Lissodesmus gippslandicus sp. nov.

Figures 36, 37, 69gip, 70gip, 71gip, 79 (map)

Material examined. Holotype. Male, Australia, Victoria. Mt Fatigue, 38°34’13”S 146°18’25”E, 570 m, 28.ix.2004, R. Mesibov & T. Moule, NMV K-8990.

Paratypes. 2 males, details as for holotype, AM KS91174; male, details as for holotype, NMV K-8991; 6 females, details as for holotype, NMV K-8992 to K-8997; 9 males, 4 females, Loop Track, E of Allambee, 38°15'52''S 146°04'27''E, 440 m, 21.xii.2004, R. Mesibov, NMV K-9483 to K-9495, 2 males dissected .

Other material. 46 males and 12 females from Allambee, Allambee South, Balook, Darlimurla, Mirboo North, Mt Worth, Narracan, TarraBulga National Park, Thorpdale and Yarragon South (see “ Lissodesmus supplement” for details).

Description. Male c. 18 mm long, H = 1.6 mm. In alcohol, well-coloured specimens under low magnification with pale brown body colour, red-purple speckling on metatergites and intense red-purple transverse banding along posterior margins of prozonites. Antenna with relatively large antennomere 6 (Fig. 69 gip). Paranota fairly wide with strongly produced anterior “shoulders” and two inconspicuous posterior marginal teeth, R = 1.5 (Fig. 70 gip), posterior corners not turned up. Legs robust, tarsus longer than femur, tibia with prominent ventral distal swelling (Fig. 71 gip). Telopodite (Figs 36, 37) almost reaching leg 4 when retracted. Solenomere arising at about half the telopodite height, directed distally with a slight posterior curvature, terminating with prominent subapical collar at about half the prefemoral process height. Tibiotarsus origin on posteromesal surface of telopodite, not close to solenomere origin; tibiotarsus a thin, pointed rod directed posterodistally at a small angle to telopodite axis, about one-quarter the length of the solenomere. Femoral process arising well proximal to solenomere origin, blade-like with a deeply notched tip, curved anteriorly and pressed close basally to prefemoral process, terminating at less than one-quarter the prefemoral process height (well proximal to solenomere tip). Prefemoral process about half as wide at origin as telopodite base, tapering slightly to mid-length but distally widening and flexing posteromesally, the tip pointed posteromesally, the lateral edge of the process a comb of c. 20 long, mainly posterobasally directed teeth from about two-thirds the process length. Uncus prominent, arising near base of prefemoral process on mesal side, with a widened, deeply notched tip.

Distribution and habitat. In wet eucalypt forest in West and South Gippsland (Fig. 79), often locally abundant. The Thorpdale specimens were collected in 1899, before the densely forested Thorpdale area was cleared for farming. The pre-European range of this species may have been as much as 1000 km 2, but is now possibly only a third of that figure.

Etymology. Named for the Gippsland district, the southern and western parts of which are home to this species.