Abaddon despoliator Derkarabetian, 2021

Derkarabetian, Shahan, Baker, Caitlin M., Hedin, Marshal, Prieto, Carlos E. & Giribet, Gonzalo, 2021, Phylogenomic re-evaluation of Triaenonychoidea (Opiliones: Laniatores), and systematics of Triaenonychidae, including new families, genera and species, Invertebrate Systematics 167 (1), pp. 277-288 : 142-143

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.1071/is20047

publication LSID

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:81683834-98AB-43AA-B25A-C28C6A404F41

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4531723

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/96821AF1-87FD-4522-91E7-D3D9AC314C4F

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:96821AF1-87FD-4522-91E7-D3D9AC314C4F

treatment provided by

Donat

scientific name

Abaddon despoliator Derkarabetian
status

sp. nov.

Abaddon despoliator Derkarabetian , sp. nov.

( Fig. 6 View Fig , 7 A, S View Fig 4 View Fig )

ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:96821AF1-87FD-4522-91E7-D3D9AC314C4F

Type material: Holotype male , one female paratype, and one male paratype from Australia: Western Australia: Glenbourne Farm, south of Gracetown, 33.9139 S, 115.01587 E, elevation ~ 40 m, collected by Julianne M. Waldock and S. Hill on 21 October 2001, dry pitfall traps (deposited in MCZ and WAM; genetic voucher MCZ:IZ:134472 ). View Materials GoogleMaps Two male paratypes from Australia: Western Australia: Crowea forest along Crowea Road , 34.5399 S, 116.041 E, elevation ~ 230 m, collected by Gonzalo Giribet, Stephanie W. Aktipis, and Michele K. Nishiguchi on 10 July 2004 (deposited in MCZ; genetic voucher MCZ: IZ:132893 ). GoogleMaps

Diagnosis

As per genus.

Description

Male holotype (MCZ:IZ:134472_3) (average of all males in parentheses, n = 4). Scutum length 1.5 (1.6), width at widest point 1.2 (1.3), width at narrowest point 0.83 (0.85). Integument colour light brown and tan, with patterning of dark brown pigment ( Fig. 6 A, S View Fig 4 A View Fig ). Anterior margin of carapace with a large medial spine directed anteriorly, with four anteriorly directed spines on either side (three large and one small). Pedipalps smooth, except a single small spinebearing tubercle basally on the ventral surface of the femur, with little or no brown pigmentation ( Fig. 6 E View Fig ). Coxae IV with a pigmented area dorsally with dorsally directed tubercles ( Fig. 6 A View Fig ). Genital operculum of males with tubercles at the anterior margin. Legs tuberculate, tan in colour, with brown pigmentation particularly on the femurs. Leg I femur with a series of elongate spine-bearing tubercles on the dorsal and ventral surface ( Fig. 6 C View Fig ). Leg II length 4.6. Penis: glans without ventral or dorsal plates, with large lateral wing-like lamellae ( Fig. 7 A View Fig ); each side of the sensillar region with two inferior setae placed ventrolaterally and one superior seta dorsally; with very reduced dorsolateral plates; stylus arising directly from the sensillar region, elongate, cylindrical, and thin.

Female paratype (MCZ:IZ:134472_1). Scute length 1.7, width at widest point 1.45. width at narrowest point 0.95. Only one female is known. Compared to all males it is slightly larger with less pigmentation ( Fig. 6 B, S View Fig 3 C View Fig ). Pigmented scutal tubercles generally more ordered, and typically with more spines on the posterior segments. Pigmented area on coxae IV bearing a more obvious elongate tubercle directed dorsally. Tubercles at anterior margin of genital operculum smaller.

Distribution

Known only from south-western Western Australia.

Comments

Differences can be seen between the males from each locality, suggesting a potential for multiple species, as seen in other short-range endemics in the same region (e.g. Rix et al. 2015; Sato et al. 2018; Schwentner and Giribet 2018). Given the paucity of samples available we refrain from assessing this. However, we note some obvious morphological differences here: relative to males from Glenbourne Farm locality (MCZ: IZ:134472), males from the Crowea Road locality (MCZ: IZ:132893) are slightly larger, have heavier pigmentation on the body and legs, and have slightly longer legs ( Fig. S4 A, D View Fig ).

Etymology

The specific epithet is a Latin noun used in apposition meaning ‘despoiler’, and as with the genus name, is in reference to the fictional character ‘ Abaddon the Despoiler’ from the Warhammer 40,000 science fiction universe.

MCZ

Museum of Comparative Zoology

WAM

Western Australian Museum

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Opiliones

Family

Triaenonychidae

Genus

Abaddon

GBIF Dataset (for parent article) Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF