Karaops larapinta, Crews, 2023

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 larapinta sp. nov.

Figs 2C, D , 3A, B , 5C , Maps 1 , 2

Material examined.

Holotype: Northern Territory • ♀; Finke River; Oct. 1993; R. Raven leg.; No. 501; (QMS 110852) . Paratype: ♀; same data as holotype ( QMS 12909 ) .

Diagnosis.

Karaops larapinta sp. nov. (Fig. 2C ) is similar to other species of the Central Desert group by the median lobe that is unsclerotized posteriorly, the small copulatory ducts, and the large accessory bulbs (Fig. 3A, B ). It can be differentiated from all of these except K. pilkingtoni by the accessory bulbs which in the other species are separated by at least half to more than one accessory bulb diameter ( Crews and Harvey 2011: fig. 58). It can be separated from K. pilkingtoni by the accessory bulbs being nearly the same size as the spermathecae, whereas the accessory bulbs are much larger than the spermathecae in K. pilkingtoni (Fig. 2A, B ; Crews and Harvey 2011: fig. 58). In the new species, there is a long, triangular depression in the median field that is lacking in the other species (Fig. 3A, B ).

Description.

Female (holotype). Total length 7.49. Carapace: length 2.45, width 3.69. Chelicerae: promargin with three teeth, retromargin with two teeth. Eyes: AER slightly recurved, PER recurved; diameters AME 0.18, ALE 0.18, PME 0.29, PLE 0.36; interdistances AME-PME 0.04, PME-ALE 0.10, ALE-PLE 0.20, PME-PME 1.20, ALE-ALE 1.62, AME-AME 0.59, PLE-PLE 1.85. Sternum: length 1.67, width 1.89. Abdomen length 5.04, width 4.03. Color: Carapace: orange-yellow, with two dark markings lateroposterior to eye region, three marks each on lateral margins, faded, most setae worn off. Chelicerae: yellowish, paturon with a longitudinal curved mark frontally, setae white, long anteriorly. Maxillae: yellowish white. Labium: gray, pale distally. Sternum: yellowish. Abdomen: dorsally reddish orange, two dark spots at anterior margin, two laterally just posterior to these, two lateromedially posterior to these, two small ones just posterior to previous, two dark marks extend to lateral edges, connect to jagged markings lateromedially, two dark, wavy lines posterolaterally; ventrally grayish. Legs: pale yellow-orange, Cx with dusky mark prolaterally, Fm with dusky mark prolaterally, another medially, forming annulation, Pt with dark mark ventrally, Ti with dark mark ventrally at Pt-Ti joint, with annulation closer to Mt, dark annulation on Ti at Ti-Mt joint and halfway between that and Mt joint, dark annulation on Mt at Ti joint and at Mt-Ta joint, Ta tip not dark (may be faded); spines dark basally, pale distally; spination leg I Fm d 1-1-1, pr 1-1-0, Ti v 2-2-2-2-2-2, Mt v 2-2-2-2; leg II Fm d 1-1-1, Ti v 2-2-2-2-2-2, Mt v 2-2-2-2; leg III Fm d 1-1-1; leg IV Fm d 1-1-1, pr 0-0-1, rl 0-0-1; leg formula 4321; measurements leg I 13.86 (3.85, 1.65, 3.83, 3.24, 1.3); leg II 15.73 (4.95, 1.65, 4.13, 3.60, 1.40); leg III 16.13 (5.23, 1.40, 4.28, 3.70, 1.53); leg IV 16.36 (5.50, 1.48, 4.26, 3.71, 1.40). Palp: spination Fm d 0-1-3; 3.30 (1.05, 0.60, 0.75, 0.90); basally dusky, Ta dusky basodorsally; claw with eight teeth. Epigyne: EP triangular; MF with long, triangular depression, lobe posteriorly unsclerotized (Figs 3A, B , 5C ); LLs separated at posterior 1/3 of EP; COs at anterolateral edges of lobe (Figs 3A , 5C ). Endogyne: CDs very short; ABs larger than S, round; S oval; duct between S and ABs coiled once, FDs directed anteriorly (Fig. 3B ).

Male. Unknown.

Variation.

The size of the paratype is 7.86.

Etymology.

The specific name is the indigenous word for the type locality, thought to be the world’s oldest river, in the Arrente language. Noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Known from only the type locality, Larapinta (Finke River), Northern Territory (Map 2 ).

Natural history.

Karaops larapinta sp. nov. (Fig. 2C, D ) is found in either the Finke or Henbury subregion of the Finke Bioregion (exact coordinates unavailable). This bioregion comprises arid sandplains, major rivers, valleys, mulga ( Acacia aneura ) and other acacia, Senna Miller, Eremophila Brown, short grass, and forbs ( Bastin 2008). These females were collected during the hottest part of the year, going from the dry into the wet (Suppl. material 2: table S1).

Discussion.

The region suffers from introduced species and grazing ( Bastin 2008). It is biodiverse but has only been surveyed for birds and plants.

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.

Figure 2. Species and habitats of the Central Desert species group A Karaops kwartatuma sp. nov., holotype male, Ormiston Gorge, West MacDonnell Range National Park, Northern Territory (sel _ 1093, MAGNT A 004858) B Karaops deserticola, female holotype, Mount Lindsay, South Australia (SAM N 199350) C Karaops larapinta sp. nov., holotype female, Finke River, Northern Territory (QMS 110852) D Karaops larapinta sp. nov., paratype female, Finke River, Northern Territory (QMS 110852) E Habitat of Karaops sp. from Watarrka National Park, Northern Territory F Karaops sp., King's Canyon Rim Walk, Watarrka National Park, Northern Territory G habitat of Karaops kwartatuma sp. nov., Ormiston Gorge, Northern Territory, Australia. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Map 2. Species of the Central Desert species group; orange = juvenile from Morgan Range, light purple = Karaops deserticola, teal = Karaops ngarutjaranya, red = juveniles from Watarrka, blue = Karaops larapinta sp. nov., pink = Karaops kwartatuma sp. nov., yellow = Karaops pilkingtoni, x = Karaops mparntwe sp. nov., purple = Karaops vadlaadambara, green = Karaops manaayn. Juveniles are treated as distinct species based on molecular data.

Figure 3. Epigynes and endogynes of members of the Central Desert species group A Karaops larapinta sp. nov., holotype female, epigyne, Finke River, Northern Territory (QMS 110852) B same, endogyne C Karaops mparntwe sp. nov., holotype female, epigyne, Alice Springs, Northern Territory (AMT AA 10.852), pink = copulatory openings, blue = median field, yellow = lateral lobes / epigynal plate D same, endogyne, yellow = accessory bulbs, blue = spermathecae, red = fertilization ducts, green = posterodorsal fold E same, epigyne F same, endogyne. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 5. Species from the Central Desert species group A Karaops kwartatuma sp. nov., holotype male, Ormiston Gorge, West MacDonnell Range National Park, Northern Territory (MAGNT A 004858) B same, holotype male, face showing black marks near eyes and " mustache " C Karaops larapinta sp. nov., holotype, epigyne, caudal, Finke River, Northern Territory (QMS 110852) D Karaops sp. from Watarrka National Park, Northern Territory. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.