsal, longitudinal, rectangular with irregular invaginated end, widely separated from genital; genital with wide, roughly triangular unsclerotised shallow area from epigyne edge to inner booklung edge; post-epigastric sclerites absent; ventrally, anterior collar deeply concave, widely separated dorsally by small separate scute; tracheal, roughly square, hirsute, weak. Epigyne: long sausage-like spermathecae evident with pair of small fossae ca. one-third from base; entirely sclerotised to pedicel, save for broad unsclerotised invagination on booklung margin.

Distribution and Habitat. Known from open forest through eastern Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Castianeirinae, comparative lateral carapace: a, Poecilipta janthina Simon, 1896, male, QM S22719; b, Copa kabana sp. nov., male, QM S31639. c–e, Poecilipta, c, P. wallacei sp. nov., holotype male, QM S32637; d, P. gloverae sp. nov., paratype male, QM S29488; e, P. lugubris sp. nov., holotype male, AM KS11430; f, Leptopicia bimaculata (Simon, 1896), male, MNHP.

FIGURE 109. Poecilipta wallacei sp. nov.: a–c, scanning electron micrographs, male palpal bulb, ventral view (a); b, embolus tip, ventral view; c, paracymbial spine, ventral view. Allotype female, QM S52271: epigyne, d, e, external (d), and internal (e).