Blakistonia raveni, Harrison & Rix & Harvey & Austin, 2018

Harrison, Sophie E., Rix, Michael G., Harvey, Mark S. & Austin, Andrew D., 2018, Systematics of the Australian spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Blakistonia Hogg (Araneae: Idiopidae), Zootaxa 4518 (1), pp. 1-76 : 60-62

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4518.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:708981EF-21DC-4DC2-B1CD-8CFF4373DA8C

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5967831

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03C10411-556C-FFFB-E1E8-F936FC38FA0F

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Blakistonia raveni
status

sp. nov.

Blakistonia raveni View in CoL sp. n.

( Fig. 25 View FIGURE 25 A–L)

Type material. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: GoogleMaps Holotype male, Drummond Ranges Summit   GoogleMaps , 23°32’00”S, 147°18’00”E, 25 October–17 December 2000, open forest, pitfall trap, D. Cook, G. Monteith (QMB S57760 View Materials ).

Diagnosis. Males of B. raveni can be distinguished from those of B. bella , B. pidax , B. tunstilli , B. emmottorum , B. gemmelli , and B. aurea by the absence of prolateral clasping spurs on tibia I ( Fig. 25 View FIGURE 25 G–I); from those of B. plata , B birksi , B. newtoni , and B. hortoni by the presence of two, rather than one, prolateral macrosetae on tibia I ( Fig. 25 View FIGURE 25 G–I); from those of B. parva and B. maryae by an eye group that is wider than long ( Fig. 25D View FIGURE 25 ), and from those of B. olea , B. tariae and B. carnarvon by the AME that are not significantly larger than the ALE ( Fig. 25D View FIGURE 25 ), a distinctive ring of dark colour around the carapace edge ( Fig. 25A View FIGURE 25 ), and an embolus that narrows/ tapers before its midpoint ( Fig. 25L View FIGURE 25 ). Females are unknown.

Description. Holotype male (QMB S57760 View Materials ). Small idiopid spider (total length 9.2).

Colour (in ethanol; Fig. 25 View FIGURE 25 A–C): legs, pedipalp and carapace yellow-brown, darker around lateral margins ( Fig. 25A View FIGURE 25 ); sternum yellow-brown, paling towards margins; labium and maxillae same medium brown as sternum; chelicerae slightly darker yellow-brown ( Fig. 25E View FIGURE 25 ); abdomen grey-brown with a distinct pattern of seven dark brown chevrons, anterior two chevrons connected by dark brown median patch, posterior three chevrons separated by pale medial patch ( Fig. 25A, C View FIGURE 25 ).

Cephalothorax: Carapace 3.6 long, 2.8 wide, 2.8 high, 1.3 times longer than wide; oval ( Fig. 25A View FIGURE 25 ), caput moderately raised, ocular area raised ( Fig. 25C View FIGURE 25 ); cuticle smooth, with pits outward from fovea and both sides of caput; fovea straight; row of setae between fovea and eye group, culminating in clump of setae directly posterior to eye group; setae radiating outwards in lines from fovea, concentrated and form fringe on lateral margins; median clump of thickened setae on clypeus ( Fig. 25D View FIGURE 25 ). Length of median clypeus less than 1.0; anterior margin slightly convex. Eye group 0.8 wide, 0.5 long, 0.3 of carapace width; anterior eye row strongly procurved, PLE–PLE/ALE– ALE ratio 1.0; posterior eye row slightly recurved; AME slightly smaller than ALE and separated by less than AME diameter; PLE about one-third of ALE and separated by about ALE diameter; PME pale, about two-thirds of PLE, and separated from PLE by less than its own diameter ( Fig. 25D View FIGURE 25 ). Labium without ( Fig. 25F View FIGURE 25 ). Sternum 1.9 long, 1.7 wide, evenly setose; sigilla indistinct ( Fig. 25E View FIGURE 25 ). Maxillae without cuspules ( Fig. 25E, F View FIGURE 25 ).

Legs: diffusely setose and spinose; tarsi I and II ventrally slightly swollen; tarsi and distal metatarsi I, II scopulate. Paired tarsal claws: leg I p5 (5 large) r6 (5 large, 1 small); leg II p5 (5 large), r5 (5 large); leg III p5 (5 large), r5 (5 large); leg IV p6 (5 large, 1 small, r6 5 large, 1 small).

Spination: Tibia I with two prolateral macrosetae ( Fig. 15 View FIGURE 15 G–I). All legs diffusely setose and spinose, with no clear demarcation between lanceolate setae and smaller spine-like setae.

Leg and pedipalp measurements: Length of legs IV> I> II> III. Leg I: femur 3.6, patella 1.8, tibia 2.6, metatarsus 2.3, tarsus 1.6, total = 11.9. Leg II: femur 3.2, patella 1.5, tibia 2.4, metatarsus 2.1, tarsus 1.7, total = 9.2. Leg III: femur 2.8, patella 1.3, tibia 2.1, metatarsus 2.3, tarsus 1.7, total = 8.5. Leg IV: femur 3.7, patella 1.8, tibia 3.4, metatarsus 3.4, tarsus 1.9, total = 14.2. Pedipalp: femur 2.0, patella 1.0, tibia 1.7, tarsus 0.9, total = 8.0.

Pedipalp: Femur with dorsal spines, patella with thickened ventral setae; tibia short and swollen, RTA very short and stout, covered in short, dense spinules for more than half distance between base of apophysis and distal tibia, becoming more sparse towards distal end; long, erect setae on ventral tibia; bulb uniform, globular; embolus simple, slender, tapering, tip slightly twisted, just over length of bulb; cymbium with rows of long spinules, becoming longer and denser distally ( Fig. 25 View FIGURE 25 J–L).

Abdomen: Abdomen setose, oval, dorsal sigilla not evident; 3.5 long, 2.4 wide ( Fig. 25A View FIGURE 25 ).

Variation: None.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Dr Robert Raven, for his unparalleled contributions to arachnid taxonomy.

Distribution. Blakistonia raveni is known only from the Drummond Ranges, Queensland ( Fig. 34 View FIGURE 34 ).

Remarks. This specimen was caught in a pitfall trap in open forest.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Idiopidae

Genus

Blakistonia

GBIF Dataset (for parent article) Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF