Lamponina Strand, 1913

PLATNICK, NORMAN I., 2000, A Relimitation And Revision Of The Australasian Ground Spider Family Lamponidae (Araneae: Gnaphosoidea), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (245), pp. 1-328 : 119-121

Lamponina Strand , new rank

Lamponina Strand, 1913: 606 (type species by original designation Lampona scutata Strand ; described as a subgenus of Lampona Thorell ).

NOTE: The status of Strand’s name Lamponina has been ambiguous. Roewer’s (1955) catalog, for example, doesn’t even cite the name. Strand (1913: 606) merely appended a paragraph to his description of Lampona scutata , translated as follows:

Because of the divergent posterior eye row, the abdominal scuta, and the spinnerets, a special subgenus [Untergattung] ought to be set up for this species (eventually Lamponina mihi).

Petrunkevitch (1928: 152) erroneously listed

Lamponina as a genus (rather than a subgenus), and that error was perpetuated in Bonnet’s catalog (1957: 2343). Because there is a clear indication of a type species and a putative diagnosis, there seems no doubt that Lamponina is an available name, despite Strand’s noxious habit of providing provisional names for taxa (usually new subspecies) in case they might prove distinct at a later date. As Strand’s species belongs to a group that is clearly monophyletic and distinct from Lampona , his name is here accepted and explicitly elevated to generic rank.

DIAGNOSIS: The fusion of the sternum with the epimeric sclerites separates specimens from those of all lamponine genera other than Lamponega , Lamponusa , and Lamponicta . The presence of a divided scopula on metatarsi and tarsi I and II, a rugose sternal surface, and the typical form of the retrolateral tibial apophysis (figs. 292, 312) and epigynum (figs. 293, 313) all separate Lamponina specimens from those of the other three genera with fused sterna and epimeric sclerites.

DESCRIPTION: Medium­sized spiders, total length 6.1–10.5. Carapace dark reddishblack, elongate, surface coated with setabearing tubercles (extending to lateral margins, which therefore appear serrate), with median longitudinal row of thick white scales (fig. 278), row wide on posterior half of pars cephalica, narrow on pars thoracica; thoracic groove long, longitudinal, inconspicuous. From above, anterior eye row procurved, posterior row straight (fig. 277); from front, anterior row very strongly procurved, with laterals almost forming third row, posterior row procurved; AME separat­ ed by their radius, closer to ALE; PME almost contiguous, slightly farther from PLE; MOQ slightly longer than wide, wider in back than in front; clypeus at midline almost twice AME diameter. Chelicerae reddishblack proximally, lightened to dark orange on distal one­fifth; sternum and mouthparts dark red. Anterior chilum small, almost diamond­shaped, protuberant; posterior chilum (extremely narrow sclerite between chelicerae posteriorly at base) present. Each cheliceral promargin with long, thick seta originating near insertion of fang, immediately bent at 90 degree angle, extending to median line (fig. 282); chelicerae with three promarginal teeth, no retromarginals, with distinct lateral boss. Epimeric sclerites completely fused with sternum on each side, so that each leg coxae appears set in foramen completely surrounded by sclerotized cuticle; epimeric sclerites also completely fused with carapace from level of endites back to rear of coxae II foramina (from there back to pedicel, separated from carapace by extremely narrow line of unsclerotized cuticle). Anterior margin of labium slightly incised at middle, posterior margin rounded at sides; labium depressed medially. Endites obliquely depressed, inner margins with sharply demarcated, deep groove extending from level of scopula back to over half length of labium; serrula teeth may be fused into long ridge, sieve plate small (fig. 281). Sternum elevat­ ed, with deep grooves between coxal foramina; surface rugose, with elevated ridges connecting seta­bearing tubercles. Pedicel elongate (figs. 274, 279), dorsally incised, antlike in appearance, composed of two dorsal sclerites (anterior sclerite elongate; posterior sclerite normal in length, composed of five triangular subsclerites) and rounded sclerite covering venter and sides, separated from elongate dorsal sclerite only by narrow strip of unsclerotized cuticle; ventral sclerite without median longitudinal keel prolonged anteriorly into distinct protrusion extending toward sternum.

