Stephanopis bicornis L. Koch, 1874

Machado, Miguel, Teixeira, Renato Augusto & Milledge, Graham A., 2019, On the Australian Bark Crab Spider Genus Stephanopis: Taxonomic Review and Description of Seven New Species (Araneae: Thomisidae: Stephanopinae), Records of the Australian Museum 71 (6), pp. 217-276 : 237-239

Stephanopis bicornis L. Koch, 1874

Figs 14–15

Stephanopis bicornis L. Koch, 1874: 501 , pl. 38, fig. 3.—L. Koch, 1876: 751, pl. 66, fig. 1.

Stephanopis aruana Thorell, 1881: 317 (holotype, female, Wokam [5°47'16.66"S 134°30'45.05"E], Aru Island, Indonesia, deposited in the MSNG, examined). New synonym.

Stephanopis yulensis Thorell, 1881: 319 (syntype, female, Yule Island [8°49'S 146°32'E], Papua New Guinea, deposited in the MSNG, examined). New synonym.

Type material examined. Syntypes, 3♀♀, ZMB 3415 , Sydney , New South Wales, Australia, 33°52'S 151°12'E; ZSMH , 1♀, Sydney.

Other material examined. Queensland: AMS KS.66438, 1♂, Cape Tribulation Rd, c. 100 m N of Cape Kimberley Rd turnoff., 16°15'35"S 145°26'11"E, G. Milledge & H. Smith, 20 May 2000 ; QM S15957 , 1♀, Mount Moffatt NP (Kenniff Cave), 25°1'0.012"S 147°57'E, M. Bennie, 27 September 1987 ; AMS KS.33565, 1♀, Condamine , 26°56'S 150°08'E, N. Geary, 10 March 1937 . New South Wales : AMS KS.52155, 1♀, Swansea area , 23°05'S 151°38'E, M . R. Gray , 2 April 1990 ; QM S104662 , 1♂, Byron Bay , 28°38'50.52"S 153°36'7.12"E , R. Monroe , 25 November 1971 ; AMS KS.108683, 1♀, Pittwater , 33°38'S 151°18'E , R. E. Mascord , 2 October 1966 ; AMS KS.18778, 1♀, Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, 33°39'S 151°08'E, M . R. Gray , January 1988 ; AMS KS.122205, 1♂, Mount Colah , 33°39'45"S 151°07'12"E, H. M. Smith, 15 April 2013 ; AMS KS.70139, 1♀, Hornsby (Waitara Creek), 33°42'S 151°06'E, G. Milledge, 14 January 2001 ; AMS KS.108685, 2♀♀, Gladesville , 33°50'S 151°08'E , R. E. Mascord , 4 December 1965 ; AMS KS.108659, 1♀, Sydney , 33°53'S 151°13'E, J. Hild ; AMS KS.108681, 1♂, Kurnell (Sydney), 34°00'S 151°13'E, C. E. Chadwick, 4 April 1970 ; AMS KS.101228, 2♀♀, Livingstone NP (30km South of Wagga Wagga), 35°22'S 147°22'E, C. Car, 19 September 2001 ; AMS KS.101259, 1♂, same data except 22 June 2001 ; AMS KS.101226, 1♀, same data except 18 October 2001 ; AMS KS.101278, 3♀♀, same data except 24 May 2001 ; AMS KS.101284, 1♀, same data except 21 July 2001 ; AMS KS.107253, 2♂♂, Kosciuszko NP ( Sawpit Creek Education Centre), 36°20'49"S 148°33'54"E, D . R. Britton & A. D. Hegedus, 5 March 2008 . South Australia : AMS KS.76382, 1♂, Cleland Conservation Park , 34°58'40"S 138°41'59"E, G. Milledge & H. Smith, 18 March 2002 . Tasmania : AMS KS.31412, 1♀, Trevallyn , 41°27'S 147°10'E , V. V. Hickman , 1 December 1928 ; AMS KS.52166, 3♀♀, Mount Nelson , 42°56'S 147°20'E, 15 September 1971 .

