Wandella grayi, Ivan L. F. Magalhaes, 2016

Ivan L. F. Magalhaes, 2016, On new or poorly known Australian Filistatidae spiders (Araneae: Araneomorphae), including a study on the fine morphology of Wandella, Journal of Natural History 50 (29 - 30), pp. 1815-1858 : 16-22

Wandella grayi sp. nov.

( Figures 15 – 18 )

Type material

Holotype. Male from AUSTRALIA: Queensland, Burke Developmental Road, grazed open woodland, pitfall trap (141.65, −17.2), J. Thompson, S. Cowan & M. Tio, 28/VII/1995 (AM KS.53183).

Paratypes. one male and two females from AUSTRALIA: Queensland, 62 km W of Chillagoe, pitfall trap (144.0442, −16.6969), J. Thompson, S. Cowan & M. Tio, 26/VII/ 1995 (AM KS.43936).

Etymology

This species is named after the Australian arachnologist Dr Michael Gray, in recognition of his contributions to the study of spiders in general, and Australian filistatids in particular.

Diagnosis

Males can be distinguished from all other Wandella , except Wandella alinjarra Gray , by the long, slender and sinuous embolus; they differ from those of W. alinjarra by having a clearly longer than wide palpal tibia and by the higher paraembolic lamina ( Figure 16 D – F). Females differ from all known Wandella by the very long stalks of the outer spermathecae ( Figure 17 D, E).

Description

Holotype male from Burke Developmental Road, Queensland, Australia (AM KS.53183) ( Figures 16 , 18 A). Coloration: carapace cream, with dark brown median pattern and clypeal markings, and submarginal bands present as diffuse, light brown patches; chelicerae cream with an anterior brown patch; labium and endites cream; sternum cream with barely visible light brown patches along the anterior border; legs cream, with incomplete light brown rings in the base and apex of the femora, tibiae and metatarsi and a prolateral light brown patch on the patellae; abdomen dorsum light brown, with a dark brown triangular marking anteriorly and dark brown transverse patches in the posterior median area; abdomen venter cream. Anterior margin of the carapace unmodified. Sternum subrounded, sigillae not visible. Total length 2.24. Carapace length 1.04, width 0.79. Clypeus length 0.20. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.0 9, PME 0.0 9, ALE 0.11, PLE 0.0 9, AME – AME 0.02, PME – PME 0.09. Right palp: femur length 0.46, width 0.17, tibia length 0.30, width 0.17. Leg I: femur 1.55, patella 0.39, missing from tibia. II: fe 1.02, pa 0.31, ti missing. Right III: fe 0.87, pa 0.28, ti 0.79. IV: fe 1.20, pa 0.35, ti 1.19, mt 1.13, ta 0.63. Abdomen: length 1.29, width 0.78. Leg macrosetae: absent in legs III and IV (legs I and II missing from tibia). Palp: cymbium horseshoe-shaped, prolateral excavation small, near the base of the paraembolic process ( Figure 18 A, Ex), paraembolic process long, distally detached and erect, forming a hook, embolus long, gently curved. State of the specimen: has lost most of the setae, all legs missing from tibia (except right legs III and IV), left palp dissected, right palp with broken embolus.

Paratype female from 62 km west of Chillagoe, Queensland, Australia (AM KS.43936) ( Figure 17 A – D, 18B). Coloration as in male. Sternum as in male. Total length 2.46. Carapace length 1.02, width 0.60. Clypeus length 0.20. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.08, PME 0.07, ALE 0.09, PLE 0.06, AME – AME 0.01, PME – PME 0.07. Palp: femur length 0.60, width 0.20, tibia length 0.17, width 0.34. Leg I: missing from femur. II: missing from femur. III: fe 0.76, pa 0.28, ti 0.60. IV: fe 1.15, pa 0.35, missing from tibia. Abdomen: length 1.42, width 0.85. Leg macrosetae: absent in leg III (other legs missing). Calamistrum missing. Epigastric furrow adorned with thick setae. Spermathecae: inner spermathecae digitiform, with pores in the apex, outer spermathecae rounded, with very long and slightly convoluted stalks. State of the specimen: with deformed carapace, spermathecae dissected, all legs missing from tibia (except right leg III).

Variation

Males (n = 2): total length 1.88 – 2.24 (2.06), carapace length 0.9 – 1.04 (0.97), femur I length 1.35 – 1.55 (1.45). Females (n = 2): total length 2.46 – 2.46 (2.46), carapace length 0.95 – 1.02 (0.99). The paratype male does not have the paraembolic lamina as erect as that of the holotype. One of the females has one of the lateral stalks in the spermathecae medially incrassated, probably an abnormality.

Note

Males and females have been matched because the paratypes (one male and two females) have been collected from the same locality. Both examined females are in a very bad state of conservation, having the carapace deformed and most of the legs missing; the male paratype has the embolus of both palps broken off.

Distribution

Known from northern Queensland, Australia ( Figure 15 ).

Material examined

Only the types.

Figures

Figure 15. Distribution maps for Australian filistatids (including records by Gray 1994). Above: triangles = Wandella barbarella, white circles = Wandella diamentina, stars = Wandella grayi, black circles = Wandella murrayensis, asterisks = Wandella orana, crosses = Wandella parnabyi, white squares = Wandella waldockae. Below: triangles = Wandella alinjarra, black circles = Wandella australiensis, asterisks = Wandella centralis, star = Wandella infernalis, cross = Wandella pallida, white circles = Wandella stuartensis, squares = Yardiella humphreysi.

Figure 16. Wandella grayi sp. nov., holotype male (AM KS. 53183). (A) Habitus, dorsal. (B) Habitus, lateral. (C) Habitus, ventral. (D) Left palp, prolateral. (E) Left palp, retrolateral. (F) Bulb, prolateral, cleared. (G) Bulb, dorsal. Abbreviation: PL, paraembolic lamina.

Figure 17. Wandella grayi sp. nov., paratype females (AM KS. 43936). (A) Habitus, dorsal. (B) Habitus, ventral. (C) Habitus, lateral. (D) Spermathecae, dorsal, cleared (preparation IFM- 0718). Black arrow to abnormal incrassation of the stalk. (E) Another female, right spermathecae, dorsal, cleared (preparation IFM- 0699). Abbreviations: IS, inner spermathecae; OS, outer spermathecae; St, stalk.

Figure 18. Wandella grayi sp. nov. (A) Holotype male (AM KS. 53183), bulb, prolateral, cleared. (B) Paratype male (AM KS. 43936), bulb, prolateral, cleared. Notice broken tip of embolus. (C, D) Paratype females, spermathecae, dorsal, cleared. Abbreviations: Ex, prolateral excavation; M 30, claw extensor muscle; PL, paraembolic lamina; tM 29, tendon of the claw flexor muscle.