Jamberoo australis, 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 : 31

Jamberoo australis n.sp.

Figs 8a , 12a–e

Type material. Victoria: HOLOTYPE:?, KS46337, Box Corner , 4.5 km N of Mount Buller village, 37°09'S 146°27'E, 1000 m, 8 Apr.1978 (specimen matured 3 Jan. 1979), M.R. Gray . PARATYPES:?, KS46338, collected mature, otherwise data as holotype;!, KS77020, Box Corner, Mt Buller, 37°09'S 146°27'E, 16 Nov. 1982, M.R. Gray;?, KS77022, La La Falls , Warburton, 37°45'S 145°42'E, 13 Mar. 1954, A. Neboiss .

Other material. Victoria:?, KS46336, 7 km E of Mirimbah on Mount Stirling Road , 37°09'S 146°57'E, 8 Apr. 1978 , M.R. Gray, 920 m;!, KS46081, 3 km NE of Mirimbah , 37°07'S 146°56'E, 21 Apr. 2002 , M.R. Gray;!, KS34754, Sherbrooke Forest , 37°53'S 145°22'E, 19 Jan. 1955 .

Diagnosis. Differs from other species in having the lesser spine on the spiniform sclerotized lateral process of MA reduced to a spicule (not “claw-like”); and the epigynal fossa without a dividing septum.

Description

Male (holotype). BL 8.80, CL 4.12 (range 3.22–4.16), CW 2.84, CapW 1.71, EGW 1.14, LL 0.68, LW 0.61, SL

1.95, SW 1.62. Legs: 1243 (I: 19.73; II: 16.33; III: 13.40; IV: 15.40); ratio tibia I length:CW = 1:0.56. Sternum dark brown. Male palp ( Fig. 12a,b ). RVTA large, anvil shaped (lateral view). Cymbium apex short coniform. Cymbial flange very wide. Bulb wider than long. Prolateral margin of TL rounded, sometimes with a small thorn-like protuberance. Lateral process of MA slender spiniform, with secondary spine reduced to a spicule ( Fig. 12b ).

Female (KS77020) BL 8.41, CL 3.80 (range 3.80–4.29), CW 2.65, CapW 1.80, EGW 1.16, LL 0.65, LW 0.65, SL 1.88, SW 1.57. Legs: 1243 (I: 14.83; II: 12.67; III: 10.67; IV: 12.33); ratio tibia I length:CW = 1:0.71 Sternum dark brown. Epigynum ( Fig. 12c–e ). Fossa open, without median septum or posterior knob, longer than wide, narrowest anteriorly. Internal genitalia (KS46081) with short copulatory ducts and large spermathecae separated by about a third of spermatheca width.

Comments. All other Jamberoo species have a divided epigynal fossa. Possession of an open fossa initially precluded placing the Mt Buller–Mirimbah males and females together. However, collecting has not revealed a second “striped” species in this region so that the male– female matching seems reliable. The midline area of the fossa rises ventrally from front to back, possibly reflecting a former or incipient division of the fossa.

Distribution. Southern Great Dividing Range, eastern Victoria.

Etymology. The name refers to the southern distribution of this species.

Figures

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. 12. Jamberoo australis. (a,b), male palp (holotype): a, ventral; b, retrolateral (arrow to spicule on lateral process of MA). (c–e), epigynum: c, ventral, d, lateral (KS77020); e, dorsal—internal genitalia (KS46081). Scale lines 0.5 mm: upper, a,b; lower, c–e.