Trapdoor Spiders of the Genus Misgolas (Mygalomorphae: Idiopidae) in the Illawarra and South Coast Regions of New South Wales, Australia
Author
Wishart, Graham
text
Records of the Australian Museum
2011
2011-06-29
63
1
33
51
http://dx.doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.63.2011.1553
journal article
10.3853/j.0067-1975.63.2011.1553
2201-4349
5239389
Misgolas rapax
Karsch, 1878
Figs 4A–K
,
14A
Misgolas rapax
Karsch, 1878: 821–823
.
Type
species of
Misgolas
Karsch, 1878
; Simon, 1892: 116; Bonnet, 1957: 2931;
Wishart, 2006: 1–18
; Wishart & Rowell, 2008: 45–86.
Misgolas hubbardi
Wishart, 1992: 263–278
, figs 1–6, 28–29; placed in the synonymy of
M. rapax
by Wishart & Rowell, 2008: 45–86.
Misgolas rapax
Karsch, 1878
.–Wishart & Rowell, 2008: 45–86: the first three of the six species listed below are explicitly removed from synonymy with
M. rapax
, while the last three species are each considered to be nomen dubia because female characters are unreliable for the diagnosis of these species. All of these species are treated below or in
Wishart (2006)
and Wishart & Rowell (2008).
Megalosora villosa
Rainbow, 1914
,
Dyarcyops melancholicus
Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918
,
Arbanitis montanus
Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918
,
Arbanitis fuscipes
Rainbow, 1914
,
Dyarcyops ionthus
Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918
and
Arbanitis chisholmi
Hickman, 1933
.
Material examined
.
NEW SOUTH WALES
:
holotype
♀
from NSW, Museum fur
Naturkunde an der Humbolte Universitat
zu Berlin, Germany, dried, pinned, deteriorated specimen, possibly collected 1874–75, Edward Damel (Daemel) (
Fig. 4K
)
.
Holotype
♂
of
Misgolas hubbardi
Wishart,AMS KS
22301, “Scalloway”, Willow Vale nr Gerringong, NSW (
34°44'11"S
150°47'23"E
),
17 Dec. 1985
, GW.
Allotype
♀
Misgolas hubbardi
Wishart, AMS KS
22302,
10 June 1985
, other details as for AMS KS22301.
Fig. 4.
Misgolas rapax
Karsch
:
Misgolas hubbardi
Wishart
(A–G)
♂, holotype AMS KS22301.
(A)
right palp retrolateral.
(B,C)
right bulb:
(B)
dorsal,
(C)
prolateral.
(D)
embolus tip of right bulb dorsal
(E)
right palpal tibia excavation ventral.
(F)
right cymbium dorsal.
(G)
venter.
(H–I)
♀, allotype AMS KS22302.
(H)
venter.
(I)
right leg IV retrolateral.
(J)
burrow entrance, spider in foraging position.
(K)
Misgolas rapax
, type specimen of genus
Misgolas
Karsch, 1878
.
Diagnosis
. In male and female: large sized brown spiders; retrodorsal surface of metatarsi IV lack spines (
Fig. 4I
). Venter pattern as figured, dark brown speckle more dense immediately adjacent to spinnerets (
Fig. 4G,H
). In female: carapace length c. 10–13.5. In male: carapace length c. 8.2–10.5. Embolus of bulb apically twisted clockwise through 90° with subdistal thorn-like apophysis as figured (
Fig. 4D
) appearing to be retrolaterally positioned; retrolateral flange with about 5 folds, edge straight (
Fig. 4B,C
). Conformation of palp as figured (
Fig. 4A,F
).
Distribution and natural history
. (
Figs 4J
,
14A
) Numerous specimens of this large spider have been collected in and nearby the small township of Gerringong (
New South Wales
,
Australia
). Collection sites most remote from Gerringong are the town of Kiama
10 km
to the North and localities of Toolijooa and Harley Hill
10 km
to the southwest. Mature males wander almost throughout the year (
Wishart, 1993
). Burrow entrance (
Fig. 4J
) is rigid, funnel-like, the lip at an oblique angle with leaves attached, one of which is utilized as a trapdoor (
Wishart, 1992
).
Remarks
. The Idiopid genus
Misgolas
was raised by the German taxonomist, Ferdinand Karsch, when in1878 he named and described the new species,
Misgolas rapax
. The spider specimen is the
holotype
of the type species of the
Misgolas
genus. It is disappointing that the preservation of the specimen has not withstood ravages of time,
Main (1985
a) describing it as “dried, pinned specimen very shrivelled and difficult to distinguish many features” (
Fig. 4K
). The spider’s condition added to its character poor female gender virtually prevented a positive identity until molecular methods were used. The collector of the type specimen was Edward Damel, a professional German collector, who at one time was based in Sydney, NSW, from
May 1874
to February, 1875. During this time it is expected that this spider had been collected from Gerringong or possibly from Kiama, NSW.
Karsch gave no indication of the derivation of the names “
Misgolas
” or “rapax”. A person named
Misgolas
was a Greek homosexual man known from ancient Greek records and the word “rapax” is believed to translate as “predator”. Ferdinand Karsch himself wrote extensively on homosexual affairs quite apart from his arachnology work.