Karaops burbidgei Crews & Harvey, 2011

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 burbidgei Crews & Harvey, 2011

Fig. 48C, D , Maps 1 , 9A, B

Karaops burbidgei Crews & Harvey, 2011: 48, figs 35-28 (♂♀, examined).

Diagnosis.

The males can be differentiated from other members of the group by the large tegular lobe that covers nearly all of the basal part of the cymbium and the spermophor does not come into contact with the lower margin of the lobe ( Crews and Harvey 2011: fig. 35). The female can be differentiated from other species by having short copulatory ducts, and the copulatory openings are located beneath an m-shaped hood in the center of the epigynal plate ( Crews and Harvey 2011: figs 37, 38).

Description.

The description of the male and female can be found in Crews and Harvey (2011).

Distribution.

This species is known only from Barrow and Varanus Islands, Western Australia.

Natural history.

Karaops burbidgei (Fig. 48C, D ) is only known from Barrow Island and Varanus Island. The islands are primarily in the Carnarvon ecoregion in the Cape Range subregion. The south peninsula of Barrow Island is part of the Pilbara bioregion, Roebourne subregion, and no specimens have been collected here, but it is unclear if the area has been searched. Males and females have been collected in both the hotter, wetter season and the cooler, drier season. This species has been collected on or beneath rocks at night and in pitfall traps set around the rocks.

Discussion.

This species is morphologically similar and genetically closely related to Karaops durrantorum sp. nov. (Suppl. material 1). Barrow Island is a land-bridge island, and there have been several fluctuations of sea level connecting and disconnecting it from the mainland. The last time there was a connection to the mainland was 8-10 kya. Sea levels have also caused the island to be divided into smaller islands until ~ 2 kya ( Moro and Lagdon 2013) (Suppl. material 2: table S1).

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 48. Karaops markharveyi sp. nov. and members of the Pilbara-Gascoyne species group A Karaops markharveyi sp. nov., adult male, Judbarra National Park, Northern Territory (sel _ 1329, MAGNT A 004885) B Karaops sp., Timber Creek, Nackeroo Lookout, Northern Territory. Arrow indicates setal tufts C Karaops burbidgei, paratype female, Barrow Island (WAM T 76698) D Karaops burbidgei, holotype male, Barrow Island (WAM T 55000). Scale bars: 1 mm.