Karriella treenensis, Gray & Smith, 2008

Gray, Michael R. & Smith, Helen M., 2008, A New Subfamily of Spiders with Grate-shaped Tapeta from Australia and Papua New Guinea (Araneae: Stiphidiidae: Borralinae), Records of the Australian Museum 60 (1), pp. 13-44 : 34

Karriella treenensis n.sp.

Figs 2e–g , 8c , 13a–g , 15a–b

Type material. Western Australia: HOLOTYPE:?, KS14774, Treen Brook , 5 km SE of Pemberton, 34°26'S 116°04'E, 11 Feb. 1979, M.R. Gray, in log . PARATYPES: 3 !!, KS14775, KS82652–3, data as holotype;!, KS14792, Treen Brook SF, 8 km west of Pemberton, 34°26'S 116°02'E, 12 Feb.1979, M.R. Gray, in litter; 3 ??, KS34750, KS82654–6, Manjimup , 34°15'S 116°09'E, 1971, J. Springett, SW Forest Survey Ref 19FSS;?, WAM T78284, data as KS82654–6;?, 2 !!, WAM 74/7–10, 12 miles W of Manjimup, ca 34°13'S 115°56'E, 11 Mar. 1971, H. Butler, litter .

Other material. Western Australia: 2 !!, KS14690, KS85058, Warren NP, Old Vasse Road , 34°30'S 116°00'E, 10 Feb. 1979 , M.R. Gray, large filmy horizontal sheet web suspended from low mossy bark on karri trunk;?, KS14702, Dombakup SF, 34°30'S 116°00'E, 4 Feb.1979 , M.R. Gray, in sheet web on dry culvert bank, palp used for SEM; 3 ??, KS15305, Pine Creek, 0.5 km from Quarty Rd, Nannup–Pemberton area , 34°15'S 115°50'E, 14 Feb. 1979 , M.R. Gray, pitfall traps in litter, 26 Jan.–4 Mar. 1979;?, KS34749,!, KS34751, Pemberton, Brockman NP, 34°30'S 116°00'E, 22 Jan. 1974 , M.R. Gray, under logs in karri forest;!, KS34752, Pemberton, 34°30'S 116°00'E, 1971, J. Springett, SW Forest Survey Ref 21FSS;!, KS34753, Shannon River ( Nelson Rd ) Northcliffe , 34°39'S 116°21'E, Jan. 1974 , M.R. Gray, in webs on river bank—web in expanding half bell shape, 30 cm diameter; 2 !!, KS14862, Boranup Drive, off Caves Road near Karridale , 34°05'S 115°03'E, 14 Feb. 1979 , M.R. Gray, in sheet webs in soil banks and in hanging curled bark near ground; 2 ??, KS15143, as KS14862 but pitfall traps, 26 Jan.–3 Mar. 1979.

Diagnosis. Differs from K. walpolensis by the slit-like dorsal groove on the male palpal RDTA; female with epigynal fossa relatively wider and copulatory ducts shorter and arranged in a compact S-shape.

Description

Male (holotype). BL 5.02, CL 2.45 (range 2.45–3.55), CW 2.04, CapW 1.10, EGW 0.78, LL 0.39, LW 0.45, SL 1.33, SW 1.14. Legs: 1423 (I: 11.51; II: 9.92; III: 8.57; IV: 10.20); ratio tibia I length:CW = 1:0.70. Male palp ( Fig. 13a–c ). Palpal bulb longer than wide. Dorsal groove on RDTA narrow, slit-like. Distal conductor with a large, crestlike process sub-apically. Putative stridulatory bristles on retrolateral paturon, either in 1–2 rows ( Fig. 15a ) or more scattered (occasionally indistinct); prolateral basal half of femur with a row or patch of very short setae with thickened bases ( Fig. 15b ).

Female (KS14775). BL 6.33, CL 3.18 (range 2.92–3.62), CW 2.04, CapW 1.39, EGW 0.94, LL 0.47, LW 0.47, SL 1.45, SW 1.25. Legs: 1423 (I: 10.98; II: 9.35; III: 8.12; IV: 9.88); ratio tibia I length:CW = 1:0.74. Stridulatory organ present but less strongly developed than in male, setae grouped irregularly, not in row. Epigynum ( Fig. 13d–g ). Fossa an inverted U-shape ( Fig. 13d ), may be narrowed posteriorly ( Fig. 13f ); fossa length (from anterior margin to line between epigynal knob centres) c. 2× fossa width. Fossa sometimes plugged and the posterior epigynal “knobs” may be damaged or missing ( Fig. 13f ). Internal genitalia with copulatory ducts and spermathecae making a tight S-shape.

Variation. The bowed male metatarsi I are sometimes pencilled laterally with a pair of dark brown longitudinal lines. Specimens from the Karridale/Boranup area east of Pemberton lack any obvious cheliceral “stridulatory” setae.

Distribution. The Pemberton–Karridale region of the southwest corner of Western Australia.

Etymology. The species name refers to Treen Brook, W.A., the type locality.

Figures

Fig. 2. Male palps.a–d, Couranga kioloa (KS69663): (a), cymbium and bulb, ventral; (b), distal conductor and embolus (barb on subapical embolus arrowed); (c), tibia, retrolateral; (d), trichobothria on cymbium. (e–g), Karriella treenensis (KS14702): e, tibia, cymbium and bulb, ventral; f, conductor and bipartite median apophysis, proventral; g, RDTA, dorsal. (h,i), Jamberoo johnnoblei (KS8503): h, tibia, cymbium and bulb, ventral; i, bipartite MA processes, retrolateral.

Fig. 8. Distribution records: (a), Jamberoo spp.: J. johnnoblei, d; J. boydensis, h; J. actensis, p; J. australis, s. (b), Couranga spp.: C. kioloa, d; C. diehappy, h. (c), Karriella spp.: K. treenensis, N; K. walpolensis, s. (d), Elleguna spp.: E. major, n; E. minor, d. (e), Asmea spp.: A. akrikensis, p; A. hayllari, s; A. capella, h; A. mullerensis, N.

Fig. 13. Karriella treenensis. (a–c), male palp (holotype): a, ventral; b, retrolateral; c, tibia, dorsal.(d–g), epigynum: d, ventral (KS14775); e, lateral (WAM T78285); f, plugged and damaged epigynum, ventral (KS14862); g, dorsal—internal genitalia (KS14690). Scale line 0.5 mm: upper, a–c; lower, d–g.

Fig.15. Stridulatory structures, male:(a,b), Karriella treenensis (KS34750); (c,d), K. walpolensis (KS15143). (a,c), bristles on lateral paturon; a, linear, c, scattered; b,d, short bristles on prolateral palpal femur.