Teyl Main, 1975

Huey, Joel A., Rix, Michael G., Wilson, Jeremy D., Hillyer, Mia J. & Harvey, Mark S., 2019, Open-holed trapdoor spiders of the genus Teyl (Mygalomorphae: Nemesiidae Anamini) from Western Australia’s Pilbara bioregion: a new species and expanded phylogenetic assessment, Zootaxa 4674 (3), pp. 349-362 : 356-357

Genus Teyl Main, 1975

Teyl Main, 1975: 74 . Type species by original designation Teyl luculentus Main, 1975 .

Merredinia Main, 1983: 931 . Type species by original designation Merredinia damsonoides Main, 1983 (synonymised by Harvey et al., 2018: 436).

Pseudoteyl Main, 1985: 753 . Type species by original designation Pseudoteyl vancouveri Main, 1985 (synonymised by Harvey et al., 2018: 437).

Diagnosis. Most species of Teyl and Namea can be distinguished from all other Anamini by the presence of a reflexed embolus arising on the lateral or proximal side of the pedipalpal bulb ( Figs 14–16 ), combined with the absence of a megaspur on the male leg I tibia ( Figs 11–13 ). However, a number of species of both Teyl (e.g., T. damsonoides ) and Namea (e.g., N. callemonda Raven, 1984 , N. dahmsi Raven, 1984 ) have a presumably autapomorphic morphology whereby the embolus is not reflexed, but rather positioned distally on the bulb; these species can be distinguished from similar Anamini by the absence of a leg I megaspur on males, or by the absence of incrassate tarsi on the leg I of males. Similarly, a number of species of Namea (e.g. N. calcaria Raven, 1984 , N. dicalcaria Raven 1984 ) have macrosetae on the male leg I tibia which are produced into a megaspur-like structure; these species can be distinguished from all other Anamini, except species of Teyloides Main, 1985 , by the presence of a reflexed embolus; and from Teyloides by the absence of coiled spermathecae in females.

The diagnostic separation of Teyl and Namea is currently problematic, due largely to the absence of a phylogenetic hypothesis for Namea , and the presence of a number of confounding diagnostic characters at the generic level (an issue discussed in detail by Raven 1984). At present, Teyl includes all of those species which occur in western and southern Australia, outside of the subtropical and tropical mesic zone of eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. Whether Namea , as currently circumscribed (sensu Raven 1984), represents one or more genera, and how it differs morphologically from Teyl s.s., is currently the subject of ongoing research.

Distribution. Species of Teyl occur throughout the semi-arid and arid zones of southern Australia, from Western Australia ( Fig. 1 ) east to southern South Australia and western Victoria. The genus reaches its highest diversity in south-western Western Australia, although a relatively few species can be found as far north as the Murchison, Gascoyne and Pilbara bioregions in the western-central arid zone ( Figs 1 , 2 ).

Included species. The genus Teyl includes seven described species, one of which is newly described in this study. Numerous undescribed species are also known from throughout western and southern Australia.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map showing collection records of Teyl from Western Australia, including specimens from the Pilbara bioregion (inset box; see Fig. 2). Black circles denote male specimens; open circles denote female or juvenile specimens.

FIGURE 2. Map showing collection records of Teyl from the Pilbara bioregion (PIL) of Western Australia (see Fig. 1 for details). Black circles denote identified specimens of Teyl heuretes sp. nov.; open circles denote unidentified juveniles. Other mapped IBRA 7.0 bioregions are as follows: CAR, Carnarvon; GAS, Gascoyne; GSD, Great Sandy Desert; LSD, Little Sandy Desert.

FIGURES 14–16. Teyl heuretes sp. nov., male holotype (WAM T91918) from Weeli Wolli Creek region, Hamersley Range (Western Australia; PIL), pedipalp: 14, retrolateral view; 15, retro-ventral view; 16, prolateral view. Scale bar = 2.0 mm.

FIGURES 4–13. Teyl heuretes sp. nov., male holotype (WAM T91918) from Weeli Wolli Creek region, Hamersley Range (Western Australia; PIL), somatic morphology: 4–5, carapace and abdomen, dorsal view; 6, cephalothorax, lateral view; 7, eyes, dorsal view; 8, mouthparts, ventral view; 9–10, cephalothorax and abdomen, ventral view; 11, leg I, prolateral view; 12, leg I tibia, prolateral view; 13, leg I tibia, retrolateral view. Scale bars = 2.0 mm.