Pillara, Gray & Smith, 2004

Gray, M. R. & Smith, H. M., 2004, The “ Striped ” Group of Stiphidiid Spiders: Two New Genera from Northeastern New South Wales, Australia (Araneae: Stiphidiidae: Amaurobioidea), Records of the Australian Museum 56 (1), pp. 123-138 : 123-138

Pillara n.gen.

Type species. Pillarakaruah n.sp.

Etymology. Thegenericnameis anaboriginalwordforatwobarbed spear, a reference to the deeply bifurcate retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) in this genus. The gender is female.

Diagnosis. Cribellate. Carapace with longitudinal stripes, highest at fovea. AME or PME largest. Posterior eyes with grate-shaped tapeta. Feathery hairs abundant. Cymbium retrolateral flange usually weakly developed (except P. coolahensis ). Tegular lobe broad, basal or retrolateral. MA a weakly sclerotized or membraneous hook or reduced. Tibia witha large, bifurcate RTA, and an elongate “crochethook” shaped RVTA. Epigynum witha deep, unpaired fossa, round to ovoid in shape (except in P. griswoldi ); spermathecae behind fossa.

Separated from Borrala and other “striped” genera by the presence of the deeply bifurcate RTA; and from Therlinya and Taurongia by this and presence of striped carapace, highest at fovea.

Description. Medium-sized cribellate spiders (CL 2.04– 3.67). Similar to Borrala n.gen. ( Figs. 1a–f , 2a–g ). Eyes: male, AME> PME> PLE> ALE; female, PME> AME ALE> ALE. Representative leg spination ( P. karuah ): Male (KS34509)-I: femur d122, p011; tibiad0010, v220, p1010, r1010; metatarsus d20102, v20201, p0101, r0101. II: femur d1203, p0110; patella 01; tibiad0010, v220, p1010, r01010; metatarsus d2102, v2021, p0101, r0101. III: femur d1202, p0111; patella 01; tibiad1010, v112, p0110, r0110; metatarsus d2102, v2021, p0101, r0101. IV: femur d1102, p0001; tibiad1010, v111-2, p1010, r1010; metatarsus d2022, v2021, p0101, r0001. Female (KS58361)-I: femur d122, p011; tibiad0010, v0220, p1110, r1010; metatarsus d0102, v2021, p0101, r0101. II: femur d1202, p0011; tibia d010, v0120, p110, r110; metatarsus d212, v2021, p0101, r0101. III: femur d122, p001; patella (11); tibia d110, v010, p0110, r0110; metatarsus d212, v2021, p011, r011. IV: femur d112, p001; patella (11); tibia d1010, v0110, p0101, r0110; metatarsus d222, v1021, p011, r001.

Male palp ( Figs. 10a,b , 12a,b ). Cymbium with a weakly to moderately developedretrolateral cymbial flange and a short, coniform-digitiform apex with 2–3 bristles. Tegulum with a broad, prominent tegular lobe, narrower than in Borrala and separated prolaterally from the adjacent subtegulum; lobe basally or retrolaterally placed, and usually rounded distally; lobe partially enclosing the lower part of the sinuous sperm duct. Sperm duct visible on tegulum, S-shaped, thinner and longer than in Borrala , its distal loop extending almost full width across ventral tegulum. Embolus a slender, marginal, curved and tapering rod, origin probasal or retrolateral. Conductor a thick sclerotized stalk, spine-like or divided retroapically; or T-shaped. Tegular window small to large, prolaterally to basally placed. MA arising retrolateral to conductor base; unipartite (see under Variation), a weakly sclerotized or membraneous hook, or reduced. Tibia short, slightly longer than or as wide, with 2–3 large, prolateral bristles; withtwolarge apophyses: RVTAarisingapically, long and stalk-like with a beaked, knob-like head; RTA arising subapically to centrally, deeply bifurcate with two large, oten digitiform, processes. Patella slightly longer than wide.

