Prostheclina boreoaitha Richardson & Żabka, 2007

Richardson, Barry J., 2022, Additions to the euophryine jumping spider fauna (Araneae: Salticidae) of Australia, Zootaxa 5141 (3), pp. 249-269 : 264-265

Prostheclina boreoaitha Richardson & Żabka, 2007

Figs 61–67

Material Examined. Holotype: 1♂, Windsor Tableland, Queensland, (approx. 16° 13’S 145° 0’E), J. Thompson, M. Moulds, F. McKillop, 17 April 1994, AM KS45747. New Material: Queensland: 1♀, Black Mountain Road, Kuranda , 16.77°S, 145°6E, R. Taylor, Feehan, 22 April 1971, ANIC 42 001564.

Diagnosis. Smaller (75%) and patterning darker than other species in the genus. Copulatory openings well in advance of the spermathecae, strongly sclerotised and separated by less than the width across the pair of spermathecae (Fig. 82), unlike all other Prostheclina species. Dorsal patterning of the abdomen of the female identical to that in the male.

Description. Male: See Richardson & Żabka (2007).

Female. Small species, cephalothorax brown with darker striae on the thorax, eye field black,AME fringe absent, clypeus brown, chelicera grey-brown with medium, sharp retromarginal tooth and a medium unident promarginal tooth, endites yellow, labium yellow, sternum yellow, dorsal abdomen vanilla with strong black pattern, ventral abdomen yellow, L1-4 yellow grading to brown, palps yellow-brown with distinct brown tibial palps. Epigynes: Without obvious atria. The strongly sclerotised copulatory openings are placed well in advance of the spermathecae and separated by less than the width across the spermathecae. Proximal seminal ducts gently curved and anterior to the spermathecae, accessory glands in insemination ducts hidden if present. The distal duct proceeds anteriorly beyond the copulatory opening and then curves back and becomes hidden within a convoluted sclerotised area. Fertilization ducts very short and open onto the distal edge of the spermathecae. Dimensions: 2.45, CL 1.2 AL 1.15, EFL 0.4, CW 0.9, AEW 0.85, AMEW 0.45, PEW 0.75, L1 1.9(0.8+025+0.4+0.25+0.2), L2 1.85 (0.7+0.25+0.35+0.3+0.25), L3 2.25 (0.7+0.4+0.4+0.45+0.33), L4 2.45 (0.75+0.35+0.45+0.6+0.3).

Remarks. The male of this species is only 75% of the size all other species in the genus and has a distinctive and strongly coloured abdominal pattern. This female is the same size, and with the same distinctive pattern as the male. While it was not collected from the same locality, these are only separated by 80 km of the wet tropical forest they inhabit.

Distribution. Known only from two specimens from rainforest in north-eastern Queensland ( Fig. 67 ). As a consequence, IUCN Red List Category DD.

Figures

FIGURES 61–67. Prostheclina boreoaitha (42 001564), (female; 61 dorsal, 62 ventral, 63 lateral, 64 anterior, 65 external epigyne; semi-diagrammatic, dissected and cleared epigyne, 66 ventral view); 67 distribution map. Scale: 0.2mm.