Aucana kaala, HUBER, 2000

HUBER, BERNHARD A., 2000, New World Pholcid Spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae): A Revision At Generic Level, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (254), pp. 1-348 : 110-113

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1206/0003-0090(2000)254<0001:NWPSAP>2.0.CO;2
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03ACD276-8F39-FF99-FCB5-FCE4427D3D62
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Aucana kaala
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Aucana kaala View in CoL , new species Figures 87 View Figs , 156 View Figs , 418 View Figs 428

TYPES: Male holotype, 73 10♀ paratypes, and 8 juveniles from Piton de Pandop , near Mt. Kaala (20°35'S, 164°21'E), Prov. Nord, New Caledonia GoogleMaps ; 380 m elev., dry forest, Feb. 14, 1993 (N. I. Platnick, R. J. Raven, M. S. Harvey), in AMNH .

ETYMOLOGY: Named for Mt. Kaala near the type locality. The specific name is a noun in apposition.

DIAGNOSIS: Distinguished from the Chilean species above by the large distal apophysis on the bulb (figs. 423, 425), the shape of the more complex procursus (fig. 426), and the larger proximal pair of apophyses on the male chelicerae in addition to the tiny, cone-shaped apophyses distally (fig. 424). The AMNH and QMB have at least three further, closely related species from New Caledonia, which show minimal differences in the shape of procursus and epigynum, and in the armature of the male chelicerae.

MALE (holotype): Total length 1.06, carapace width 0.51; leg 1: 3.23 (0.86+0.20 +0.88+0.88+0.41), tibia 2: 0.69, tibia 3: 0.49, tibia 4: 0.88; tibia 1 l/d: 15. Habitus as in fig. 418. Entire prosoma ochre-yellow; carapace without thoracic groove (fig. 420), distance PME-ALE about 30% of PME di- ameter. Sternum without frontal humps (fig. 421); chelicerae with several small coneshaped apophyses in row on each side, and larger pair more proximally (fig. 424). Palps as in figs. 422 423, coxa without retrolateral apophysis, femur distally very wide, procursus with dorsal apophysis proximally and complex membranous tip (fig. 426); tarsal organ exposed (fig. 87); bulb with large curved apophysis projecting from sclerotized arch surrounding whitish area (fig. 425), and smaller apophysis just aside larger one (fig. 423). Legs monochromous ochre-yellow; without spines, without curved and vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 56%; tarsus 1 with ~ 5 pseudosegments. Opisthosoma ochre-gray, with faint darker spots dorsally; gonopore without epiandrous spigots; ALS with several piriform gland spigots (fig. 156).

FEMALE (type locality): Total length (N = 9) 0.98 1.45 (x¯ = 1.20), tibia 1 (N = 13) 0.80 0.98 (x¯ = 0.85). In general very similar to male. Epigynum consisting of simple flat frontal plate and very large posterior plate (fig. 427); internally with pair of oval pore plates and dark structure of unknown significance frontally that is always asymmetrically positioned (fig. 428).

VARIATION: Tibia 1 in eight males from type locality: 0.84 0.94 (x¯ = 0.91); tibia 1 in two males from Col d Amieu : 1.02, 1.04 ; the single male from Grottes d Adio has identical palps and chelicerae, but is different in some somatic characters, and therefore assigned tentatively to the species: the legs are much longer (tibia 1: 1.67), while the cara- pace is only slightly broader (0.64), the ocular area is slightly flatter, the AME are reduced to pigment specks. All these are typical morphological changes accompanying transition into a cave habitat (cf. Aymaria species on Galápagos), and there may well be reproductive isolation.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Prov. Nord, New Caledonia.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: NEW CALEDO- NIA: Prov. Nord : Piton de Pandop: types above ; same data, 13 1♀ in AMNH ; same locality, same collectors, Feb. 18, 1993, 13 3♀ 10 juveniles in AMNH ; 2 km W Col d Amieu , Forestry Station, 430 m elev .,

Berlese , litter, May 26, 1987 (N. I. Platnick & R. Raven), 93 5♀ (2 vials) in AMNH ; Col d Amieu, 440 m elev., May 26, 1987 (R. Raven), 43 5♀ 3 juveniles in QMB ; Col d Amieu, E slope past forest station, litter, Nov. 6, 1988 (R. Raven), 33 9♀ 3 juveniles in QMB ; Col d Amieu , 400 m elev., rain forest, N of La Foa, forest litter, Berlese, July 31 Aug. 7, 1978 (S. & J. Peck), 13 in AMNH ; Mandjélia , rain forest litter, 700 m elev., May 12, 1984 (G. Monteith & D. Cook), 13 3♀ (2 vials) in QMB ;

Presqu lle Montagnés, 30 m elev., (166°07'E, 22°02'S), foret sèche/calcaire, berlese, Nov. 9, 1998 (A. & S. Tillier, J. Chazeau), 13 1♀ in MNHN. Tentatively assigned: Grottes d Adio (21°15'S, 165°15'E), Feb. 21, 1993 (N. I. Platnick, R. J. Raven, M. S. Harvey), 13 1 juvenile in AMNH.