Miturgopelma brevirostra, Raven & Hebron & Williams, 2023

Raven, Robert J., Hebron, Wendy & Williams, Kylie, 2023, Revisions of Australian ground-hunting spiders VI: five new stripe-less miturgid genera and 48 new species (Miturgidae: Miturginae), Zootaxa 5358 (1), pp. 1-117 : 30-31

Miturgopelma brevirostra sp. nov.

Figs 18–19

Diagnosis. Males most closely resemble those of Miturgopelma sieda sp. nov., but differ in the distal embolus-basal embolus edge within distal half of bulb ( Fig. 19a ), and a subtle unsclerotised area on the median apophysis. Female unknown.

Etymology. The species epithet refers to the short, beak-like median apophysis.

Type material. Western Australia: male holotype, 39 km E. of Laverton , 28°28’S 122°50’E, pitfall traps, 22–26 December 1990, E. R . Pianka, WAM 98 /756.

Paratypes. 4 ma., same data as holotype, WAM 98 /757-760.

Description. Male, holotype WAM 98/756.

Carapace 4.22 long, 3.36 wide. Opisthosoma 3.36 long, 2.29 wide. Total length, 7.58.

Colour. Carapace dark orange brown with scalloped lines of dark submarginal hairs; opisthosoma dorsally mottled brown with two pairs of large “eyes”—ovoid patches of white hairs posteriorly edged with black-anteriorly and less distinct posterior pair set laterally. Stout legs orange brown with patches of dark hair.

Palp. RTA large, occupying length of tibia, trianguloid, with distinct distal, thumb-like lobe ventrally, dorsal lobe apically trifurcate with tips of two touching and offset strongly by large unsclerotised dorsal face of ventral lobe. Cymbium without scopula or enlarged setae or spines. Bulb long, ovoid; broad hook-like embolus in distal third sharing origin with median apophysis, tapering quickly. Median apophysis slightly longer than wide with a short beak-like tip.

Distribution. Known only from the Laverton area in Western Australia.

Figures

FIGURE 18. Miturgopelma brevirostra sp. nov., male holotype, WAM 98/756: a, habitus, dorsal view; b, palpal tibia, cymbium and bulb, dorsal view.

FIGURE 19. Miturgopelma brevirostra sp. nov., male holotype, WAM 98/756, palpal tibia, cymbium and bulb: a, ventral view; b, median apophysis and embolus, ventral view; c, RTA, ventral view.