Karaops kennerleyorum, Crews, 2023

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 kennerleyorum sp. nov.

Figs 37B , 38A, B , 39A, B , 40G , Maps 1 , 8

Material examined.

Holotype: Northern Territory • ♂ (reared in captivity); Limmen National Park, Southern Lost City loop trail; vic. 15°48'22.28"S, 135°27'25.19"E; 11 Jun. 2016; S. Crews leg.; under sandstone rocks during the day; sel_1343; SCC16_074; (MAGNT A004899) . Other material examined: 5 imm., same data as holotype; sel_1344-1348; (MAGNT A004900-A004904) .

Diagnosis.

Karaops kennerleyorum sp. nov. (Fig. 38A, B ) can be differentiated from other males by the palps. It is not very similar to any other species, the most similar being K. yumbubaarnji sp. nov. (Figs 34A , 35A ). The only similarity is that part of the conductor originates anteromedially, is projected ventrally, and the cymbial sheath that covers the embolus connects to this projection on the retrolateral side of the palp. They can be easily differentiated by the shape of the conductor, which in K. yumbubaarnji sp. nov. is slightly twisted, narrowed distally, and directed ventrally, and in K. kennerleyorum sp. nov., the conductor comes to a point that is directed laterally over the center of the cymbium and connects with the blunted part of the conductor arising from the tegulum. Additionally, the median apophysis of the new species is unique in that it is directed ventrally rather than apical to the palp, is of uniform width, and somewhat smaller than in many other species of the genus.

Description.

Male (holotype). Total length 4.57. Carapace: length 2.34, width 2.79. Chelicerae: promargin with three teeth, the one closest to base of fang smaller than others, retromargin with two teeth (1-0-1). Eyes: AER slightly recurved, PER recurved; diameters AME 0.17, ALE 0.12, PME 0.22, PLE 0.33; interdistances AME-PME 0.03, PME-ALE 0.17, ALE-PLE 0.27, PME-PME 0.86, ALE-ALE 1.24, AME-AME 0.44, PLE-PLE 1.45. Sternum: length 1.25, width 1.34. Abdomen: length 2.23, width 2.06. Color (in life Figs 38A , 39A , 40G /preserved Fig. 37B ): Carapace: pale brown with darker brown patches extended from PLE to middle of carapace, three pairs of spots laterally, one dark patch posteriorly/orangish white, dark patches still visible; setose with patches of white setae behind eye area and lateral to PLEs. Chelicerae: tan, paturon with longitudinal curved mark frontally, setae pale laterally, dark medially. Maxillae: whitish. Labium: dusky, pale distally. Sternum: whitish. Abdomen: dorsally different shades of brown, dark brown laterally, posteriorly, cardiac area brown, red-brown laterally, with some pale patches medially and laterally/pale patches orangey, dark patches dark brown to black; ventrally yellow-gray. Legs: yellowish brown, Cx I with dark stripe dorsally, Cx II, III with two dark stripes dorsally, Tr with dark marks prolaterally and retrolaterally, Fm with pairs of jagged stripes basally, medially, dusky between them, dusky stripe at Pt joint, Pt with dusky annulation at Fm-Pt joint, Ti with two pairs of jagged black stripes, dusky between them, Mt with dusky ring basally and distally, Ta tip dark; Fm spines dark at base, lightened to orange distally, sometimes darkened at tip; spination leg I Fm d 1-1-1, pr 1-1-1, Ti v 2-2-2-2-2-2, Mt v 2-2-2-2; leg II Fm d 1-1-1, pr 0-0-1, Ti v 2-2-2-2-2-2, Mt v 2-2-2-2; leg III Fm d 1-1-1; leg IV Fm d 1-1-1; leg formula 3214 (but see Discussion); measurements leg I 11.44 (3.27, 1.21, 3.28, 2.59, 1.09); leg II 13.30 (4.00, 1.37, 3.93, 2.74, 1.26); leg III 14.80 (4.67, 1.36, 4.01, 3.20, 1.56); leg IV 11.39 (3.51, 0.97, 2.89, 2.60, 1.42). Palp spination Fm d 0-1-2; 2.36 (0.70, 0.39, 0.43, 0.84); Cy with dark marks apically, Ti with dark marks basally; vRTA small, quadrangular in ventral view, dRTA pointed, slanted dorsally (Fig. 39B ); Cy oval to triangular; rbcp large; CS covers distal half of E, starting ~ 9 o’clock, and at 3 o’clock coming to a point directed at 9 o’clock, connecting with longer, blunted part of C that arises apicomedially from T; MA small, uniform width, directed ventrally; E long, emerging from small TL, beginning ~ 6 o’clock, ending ~ 2:30 o’clock, curved near tip of Cy (but see Discussion), edge of TL curled toward MA.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology.

