Stephanopis flagellata Machado, 2019

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 : 251-252

Stephanopis flagellata Machado sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 6E325F04-D3B9-482D-845A-6253062C7066

Fig. 27

Holotype ♂ AMS KS.77129, from Mungindi, 28°49'46"S 149°18'55"E, Queensland, Australia, L. Wilkie, R. Harris and T. Moulds, 18 December 1999 . Paratypes: AMS KS.120712, 1♂, Scotia Sanctuary, 33°09'23"S 141°07'46"E, New South Wales, C. Silvey, 1 February 2011 ; AMS KS.128002, 1♂, Scotia Sanctuary, 33°12'01"S 141°11'05"E, New South Wales, H. Gibb, February 2010 .

Other material examined. Only the type material.

Diagnosis. Males of S. flagellata sp. nov. are almost indistinguishable from those of S. altifrons and S. nigra somatically. All three species possess a high cephalic prominence ( Fig. 27B ), flattened prosoma and obovate opisthosoma with stout setiferous tubercles on the rear ( Fig. 27A ). However, S. flagellata sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from these species by its remarkable palpi: a larger PrsP, long whip-like embolus (coiled at its terminal portion and resting behind the tegulum) and a RTAvbr acute and long, having thrice the size of the RTA ( Fig. 27C and D ).

Description. Male (AMS KS.128001): Anterior eye row strongly recurved ( Fig. 27A ) and posterior row slightly procurved ( Fig. 27B ); prosoma predominantly dark-yellow with brown tinges on the sides of cephalic portion ( Fig. 27A ). Posterior legs (III and IV) predominantly yellowish as in the prosoma; anterior legs (I and II) entirely brown on the femora and gradually fading into yellow along the tibiae and metatarsi, with sparse dark spots. Opisthosoma dark-yellow, with concave anterior border and clusters of 3 to 5 long setae on the posterior setiferous tubercles ( Fig. 27A ).

Measurements: eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.06, ALE 0.18, PME 0.18, PLE 0.18, AME–AME 0.08, AME–ALE 0.06, PME–PME 0.11, PME–PLE 0.07, MOQ length 0.35, width 0.32; leg formula: 1-2-3-4: leg I—femur 2.50/ patella 1.45/ tibia 2.23/ metatarsus 1.71/ tarsus 0.97/ total 8.86; II—2.13/ 1.16/ 1.74/ 1.50/ 0.88 7.41; III—1.85/ 0.79/ 1.48/ 1.45/ 0.74/ 6.31; IV—1.82/ 0.68/ 1.44/ 1.49/ 0.68/ 6.11. Total body length 6.13; prosoma length 2.88, width 2.36; opisthosoma length 3.25; clypeus height 0.46; sternum length 1.20, width 1.15; gnathocoxae length 0.57, width 0.33; labium length 0.31, width 0.44.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology. The specific name is a Latin feminine adjective meaning whipped or scourged, due to the shape of the long, filiform and whip-like embolus on the male palp.

Distribution. New South Wales, Australia ( Fig. 35 ).

Figures

Figure 27. Stephanopis flagellata sp. nov., male (AMS KS.128001). (A) dorsal habitus; (B) front; (C) ventral view of the left palp; (D) left palp, retro lateral view.

Figure 35. Distribution records of Stephanopis fissifrons, S. flagellata sp. nov., S. lata, S. longimana and S. monulfi.