Karaops feedtime Crews, 2013

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 feedtime Crews, 2013

Fig. 73G , Maps 1 , 9A, B

Karaops feedtime Crews, 2013: 454, figs 13, 14 (♀, examined).

Diagnosis.

This species is unique from all other species in the Pilbara/Gascoyne group by having a long median lobe that isn’t as strongly sclerotized posteriorly as the rest of the lobe. Additionally, it has asymmetrical, long ducts with several curves. The accessory bulb is erroneously labeled as a spermatheca in fig. 14 of Crews (2013). The spermathecae are very long, with small bulbs on either end. The accessory bulbs are on the copulatory duct, with a small duct and a small bulb at each end of the spermathecae ( Crews 2013: figs 13, 14).

Description.

The description of the female can be found in Crews (2013).

Male. Unknown.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality on the border of the Chichester and Fortescue subregions of the Pilbara, Western Australia (Map 9A, B ).

Natural history.

Karaops feedtime occurs in the Fortescue subregion of the Pilbara bioregion, close to the border of the Chichester subregion, around an area that has been altered extensively by mining operations. In the central part of the region where the specimen was collected, the habitat is bunch grass and short grass communities on and around mesas ( Kendrick 2001b). The climate is semi-desert tropical, with rainfall occurring mostly during summer cyclone events. This species may be an SRE. March is quite a bit wetter than April and because this species was collected in a pitfall trap over both months, it is difficult to determine the climate at the time. The Fortescue subregion is conspicuously empty of Karaops (Map 9B ). This could be because there are more plains and grasses and less rocky areas or less areas to survey because of a lack of mining operations in the subregion (Suppl. material 2: table S1).

Discussion.

Karaops feedtime is known from a single specimen that was collected in a pitfall trap that was left out from late March to late April. It is one of the many species known from a single specimen that falls within the range of the widespread K. nyiyaparli , which was the only species that was collected on a recent field trip to the type locality of K. feedtime . Karaops feedtime and K. nyiyaparli are not morphologically similar in genitalic characteristics. The type is damaged (Fig. 73G ).

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 9. Species of the Pilbara-Gascoyne species group A diamonds (juveniles): blue = Erawandoo Hill, orange = Mt. Augustus, red = Nammuldi, yellow = Hillside-Corunna-Glenn Herring, black = Marble Bar-Glacier Valley, pink = Orebody 19, 31, teal = Wheelara North, orange with thick outline = Harding Dam (maybe Karaops ngarluma, see text); Circles: dark blue = Karaops julianneae, dark green = Karaops badgeradda, red = Karaops joehaeneri sp. nov., teal = Karaops karrawarla, blue = Karaops durrantorum sp. nov., brown = Karaops burbidgei, green = Karaops martamarta, purple = Karaops nyangumarta, black = Karaops banyjima, yellow = Karaops morganoconnelli sp. nov., gray = Karaops nyiyaparli, red-brown = Karaops feedtime, bright pink = Karaops nyamal (probably, see text), white = Karaops kariyarra, bright green = Karaops yurlburr, orange = Karaops ngarluma, tan = Karaops jaburrara, peach = Karaops forteyi, teal = new species yet undescribed; small white diamonds are unidentifiable immatures for which no molecular data are available B boxed area expanded for clarity.

Figure 73. Members of the Pilbara-Gascoyne species group A Karaops nyiyaparli, BHP Rail Line (sel _ 1230, WAM T 155606) (Photo: J. DeJong) B habitat of Karaops nyiyaparli, Millstream-Chichester National Park C habitat of Karaops nyiyaparli along BHP Rail Line D Karaops nyiyaparli, holotype female (WAM T 111455) E Karaops kariyarra, holotype female, Wodgina Mine (WAM T 105208) F Karaops kariyarra, adult female, 55 km S of Port Hedland (WAM T 106657) G Karaops feedtime, holotype female, NNW Newman (WAM T 111456) H Karaops forteyi, holotype female, Cowra Line Camp (WAM T 79407) I same, paratype male, Cowra Line Camp (WAM T 79408).