Molycria wrightae, Platnick & Baehr, 2006

Platnick, N. I. & Baehr, B., 2006, A Revision Of The Australasian Ground Spiders Of The Family Prodidomidae (Araneae: Gnaphosoidea), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2006 (298), pp. 1-287 : 44-47

publication ID

0003-0090

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/575B87E6-4F47-671E-FD64-F9D1FE0BF9B5

treatment provided by

Tatiana

scientific name

Molycria wrightae
status

sp. nov.

Molycria wrightae View in CoL , new species Figures 5, 12, 96–100; Map 8

TYPE: Male holotype from O’Reillys, Lamington National Park, 28 ° 149S, 153 ° 089E,

Queensland (Sept. 24–26, 1986; R. Raven, J. Gallon), deposited in QMB ( S26409 View Materials ) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a patronym in honor of Susan Wright of the Queensland Museum, the collector of many interesting prodidomids.

DIAGNOSIS: Males and females have not been taken together, but are matched here as both clearly belong to the mammosa group. Males can easily be recognized by the short tibial apophysis (fig. 98) and sickle-shaped embolus (fig. 97), females by the laterally hooked epigynal ducts (fig. 100).

MALE: Total length 4.02. Carapace 1.92 long, 1.80 wide, 0.60 high, length/width 1.07; sternum 1.12 long, 1.00 wide, length/width 1.12; abdomen 2.10 long, 1.02 wide; coxa I 0.72 long; relative length of coxae I–IV 1.00:0.81:0.75:0.94. Carapace orange, mottled with gray; sternum orange, with darker lateral margins; chelicerae orange, grayish; endites, labium orange, distally pale; abdomen dorsally gray, with weak orange scutum, half moon-shaped pale spot in front of spinnerets, venter pale; legs orange, femora grayish. Carapace weakly covered with cinnamon, plumose setae. Eye group width 0.78 of caput width; AME 0.17; ALE 0.14; PME 0.18; PLE 0.14; AME–AME 0.06; AME– ALE 0.02; PME–PME 0.06; PME–PLE 0.04; ALE–PLE 0.02; eye group AME–PME 0.36; AME–AME 0.40; PME–PME 0.42. Clypeus 0.12 high. Abdomen covered with cinnamon, plumose setae; ALS 0.63 of abdominal length, contiguous. Palp (figs. 96– 98): conductor with ventrally folded end; median apophysis short, ventrally excavated, with two distal tips; sperm duct u-shaped; embolus long, flattened, semicircular; retrolateral tibial apophysis short, dorsally directed.

FEMALE: Total length 4.24. Carapace 1.64 long, 1.46 wide, 0.60 high, length/width 1.12; sternum 1.00 long, 0.90 wide, length/ width 1.11; abdomen 2.60 long, 1.40 wide; coxa I 0.60 long; relative length of coxae I–IV 1.00:0.80:0.73:0.96. Coloration as in male but without dorsal scutum. Eye group width 0.79 of caput width; AME 0.14; ALE 0.12; PME 0.14; PLE 0.12; AME–AME 0.04; PME– PME 0.04; eye group AME–PME 0.32; AME–AME 0.32; PME–PME 0.32. Clypeus 0.10 high. ALS 0.50 of abdominal length. Epigynum (figs. 99, 100): atrium broadly, oval, with arched posterior margin; epigynal ducts sausage-shaped, laterally hooked, in xshaped position with spermathecae, spermathecae sausage-shaped, twisted, with one dorsal diverticulum.

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: Queensland: Bahr’s Scrub , 27 ° 459S, 153 ° 109E, Jan. 21–Mar. 9, 1992, rainforest pitfall, elev. 100 m (D. Cook, QMB S30329 View Materials ), 1♀ ; Burleigh Headland , 28 ° 109S, 153 ° 339E, May 25–Oct. 13, 1975, rainforest pitfall, elev. 10 m (G., S. Monteith, QMB S67234), 1♀ ; ‘‘ Glen Witheren,’’ Shelf Scrub , 28 ° 039S, 153 ° 109E, Oct. 3–Dec. 30, 1991, rainforest intercept trap, elev. 150 m (G. Monteith, QMB S30332 View Materials ), 1♀ ; Mount Tamborine , 27 ° 569S, 153 ° 129E, Oct. 2, 1964, around house, elev. 2000 ft (A. Cottrell, MCZ), 1♀ .

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from southeastern Queensland (map 8).

Molycria wardeni , new species

Figures 101, 102; Map 6

TYPE: Female holotype taken in pitfall trap at Wyandotte Creek , 18 ° 299S, 144 ° 559E, Queensland (Nov. 6, 1991 – July 26, 1992; P. Lawless, R. Raven, M. Shaw), deposited in QMB ( S21789 View Materials ) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a patronym in honor of Jared Warden, in recognition of his contributions to the Queensland Museum collection.

DIAGNOSIS: Females can easily be recognized by the elongated, anterolaterally directed, and medially bent epigynal ducts (fig. 102). Although it is conceivable that these could be the females of M. moranbah , which is known only from males, epigynal similarities suggest that they belong to the mammosa group instead.

MALE: Unknown.

FEMALE: Total length 2.92. Carapace 1.22 long, 1.16 wide, 0.36 high, length/width 1.05; sternum 0.82 long, 0.76 wide, length/width 1.08; abdomen 1.70 long, 0.80 wide; coxa I 0.48 long; relative length of coxae I–IV 1.00:0.75:0.71:0.95. Carapace pale yellow, with marginal dark filigree net pattern;

2006 PLATNICK AND BAEHR: AUSTRALASIAN PRODIDOMIDAE 47

sternum yellow, with darker lateral margins; mouthparts pale; abdominal dorsum gray with half moon-shaped pale spot in front of spinnerets, venter pale; legs pale, mottled with gray. Carapace weakly covered with cinnamon, plumose setae. Eye group width 0.75 of caput width; AME 0.12; ALE 0.11; PME 0.14; PLE 0.11; AME–AME 0.04; AME– ALE 0.02; PME–PME 0.02; PME–PLE 0.04; ALE–PLE 0.02; eye group AME–PME 0.28; AME–AME 0.28; PME–PME 0.30. Clypeus 0.10 high. Abdomen covered with cinnamon, plumose setae; ALS 0.54 of abdominal length, contiguous. Epigynum (figs. 101, 102): atrium broadly oval, with heart-shaped posterior margin; epigynal ducts long, in heart-shaped position, spermathecae less than their diameter apart, sausage-shaped, twisted, in horizontal position.

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: Queensland: 50 km W Mount Garnet , 17 ° 419S, 144 ° 399E, Apr. 14–July 19, 2002, pitfall (J. Hasenpusch, QMB S62434 View Materials ), 1♀ ; Wyandotte Creek , 18 ° 299S, 144 ° 559E, July 26–Dec. 1, 1992, pitfall, dry eucalypt woodland (R. Raven, P., E. Lawless, M. Shaw, QMB S24329 View Materials ), 1♀ .

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from northeastern Queensland (map 6).

QMB

Queensland Museum, Brisbane

MCZ

Museum of Comparative Zoology

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Gnaphosidae

Genus

Molycria

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