Karaops strayamate, 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 strayamate sp. nov.

Fig. 6A, C-H , Map 3

Karaops australiensis non L. Koch 1875: Crews and Harvey 2011: 24-27, figs 7-10 (♂♀, misidentification).

Material examined.

Holotype: Queensland • ♀; base of Jim Crow Mountain; 23°13'S, 150°38'E; Jul. 1982; A. Rozefelds leg.; ( QMS 61054 ) . Paratype: ♂; Johansen's Cave , 23°09'S, 150°28'E; 100 m; 29 May 2000; G.B. Monteith leg.; vine scrub; fogging trees with pyrethrum; ( QMS 57515 ) . Other material examined: 4♀, 7♂, 3 imm.; NNW of Rockhampton, just outside of Mt. Etna National Park ; -23.167, 150.47; ~ 109 m; 1 Jun. 2019; S. Crews, M. Brandley leg. ; under rocks, raining, 16 °C; sel_1424-1437; SCC19_011; (QMS 116840-116853) • 4♀; Bowen , Murray’s Bay Road, Rose Bay Walking Trail; -19.9863, 148.2608; ~ 26 m; 3 Jun. 2019; S. Crews, M. Brandley leg. ; under rocks; sel_1438-1441; SCC19_012; (QMS 116854-116857) • 1♂; Brandy Creek ; 20°21'S, 148°43'E; 15 May 1975; R. Monroe, J. Covacevich, P. Filewood leg.; ( QMS 47115 ) .

Diagnosis.

The female of Karaops strayamate sp. nov. can be separated from K. monteithi and K. gangarie by having fused lateral lobes and a large excavation of the posterior margin of the epigynal plate ( Crews and Harvey 2011: fig. 9). The new species can be separated from K. ellenae by the accessory bulbs not extending beyond the copulatory ducts, whereas in K. ellenae they do ( Crews and Harvey 2011: fig. 76). Karaops strayamate sp. nov. is also known only from the east coast and surrounds in Queensland, whereas K. ellenae is found in southwestern Western Australia (Map 3 ). The male can be separated from other species of the group by the dRTA longer than the vRTA in lateral view ( Crews and Harvey 2011: figs 7, 8).

Description.

The description of the male and female can be found in Crews and Harvey (2011: sub Karaops australiensis ).

Etymology.

The name is a combination of two words: “Straya”, a term used by many Australians when referring to the country, and “mate”, meaning friend. The two terms together are quintessential Australian, which is appropriate since the name Karaops australiensis can no longer be used. Noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Known from coastal Queensland (Map 3 ).

Natural history.

Four of the five localities where Karaops strayamate has been collected are in the Brigalow Belt North bioregion, with the Bowen specimens (Fig. 6A, G, H ) in the Bogie River Hills subregion, and the specimens from Johansen’s Cave, vic. Mt. Etna National Park (Fig. 6C, E ), and Jim Crow Mountain from the Marlborough Plains subregion. The bioregion has tropical summer rain and is warm all year round. The Bogie River Hills comprises some lowlands, but it is mostly mountainous. The subregion has a mean rainfall of 700 mm/year. The Marlborough Hills consists of evergreen to semi-evergreen vine thicket in rare serpentinite ecosystems. The climate of these two subregions is very similar. The Brandy Creek locality occurs in the Whitsunday subregion of the Central Mackay Coast bioregion. The Central Mackay Coast bioregion has higher rainfall than some surrounding areas, and there are many endemic plants. The region is an overlap area of the wet tropics and rainforests ( Reef Catchments 2014). Adult females and immatures have been collected in the cooler, drier months. Males have been collected in the drier months but during the coolest and warmest time of year as well as during the transition (Suppl. material 2: table S1). This species has been collected beneath rocks and from fogging trees with pyrethrum in vine scrub.

Discussion.

Crews and Harvey (2011: 24) identified several specimens from Queensland, i.e., QMS 57515, QMS 61054 and QMS 47115, as Selenops australiensis . The types in ZSMH were not examined at the time. A re-examination of L. Koch (1875) lists the figure from page 615, pl. 48, fig. 6 as “Femina”, although the illustration appears to be of an immature male. The material at ZSMH was examined via photographs (Fig. 6B, D, F ). ZSMH-A0000791, denoted as the holotype, is a juvenile male from Bowen, Queensland (Fig. 6B ). The other specimen, ZSMH-A0000792, denoted as the syntype, is an adult female (Fig. 6D, F ). The locality data indicate that the female specimen is from Sydney; however, this location is probably erroneous because it is unlikely that this species is found as far south as Sydney or indeed in New South Wales. Based on the curvature of the eye rows and leg spination of the holotype juvenile male, it is clear that it is a member of the Karaops raveni species group; thus, it may have been found in Sydney and the labels were mixed up. Because of the confusion and inability to determine the species of the juvenile male, Karaops australiensis is considered a nomen dubium.

Fig. 10 of Crews and Harvey 2011 is labeled incorrectly: the SD and FD in fig. 10 are the copulatory ducts, SP in fig. 10 is the accessory bulb, the posteriormost part of the illustration in fig. 10 show the spermathecae which are connected to the fertilization ducts which are not illustrated in fig. 10.

Figures

Map 3. Species of the Karaops strayamate species group; red = Karaops ellenae, green = Karaops monteithi, light blue = Karaops gangarie, yellow = Karaops strayamate.

Figure 6. Species and habitats of the Karaops strayamate species group A Karaops strayamate sp. nov., adult male, vic. Mt. Etna Caves National Park, Queensland B Karaops australiensis nom. dub., holotype, penultimate male, Bowen, Queensland (see text - this is likely a member of the Karaops raveni species group) (ZSMH A 0000791) C Karaops strayamate sp. nov., adult female, vic. Mt. Etna Caves National Park, Queensland D Karaops australiensis nom. dub., female, dorsal, Sydney, New South Wales (see text) (ZSMH A 0000792) E Karaops strayamate sp. nov., adult female, vic. Mt. Etna Caves National Park, Queensland F Karaops australiensis nom. dub., female, ventral, Sydney, New South Wales (see text) (ZSMH A 0000792) G Karaops strayamate sp. nov. habitat of rocks along roadside, Bowen, Queensland H Karaops strayamate sp. nov., egg sac beneath rock, Bowen, Queensland. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 10. Karaops marrayagong and Karaops nitmiluk sp. nov. A Karaops marrayagong on tree, Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden, New South Wales (Photo: Wendy Grimm) B Karaops marrayagong, male palp, retrolateral, same data as previous (sel _ 1091, AM KS. 126522) C Karaops marrayagong, epigyne, caudal same data as previous (sel _ 1089, AM KS. 126520) D Karaops nitmiluk sp. nov., holotype, epigyne, Baruwei Walk, Nitmiluk National Park, Northern Territory (sel _ 1333, MAGNT A 004906); pink = median field, blue-violet = epigynal windows, yellow = lateral lobes / epigynal plate E same, endogyne, yellow = accessory bulbs, blue = spermathecae, red = fertilization ducts, green = posterodorsal fold F same, epigyne G same, endogyne. Scale bars: 1 mm (B); 0.2 mm (D-G).