Xeromiturga mardathuna, 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 : 96-97

Xeromiturga mardathuna sp. nov.

Figs 76–77

Diagnosis. Males differ from those of K. muckera sp. nov. by the long retromarginal cymbial groove ( Fig. 77b , arrow), the base of the embolus lacking a retrolateral bulge ( Fig. 77a ), the median apophysis apically twisted and leaf-like ( Fig. 77a, b ), and the ventral lobe of the RTA blunt ( Fig. 77c ), and from those of Xer. bidgemia sp. nov. by the broader tip of the median apophysis ( Fig. 77a ). Female unknown.

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

Type Material. Western Australia: male holotype, Mardathuna Stn. 24°30’41”S, 114°38’13.8”E, 5 Oct 1994 – 14 Jan 1995, N. McKenzie, J. Rolfe, WAM / CALM Carnarvon Survey, WAM 98 /967.

Description. Male, holotype WAM 98/967

Carapace 3.52 long, 2.60 wide. Opisthosoma 4.72 long, 2.52 wide. Total length, 8.4.

I: 4.25, 1.50, 3.56, 3.44, 2.00, 14.75. II: 4.50, 13.88, 3.56, 3.69, 1.94, 27.56. III: 4.25, rest missing. IV: 5.75, 1.56, 4.13, 5.94, 3.00, 20.38. Palp: 1.25, 0.75, 0.38, -, 2.71, 5.09.

Colour: Carapace pallid; opisthosoma dorsally almost entirely pallid with some darker mottling posteriorly; ventrally no pattern, pallid; legs fawn without mottling.

Eyes:AME twice size of PME. Posterior row more or less overlapping; PME and PLE inner edges well separated. Legs moderately long; too broken to measure with confidence). Spines. Palp: fe p1d1.1.2. Femora pv1 only on I, II; tibia I, II p2r0 on I, II; palp cymbium 0. I–III: fe pv1. No modifications on sternum or coxae. Patella dorsally with distal point interlocking with sclerotised notch on basal tibia; cymbial hairs all similar; retrobasally with distinct groove for at least 80% of length; apex of ventral lobe hooked; ventral lobe long; ventral plate a long lobe apically roundly truncated, dorsal plate apically spine like with small single predistal barb; RTA occupies full length of tibia; short, directed laterally; two plates sandwiching unsclerotised zone; base of ventral lobe with triangular process; ventral plate a long lobe apically roundly truncated, dorsal plate apically spine like with small single predistal barb; embolus basal, directed to basad of palp. Cymbial groove for almost full length, no special setae or modifications on cymbium.

Distribution. Known only from Mardathuna, Western Australia.

Figures

FIGURE 76. Xeromiturga mardathuna sp. nov., male holotype, WAM 98/967: a, b, habitus, dorsal (a) and ventral (b) views; c, eyes, showing very large AME, dorsal view; d, spinnerets showing very reduced posterior lateral spinnerets cf. anterior lateral, ventral view.

FIGURE 77. Xeromiturga mardathuna sp. nov., male holotype, WAM 98/967, palpal tibia, cymbium and bulb: a, ventral view, insets show different views of median apophysis; b, retrolateral view, arrow showing groove; c, retroventral view.