Karaops larryoo Crews & Harvey, 2011

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 larryoo Crews & Harvey, 2011

Fig. 30F , Maps 1 , 7

Karaops larryoo Crews & Harvey, 2011: 35, figs 21, 22 (♂, examined).

Diagnosis.

In light of the new species described here, a new diagnosis is provided for Karaops larryoo (Fig. 30F ). Although this species is similar to other members of the group, it can be distinguished by the conductor, median apophysis, and RTA. The conductor is nearly semi-circular, with only a very small indentation between the anterior tip and the medial part. The median apophysis is short and wide at the base. The dRTA is longer than the vRTA in ventral view, and the vRTA is narrow ( Crews and Harvey 2011: figs 20, 21).

Description.

The description of the male can be found in Crews and Harvey (2011).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality, Larryoo, Drysdale River National Park, Western Australia (Map 7 ).

Natural history.

The specimen was collected in the cooler, drier time of the year, under rocks. Larryoo is located in the Northern Kimberley bioregion in the Berkeley subregion; however, it is very close to the Mitchell subregion. The subregion is classified by medium summer rainfall with savannah woodland and high sorghum grasses and is less rugged than the Mitchell subregion (Suppl. material 2: table S1).

Discussion.

This area is difficult to reach, which is both good and bad. It’s inaccessibility to humans has left it relatively free of grazing and introduced, invasive species, but very little is known about the subregion’s flora and fauna. The female remains unknown.

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 7. Species of the Kimberley species group. Diamonds (juveniles): light purple = Mimbi Caves; blue = Geike Gorge, green = Adcock Gorge, teal = Augustus Island, pink = Little Mertens Falls, yellow = Emma Gorge, orange = Kelly's Knob, red = Keep River National Park; Circles: green = Karaops dejongi sp. nov., blue = Karaops jenniferae, red = Karaops dalmanyi sp. nov., purple = Karaops sp. adult male (will be described in subsequent publication), white = Karaops conilurus sp. nov., pink = Karaops umiida, yellow = Karaops alanlongbottomi, teal = Karaops keithlongbottomi, mauve = Karaops larryoo, orange = Karaops garyodwyeri sp. nov., black = Karaops malumbu sp. nov. Juveniles are treated as distinct species based on molecular data.

Figure 30. A Karaops malumbu sp. nov., El Questro Gorge, Western Australia (sel _ 1306, WAM T 155682) B paratype male, El Questro Gorge, Western Australia (sel _ 1309, WAM T 155685) C same D El Questro Gorge, Western Australia (photo: J. DeJong) E El Questro Gorge, Western Australia F Karaops larryoo, holotype male, Larryoo, Drysdale River National Park, Western Australia. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.