Karaops kariyarra 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 kariyarra Crews, 2013

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

Karaops kariyarra Crews, 2013: 451, figs 7, 8 (♀, examined).

Diagnosis.

The female is most similar to Karaops nyiyaparli in that the copulatory ducts are located in a depression of the median field of the epigyne, and the lateral lobes are easy to distinguish ( Crews 2013: figs 5, 7). The endogynes are also similar in that the spermathecae are dumbbell shaped, and the accessory bulbs (erroneously labeled as spermathecae in Crews (2013)) are long and thin. They can be differentiated by the shape of the depression on the endogyne. In K. nyiyaparli , it is oval and in K. kariyarra it is heart shaped. The lateral lobes of K. kariyarra are pointed at the basomedial margin, and they are not in K. nyiyaparli . The accessory bulbs are extremely tiny in K. kariyarra ( Crews 2013: figs 6, 8).

Description.

The female is described in in Crews (2013).

Male. Unknown.

Distribution.

This species is known only from two nearby localities in the Chichester subregion of the Pilbara, Western Australia (Map 9A, B ).

Natural history.

Late March to early April are hot and wet times, transitioning to drier in April. The adult females of several species from the Chichester region have been found in the hotter, wetter times of the year (Suppl. material 2: table S1).

Discussion.

Karaops kariyarra is only known from two female specimens collected in two separate pitfall traps left out for ~ 10 days in late March-early April. This species is similar to and overlaps with K. nyiyaparli , but both specimens of K. kariyarra are exactly the same despite being collected at different areas, and these two are both different from K. nyiyaparli which is widespread; thus, it does not appear to be a variant of K. nyiyaparli . No molecular data from these specimens were available.

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).