Notsodipus keilira, PLATNICK, 2000

PLATNICK, NORMAN I., 2000, A Relimitation And Revision Of The Australasian Ground Spider Family Lamponidae (Araneae: Gnaphosoidea), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (245), pp. 1-328 : 289-290

Notsodipus keilira , new species Figures 706–709 ; Map 77

TYPE: Female holotype taken by vibration 13 km N Keilira Station, 358379S, 1408109E, South Australia (Mar. 22, 1992; D. Hirst), deposited in SAM ( N1997 /105) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality.

DIAGNOSIS: Males of this distinctive species can easily be recognized by the short, translucent medial prong of the terminal apophysis (fig. 706), females by the narrow epigynal hood (fig. 708). This species is odd in both somatic and genitalic features, including the elongated dorsal abdominal scu­ tum of females, the short, translucent median lobe of the male terminal apophysis, and the presence of a narrow anterior epigynal hood and septum in females. It could conceivably represent a highly autapomorphic species of Longepi , or even the sister group of Longepi plus Notsodipus . However, the presence of the characteristic embolar conformation suggests that it is an aberrant member of Notsodipus instead.

MALE: Total length 4.6. Abdominal venter with two paramedian longitudinal rows of small, circular, orange sclerites. Leg spination: metatarsus IV v1p­0­0. Retrolateral tibial apophysis simple, triangular (fig. 707); median prong of terminal apophysis reduced to small translucent lobe, embolus elongate (fig. 706).

FEMALE: Total length 5.7. Abdominal scutum enlarged extending more than half length of abdominal dorsum. Leg spination: tibiae: III v1p­0­2; IV v1p­1p­2; metatarsus IV v1p­0­0. Epigynum with narrow anterior hood and narrow anterior septum (fig. 708); ducts widely separated medially (fig. 709).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: South Australia: SE Big Desolation, Gum Lagoon Conservation Park , 368169S, 1398599E, Mar. 25, 1992, vibration on stony ground (D. Hirst, SAM N1996 /401), 1 /; Gum Lagoon Conservation Park , 368179S, 1408029E, Mar. 26, 1992, vibration, lagoon edge (D. Hirst, SAM N1996 /402, 403), 2 /; Jimmys Well, Mount Rescue Conservation Park , 358519S, 1408189E, Mar. 16–21, 1992, pitfall (D. Hirst, SAM N1997 /109–111), 3?, Mar. 17, 1992, vibration (D. Hirst, SAM N1997 /108), 1/, Mar. 21, 1992, pitfall (D. Hirst, SAM N1997 /104), 1 ?; 1 km N Jimmys Well, Mount Rescue Conservation Park , 358519S, 1408189E, Mar. 19, 1992, vibration (D. Hirst, SAM N1997 /107), 1 ?; N Jimmys Well, Mount Rescue Conservation Park , 358519S, 1408189E, Mar. 18, 1992, vibration (D. Hirst, SAM N1996 /408), 1 ?; NE Jimmys Well, Mount Rescue Conservation Park , 358519S, 1408199E, Mar. 20, 1992, vibration (D. Hirst, SAM N1996 /409–416), 2?, 6 /; Jip Jip Conservation Park , 368299S, 1408119E, Mar. 23, 1992, vibration (J. Forrest, D. Hirst, SAM N1996 /407), 1 /; 13 km N Keilira Station , 358379S, 1408109E, Mar. 22, 1992, vibration (D. Hirst, SAM N1997 /10), 1/, Mar. 23, 1992, vibration (D. Hirst, SAM N1996 / 404–406), 3 /; Museum Hill, N Bucks Camp Well, Mount Rescue Conservation Park , 358569S, 1408189E, Mar. 18, 1992, vibration (D. Hirst, SAM N1997 /112), 1 /; Pinkawillinie Conservation Park, 338079S, 1368009E, Mar. 20, 1996, vibration (D. Hirst, SAM N1996 /396– 400), 5/. Victoria: Calder Highway , 25 km S Ouyen, 358179S, 1428209E, July 10, 1994, under bark of roadside mallee (P. Hudson, SAM N1996 /417), 1 /.

DISTRIBUTION: South Australia and Victoria (map 77).

Figures

Map 77. Records of Notsodipus capensis, new species (squares), N. meedo, new species (circles), and N. keilira, new species (triangles).

Figs. 706–709. Notsodipus keilira, new species. 706. Left male palp, ventral view. 707. Same, retrolateral view. 708. Epigynum, ventral view. 709. Same, dorsal view.