Wandella infernalis, Ivan L. F. Magalhaes, 2016

Ivan L. F. Magalhaes, 2016, On new or poorly known Australian Filistatidae spiders (Araneae: Araneomorphae), including a study on the fine morphology of Wandella, Journal of Natural History 50 (29 - 30), pp. 1815-1858 : 22-25

Wandella infernalis sp. nov.

( Figures 15 , 19 – 21 )

Type material

Holotype. Male from AUSTRALIA: Western Australia, 25 km northeast of Fitzroy Crossing, Geikie Range, cave KG-47 (125.7416, −18.04027), S. Eberhard & G. Forte, 1/ VII/1998 ( WAM T132988 ).

Paratypes. Two females in the same vial.

Etymology

The specific name is an adjective referring to the subterranean habitat of this species, and is also a tribute to the notorious Australian rock band AC/DC, whose members have written several songs about hell.

Diagnosis

Males are most similar to those of Wandella centralis Gray and Wandella pallida Gray in having a long and slender palp; they can be distinguished from these and all other Wandella species by having a strong ventral bump in the bulb just basal to the embolus ( W. pallida Gray has a similar, but much more tenuous bump: see his fig. 114), and by the subtriangular paraembolic lamina ending close to the embolus ( Figure 19 G). Females can be distinguished from other species by the subtriangular inner spermathecae, which point laterad ( Figure 20 E).

Description

Holotype male from Cave KG-47, Geikie Range, Western Australia, Australia (WAM T132988) ( Figures 19 , 21 A). Coloration: carapace cream, with brown median pattern and incomplete clypeal markings, and light brown median area, with slightly dark submarginal bands; chelicerae cream; labium and endites light cream; sternum light cream, with a pair of brown markings anteriorly; legs light cream, with incomplete light brown rings in the base and apex of the femora, tibiae and metatarsi; abdomen dorsum cream, with five light brown subtriangular markings; abdomen venter cream. Anterior margin of the carapace nearly straight. Sternum subrounded, sigillae not visible. Total length 2.74. Carapace length 1.16, width 0.90. Clypeus length 0.25. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.06, PME 0.09, ALE 0.11, PLE 0.1, AME – AME 0.01, PME – PME 0.08. Palp: femur length 0.67, width 0.13, tibia length 0.36, width 0.14. Leg I: femur 2.11, patella 0.41, missing from tibia. II: fe 1.31, pa 0.37, ti 1.24. III: fe 1.18, pa 0.31, ti 1.04. IV: fe 1.56, pa 0.42, ti 1.45, mt 1.55, ta 0.69. Abdomen: length 1.65, width 1.01. Leg macrosetae: absent (leg I missing from tibia). Palp: cymbium horseshoe-shaped, prolateral excavation very large, occupying most of the prolateral face of the tegulum ( Figure 19 F, Ex), paraembolic process subtriangular, distally detached, pointy, embolus short and nearly straight.

Paratype female from Cave KG-47, Geikie Range, Western Australia, Australia (WAM T132988, preparation IFM-0824) ( Figure 20 A – C). Coloration as in male. Sternum as in male. Total length 3.53. Carapace length 1.37, width 1.08. Clypeus length 0.24. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.07, PME 0.09, ALE 0.11, PLE 0.09, AME – AME 0.02, PME – PME 0.07. Sternum length 0.86. width 0.62. Palp: femur length 0.96, width 0.23, tibia length 0.61, width 0.18. Leg I: femur 2.05, patella 0.41, tibia 2.5, metatarsus 2.02, tarsus 1.22. II: fe 1.43, pa 0.47, ti 1.26. III: fe 1.25, pa 0.43, ti 1.10. IV: fe 1.77, pa 0.42, ti 1.52, mt 1.45, ta 0.86. Abdomen: length 2.07, width 1.39. Leg macrosetae: absent. Calamistrum with three rows with 7-4?-7 setae (inner to outer row). State of the specimen: left leg I missing from tibia, not dissected, carapace cuticle somewhat displaced beneath.

Paratype female from the same locality (WAM T132988, preparation IFM-0651) ( Figures 20 D, E, 21B). Epigastric furrow adorned with thick setae posteriorly, and a row of long setae anteriorly. Spermathecae: inner spermathecae subtriangular, more sclerotized than the laterals, pointing laterad, outer spermathecae rounded, on the top of a short annulated stalk.

Variation

Females (n = 2): total length 3.53 – 4.52 (4.03), carapace length 1.37 – 1.71 (1.54), femur I length 2.05 – 2.56 (2.31).

Note

Males and females have been matched because they have been collected in the same cave.

Distribution

Known from a single cave in Western Australia ( Figure 15 ).

Material examined

Only the types.

Figures

Figure 15. Distribution maps for Australian filistatids (including records by Gray 1994). Above: triangles = Wandella barbarella, white circles = Wandella diamentina, stars = Wandella grayi, black circles = Wandella murrayensis, asterisks = Wandella orana, crosses = Wandella parnabyi, white squares = Wandella waldockae. Below: triangles = Wandella alinjarra, black circles = Wandella australiensis, asterisks = Wandella centralis, star = Wandella infernalis, cross = Wandella pallida, white circles = Wandella stuartensis, squares = Yardiella humphreysi.

Figure 19. Wandella infernalis sp. nov., holotype male (WAM T 132988). (A) Habitus, dorsal. (B) Habitus, lateral. (C) Habitus, ventral. (D) Left palp, prolateral. (E) Left palp, retrolateral. (F) Bulb, subdorsal. Notice deep prolateral excavation. (G) Bulb, prolateral, cleared. Abbreviations: B, bump; Ex, prolateral excavation; PL, paraembolic lamina.

Figure 20. Wandella infernalis sp. nov., paratype females (WAM T 132988). (A) Habitus, dorsal. Inset: right calamistrum, retrolateral. (B) Habitus, lateral. (C) Habitus, ventral. (D) Spermathecae and genital aperture, dorsal, cleared (preparation IFM- 0651). (E) Spermathecae, dorsal, cleared (preparation IFM- 0651). Abbreviations: IS, inner spermathecae; OS, outer spermathecae.

Figure 21. Wandella infernalis sp. nov. (A) Holotype male (WAM T 132988), left bulb, prolateral, cleared. (B) Paratype female (WAM T 132988), spermathecae, dorsal, cleared (preparation IFM- 0651). Abbreviations: B, bump; PL, paraembolic lamina.