Cavisternum hughesi, Baehr & Harvey & Smith, 2010

Baehr, Barbara C., Harvey, Mark S. & Smith, Helen M., 2010, The Goblin Spiders of the New Endemic Australian Genus Cavisternum (Araneae: Oonopidae), American Museum Novitates 3684, pp. 1-40 : 27-29

Cavisternum hughesi , new species

Figures 18 , 128–130 , map 6

TYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Male holotype from 13 km E of Weipa, 12 ° 40 9 S, 142 ° 00 9 E, in flight intercept trap (24 Oct.–15 Nov. 1993, P. Zborowski, M. Horak) (PBI_OON 00022901), deposited in QM ( S86409 ) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a patronym in honor of Gerald (aka Gerry) Hughes. Gerald is a carefree spirit from

Birkenhead, England with a zest for life and an irrational fear of spiders.

DIAGNOSIS: Males of C. hughesi resemble those of C. gatangel in the cone-shaped cymbial bulb (figs. 128–130) and the size of the sternal concavity (fig. 18). They can be easily separated by the much wider bare median band (fig. 18) and the slightly protruding epigastric scutum; in addition, the embolus is longitudinally grooved and broad- er than in C. gatangel .

MALE: Total length 0.98. Carapace 0.45 long, 0.34 wide; abdomen 0.53 long, 0.28 wide. Carapace, sternum, mouthparts, and abdominal scutae pale orange, legs yellow. Sternum as long as wide, concavity occupying most of the sternum length, with broadly oval field of clavate setae, bare median band triangular, half length of concave area (fig. 18). Cheliceral fangs long but not reaching labium, with sharp tips, crossing. Abdomen cylindrical, epigastric scutum slightly protruding. Cymbium-bulb complex cone shaped, embolus longitudinally grooved and broadened basally with U-shaped incision (fig. 128–130).

FEMALE: Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION: This species is known only from western Cape York Peninsula (map 6) .

Figures

Figs. 18–25. Cavisternum species, males, sterna and chelicerae, ventral view. 18. C. hughesi (PBI_22901). 19. C. ledereri (PBI_OON 07430). 20. C. maxmoormanni (PBI_OON 06198). 21. C. mayorum (PBI_OON 06167). 22. C. noelashepherdae (PBI_OON 06104). 23. C. rochesterae (PBI_OON 07072). 24. C. toadshow (PBI_OON 06053). 25. C. waldockae (PBI_OON 05444).

Figs. 128–130. Cavisternum hughesi, new species, male palp (PBI_22901). 128. Prolateral view. 129. Retrolateral view. 130. Dorsal view.