Oxyopes mundulus L. Koch, 1878

Baehr, Barbara C., Harms, Danilo, Duperre, Nadine & Raven, Robert, 2017, The Australian Lynx Spiders (Araneae, Oxyopidae, Oxyopes) of the Godeffroy Collection, including the description of a new species, Evolutionary Systematics 1 (1), pp. 11-37 : 24

Oxyopes mundulus L. Koch, 1878 Figs 12 A–E, 20E

579. Oxyopes mundulus L. Koch, 1878, 1025-1026, Taf. 90 Fig. 3 + 3 a, Australien, Sydney, Holotype (Mus. GODEFFROY Nr. 16501) (37). ( Rack 1961).

Oxyopes mundulus L. Koch, 1878 ( Hickman 1967).

Material examined.

FEMALE HOLOTYPE (ZMH-A0000015), from New South Wales, Sydney, 33°51'S, 151°12'E, Godeffroy Collection.

Diagnosis.

Females of Oxyopes mundulus are similar to Oxyopes elegans and Oxyopes godeffroyi , Oxyopes rubicundus in having a translucent, quadrangular scapus. They can be separated from Oxyopes godeffroyi by having copulatory ducts with 3 coils (Figs 12E, 20E), and from Oxyopes elegans and Oxyopes rubicundus by the more heavily sclerotized and downward curved anterolateral scapus tips, from Oxyopes gracilipes by having the spermathecae an anterior position (see Vink and Sirvid 1998, fig 8).

Description.

Female (Holotype, ZMH-A0000015). Total length 5.17. Prosoma 2.32 long, 1.76 wide, pl/pw 1.32; sternum 1.10 long, 0.93 wide, sl/sw 1.18; opisthosoma 2.85 long, 1.78 wide. Eight eyes in four rows with six eyes forming a hexagon, AME smallest ALE biggest, others equal in size; AME 0.09; ALE 0.21; PLE 0.20; PME 0.20; ALE–ALE 0.24; ALE–AME 0.06; AME–AME 0.14; ALE–PLE 0.22; PLE–PME 0.24; PME–PME 0.29. Clypeus 0.52 high with a pair of dark brown bands. Prosoma pale with dark brown lateral sides and one logitudinal brown median band, anteriorly forked, oval, posteriorly rounded, fovea short 0.15 of prosoma length. Chelicerae paturon pale with broad logitudinal median dark band and lateral condyle. Endites and sternum pale, labium and lateral part of sternum with dark brown; opisthosoma long pear-shaped, pale with dark brown lateral sides interrupted by pale stripes and one brown median band with pale lanceolate anterior part; venter pale with two lateral dark brown stripes and a dark brown median band. Legs pale with dark brown bands especially on the femora. Female epigyne (Figs 12 C–E, 20E): scapus translucent, quadrangular with sclerotized down curved anterior edges and adjacent lateral lobes, copulatory openings at the anterior part of the lateral lobes, copulatory ducts short, with 3 coils, ending in globular apical spermathecae situated on the anterior-lateral sides of the sclerotized anterior border.

Distribution.

Original record from Sydney, New South Wales.

Remarks.

Koch mentions that the specimen was collected in dry leaf litter.

Taxonomic comments.

This species is currently listed as a junior synonym of Oxyopes gracilipes (White, 1849) which is a widespread species, at least in New Zealand and probably also temperate eastern Australia ( Vink and Sirvid 2000). The holotype of Oxyopes mundulus was re-examined and a neotype was designated for Oxyopes gracilipes from New Zealand by these authors. We do not follow their synonymy because the authors were not able to examine the interior part of the epigyne of Oxyopes mundulus where the main differences between O. mundulus and Oxyopes gracilipes have been recognized. Oxyopes mundulus can be separated from from Oxyopes gracilipes by having the spermathecae in anterior position (compare with Vink and Sirvid 1998, fig 8). Note that the Godeffroy Collection contains four species with a translucent quadrangular scapus and they can be clearly separated by the internal structure of the epigyne whilst they only show minor differences in the shape of the external genitalia. Vink and Sirvid (2000) recognised also that the Godeffroy Oxyopes types include a closely related group that encompasses gracilipes , elegans and rubicundus as well as an undescribed species (almost certainly godeffroyi described in this paper).