Stephanopis similis Machado, 2019

Machado, Miguel, Teixeira, Renato Augusto & Milledge, Graham A., 2019, On the Australian Bark Crab Spider Genus Stephanopis: Taxonomic Review and Description of Seven New Species (Araneae: Thomisidae: Stephanopinae), Records of the Australian Museum 71 (6), pp. 217-276 : 267-268

Stephanopis similis Machado sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 8A2D2DDD-B909-44CB-BB6E-4E0C98ED4D41

Figs 43–44

Holotype ♀, AMS KS.30026, Kanangra Boyd National Park (Boyd plateau near to Jenolan Caves), 34°03'S 150°05'E, New South Wales, Australia, G. Hunt, 6 June 1961 . Paratypes: AMS KS.121191, 1♀, Werrikimbe NP, 31°11'56"S 152°10'23"E, E. Tasker, 2 December 1997 ; AMS KS.22518, 1♂, Jenolan Caves area (playing fields), 33°49'S 150°02'E, G. Hunt, 14 August 1979 ; AMS KS.29993, 1♂, Kanangra Boyd National Park (Blood Filly Creek), 33°51'S 150°03'E, New South Wales, Australia, M. Gray & G. Hunt, 27 March 1976 .

Other material examined. Western Australia: AMS KS.15423, 1♂, Normalup-Walpole National Park (Big Tingle Tree), 34°57'S 116°16'E, M. Gray, 15 February 1975 . New South Wales: AMS KS.128904, 1♀, Dorrigo NP, 30°21'S 152°47'E, M. Gray & G. Cassis, 4 February–9 April 1993 ; AMS KS.102991, 1♀, Barrington Tops NP, 32°03'43"S 151°34'39"E, G. Milledge & H. Smith, 13 November–19 December 2007 .

Diagnosis. Females and males of S. similis sp. nov. resemble those of S. cambridgei by their elongated body, obovate opisthosoma, thin and long barbs on tibia and metatarsus I of male legs, and pair of prolateral setae on femur I ( Figs. 43A and 44A ). However, they can be distinguished by their lower cephalic area ( Figs. 43B and 44B ), shorter hyaline setae covering their entire body and pair of reddish-brown median stripes fused on the thoracic area instead of parallel bands that never touch each other. Females can be diagnosed by the wider than long atrium and CO covered by C-shaped lateral folds of the plate ( Fig. 43C ); copulatory ducts are short and straight, leading to the pair of the kidney-shaped spermathecae with glandular-heads positioned anteriorly ( Fig. 43D ). Males can be recognized by the subtriangular cymbium, short embolus and truncated RTA ( Fig. 44C ).

Description. Female (AMS KS.30026): Prosoma orange with longitudinal reddish-brown stripes (a fused central pair and a lateral one on the margins of prosoma) ( Fig. 43A ); flattened, longer than wide and cephalic prominence absent ( Fig. 43B ); anterior eyes arranged in a recurved row and posterior ones in a straight row. Legs orange with reddishbrown spots; opisthosoma whitish-yellow with several black punctuations on dorsum ( Fig. 43A ).

Measurements: eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.19, PME 0.12, PLE 0.14, AME–AME 0.11, AME–ALE 0.07, PME–PME 0.23, PME–PLE 0.18, MOQ length 0.45, width 0.34; leg formula: 1-2-3-4: leg I—femur 3.58/ patella 1.93/ tibia 3.41/ metatarsus 2.36/ tarsus 0.87/ total 12.42; II—3.04/ 1.52/ 2.75/ 1.91/ 0.89 10.11; III—2.08/ 1.05/ 1.64/ 0.94/ 0.66/ 6.37; IV—2.75/ 1.11/ 2.24/ 1.39/ 0.75/ 8.24. Total body length 9.83; prosoma length 3.94, width 3.38; opisthosoma length 5.89; clypeus height 0.23; sternum length 1.76, width 1.57; gnathocoxae length 0.88, width 0.46; labium length 0.56, width 0.64.

Male (AMS KS.29993): Except by the modified setae on tibiae I and II, all other somatic features are as in female. Tegulum membranose and hyaline ( Fig. 44C ); RTA stout, single-tipped with narrowed dorsal extremity ( Fig. 44D ).

Measurements: eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.19, PME 0.13, PLE 0.13, AME–AME 0.11, AME–ALE 0.05, PME–PME 0.15, PME–PLE 0.18, MOQ length 0.35, width 0.32; leg formula: 1-2-3-4: leg I—femur 3.28/ patella 1.64/ tibia 3.35/ metatarsus 2.40/ tarsus 0.98/ total 11.65; II—2.65/ 1.31/ 2.77/ 1.89/ 0.92 9.54; III—1.84/ 0.89/ 1.48/ 0.84/ 0.64/ 5.69; IV—2.26/ 0.97/ 1.97/ 1.30/

0.70/ 7.20. Total body length 7.14; prosoma length 3.21, width 2.74; opisthosoma length 3.93; clypeus height 0.20; sternum length 1.44, width 1.31; gnathocoxae length 0.67, width 0.37; labium length 0.44, width 0.47.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latin masculine adjective that means “similar”, given to this species due to its striking resemblance with S. cambridgei .

Distribution. Western Australia and New South Wales, Australia ( Fig. 49 ).

Figures

Figure 43. Stephanopis similis sp. nov., female (AMS KS.30026). (A) dorsal habitus; (B) front; (C) epigynal plate, ventral view; (D) epigynal plate/spermathecae.

Figure 44. Stephanopis similis sp. nov., male (AMS KS.29993). (A) dorsal habitus; (B) front; (C) ventral view of the left palp; (D) left palp, retro lateral view.

Figure 49. Distribution records of Stephanopis similis sp. nov., S. spiralis sp. nov. and S. squalida sp. nov.