Cithaeron, O.Pickard-Cambridge, 1872

PLATNICK, NORMAN I., 2002, A Revision Of The Australasian Ground Spiders Of The Families Ammoxenidae, Cithaeronidae, Gallieniellidae, And Trochanteriidae (Araneae: Gnaphosoidea), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2002 (271), pp. 1-1 : 1-

Cithaeron O. P.­Cambridge

Cithaeron O. P.­ Cambridge, 1872: 272 (type species by monotypy Cithaeron praedonius O. P.­ Cambridge).

Tephlea Simon, 1878: 207 (type species by monotypy Tephlea agelenoides Simon ). First synonymized by Simon, 1893: 384.

DIAGNOSIS: Females can be distinguished from those of Inthaeron by having the cylindrical gland spigots on the posterior median spinnerets arranged in a dense cluster (Platnick, 1990: fig. 171) rather than in two longitudinal rows. Males lack the highly coiled embolus found in Inthaeron ( Platnick and Gajbe, 1994) . The combined presence of a distal segment on the anterior lateral spinnerets and curled, pseudosegmented tarsi distinguishes Cithaeron from all other Australian gnaphosoids.

DESCRIPTION: See Platnick (1990).

Cithaeron praedonius O. P.­Cambridge

Figures 36–40 ; Map 2

Cithaeron praedonium O. P. ­ Cambridge, 1872: 273 (two female syntypes in Hope Department of Entomology , Oxford University , not re­examined; according to the original description, they are from ‘‘under a stone on the Lebanon’ ’ and ‘‘a similar situation at Hasbeiya,’’ Lebanon, but both specimens are actually penultimate females rather than adults) .

NOTE: Although the syntypes of C. praedonius are penultimate females and cannot be identified with certainty, that name is used for this taxon because it is the only cithaeronid species known from the Middle East. For a full synonymy, see Platnick (1990).

DIAGNOSIS: This species is similar to C. delimbatus Strand but can be distinguished by the larger median apophysis on the male palp (figs. 36–38) and the more highly coiled epigynal ducts of females (figs. 39, 40).

MALE: See Platnick (1990).

FEMALE: See Platnick (1990).

NEW RECORDS: Northern Territory: Rop­ er River region , ca. 14 ° 43 ̍ S, 135 ° 27 ̍ E, 1991 (B. Harvey, NMV K3653 ), 1♀ ; Sunter Road, Humpty Doo , 12 ° 38 ̍ S, 131 ° 15 ̍ E, Sept. 22, 1998, in house (T. Churchill, CSID A0026 ), 13 .

DISTRIBUTION: Formerly known from Greece, northeastern Africa, and the Middle East east to Malaysia and Singapore, newly recorded from the Northern Territory (map 2).

GALLIENIELLIDAE MILLOT

Gallieniellidae Millot, 1947: 159 (type genus Gallieniella Millot ).

DIAGNOSIS: Gallieniellids can easily be distinguished from other gnaphosoids by the elongated, mygalomorph­like chelicerae bearing long, longitudinally oriented fangs.

DISCUSSION: The family was originally thought to be endemic to Madagascar ( Platnick, 1984a), but representatives were subsequently found in southern Africa (Platnick, 1990) and South America ( Goloboff, 2000). The only previously described Australian genus, Meedo Main , was placed by Main (1987: 78) in the family Clubionidae , although she noted that ‘‘The genus shares

some distinctive characters with the Gallien­

iellidae, namely the porrect, paraxial chelicerae with very long fang, the medially depressed endites (maxillae), the fourth legs longer than the first and the toothed tarsal claws.’’ Although aberrant in some respects, such as the loss of the serrula, Meedo shares with the other Australian gallieniellid genera, newly described below, such features as the cracked tarsi and greatly shortened labium.

KEY TO AUSTRALIAN GENERA OF GALLIENIELLIDAE

1. Legs entirely devoid of spines; tarsi greatly thickened, cylindrical.......... Meedo

– Tibiae or metatarsi III or IV with at least one ventral spine; tarsi normal........... 2

2. Cheliceral teeth absent............... 3

– Cheliceral teeth present............... 4

3. Males with embolus greatly thickened (figs. 93, 97); females with spermathecae highly crenulated, often flanked by pair of long lateral epigynal margins (figs. 95, 99)................................ Neato

– Males with normal embolus (figs. 121, 125); females with spermathecae less highly crenulated, not flanked by pair of long lateral epigynal margins (figs. 124, 136)................................. Oreo

4. Males with complex retrolateral tibial apophysis bearing three prongs (fig. 142); females with large U­shaped epigynal septum (figs. 143)................... Peeto

– Males with simple, rectangular tibial apophysis (fig. 146); females with small, rectangular epigynal septum (fig. 147).................................. Questo

Figures

Map 2. Records of Austrammo rossi, new species (circles), Barrowammo waldockae, new species (square), and Cithaeron praedonius O. P.­ Cambridge (diamonds).

Figs. 36–40. Cithaeron praedonius O. P.­Cambridge. 36. Left male palp, prolateral view. 37. Same, ventral view. 38. Same, retrolateral view. 39. Epigynum, ventral view. 40. Same, dorsal view.