Karaops yumbu Crews, 2013

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 yumbu Crews, 2013

Figs 15B-D, F-H , 15C, F, H , 16A , Maps 1 , 5

Karaops yumbu Crews, 2013: 467, figs 35-37 (♂, examined).

New records.

Western Australia • 2 imm.; vic. Hall’s Creek on Tanami Track; 18°25'53.97"S, 127°32'56.81"E; ~ 471 m; 27 May 2016; S. Crews, J. DeJong leg.; under shale; sel_1283-1284; SCC16_060; (WAM T155659-T155660) • 4 imm.; Browns Range, Northern Minerals Camp; 18°52'56.80"S, 128°56'47.34"E; ~ 466 m; 27 May 2016; S. Crews, J. DeJong leg.; on rocks on hillsides above camp at night; sel_1285-1288, 1290; SCC16_061; (WAM T155661-T155664, T155666) • 1 imm.; Wolverine pre-pit; 18°51'37.47"S, 128°56'37.63"E; 28 May 2016; S. Crews, D. Brinsden leg.; under rocks during the day; sel_1289; SCC16_062; (WAM T155665) • 2♂ (reared in captivity), 2 imm.; range west of Browns Range on Duncan Road, mesa south of Kundat Djaru; 18°51'8.35"S, 128°38'33.11"E; 29 May 2016; S. Crews, J. DeJong leg.; at top of hill (but not in scree leading up to top); 29 May 2016; sel_1291-1293; SCC16_063; (WAM T155667-T155669) • 1♂ (reared in captivity), 1 imm.; Sawpit Gorge, south of Hall’s Creek, 18°25'30.44"S, 127°49'13.87"E; 347 m; 29 May 2016; S. Crews, J. DeJong leg.; under rocks up hill near cliff; sel_1294-1295; SCC16_064; (WAM T155670-T155671).

Diagnosis.

Karaops yumbu is the only male known from the Karaops dawara species group; however, it can be differentiated from all other species by having the median apophysis arise from an unsclerotized retromedially oriented extension of the tegulum ( Crews 2013: fig. 35).

Description.

The description of the male can be found in Crews (2013).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.

Known from Sawpit Gorge (Fig. 16A ) in the vicinity of Hall’s Creek and Browns Range (Fig. 15C ) in northeastern Western Australia.

Natural history.

Two males of Karaops yumbu were collected previously in wet pitfalls on a sand plain and a stony rise between January and March. More recently, this species was collected by hand on rocks at night, and under rocks on a steep hill during the day, in May (Fig. 15D, E ).

All specimens were collected as immatures and reared in captivity. They were collected in two different subregions of two different bioregions. Specimens from Browns Range and vicinity are from the Tanami Desert subregion of the Tanami bioregion. This area is characterized by sandplains, hills, and ranges with shrub steppe over soft spinifex and wattle scrub and hummock grass over soft spinifex on ranges ( Graham 2001a). The climate is arid and tropical with summer rain. The specimens collected closer to Halls Creek are in the Purnululu subregion of the Ord Victoria Plain bioregion. This region is characterized by plains and hills, with grassland, bloodwoods, and snappy gum. The climate is dry hot tropical, semi-arid, with summer rain.

Discussion.

In general, this species did well in captivity, only dying after adulthood or in the care of someone else, occasionally while molting. Two lived more than a year in captivity, 16 and 18 months, respectively, molting 6 and 7 times, respectively. January-March, when the holotype and paratypes were collected, is the wettest and hottest part of the year in the Tanami bioregion. In captivity, one reached adulthood in December, the wettest, hottest part of the year, and the other just prior, when it was beginning to get warm and rain more. This is the least known bioregion of the Kimberley ( Graham 2001a). There has been some survey work in this area, but no systematic review. It would appear that changes to plant and mammal communities are occurring, probably due to feral cats, stock, fire regimes, and weeds. Although the climate in the Ord Victoria Plain bioregion is slightly different than that of the Tanami, the penultimate male was on track to become an adult in the hottest, wettest time of the year (Suppl. material 2: tables S1, S4, S5).

Despite the search efforts and rearing, there are no female specimens of this species. The palp of this species is unique amongst all the Karaops ( Crews 2013: figs 35, 36; Figs 15G , 15F, H ), but molecular data indicate that it is a member of the Karaops dawara species group (Suppl. material 1). This is the only male known from this species group; however, molecular data do not indicate this species matches with any females of other species (Suppl. material 1). The females have tortuous copulatory ducts to reach the spermathecae, and this male has an extremely long embolus that corresponds with the long ducts.

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 5. Species of the Karaops dawara species group; green = Karaops yumbu, pink = Karaops dawara, blue = Karaops nitmiluk sp. nov., purple = juvenile from Cutta Cutta Cave, orange = juvenile from Wongalara Wildlife Sanctuary, red = Karaops jawayway sp. nov. Juveniles are treated as distinct species based on molecular data.

Figure 15. Karaops jawayway sp. nov. and Karaops yumbu of the Karaops dawara species group A Karaops jawayway sp. nov., Savannah Way, Northern Territory B Karaops yumbu, Browns Range, Western Australia, night C Karaops yumbu habitat, Wolverine pre-pit, Browns Range, Western Australia D Karaops yumbu, Browns Range, Western Australia, night E habitat of Karaops jawayway sp. nov., Savannah Way, Northern Territory F Karaops yumbu, Browns Range, Western Australia (sel _ 1293, WAM T 155669) G same H same. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figure 16. Karaops yumbu and members of the Karaops francesae species group A Karaops yumbu, habitat, Sawpit Gorge, Western Australia B habitat of Karaops francesae, Mt. Lindesay, Western Australia C Karaops francesae, female paratype, east Mount Barren, Fitzgerald River National Park, Western Australia (WAM T 54994) D Karaops francesae, male holotype, northeast of slope of West Mount Barren, Fitzgerald River National Park, Western Australia (WAM T 54996) E Karaops toolbrunup, female holotype, Toolbrunup, Stirling Ranges National Park, Western Australia (WAM T 76592) F Karaops toolbrunup, male paratype, Toolbrunup, Stirling Ranges National Park, Western Australia (WAM T 62231). Scale bars: 1 mm.