Karaops kwartatuma, 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 kwartatuma sp. nov.

Figs 2A, G , 4A-D , 5A, B , Maps 1 , 2

Material examined.

Holotype: Northern Territory • ♂ (reared in captivity); West MacDonnell Range National Park, Ormiston Gorge; 23°37.718'S, 132°43.662'E; ~ 674 m; 19 Apr. 2016; S. Crews leg.; in rock cracks on cliff face above waterhole; sel_1093; SCC16_012; (MAGNT A004858).

Diagnosis.

Karaops kwartatuma sp. nov. (Fig. 2A ) is similar to the other members of the Central Desert species group, K. vadlaadambara , K. ngarutjaranya , and K. pilkingtoni , by having a short embolus that is nearer to the middle of the bulb rather than the cymbial margin and by having spinules on the median apophysis (although this was not noted for the other species in Crews and Harvey 2011) (Fig. 4A, C ). The new species can be distinguished from K. vadlaadambara and K. ngarutjaranya by the RTA and median apophysis. The dRTA of the latter two species is directed away from the palpal tibia at a nearly 90° angle in ventral view, and both branches of the median apophysis are long. In the new species, the dRTA is not directed away from the palpal tibia at a nearly 90° angle in ventral view, and the two-branched median apophysis has a long branch and a smaller, broad, unsclerotized, inconspicuous lobe (Fig. 4A, C ; Crews and Harvey 2011: figs 51, 52, 61, 62). Karaops kwartatuma sp. nov. can be differentiated from K. pilkingtoni by the RTA, the median apophysis, the conductor, and the embolus. In lateral view, the dRTA of the new species is narrow, very slightly curved ventrally, and pointed distally (Fig. 4D ). In K. pilkingtoni , the dRTA is squared off distally ( Crews and Harvey 2011: fig. 56). The conductor of K. pilkingtoni is somewhat narrow and longitudinal, arising medially and extended to the anterior edge of the bulb ( Crews and Harvey 2011: fig. 55) ending in a point. In the new species, the conductor is broader, with the point directed ventrally and is somewhat pyramidal (Fig. 4A, C ). Finally, the embolus remains broad throughout its length in K. pilkingtoni ( Crews and Harvey 2011: fig. 55), but it narrows slightly in K. kwartatuma sp. nov. (Fig. 4A, C ).

Description.

Male (holotype). Total length 3.34. Carapace: length 1.47, width 1.87. Chelicerae: promargin with three teeth, retromargin with two teeth, robust. Eyes: AER slightly recurved, PER recurved; diameters AME 0.10, ALE 0.06, PME 0.11, PLE 0.19; interdistances AME-PME 0.02, PME-ALE 0.09, ALE-PLE 0.11, PME-PME 0.60, ALE-ALE 0.83, AME-AME 0.38, PLE-PLE 1.09. Sternum: length 0.95, width 0.99. Abdomen: length 1.87, width 1.64. Color (in life Fig. 5A /preserved Fig. 2A ): Carapace: yellowish brown with darker marks extended toward but not reaching margin, three dark marks at lateral edges, setose with slender setae and sparse, thick, stubby setae/pale yellowish to brown, dark marks visible, less distinct than in life. Chelicerae: pale yellowish with conspicuous, black, crescent-shaped marks, sort of like a little mustache (Fig. 5B ), setae uniform. Maxillae: pale yellowish brown. Labium: brown, paler distally. Sternum: yellowish. Abdomen: dorsally golden brown, darker medially, chevron medially, sides of chevron angled anteriorly, darker posteriorly, laterally spotted/golden parts yellowish, darker parts orange-red, pattern inconspicuous, dark, thick, stubby setae giving abdomen spotted appearance from a distance; ventrally yellowish white. Legs: golden brown, Cx and Tr with dark prolateral lines, dot at Tr-Fm joint, Fm basally with two dark lines that do not completely encircle legs, not pigmented centrally, another ring medially, another distally, Pt with dark annulation basally, Ti with dark annulation at Pt-Ti joint, paler annulation medially, Mt with two dusky annulations, one basal, one proximal, Ta tip dusky; spination leg I Fm d 1-1-1, pr 1-1-0, Ti v 2-2-2-2-2, Mt v 2-2-2; leg II Fm d 1-1-1, Ti v 2-2-2-1-2, Mt v 2-2-2; leg III Fm d 1-1-1; leg IV Fm d 1-1-1; leg formula 3421; measurements leg I 6.60 (2.07, 0.64, 1.74, 1.40, 0.76); leg II 7.07 (2.58, 0.68, 1.68, 1.30, 0.83); leg III 8.54 (2.53, 0.76, 2.42, 1.85, 1.00); leg IV 8.30 (2.59, 0.70, 2.18, 1.91, 0.89). Palp: spination Fm d 0-1-1; 1.73 (0.52, 0.37, 0.32, 0.58); Ti with dark mark dorsally and retrolaterally, Cy with dark mark basodorsally (Fig. 4B, D ); dRTA rectangular in ventral view, slightly curved ventrally, pointed apically in lateral view, conspicuously darker than vRTA, vRTA rounded distally in ventral view, wider, rounder, shorter (Fig. 4A-D ); rbcp small; Cy oval-triangular, extended further retrobasally in ventral or dorsal views (Fig. 4A-C ); C located anteromedially, pointed ventrally, pyramidal, sclerotized more at tip, margins raised around E, apicalmost part of C with lip (Fig. 4A, C ); E short, arising from large TL, straight, near middle of bulb, beginning at 6:30 o’clock; MA with sclerotized, hooked branch, inconspicuous unsclerotized lobe, sparse Sp at basal and lateral margins (Fig. 4A, C ).

Female. Unknown.

Etymology.

The species name is the indigenous word for the type locality in the Western Aranda language. Noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Known from only the type locality, Kwartatuma (Ormiston Gorge), Northern Territory (Map 2 ).

Natural history.

This spider was collected by coaxing from cracks with a piece of grass in rocks on a cliff face during the day (Fig. 2G ). It was collected as a penultimate ♂ on 19 April 2016 and matured to an adult male on 19 June 2016, and it no longer ate after this time. The climate at the collecting locality becomes drier and cooler with increased humidity from April to June (Suppl. material 2: table S1). The species is from the xeric and desert scrubland ecoregion. The IBRA region and subregion are the MacDonnell Range, characterized by high-relief ranges and foothills, spinifex, and acacias, especially mulga ( Acacia aneura Mueller ex. Bentham) ( Bastin 2008).

Discussion.

This species is part of a group of primarily Central Australian species comprising Karaops pilkingtoni , K. deserticola , K. mparntwe sp. nov., K. larapinta sp. nov., K. ngarutjaranya , K. manaayn , and K. vadlaadambara . It is one of the smallest selenopids. Data indicate that there are several species found in a rather small geographic area (Map 2 ). The group is poorly collected (except K. vadlaadambara , relatively), likely due to crypsis and living in remote locations. Targeted collecting will produce additional species and specimens in better condition and provide important distribution data to uncover the true diversity of Central Australian selenopids.

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 4. Karaops kwartatuma sp. nov., holotype male, (Kwartatuma) Ormiston Gorge, West MacDonnell Range National Park, Northern Territory (sel _ 1093, MAGNT A 004858) A palp, ventral; green = vRTA, orange = dRTA, light gray-blue = tegulum, blue-violet = tegular lobe, turquoise = spermophor, blue = embolus, pink = conductor, yellow = MA, dark green = subtegulum, Sp = spinules B same, palp, dorsal C same, ventral D same, retrolateral. Scale bar: 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.