Prodidomus Hentz

Platnick, N. I. & Baehr, B., 2006, A Revision Of The Australasian Ground Spiders Of The Family Prodidomidae (Araneae: Gnaphosoidea), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2006 (298), pp. 1-287 : 9-13

Prodidomus Hentz

Prodidomus Hentz, 1847: 466 (type species by monotypy P. rufus Hentz ).

Hyltonia Birabén, 1954: 13 (type species by original designation H. scottae Birabén ). NEW SYNONYMY.

DIAGNOSIS: Members of this genus can easily be distinguished from all other Australasian prodidomids by their short anterior lateral spinnerets and greatly enlarged posterior lateral spinnerets (fig. 34).

DESCRIPTION: Small spiders, total length of males 1.9–4.3, of females 1.8–5.0. Carapace broadly oval, frontally straight, weakly covered with gray setae or bare; longitudinal fovea absent or weak. Eight eyes, anterior row straight or weakly recurved, posterior row strongly procurved; four eyes of each side virtually contiguous, forming triangle (fig. 4); eyes subequal or PLE largest; ALE, PLE, and PME flat, oval, silvery, AME circular, dark; PME separated by their long diameter or less; median ocular quadrangle slightly wider in back than in front, slightly longer than wide (in Australian species). Clypeus low, shorter than ALE diameter, curved downwards. Sternum inverted drop-shaped, flat, without or with only small extensions between and to coxae (fig. 11); surface smooth with few long setae; posterior margin narrow, pointed between coxae IV. Pedicel composed of one weak dorsal and one broad ventral sclerite. Chelicerae widely divergent, geniculate in Prodidomus rufus , slightly divergent in Australian species, with setae bordering distal, mesial margins, without teeth. Endites long, convergent, anteriorly pointed, without serrula. Labium normally inverted u-shaped. Abdomen pale, with or without scattered, short, recumbent, gray setae; ALS 10–20 % of abdominal length, contiguous or slightly separated, with long piriform gland spigots; PMS small; PLS greatly enlarged, canoeshaped. Legs laterigrade, leg formula 4123, with sparse setae, few weak spines; coxae, trochanters I elongate; coxae I 1.4–2.0 times longer than III; trochanters weakly notched; femora I, II strongly incrassate; tarsi with two long claws, claws without teeth; claw tufts dense, divided (fig. 18); trichobothria present or absent on dorsal surface of tibiae, metatarsi, tarsi. Male palpal cymbium stout, only 1.5 times longer than wide, apically truncate; conductor present or absent; median apophysis and terminal apophysis absent; sperm duct semicircular. Retrolateral tibial apophysis divided into three prongs. Epigynal atrium absent, epigynal ducts wide, sinuous, or extremely long, irregularly curved.

SYNONYMY: The type species of Hyltonia is treated below as a junior synonym of the type species of Prodidomus . The feature cited by Birabén (1954: 16) as unique to Hyltonia (‘‘upper spinnerets much longer than the lower ones and bent downwards’’) is in fact typical of Prodidomus .

KEY TO AUSTRALASIAN SPECIES OF PRODIDOMUS

1. Males (those of P. yorke unknown).. 2

– Females (those of P. bendee , P. flavus , P. seemani unknown).............. 9

2. Total length over 4.0, embolus flat, sinuous (fig. 25)........... P. rufus

– Total length under 2.6, embolus not sinuous...................... 3

3. Retrolateral tibial apophysis, in retrolateral view, with all three prongs on common mound (fig. 42)......... 4

– Prongs of retrolateral tibial apophysis not on mound (fig. 52)........... 7

4. Conductor absent (fig. 41) P. kimberley

– Conductor present (fig. 30)........ 5

5. Embolus thin, embolar base hidden behind tegulum (fig. 30).. P. woodleigh

– Embolus long, flattened, embolar base not hidden behind tegulum (fig. 36)................... 6

6. Embolus about as long as cymbium (fig. 36).............. P. sampeyae

– Embolus much longer than cymbium (fig. 56)............... P. seemani

7. Embolar base, in ventral view, hidden behind tegulum (fig. 51).... P. bendee

– Embolar base visible in ventral view (fig. 46)...................... 8

8. Retrolateral tibial apophysis with three prongs separated by small semicircular incision (fig. 47).......... P. beattyi

– Retrolateral tibial apophysis with three prongs separated by large semicircular incision (fig. 60).......... P. flavus

9. Total length over 4.5 mm, epigynum with two large, lateral, inverted u-shaped copulatory openings (fig. 27).............................. P. rufus

– Total length under 3.7 mm, copulatory openings smaller.............. 10

10. Epigynum with copulatory opening not connected to epigastric fold (fig. 53), epigynal ducts thin throughout, extremely long, irregularly curved (fig. 54)................ P. yorke

– Epigynum with copulatory opening connected to epigastric fold (fig. 48), epigynal ducts at least partly thickened (fig. 49)..................... 11

11. Epigynal ducts sinuous, m-shaped (fig. 49)................ P. beattyi

– Epigynal ducts irregularly curved (fig. 44)..................... 12

12. Epigynum with two small copulatory openings (fig. 43), epigynal ducts anteriorly thin, curled (fig. 44).............................. P. kimberley

– Epigynum with copulatory openings larger (fig. 32), epigynal ducts anteriorly thickened (fig. 33)............. 13

13. Epigynum with m-shaped copulatory opening (fig. 32)........ P. woodleigh

– Epigynum with two inverted u-shaped copulatory openings (fig. 38)........................... P. sampeyae