This species is named for the Kennerley family who helped me out greatly toward the end of my fieldwork. Name in genitive case.

Distribution.

Known from only the type locality, Limmen National Park, Northern Territory (Fig. 40C , Map 8 ).

Natural history.

Karaops kennerleyorum sp. nov. occurs in the McArthur subregion of the Gulf Fall and Uplands bioregion. It comprises spinifex grasslands with eucalypt woodlands (Bastin et al. 2008). The climate is monsoonal, with more rainfall in the north than the south. There appears to be little known about the arthropods of the subregion (Suppl. material 2: tables S1, S13). This species was collected from beneath sandstone rocks during the day.

Discussion.

This species is not closely related to any nearby species, but more closely related to species found at Ruby Plains (Fig. 33E ; Suppl. material 1) and Purnululu (Figs 35A, B , 37A ) in Western Australia. The male matured at the beginning of the hottest months at the start of the wet season. Although leg III is longest and leg IV is shortest, they were both recently re-grown. In the description it is mentioned that the embolus is curved outward near the tip of the cymbium. It is possible that this is an anomaly and will not characterize other specimens of this species.

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 8. Species that are not currently placed in a species group. Diamonds (juveniles): blue = Little Mertens, red = Ruby Plains, pink = Nackeroo Lookout; Circles: yellow = Karaops yumbubaarnji sp. nov., green = Karaops markharveyi sp. nov., purple = Karaops kennerleyorum sp. nov., blue = Karaops madhawundu sp. nov., red = Karaops mareeba sp. nov. Juveniles are treated as distinct species based on molecular data.

Figure 33. Karaops yumbubaarnji sp. nov. and Karaops sp. A Karaops yumbubaarnji sp. nov., holotype female, Cathedral Gorge Lookout, Purnululu National Park, Western Australia (sel _ 1302, WAM T 155677) B same, epigyne C same, endogyne D same E Karaops sp., Ruby Plains, Western Australia (sel _ 1279, WAM T 155655). Scale bars: 0.5 mm (B, C); 1 mm (D, E).

Figure 34. Karaops yumbubaarnji sp. nov., Cathedral Gorge Lookout, Purnululu National Park, Western Australia A live spider on sandstone B habitat, Bungle Bungles.

Figure 35. Karaops yumbubaarnji sp. nov., Cathedral Gorge Lookout, Purnululu National Park, Western Australia A holotype male (sel _ 1300, WAM T 155676) B adult female.

Figure 37. Karaops yumbubaarnji sp. nov. and Karaops kennerleyorum sp. nov. A Karaops yumbubaarnji sp. nov., with hymenopteran prey, Cathedral Gorge Lookout, Purnululu National Park, Western Australia B Karaops yumbubaarnji, paratype male (sel _ 1300, WAM T 155676) C Karaops kennerleyorum sp. nov., holotype male, Southern Lost City, Limmen National Park, Northern Territory (sel _ 1343, MAGNT A 004899). Scale bars: 1 mm (B); 2 mm (C).

Figure 38. Karaops kennerleyorum sp. nov., holotype male, Southern Lost City, Limmen National Park, Northern Territory A holotype male (sel _ 1343, MAGNT A 004899) B arrow indicates white setal tufts on legs.

Figure 39. Karaops kennerleyorum sp. nov., holotype male, Southern Lost City, Limmen National Park, Northern Territory A palp, ventral B same, retrolateral. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

Figure 40. Karaops kennerleyorum sp. nov. and Karaops madhawundu sp. nov. A Karaops kennerleyorum sp. nov. habitat, Southern Lost City, Limmen National Park, Northern Territory B Karaops madhawundu sp. nov., holotype female, spinnerets, Gilberton Station, Forsayth, Queensland (QMS 5430) C habitat of Karaops kennerleyorum sp. nov., Southern Lost City, Limmen National Park, Northern Territory D Karaops madhawundu sp. nov., holotype female, eyes, Gilberton Station, Forsayth, Queensland (QMS 5430) E same, femur showing claviform white setae F Karaops madhawundu sp. nov., paratype female, face, Cobbold Gorge, Queensland (QMS 5413) G Karaops kennerleyorum sp. nov., camouflaged against sandstone, Southern Lost City, Limmen National Park, Northern Territory H Karaops madhawundu sp. nov., paratype female, Cobbold Gorge, Queensland (QMS 5413). Scale bar: 5 mm.