Hortophora urbana (Keyserling, 1887) Framenau & Baptista & Oliveira & Castanheira, 2021

Framenau, Volker W., Baptista, Renner L. C., Oliveira, Francisca Samia M. & Castanheira, Pedro de S., 2021, Taxonomic revision of the new spider genus Hortophora, the Australasian Garden Orb-weavers (Araneae, Araneidae), Evolutionary Systematics 5 (2), pp. 275-334 : 275

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.5.72474
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9AC22770-F300-4265-A21F-841EA364FFD5
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B5D181AD-1658-587E-B915-7EC26439EF97
treatment provided by	Evolutionary Systematics by Pensoft
scientific name	Hortophora urbana (Keyserling, 1887)
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

Hortophora urbana (Keyserling, 1887) comb. nov.

Figs 2I View Figure 2 , 3D View Figure 3 , 27 View Figure 27 , 28 View Figure 28 , 29 View Figure 29

Epeira urbana Keyserling 1887: 160-161, plate 13, figs 5, 5a.

Araneus urbanus (Keyserling).- Rainbow 1911: 195.

Type material.

Holotype of Epeira urbana Keyserling, 1887: Male, Sydney (33°52'S, 151°12'E, New South Wales, Australia), Bradley collection (considered lost; see Framenau (2005)).

Other material examined.

See Appendix 1.

Diagnosis.

Males of H. urbana comb. nov. can easily be distinguished from all other Hortophora gen. nov. species by distinct shape of the median apophysis of male pedipalp. Whilst it is elongate transverse with a central protrusion as in many other species, both the central protrusion and the apical tip are blunt with only very small teeth apically (Figs 3D View Figure 3 , 27C View Figure 27 ), whereas these are generally pointed in other species of similar size, such as H. biapicata comb. nov. (Fig. 7A, H View Figure 7 ) and H. transmarina comb. nov. (Fig. 24C View Figure 24 ). The epigyne scape of H. urbana comb. nov. is unlike that of any other species, as it is comparatively strong, centrally widened and has distinct transverse wrinkles (Fig. 28C-E View Figure 28 ).

Description.

Male ( QM S111900): Total length 10.0. Carapace 5.1 long, 4.7 wide, reddish-brown, anterior cephalic area somewhat lighter (Fig. 27A View Figure 27 ). Eye diameter AME 0.31, ALE 0.18, PME 0.20, PLE 0.18; row of eyes: AME 0.83, PME 0.59, PLE 2.48. Chelicerae brown; three promarginal teeth (median largest) and three retromarginal teeth (basal largest). Legs orange-brown (Fig. 27A, B View Figure 27 ). Tibiae of leg II with cluster of thick setae prolaterally, but no apico-ventral megaspur (Fig. 2H View Figure 2 ). Leg formula I > IV > II > III; length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total length): I - 6.4 + 2.5 + 4.8 + 5.2 + 1.4 = 20.3, II - 5.8 + 2.2 + 4.5 + 0.9 + 1.4 = 14.8, III - 3.6 + 1.4 + 2.3 + 2.3 + 1.0 = 10.6, IV - 4.6 + 2.0 + 3.5 + 3.8 + 1.1 = 15.0. Labium 0.63 long, 0.85 wide, reddish-brown; endites dark brown (Fig. 27B View Figure 27 ). Sternum 2.3 long, 1.9 wide, irregular light brown-brown, covered with white setae (Fig. 27B View Figure 27 ). Abdomen 5.0 long, 4.5 wide, dorsum with indistinct humeral humps, beige with darker folium pattern and central brown line (Fig. 27A View Figure 27 ); venter olive-grey with indistinct lateral white lines (Fig. 30B View Figure 30 ). Pedipalp length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + cymbium = total length): 1.2 + 0.5 + 0.4 + 2.1 = 4.2; paracymbium elongated and curved, ending on a hook-like rounded tip (Figs 3D View Figure 3 , 27C, D View Figure 27 ); median apophysis elongated transverse with blunt rounded central protrusion and indistinct tips (Figs 3D View Figure 3 , 27C View Figure 27 ); conductor lobe of standard shape and size (Figs 3D View Figure 3 , 27C View Figure 27 ); terminal apophysis deflated, ending in an elongated, sclerotised tip (Figs 3D View Figure 3 , 27C View Figure 27 ); conductor heavily sclerotized ending in two rounded projections (Figs 3D View Figure 3 , 27C, D View Figure 27 ); embolus elongated and sinuous (Figs 3D View Figure 3 , 27C View Figure 27 ).

Female ( QM S111901): Total length 17.00. Carapace 4.5 long, 6.1 wide; very dark brown, cephalic area lighter and covered with white setae (Fig. 28A View Figure 28 ). Eye diameter AME 0.90, PME 0.67, PLE 3.52. Chelicerae reddish-brown; four promarginal teeth (apical and third largest) and three retrolateral (similar size). Leg colouration as in male (Fig. 28A, B View Figure 28 ). Pedipalp length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + tarsus = total length): 2.2 + 1.0 + 1.3 + 2.7 = 7.2. Leg formula I > IV > II > III; length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total length): I - 7.5 + 3.8 + 6.3 + 6.6 + 2.0 = 26.2, II - 6.5 + 3.5 + 5.8 + 0.9 + 1.9 = 1.6, III - 5.0 + 1.7 + 3.0 + 3.0 + 1.3 = 14.00, IV - 6.7 + 3.1 + 4.5 + 5.0 + 1.6 = 20.9. Labium 0.90 long, 1.53 wide, as in male; endites as in male (Fig. 28B View Figure 28 ). Sternum 3.2 long, 2.7 wide, reddish-brown, centrally somewhat darker (Fig. 28B View Figure 28 ). Abdomen 13.0 long, 11.0 wide, similar as male but colouration poorly preserved (Fig. 28A, B View Figure 28 ). Epigyne ( QM S111902) (Fig. 28C-E View Figure 28 ) wider than long; scape thick and wrinkled, constricted anteriorly with very sclerotized and black lateral edges.

Variation.

Size variation: total length males 10.0-13.1 (n=4), females 13.1-20.0 (n=8). The epigyne scape was broken off in half the females measured here. Abdominal colour patterns are fairly variable in H. urbana comb. nov. male and females, from dark specimens to very light ones as illustrated here. The folium pattern is generally not very distinct, but light guanine spot and lines are frequent.

Remarks.

The holotype of Epeira urbana Keyserling, 1887 was part of the Bradley collection and is considered lost ( Framenau. 2005, 2019), but we do not consider it necessary to designate a neotype, as the original illustrations of the male pedipalp in combination with the distribution of the species allow an accurate identification.

We described the best preserved female available to us, but as the scape of this specimens was broken off (Fig. 28B View Figure 28 ), we described an intact scape of a different female.

Life history and habitat preferences.

Mature males of H. urbana comb. nov. were collected in November and December and mature females from December to April indicating summer-maturity (equivalent to the wet season in northern latitudes). Habitat descriptions with museum specimens include rainforest and softwood scrub, but a single record is from a suburban clothes line.

Distribution.

Hortophora urbana comb. nov. has mainly been found along the east coast of Australia from southern New South Wales to northern Queensland, but occurs into northern Western Australia (Fig. 29 View Figure 29 ).