Eterosonycha ocellata Rix & Harvey, 2010

Rix, Michael & Harvey, Mark, 2010, The spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea): a relimitation and revision at the generic level, ZooKeys 36 (36), pp. 1-321 : 41-42

Eterosonycha ocellata Rix & Harvey , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:46E2827A-B315-4C35-855E-705A20E6B220

Figs 51D, 54–55

Type material. Holotype male: Great Otway National Park , Maits Rest, 10 km W. of Apollo Bay, Victoria, Australia, sifting moss from trunk of Nothofagus cunninghamii , 38°45'19"S, 143°33'18"E, 23.IV.2006, M. Rix ( NMV K10768 ).

Paratypes: Allotype female, same data as holotype ( NMV K10769 ); 1 male, same data as holotype ( WAM T94443) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin ‘ocellatus’, meaning ‘having little eyes’ ( Brown 1956), and refers to the small eyes of this species.

Diagnosis. Males of Eterosonycha ocellata can be distinguished from all other described congeners by the shape of the distal conductor, which has a tubular prolateral process and bifurcate retrolateral process ( Fig. 55 ). Females can be distinguished from all other described congeners by the distinctive shape of the external epigyne ( Fig. 54D ). Both sexes can also be recognised by the relatively small eyes ( Fig. 54C ).

Description. Holotype male: Total length 0.83. Carapace 0.42 long, 0.35 wide. Abdomen 0.57 long, 0.41 wide. Leg I femur 0.33. Body colour pale tan-yellow, carapace slightly darker. Carapace raised anteriorly, not fused to sternum except around petiole; dorsal surface of pars cephalica slightly convex in lateral view. Eight eyes present on anterior margin of pars cephalica; AME 0.5x diameter of ALE; PME separated by slightly more than their own diameter. Chelicerae each with large, bulging anterior projection; promargin with three peg teeth. Legs relatively short (leg I femur-carapace ratio 0.79); distal, prolateral macroseta present on tibia I. Abdomen oval, covered with hair-like setae; dorsal scute large, covering most of dorsal surface of abdomen; lateral sclerotic strips absent. Pedipalpal patella with retrolaterally-directed, hooked lRPA and expanded distal region with ornate, ridged cuticular microstructure; tibia enlarged, with pronounced, curved posterior process; tegulum large, bulging posteriorly, with excavate ETR and large, divergent, fleshy distal conductor bearing tubular prolateral process and bifurcate retrolateral process; embolus short (length <5× width), spur-like, situated adjacent to base of conductor ( Fig. 55 ).

Allotype female: Total length 1.00. Carapace 0.47 long, 0.33 wide. Abdomen 0.62 long, 0.46 wide. Leg I femur 0.35. Cephalothorax, abdominal sclerites, legs tan-yellow; abdomen dark olive brown dorsally, with chequered dark-olive and tanyellow pattern laterally and ventrally. Carapace raised anteriorly, not fused to sternum except around petiole; dorsal surface of pars cephalica slightly convex in lateral view. Eight eyes present on anterior margin of pars cephalica; AME 0.5x diameter of ALE; PME separated by their own diameter. Chelicerae without bulging anterior projections; promargin without peg teeth. Legs relatively short (leg I femurcarapace ratio 0.74); macrosetae absent. Abdomen oval, covered with hair-like setae; dorsal scute and lateral sclerotic strips absent. Pedipalp entire, five-segmented. Epigyne heavily sclerotised externally, with distinctive morphology ( Fig. 54D ); spermathecae looped and twisted; insemination ducts broad, curved; fertilisation ducts filiform (Fig. 51D).

Distribution. Known only from the Otway Ranges of Victoria.

Remarks. Eterosonycha ocellata is an unusual species of Eterosonycha , currently known only from the Otway Ranges of Victoria. The type specimens were found living together in moss on the trunk of a large Southern Beech ( Nothofagus cunninghamii ) tree, in dark, wet, cool-temperate rainforest at Maits Rest.

Figures

Figure 54. Eterosonycha ocellata sp. n. from the Otway Ranges, Victoria. A, C holotype male (NMV K10768): A habitus, dorsal view C cephalothorax, antero-dorsal view. B, D allotype female (NMV K10769): B habitus, dorsal view D abdomen, ventral view.

Figure 55. Eterosonycha ocellata sp. n., paratype male from the Otway Ranges, Victoria (WAM T94443): A left pedipalp, ventral view B left pedipalp, retrolateral view. Scale bar = 0.065 mm (65 µm).