Karaops yurlburr Crews, 2013

Crews, Sarah C., 2023, But wait, there's more! Descriptions of new species and undescribed sexes of flattie spiders (Araneae, Selenopidae, Karaops) from Australia, ZooKeys 1150, pp. 1-189 : 1

Karaops yurlburr Crews, 2013

Figs 66D, F , 72D , Maps 1 , 9A, B

Karaops yurlburr Crews, 2013: 452, figs 9-12 (♀♂, examined).

Additional probable record

(see discussion below). Western Australia • 2 imm.; Millstream-Chichester National Park, Narrina Pool on Narrina Creek; 21°20'45"S, 117°16'08"E; 25 Mar. 2015; M.S. Harvey, J. Huey, R. Teale leg.; under rock; (WAM T135803-T135804).

Diagnosis.

The female is similar to Karaops nyiyaparli and K. kariyarra by the copulatory openings located in a depression in the median field of the epigynal plate. In K. yurlburr , though, the depression is very large and more than half as wide as the epigynal plate ( Crews 2013: figs 5, 7, 9).

The male of this species is similar to others in the Chichester region, but the keeled edge between the dRTA and vRTA is different from any of the others. There is also a very small indentation along the upper margin of the tegular lobe, and the conductor is unique ( Crews 2013: figs 9-12).

Description.

The male and female are described in Crews (2013).

Distribution.

This species is known only from the type locality, vic. Python Pool, Pilbara, Western Australia (Fig. 72D ).

Natural history.

Karaops yurlburr (Fig. 66D, F ) is known from a single female and male specimen, two penultimate males, and five immatures. These were all collected in ethylene glycol pitfalls left for a 15-month period, thus it is impossible to know when adults are present. Python Pool and Narrina Creek are both found in the Chichester subregion of the Pilbara bioregion; this subregion is the most species rich region for Karaops (Suppl. material 2: table S1).

Discussion.

Despite searching the same locality as well as nearby localities, only Karaops nyiyaparli was collected. The female and male of K. yurlburr are significantly different from K. nyiyaparli , so there is no chance of confusing them. Based on molecular data (Suppl. material 1), two immatures collected at nearby Narrina Pool on Narrina Creek may be K. yurlburr , and this record is provided above.

Figures

Map 1. Map of Australia showing areas that are expanded in subsequent figures. CD = Central Desert group, D = Karaops dawara group, F = Karaops francesae group, K = Kimberley group, UA = species that are not assigned to a group, PG = Pilbara-Gascoyne group.

Map 9. Species of the Pilbara-Gascoyne species group A diamonds (juveniles): blue = Erawandoo Hill, orange = Mt. Augustus, red = Nammuldi, yellow = Hillside-Corunna-Glenn Herring, black = Marble Bar-Glacier Valley, pink = Orebody 19, 31, teal = Wheelara North, orange with thick outline = Harding Dam (maybe Karaops ngarluma, see text); Circles: dark blue = Karaops julianneae, dark green = Karaops badgeradda, red = Karaops joehaeneri sp. nov., teal = Karaops karrawarla, blue = Karaops durrantorum sp. nov., brown = Karaops burbidgei, green = Karaops martamarta, purple = Karaops nyangumarta, black = Karaops banyjima, yellow = Karaops morganoconnelli sp. nov., gray = Karaops nyiyaparli, red-brown = Karaops feedtime, bright pink = Karaops nyamal (probably, see text), white = Karaops kariyarra, bright green = Karaops yurlburr, orange = Karaops ngarluma, tan = Karaops jaburrara, peach = Karaops forteyi, teal = new species yet undescribed; small white diamonds are unidentifiable immatures for which no molecular data are available B boxed area expanded for clarity.

Figure 66. Karaops spp. from the Pilbara-Gascoyne species group A Karaops durrantorum sp. nov., holotype male, Mandu Mandu Gorge, Cape Range National Park (sel _ 1136, WAM T 155512) B Karaops banyjima, adult male, face, palps not fully developed, Newman-Port Hedland Road (sel _ 1198, WAM T 155574) C Mandu Mandu Gorge, habitat of Karaops durrantorum sp. nov. D Karaops yurlburr, holotype female, Python Pool, Millstream-Chichester National Park (WAM T 79403) E Karaops banyjima, holotype female, NW of Newman (WAM T 101159) F Karaops yurlburr, holotype male, Python Pool, Millstream-Chichester National Park (WAM T 79403) G Karaops ngarluma, holotype male, SW of Roebourne (WAM T 79396). Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figure 72. Karaops nyiyaparli and Karaops yurlburr from the Pilbara-Gascoyne species group A Karaops nyiyaparli, BHP Rail Line B habitat of Karaops nyiyaparli, Bonney Downs Station C Karaops nyiyaparli, BHP Rail Line (Photo: J. DeJong) D habitat of Karaops yurlburr, Python Pool, Millstream-Chichester National Park E Karaops nyiyaparli, BHP Rail Line (sel _ 1230, WAM T 155606).