Misgolas maculosus (Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918)

Wishart, Graham, 2006, Trapdoor Spiders of the Genus Misgolas (Mygalomorphae: Idiopidae) in the Sydney Region, Australia, With Notes on Synonymies Attributed to M. rapax, Records of the Australian Museum 58 (1), pp. 1-18 : 12-14

Misgolas maculosus (Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918)

Figs. 7A–C, 12C

Dyarcyops maculosus Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918:108 , fig. 2–3. Misgolas maculosus .– Main, 1985a: 53, 56; 1985b, 24.

Material examined. SYNTYPES ♀, AM KS15532 and AM KS15533 (♀♀♀). The syntypes evidently have deteriorated, venters of all but one spider are devoid of dark brown spots. The syntype AM KS15532 does however conform to the original description

Females: AM KS10981 , Diamond Bay nr Vaucluse (33°51'S 151°17'E), 27 Apr. 1983, D. Markus ; AM KS12495 , Long Bay (33°57'S 151°15'E), 19 Jun. 1983, R. Mascord ; AM KS69957 , Malabar (33°57'S 151°14'E), 1 Aug. 1965, R. Mascord .

Diagnosis. In female: Small brown spiders, carapace length c. 4.2–7.6; rd surface of metatarsi IV usually without spines or with one weak spinule ( Fig. 11A). Dorsum ( Fig. 11B) with dark brown median band, lateral surfaces maculated; venter ( Fig. 11C) with dark brown spots more or less arranged in 2–4 transverse rows. Male unknown.

Remarks. Similar to M. trangae for which only the male is known. The type specimens AM K41614 (1♀) and AM K41615 (3♀) were considered lost ( Main, 1985b) but have been recovered in the AM collections. The additional material examined here has been determined as conspecific on the basis of proximity of localities from which collected, small size, consistency of venter markings and maculated appearance of dorsum.

dorsal; (C), prolateral. (D), venter.

Distribution and natural history ( Fig. 12C). This spider was first collected in 1918 and is only known from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs East of the Princes Highway between Port Jackson and Botany Bay. Evidently it is confined to sandy soils, a region which excludes M. villosus . The burrow is unknown.