Blakistonia wingellina, Harrison & Rix & Harvey & Austin, 2018

Harrison, Sophie E., Rix, Michael G., Harvey, Mark S. & Austin, Andrew D., 2018, Systematics of the Australian spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Blakistonia Hogg (Araneae: Idiopidae), Zootaxa 4518 (1), pp. 1-76 : 66-68

Blakistonia wingellina , sp. n.

( Fig. 28 A–I)

Type material. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Holotype female, Wingellina Community , 26°02’22.2”S, 128°58’32.9”E, 12 April 2008, dug from burrow, P. Boulton, Outback Ecology (WAM T132917 ). Paratypes: 1 female, same data except 13 April 2008 ( WAM T132914 ) ; 1 female, same data except 9 April 2008 ( WAM T132915 ) ; 1 female, same data except 12 April 2008 ( WAM T132916 DNA) ; 1 female, same data except 16 April 2008 ( WAM T132919 ) .

Other material examined: 1 juvenile, Wingellina Community, 26°02’22.2”S, 128°58’32.9”E, 15 April 2008 ( WAM T132918 ) .

Diagnosis. Females of B. wingellina can be distinguished from all other species of Blakistonia , except B. nullarborensis , by the strongly trapezoidal eye group ( Fig. 28D ). Blakistonia wingellina and B. nullarborensis are unable to be reliably distinguished using morphology alone. Males are unknown.

All life stages of B. wingellina can also be distinguished from those of other species with sequence data except B. aurea by the following nucleotide substitution (n = 1 specimen): C(90).

Description. Holotype female (WAM T132917). Large idiopid spider (total length 17.7).

Colour (in ethanol; Fig. 28 A–C): Legs, pedipalp and carapace golden orange-brown, slightly darker around fovea and lateral margins of caput ( Fig. 28A ); sternum, labium and maxillae golden-brown, chelicerae darker golden-brown ( Fig. 28E, F ); abdomen grey-brown with mottled chevron pattern for length, extending only slightly onto lateral surface, more closely spaced posteriorly ( Fig. 28A, C ).

Cephalothorax: Carapace 7.8 long, 6.1 wide, 5.6 high, 1.3 times longer than wide; oval ( Fig. 28A ); caput low, ocular area flat ( Fig. 28C ); cuticle uniformly smooth; fovea procurved; three rows of thick setae behind eye area, medial row extends furthest to fovea; smaller fine setae scattered very sparsely across carapace, concentrated and form very fine, indistinct fringe around lateral margins; median clump of thickened setae on clypeus ( Fig. 28D ). Length of median clypeus less than 1.0; anterior margin slightly convex. Eye group 1.5 wide, 1.4 long, 0.2 of carapace width; anterior eye row strongly procurved, PLE/ALE–ALE ratio 1.3; posterior eye row recurved; AME about 0.5 of ALE and separated by about ALE diameter; ALE and PLE separated by about 1.5 times PLE diameter; PME pale, ca. 0.25 of PLE, and separated from PLE by about its own diameter ( Fig. 28D ). Labium without cuspules ( Fig. 28E ). Sternum 4.1 long, 3.4 wide, moderately setose with setae becoming denser and longer around margins; 3 pairs of sigilla, anterior-most pair in lateral margins near anterior margin; second pair at one-third length; third pair at ca. three times their width from margins ( Fig. 28E ). Maxillae with ca. 30 (left) and 27 (right) cuspules ( Fig. 28E, F ).

Legs: moderately setose and diffusely spinose, retrolateral sides least setose and dorsal III and IV with thick, dense, spine-like setae; distinct upright setae on tarsi and metatarsi I, II; femora I, II, and pedipalp laterally bowed; tarsi and metatarsi I, II, and palpal tarsus heavily scopulate ( Fig. 28G, H ). Paired tarsal claws: leg I p2 (1 large, 1 small) r3 (3 large); leg II p2 (1 large, 1 small), r2 (1 large, 1 small); right leg III p2 (1 large, 1 small), r1 (1 large); right leg IV p2 (2 large), r2 (1 large, 1 small). Pedipalp claw with 1 large and 1 small ventral tooth.

Spination: Leg I: tibia p2, r4; metatarsus p5, r6; tarsus p9. Leg II: tibia r3; metatarsus p4, r6; tarsus p2, r10. Right leg III: patella p4; metatarsus p5, r4; tarsus p4, r5. Right leg IV: metatarsus p9, r1; tarsus p8, r4. Pedipalp: tibia p4, r5; tarsus p2, r4.

Leg and pedipalp measurements: Length of legs IV> I> II> III. Leg I: femur 3.9, patella 2.6, tibia 2.5, metatarsus 2.2, tarsus 1.2, total = 12.4. Leg II: femur 3.6, patella 2.5, tibia 2.0, metatarsus 1.9, tarsus 1.7, total = 11.7. Leg III: femur 3.5, patella 2.6, tibia 2.0, metatarsus 2.3, tarsus 1.9, total = 12.3. Leg IV: femur 4.5, patella 3.7, tibia 4.0, metatarsus 3.4, tarsus 2.1, total = 17.7. Pedipalp: femur 3.8, patella 2.2, tibia 2.0, tarsus 2.7, total = 10.7.

Abdomen: Setose, oval, one pair of indistinct, unsclerotised dorsal sigilla on anterior-third of abdomen; 9.9 long, 5.8 wide ( Fig. 28A ).

Genitalia: Spermathecae paired, simple, unbranched, stout and outward facing, oval-shaped, covered in opaque mottled brown nodules, more concentrated on lobe of spermathecae ( Fig. 28I ).

Variation (n=5): Carapace 7.0–10.3 long, 5.6, 7.7 wide, no labial cuspules. Spination: Leg II tibia p0–2, r2–4; metatarsus p3–5, r4–9; tarsus p0–3, r4–14. Leg II tibia p0,. r2–3; metatarsus p3–4, r5–7; tarsus p2–4, r6–10. Leg III patella p3–4, r0; tibia p0–2, r0; metatarsus p3–5, r4–5; tarsus p4–8, r4–6. Leg IV metatarsus p5–9, r1–6; tarsus p8–10, r3–4. Pedipalp patella p0. r1; tibia p4–5, r3–5; tarsus p1–3, r1–4.

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition, and refers to the community of Wingellina, where the specimens were collected.

Distribution. This species is known only from Wingellina, Western Australia ( Fig. 33 ), near the Western Australian/South Australian border in the Goldfields region.

Remarks. The land surrounding the Wingellina community consists of prickly mallee and mulga country.

Figures

FIGURE 28. Blakistonia wingellina sp. n., holotype female (WAM T132917): A, habitus, dorsal view; B, habitus, ventral view; C, habitus, lateral view; D, eye group, dorsal view; E, sternum, ventral view; F, maxillae and labium, ventral view; G, left leg I, prolateral view; H, left leg I, retrolateral view; J, spermathecae. Scale bars = 5 mm (A), 1 mm (G).

FIGURE 33. Distribution of Blakistonia species: B. mainae sp. n. (white circle), B. wingellina sp. n. (white triangle), B. olea sp. n. (white square), B. nullarborensis sp. n. (black squares), Blakistonia ‘sp. 1’ (black circle), and B. tariae sp. n. (black triangles).