Epigynum ( Figs. 10c,d , 12c,d ). Moderately sclerotized, often most strongly in front of fossa (this area produced as a sclerotized knob in P. griswoldi ); fossa an unpaired, circular toovoidpit (except P. griswoldi ). Lateralteethandlobesabsent. Internal genitalia ( Figs. 10e , 12e ) simple, with a pair of short, more or less broad copulatory ducts, curving back to a pair of roughly ovoid-circular and medially adjacent spermathecae, placed posterior to fossa (visible through cuticle).

Tracheal system simple, with four unbranched tracheal tubes confined to the abdomen. Spiracle just anterior to cribellum & less than one-third width of cribellum plate ( Fig. 9b ) Calamistrum about 0.4× length of metatarsus, subproximal-central, delimited at each end by a retrodorsal spine; weakly developed in male. Spinning organs ( Fig. 9a– f , female). Cribellar plate bipartite, each spinning field 5– 6× as wideas long and wellseparated bya wideseam (about 0.4× of a field wide); seam and posterior plate margin strongly sclerotized. In male, cribellum almost as wide as in female with small, non-functional fields. Spinnerets relatively short. ALS and PLS 2-segmented, latter slightly longer; PMS 1-segmented, shortest; ALS broad with very short apical segment with broad margins; PLS slender with moderately long, conical apical segment. ALS: 2 adjacent MAP spigots mesally, size unequal; c. 38 piriform spigots. PMS: 3 fully or partially fused paracribellar bases grouped

antero-ectally, with 8–9, 12–13 and 6–8 spigots; 1 mAP spigot, mesal; 7–8 aciniform spigots (1 anterior, rest distributed); 1 cylindrical spigot, postero-ectal. PLS: c. 23 aciniform spigots (including groupof 4–5 longest basally); 1 subapical “modified PLS” spigot flanked by 3 paracribellar spigots, all free; 2 cylindrical spigots (1 basal, 1 subapical).

Included species. Pillara karuah , P. coolahensis , P. macleayensis , P. griswoldi .

Variation. The MAin P. karuah is reducedto a membraneous spine(s) but is accompanied by a low, collar-like ridge around thespinebase.Thismaybehomologouswiththefleshyprocess seen in the bipartite Borrala MA. Genitalic structure is highly derived in P. griswoldi (RVTA, conductor and epigynum).

Distribution. Barringtonmassif north to the Carrai Plateau, mid-eastern New South Wales, Australia.

Males

Figures

Fig. 1. Borrala dorrigo n.sp. (a) body, dorsal; (b) cheliceral teeth; (c,d) carapace, lateral: (c) female, (d) male; (e), carapace, frontal (eyes, chilum); (f), sternum, mouthparts and coxae, ventral. Scale lines: a,c–f 1.0 mm, b 0.25 mm. Specimens: a,e–f female KS70125, b,c female KS60712, d male KS70124.

Fig. 2. Borrala dorrigo n.sp. (a–g) sensilla and claws, female KS60712, leg I: (a) tarsus, dorsal, hair types and tarsal organ; (b) metatarsus, dorsal, hair types; (c) tarsal claws and toothed hairs; (d) toothed hair and tarsal claw teeth; (e) tarsus, ventral, hair types; (f) trichobothrium base; (g) tarsal organ.

Fig. 10. Pillara karuah n.sp. (a,b) Male palp (KS34509): (a) ventral, (b) retrolateral. (c–e) Female epigynum (KS70337): (c) ventral, (d) lateral, (e) dorsal-internal genitalia. Scale line 0.5 mm.

Fig. 12. Pillara coolahensis n.sp. (a,b) male palp (KS75016): (a) ventral, (b) retrolateral.(c–d) Female epigynum:(c) ventral (KS75020), (d) dorsal-internal genitalia (KS75025). Scale lines 0.5 mm.

Fig. 9. Pillara karuah n.sp. (a–f) Spinnerets, female KS75399: (a) spinning field (cribellum below), (b) cribellum and spiracle. (c–f) Spigots: (c) ALS, (d) PMS, (e) PLS, (f) detail of PLS apex with modified PLS spigot. (Spigot abbreviations, see Fig. 3).