Diagnosis. Both males and females of S. bicornis are similar to those of S. angulata , S. lata and S. monulfi in possessing a trapezoidal opisthosoma and having the triad of projections arranged in a dorsal row along the anterior patellae and tibiae (I and II) ( Figs 14A and 15A ). However, S. bicornis can be easily distinguished by the high and acute projections above the ALE ( Fig. 14B and 15B ). Females are also diagnosed by their slit-shaped CO located laterally at the edges of the epigynal plate, with its folds forming round entrances ( Fig. 14C ); males have a characteristic palp with a prolateral tuft of short serrated setae on the dorsal surface of the cymbium and a hook-shaped RTA with squared and discrete RTAvbr ( Fig. 15C and D ).

Description. Female (AMS KS.70139): Anterior eye row strongly recurved and posterior row straight ( Fig. 14A and B ); prosoma and anterior legs predominantly dark-brown with some yellowish spots; femora I and II bear stout setiferous tubercles and femora III and IV are smooth and almost entirely yellow; tibiae I and II ventrally armed with four pairs of macrosetae. Opisthosoma trapezoid, covered by sparse claviate setae, with spinneret area projected backwards and anterior border slightly concave; dark-yellow on dorsum, darker on median posterior area ( Fig 14A ). Spermathecae stomach-shaped, preceded by glandular-heads directed laterally and oval wide anterior chambers ( Fig. 14D ).

Measurements: eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.10, ALE 0.15, PME 0.11, PLE 0.12, AME–AME 0.14, AME–ALE 0.10, PME–PME 0.23, PME–PLE 0.17, MOQ length 0.42, width 0.24; leg formula: 1-2-4-3: leg I—femur 2.97/ patella 1.43/ tibia 2.15/ metatarsus 1.25/ tarsus 0.84/ total 8.64; II—2.55/ 1.26/ 1.81/ 1.07/ 0.80/ 7.49; III—1.75/ 0.76/ 1.09/ 0.69/ 0.47/ 4.76; IV—1.73/ 0.74/ 1.14/ 0.77/ 0.54/ 4,92. Total body length 5.93; prosoma length 2.56, width 2.37; opisthosoma length 3.37; clypeus height 0.26; sternum length 1.19, width 1.07; gnathocoxae length 0.69, width 0.38; labium length 0.37, width 0.52.

Male (AMS KS. 122205): Eye arrangement as in female; prosoma reddish-brown with some darker spots; legs predominantly yellow, with some distal or proximal brown spots (except for leg II, which is mostly brown with just the tarsi and metatarsi yellow) ( Fig. 15A ). Opisthosoma darkyellow with small whitish spots and darker on the posterior slope, near the anal region. Embolus short and curved, and cymbium thick ( Fig. 15C and D ).

Measurements: eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.19, PME 0.08, PLE 0.12, AME–AME 0.11, AME–ALE 0.09, PME–PME 0.20, PME–PLE 0.12, MOQ length 0.42, width 0.49; leg formula: 1-2-4-3: leg I—femur 2.69/ patella 1.29/ tibia 2.10/ metatarsus 1.24/ tarsus 0.67/ total 7.99; II—2.27/ 1.05/ 1.72/ 1.04/ 0.61/ 6.69; III—0.87/ 0.46/ 0.71/ 0.53/ 0.39/ 2.96; IV—1.19/ 0.47/ 0.78/0.59/ 0.41/ 3.44. Total body length 4.65; prosoma length 2.31, width 2.00; opisthosoma length 2.34; clypeus height 0.29; sternum length 0.88, width 0.81; gnathocoxae length 0.39, width 0.25; labium length 0.24, width 0.28.

Distribution. Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania, Australia ( Fig. 24 ).

Figures

Figure 14. Stephanopis bicornis L. Koch, 1874, female (AMS KS.70139). (A) dorsal habitus; (B) front; (C) epigynal plate, ventral view; (D) epigynal plate/spermathecae.

Figure 15. Stephanopis bicornis L. Koch, 1874, male (AMS KS.122205). (A) dorsal habitus; (B) front; (C) ventral view of the left palp; (D) left palp, retro lateral view.

Figure 24. Distribution records of Stephanopis bicornis, S. cambridgei, S. carcinoides sp. nov., S. corticalis and S. erinacea.