Diahogna pisauroides, Framenau, 2006

Framenau, Volker W., 2006, Revision of the wolf spider genus Diahogna Roewer, 1960 (Araneae, Lycosidae), Journal of Natural History 40 (5 - 6), pp. 273-292 : 289-291

Diahogna pisauroides n. sp.

( Figures 4 , 7 A–C)

Material examined

Holotype: male, Adelaide River floodplain (12 ° 139S, 131 ° 139E, Northern Territory, Australia), 1 March 2002, G. Wallace ( NTMAG A485 ).

Other material examined. Australia: Northern Territory: one male, Blackmore River, Letchford Road , 12 ° 369S, 130 ° 569E, 8 January 2001, A. Spiers ( NTMAG A480 ); one male, same locality, 25 January 2001, J. K. Webber ( NTMAG A481 ) .

Etymology

The specific epithet is an adjective in apposition and refers to the pisaurid-like eye pattern and carapace coloration of this species.

Diagnosis

Diahogna pisauroides is easily distinguished from other species in the genus Diahogna by the carapace coloration, in particular the distinct submarginal light bands that are accompanied by dark marginal bands. All other Diahogna have light marginal bands.

Description

Male. Based on holotype ( NTMAG A485 ) .

Carapace ( Figure 1D ): brown, distinct light median band filled anteriorly with brown centre resulting in a Y-shaped pattern, the base of which reaches to posterior carapace margin; indistinct dark brown radial pattern; distinct light brown submarginal bands and dark marginal bands; dark brown setae, mainly white setae in submarginal bands; dark brown macrosetae around eyes of which those below and between the AE are longest.

Eyes: row of AE straight and wider than row of PME.

Sternum: brown; brown setae and dark brown macrosetae that are longer and denser towards margins.

Labium: dark brown, front end truncated and white.

Chelicerae: brown, silver-grey setae and dark brown macrosetae; three promarginal teeth, the median largest; three (right chelicera: four) retromarginal teeth of similar size.

Pedipalp ( Figure 7 A–C): tegulum apically drawn out to a tip, tegular apophysis round with ventrally bent tip ( Figure 7A ); embolus narrowing slender, terminal apophysis heavily sclerotised with lateral incision and ventrally bulging base ( Figure 7C ).

Abdomen ( Figure 1D ): uniformly light olive-grey; indistinct lanceolate heart mark in anterior half accompanied by two lighter longitudinal bands on either side; grey setae and macrosetae. Venter yellow olive-grey; setae as dorsally. Spinneret coloration as venter.

Legs: leg formula VI.I.II.III; light brown, distal segments darker. Spination of leg I: femur: two dorsal, one apicoprolateral, two retrolateral; tibia: three ventral pairs; metatarsus: three ventral pairs, one apicoventral.

Female. Unknown.

Measurements. Male holotype, AM KS75568: TL 7.41, CL 4.08, CW 3.15. Eyes: AME 0.18, ALE 0.18, PME 0.20, PLE 0.19. Row of eyes: AE 0.78, PME 0.58, PLE 1.24. Sternum (length/width) 1.67/1.42. Labium (length/width) 0.56/0.59. AL 3.21, AW 2.35. Legs: lengths of segments (femur+patella/tibia+metatarsus+tarsus5total length): pedipalp 1.48+1.36+2+1.2454.08, I 2.71+3.58+2.22+1.1159.62, II 2.59+3.33+2.22+1.1159.25, III 2.59+3.21+2.22+1.1159.13, IV 3.21+4.08+3.21+1.36511.86.

Variation. The other two males are slightly smaller than the holotype ( NTMAG A480 : CW 2.72, CL 3.70, TL 6.79; A481: CW 2.59, CL 3.33, TL 6.80) .

Distribution

Only known from the type locality, the Adelaide River floodplain, Northern Territory ( Figure 4 ) .

Remarks

Diahogna pisauroides was included in a recent molecular phylogeny of wolf spiders (as ‘‘New Genus 2 sp. ’’) ( Murphy et al. 2006) (see Remarks section in the generic description above).

Figures

Figure 1. Photographs (dorsal view) of species of Diahogna. (A) Female of D. martensii (Karsch) from Blackmans Lagoon, Tasmania, Australia (QVMAG 13:42205); (B) female of D. exculta (L. Koch) from O’Brians Gap, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (AM KS58056); (C) female of D. hildegardae n. sp. from Tambo River at Doctors Flat, Victoria, Australia (WAM T48116); (D) male holotype of D. pisauroides n. sp. from Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia (NTMAG A485). Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figure 4. Records of Diahogna in Australia and New Caledonia. Diahogna martensii (Karsch) (light circles); D. hildegardae n. sp. (full circles); D. pisauroides n. sp. (light squares); D. exculta (L. Koch) (full squares).

Figure 7. Diahogna pisauroides n. sp., male holotype from Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia (NTMAG A485). (A, B) Left pedipalp, ventral and lateral views, respectively; (C) left male pedipalp, apical part of bulbus. Scale bar: 0.68 mm (A, B); 0.37 mm (C).