Miturgopelma sieda, Raven & Hebron & Williams, 2023

Raven, Robert J., Hebron, Wendy & Williams, Kylie, 2023, Revisions of Australian ground-hunting spiders VI: five new stripe-less miturgid genera and 48 new species (Miturgidae: Miturginae), Zootaxa 5358 (1), pp. 1-117 : 64-67

Miturgopelma sieda sp. nov.

Fig. 52

Diagnosis. Males differ from those of Miturgopelma bandalup sp. nov. by the short comma-shaped form of the median apophysis. Differs from Miturgopelma brevirostra sp. nov. in the extensive “gaping”, unsclerotised area of the RTA, a wide gaping area ( Fig. 52e ); and the basal embolus edge within basal half of bulb ( Fig. 52c ). Female unknown.

Etymology. The species epithet is a noun in apposition from the type locality.

Type Material. Western Australia: male holotype, Grasspatch, ‘Sieda’, 33°14”S 121°43”E, 19 Nov 1996, A.F. Longbottom, kitchen floor at night, WAM T74058 .

Description. Male, holotype WAM T74058

Carapace 3.25 long, 2.31 wide. Opisthosoma 3.31 long, 1.69 wide. Total length, 6.6.

I: 3.25; 1.38; 3.00; 3.00; 1.75; 12.38. II: 3.13; 1.31; 2.75; 2.88; 1.75; 11.81. III: 3.00; 1.13; 2.50; 3.00; 1.69; 11.31. IV: 4.06; 1.25; 3.56; 4.50; 2.19; 15.56. Palp: 1.25; 0.63; 0.44; -; 1.25; 3.56.

Colour: Carapace with two moderately dark shell-like areas laterally; opisthosoma, dorsally dark, mottled with long ovoid paired pallid regions flanking poorly defined medial dark band; ventrally mottled lightly but uniformly; femora strongly mottled and broadly banded, base and apex of pedal tibiae and to lesser extent metatarsi dark orange brown with lighter orange median zone. Eyes: All similar, small; ALE clearly smallest. Posterior row eyes more or less overlapping; PME and PLE inner edges well separated. Legs moderately long. Spines: femora pv1 on I–IV; tibiae I, II p2d1–3r2 on I, II; palp fe with p1; ti with d1–2; cymbium 2 basal, 2 mid-proventral edge.

Palp: Patella dorsally with distal point interlocking with sclerotised notch on basal tibia; tibia clearly smaller and shorter than patella; ventral ridge on tibia rounded, defining glabrous ventral concavity on tibia; cymbium with two large spines on edge and two midbasally mixed with uniform cover of hairs and long spine-like bristles with slight ovoid scopula; retrobasally with unmodified, narrow edge; ventral lobe short blunt triangular; dorsal lobe a scalloped plate without bifid tip or barb; RTA distal; short, directed laterally; two plates sandwiching large extensive unsclerotised zone; base of ventral lobe with triangular process; embolus origin at mid-length, base curves sharply. MA area about as wide as long with small weakly sclerotised zone almost to tip, 6-shaped.

Distribution. Known only from Grasspatch, south-west Western Australia.

Figures

FIGURE 52. Miturgopelma sieda sp. nov., male holotype, WAM T74058: a, b, habitus, dorsal (a) and ventral (b) views; c–e, palpal tibia, cymbium and bulb; c, ventral view; d, retrolateral view; e, RTA, dorsal view.