Salsa tartara, Framenau & Castanheira, 2022

Framenau, Volker W. & Castanheira, Pedro de S., 2022, Revision of the new Australasian orb-weaving spider genus Salsa (Araneae, Araneidae), ZooKeys 1102, pp. 107-148 : 107

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1102.82388
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BCA0CCE5-141D-46DA-9D65-0DCA6B74DE69
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/EADD2CE5-3A7B-4832-9D09-770F2BEA5ECB
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:EADD2CE5-3A7B-4832-9D09-770F2BEA5ECB
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Salsa tartara
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Salsa tartara sp. nov.

Figs 5F View Figure 5 , 21 View Figure 21 , 22A-D View Figure 22 , 23A-E View Figure 23

Type specimen.

Holotype male, Lord Howe Island, Goat House Cave area (31°33'50"S, 159°05'11"E, New South Wales, Australia), 23 February 2001, G. Milledge (AM KS.70737).

Other material examined.

1 male, 5 females (in 6 records) (see Suppl. material 1).

Etymology.

The specific epithet is a noun in apposition and refers to the tartar sauce, "salsa Salsa tartara " in Spanish, one of the favourite salsas of the junior author’s wife.

Diagnosis.

Like S. canalae comb. nov. males, those of S. Salsa tartara sp. nov. have two patellar setae on the pedipalp; however, can be separated by the strong curved conductor (Fig. 22C View Figure 22 ) that is absent in S. canalae comb. nov. Female epigynes are much longer than wide, similar to those of S. rueda sp. nov., but they lack the longitudinal central ridge of that species (Fig. 20C View Figure 20 vs. Fig. 23C View Figure 23 ).

Description.

Male (based on holotype, AM KS.70737) Total length 4.0. Carapace 2.1 long, 1.7 wide, brown, slightly paler in cephalic area (Fig. 22A View Figure 22 ). Eye diameter AME 0.14, ALE 0.13, PME 0.09, PLE 0.09; row of eyes: AME 0.43, PME 0.38, PLE 1.40. Chelicerae orange-brown; with four promarginal teeth (second basal largest) and three retromarginal teeth (basal largest). Legs yellowish brown mottled in grey on joints; femora I and II basally orange-brown (Fig. 22A, B View Figure 22 ). Leg formula I> II> IV> III; length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total length): I - 2.4 + 1.1 + 1.9 + 1.9 + 0.8 = 8.1, II - 2.0 + 0.9 + 1.6 + 1.7 + 0.7 = 6.9, III - 1.2 + 0.6 + 0.7 + 0.7 + 0.45 = 3.65, IV - 1.6 + 0.7 + 1.2 + 1.2 + 0.6 = 5.3. Labium 0.31 long, 0.45, brown; endites orange-brown (Fig. 22B View Figure 22 ). Sternum 1.0 long, 0.8 wide, orange-brown with dusky discolourations (Fig. 22B View Figure 22 ). Abdomen 2.2 long, 1.9 wide, dorsum with beige background and olive-grey, irregular folium, laterally dark olive-grey with dark streaks (Fig. 22A View Figure 22 ); venter olive-brown, laterally with thin, irregular white lines (Fig. 22B View Figure 22 ). Pedipalp length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + cymbium = total length): 0.4 + 0.15 + 0.15 + 0.6 = 1.3; paracymbium short with pronounced base and slightly curved apically (Fig. 22D View Figure 22 ); median apophysis C-shaped, basally pronounced and with an acute and apically curved pointed tip (Fig. 22C View Figure 22 ); conductor lobe spatulate (Fig. 22C View Figure 22 ); terminal apophysis sub-rectangular; conductor strongly sclerotised and curved basally (Fig. 22C View Figure 22 ); embolus short and strongly sclerotised.

Female (based on AM KS.70661): Total length 6.5. Carapace 2.5 long, 2.1 wide; colouration and setae largely as in male (Fig. 23A View Figure 23 ). Eye diameter AME 0.16, ALE 0.14, PME 0.11, PLE 0.10; row of eyes: AME 0.47, PME 0.45, PLE 1.92. Chelicerae colour hue as in male, four promarginal teeth (apical and second basal largest) and three retromarginal (basal largest). Legs similar to male but leg I femora basally not orange (Fig. 23A, B View Figure 23 ). Pedipalp length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + tarsus = total length): 0.7 + 0.3 + 0.4 + 0.8 = 2.2. Leg formula I> II> IV> III; length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total length): I - 2.4 + 1.1 + 1.9 + 2.0 + 0.8 = 8.2, II - 2.0 + 1.0 + 1.7 + 1.6 + 0.7 = 7.0, III - 1.4 + 0.6 + 0.7 + 0.7 + 0.5 = 3.9, IV - 1.9 + 0.9 + 1.3 + 1.4 + 0.7 = 6.2. Labium 0.18 long, 0.29 wide, brown; endites dark brown (Fig. 23B View Figure 23 ). Sternum 1.2 long, 1.0 wide, dark brown (Fig. 23B View Figure 23 ). Abdomen 4.0 long, 4.2 wide, sub-triangular with distinct humeral humps, dorsally mottled olive-grey and white, with darker spots anteriorly and postero-laterally; folium pattern indistinct (Fig. 23A View Figure 23 ); venter as in male (Fig. 23B View Figure 23 ). Epigyne plate longer than wide and composed of two separate sections; borders thin and atrium wide; scape slightly longer than half of epigyne base, sinuous in lateral view (Fig. 23C, D View Figure 23 ); central division almost sub-rectangular, somewhat wider ventrally (Fig. 23E View Figure 23 ). Spermathecae enlarged, occupying most of the epigyne area (Fig. 5F View Figure 5 ).

Variation.

Only one additional male was measured, total length 5.1; females 5.2-7.2 (n = 5). Four of the five specimens we analysed had broken-off scapes. There is little colour variation in the specimens examined for this study, although most females have a more prominent folium, similar to the male examined here.

Life history and habitat preferences.

All mature specimens of S. tartara sp. nov. were collected in February and March, but collection numbers are too low to interpret the phenology of this species and may reflect a collection bias of expeditions to Lord Howe Island. But it appears that the species is (late) summer-mature to autumn-mature. There is no habitat information on the labels of any of the specimens collected, with the exception of one specimen collected in ‘litter’.

Distribution.

Salsa tartara sp. nov. is currently only known from Lord Howe Island and should be considered endemic to this island (Fig. 21 View Figure 21 ).