Abdomen dark gray, dorsum usually with white markings and scales; venter usually brownish­gray, without longitudinal rows of small sclerites. Anterior edge of abdomen of both sexes with almost complete sclerotic ring formed by epigastric scutum and long, narrow, reddish dorsal abdominal scutum reaching to almost half of abdominal length in males, to about one­fourth of abdominal length in females, dorsal scutum with white, scalelike setae; epigastric scutum dark orange, deepened to dark red and highly setose over booklungs. Pair of oval sclerites bearing elevated anterior ridge, situated just behind epigastric scutum; anterior edges of those sclerites fitting under epigastric scutum. Anterior lateral spinnerets with two major ampullate gland spigots and unenlarged piriform gland spigots (figs. 287, 288); posterior median spinnerets of males with at least one minor ampullate gland spigot and many aciniform gland spigots (fig. 289), females with at least one cylindrical gland spigot as well (fig. 290); posterior lateral spinnerets twosegmented, distal segment short; colulus represented by setae; oval sclerite just in front of spinnerets presumably marks posterior spiracle.

Legs often with some dark markings; coxae elongate, coxae IV with few dorsal setabearing tubercles; trochanters short, unnotched; anterior metatarsi and tarsi with divided scopulae (fig. 283); posterior metatarsi with distal preening brushes; posterior tarsi with entire scopulae; claw tufts with relatively few setae (fig. 285); legs almost spineless, single proventral spine present at distal end of tibiae III, IV; tarsal organ flat (fig. 284), trichobothrial bases ridged (fig. 286). Female palpal tibia and tarsus with several long, thin spines; female palpal tarsus with dentate claw.

Male palp with retrolateral tibial apophysis short, wide, distally serrate; bulb with posterior protrusion on retrolateral side, with long, prolaterally directed embolus and membranous conductor wrapping around embolus dorsally (fig. 280), without median apophysis; sperm duct s­shaped in retrolateral view. Epigynum on distinct sclerite reaching to pedicel, separated from sclerites bearing booklung covers by narrow longitudinal strips of unsclerotized cuticle; epigynum with small, posteriorly situated median plate with openings at anterolateral corners; spermathecal bulbs on elaborate, mshaped ducts.

Penultimate males and females with epimeric sclerites not fused to carapace, not fused posteriorly to sternum between coxae IV, ventral sclerite of pedicel composed of two separate halves divided along midline by narrow strip of unsclerotized cuticle; penultimate females with substantial pre­epigynum.

KEY TO SPECIES OF LAMPONINA

1. Males............................. 2

– Females........................... 7

2. Distal half of palpal femur widened (fig. 304)......................... L. kakadu

– Distal half of palpal femur not widened.. 3

3. Palpal femur with small but distinct narrowing at about half its length (as in fig. 292) ................................ 4

– Palpal femur not narrowed at about half its length........................... 6

4. Femur IV narrowed, elongate, yellow; anterior half of abdomen white.. L. elongata

– Femur IV not narrowed, dark orange or dark­ er; anterior half of abdomen dark gray 5

5. Retrolateral tibial apophysis with produced ventral edge, unexpanded dorsal edge (fig. 292)..................... L. scutata

– Retrolateral tibial apophysis with unproduced ventral edge, expanded and pointed dorsal edge (fig. 312)................ L. isa

6. Abdominal venter with longitudinal dark stripe along midline.......... L. loftia

– Abdominal venter without longitudinal dark stripe.................. L. asperrima

7. Abdominal venter with longitudinal dark stripe along midline.......... L. loftia

– Abdominal venter without longitudinal dark stripe........................... 8

8. Femur IV narrowed, elongate, yellow; anterior half of abdomen white.. L. elongata

– Femur IV not narrowed, dark orange or dark­ er; anterior half of abdomen dark gray.. 9

9. Spermathecae relatively large, extending to about one­third of length of epigynal sclerite (figs. 293, 313)................ 10

– Spermathecae relatively small, extending only to about one­fourth of length of epigynal sclerite (figs. 297, 305)....... 11

10. Spermathecal tips relatively small (fig. 294)......................... L. scutata

– Spermathecal tips relatively large (fig. 314)............................ L. isa

11. Epigynal midpiece relatively large (fig. 297)....................... L. asperrima

– Epigynal midpiece relatively small (fig. 305)......................... L. kakadu