Prostheclina eungella, Richardson & Zabka, 2007

Richardson, Barry J. & Zabka, Marek, 2007, A Revision of the Australian Jumping Spider Genus Prostheclina Keyserling, 1892 (Araneae: Salticidae), Records of the Australian Museum 59 (1), pp. 79-96 : 94-96

Prostheclina eungella n.sp.

Figs 2, 10, 13; Table 1

Material Examined. HOLOTYPE Queensland: 1 male, Mount William, Dalrymple Heights, near Eungella , Qld , 21°01'S 148°36'E, M. R. Gray, C. Horseman, Apr 1975, KS0372 . PARATYPES Queensland: 2 males, 1 female, 22 immatures (as for holotype) .

Other material. Queensland: 1 male, 3 immatures, Crediton, Campsite , 21°13'S 148°33'E, 14 Apr 1975, QM S4694 ; 1 male, 2 females, 3 immature, Dalrymple Heights near Eungella , 21°04'S 148°35'E, M. R . Gray, C. Horseman, Mar 1975, AM KS0293 ; 1 male, Fraser Island , 25°33'S 152°59'E, Australian National University, 1 Jan 1971, AM KS19249 .

Diagnosis. Male, medium size, F1–4 yellow, P1, T1 and M1 orange, M1 and Ts1 orange, very sparse fringes on M1 and T1, (P1+T1) relatively long, palps vanilla colour. dorsal median white strip of hair on cephalothorax, no red clypeal moustache, copulatory organs with dorsal distal tegular lobe as well as distal and proximal tegular lobes. Males can be separated from P. bulburin , by the presence of only a sparse fringe on M1 and T1, of a dorsal, distal tegular lobe on the male palp and the presence of a white median stripe on the cephalothorax and absence of the white to red mat of hairs covering the clypeus and around AME found in P. bulburin . Female large size, copulatory organs with coiled proximal seminal duct, unlike P. bulburin .

Description

Male. Medium size, cephalothorax orange with faint strong orange marks on the thorax, sparse hairs on front of cephalothorax, median white strip of hairs, eye field black, AME fringe thick, clypeus orange with no mat of hairs, chelicera orange with large, pointed retromarginal tooth and one fissident promarginal tooth, maxillae yellow, labium yellow, sternum yellow, abdomen dorsal yellow with black pattern, ventral yellow/orange with brown squared posterior lip, P1, T1 and M1 orange, T1 and M1 very sparse fringe, Ts1 yellow, F1 yellow, L2–4 yellow, palps orange, male copulatory organs with dorsal distal tegular lobe as well as distal and proximal tegular lobes. Dimensions: holotype, 1.9 mm CL, 0.87 AEW/CL, 0.53 AMEW/CL, 0.88 CW/CL, 0.83 PEW/CL, 0.60 EFL/CL, 0.60 CWP/CL, 1.07 AL/CL, 0.50 AW/CL, 0.67 CH /CL, 0.067 ClH/CL, 0.40 ChH/CL, 0.43 StL/CL, 0.33 StW/CL, 1.00 (P1+T1/CL).

Female. Relatively large, cephalothorax yellow/orange with orange marks on the thorax, eye field black, AME fringe sparse, sparse hairs covering cephalothorax, clypeus yellow, chelicera yellow with large, blunt retromarginal tooth and fissident promarginal tooth, maxillae yellow, labium yellow, sternum yellow, dorsal abdomen vanilla with black pattern, ventral abdomen yellow with faint dark markings, legs yellow, palps yellow, female copulatory organs with proximal seminal ducts long and coiled, accessory glands in insemination ducts clear. Dimensions: paratype, 2.3 CL, 0.76 AEW/CL, 0.46 AMEW/CL, 0.76 CW/CL, 0.73 PEW/CL, 0.49 EFL/CL, 0.54 CWP/CL, 1.41 AL/CL, 1.08 AW/CL, 0.57 CH /CL, 0.027 ClH/CL, 0.35 ChH/CL, 0.38 StL/CL, 0.27 StW/CL, 0.62 (P1+T1/CL).

Distribution. Eastern central Queensland ( Fig. 10 ).

Etymology. A combination of letters, to be treated as a female noun in apposition (pronounced “young-gella”).

General considerations

The predicted distribution of the genus based on all available records is shown in Fig. 14 . The only large additions to the combined predicted distributions of the species are the prediction that areas in SW WA are suitable for the genus and an increased coverage in SW Vic and SE SA. The genus has not been found in WA (J. Waldock, pers. comm.). The increased ranges predicted for the genus in SA and western Vic are probably due to the limited numbers of specimens available from these areas. It is likely that P. pallida and, perhaps, P. basilonesa will be found more widely in the region.

The conservation status of P. pallida , P. amplior , P. bulburin and P. eungella is LC as they are widely distributed, including in national parks. The two northern species P. boreoxantha and P. boreoaitha are only known from their type localities but in each case they are in protected areas; consequently they also may be graded LC. The environment of King Island however has been greatly altered since 1906 and the status of P. basilonesa should be checked; it should be considered NT B2b(iii) until then.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We thank those responsible for the care of collections, J. Beccalone, H. Dastych, Mr G. Milledge, D.B. D. Hirst, C. McPhee, O. Seeman and K. Wood, for the loans of material. Julianne Waldock provided helpful insights into the morphology of these and related taxa. We thank Christine Richardson for her work in preparing the digital forms of the figures.

Figures

Fig. 10. Distribution of location data for Prostheclina boreoaitha (D), P. eungella (m), P. boreoxantha (+) and P. bulburin (j).

Fig. 14. Predicted distribution of the genus Prostheclina based on all available data.