The scorpion-tailed orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae, Arachnura) in Australia and New Zealand
Author
Castanheira, Pedro De S.
Author
Didham, Raphael K.
Author
Vink, Cor J.
Author
Framenau, Volker W.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-12-06
4706
1
147
170
journal article
24702
10.11646/zootaxa.4706.1.6
05505758-61b6-4935-8864-c80c214788a1
1175-5326
3565171
55B57A7B-BD32-4F2B-8318-99CAE2C1411F
Arachnura melanura
Simon, 1867
(Figs. 9; 13)
Arachnura melanura
Simon, 1867: 17–19
.
Arachnura digitata
Thorell, 1877: 410–413
(synonymised in
Simon, 1895: 777
).
Arachnura melanura
Simon.
-
Simon, 1895: 776–777
, fig. 847;
Chrysanthus, 1961: 203–205
, figs. 39–41, 68;
Tanikawa, 1991: 12–14
, figs. 1–6;
Yin
et al.
, 1997: 122–123
, figs. 46a–d.
Type material.
Female
holotype
of
Arachnura melanura
Simon, 1867
, locality unknown (not given in Simon, 1967; likely
MALAYSIA
based on
Simon (1895)
. Possibly at MNHN (not examined). Female
holotype
of
Arachnura digitata
Thorell, 1877
: Kendari (ca.
4°00’S
,
122°31’E
,
Sulawesi
,
INDONESIA
). Depository unknown (not examined).
Other material examined.
AUSTRALIA
,
Queensland
:
Bulburin State Forest
,
24°30’S
,
151°35’E
19.iii.1975
(
1 ♀
,
QM
S87809
)
.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
:
Chimbu Province
: near
Haia Village
,
6°42’S
,
145°4’E
,
G. Dodson
,
28.viii.1995
(
2 ♀
,
QM
S29614
)
.
SINGAPORE
:
Singapore
,
1°17’N
,
103°51’E
,
H. N. Ridley
(
1 ♀
,
BMNH
1889.6.20
)
.
Remarks
. A female from Bulburin State Forest, Queensland (Figs. 9A–E) is here tentatively identified as
A. melanura
pending a comprehensive revision of this apparent widespread species that has been reported from
India
throughout
China
to
Japan
and into
Indonesia
(
World Spider Catalog 2019
). It is clearly not an
A. higginsii
specimen based on somatic characters, i.e. shape of the abdominal tail, and genital morphology (Figs. 9A–E). The epigynum (Fig. 9E) matches well the illustration by
Chrysanthus (1961)
who firstly reviewed this species; however, the tailend of the Australian specimens is more swollen and the protuberance less conspicuous than depicted by
Chrysanthus (1961)
.
Descriptions and illustrations of
A. melanura
in the scientific literature vary and it is possible that this taxon as currently understood represents a cluster of species. Apparently, no author redescribing this species after
Simon’s (1867)
original description studied the
type
material. All relied solely on the original verbal description of the species or subsequent taxonomic studies. It is clear that
A. melanura
requires thorough revision which is beyond the scope of this study for a species with a single, likely incidental record in
Australia
.