Stephanopis monulfi Chrysanthus, 1964

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 : 257-259

Stephanopis monulfi Chrysanthus, 1964

Figs 32–34

Stephanopis monulfi Chrysanthus, 1964: 89 , figs 15–18.

Type material examined. Holotype ♀, RMNH 3854 , from Merauke , Papua, Indonesia [8°29'S 140°24'E].

Other material examined. Papua New Guinea, Morobe: MCZ 134018 , 1♀, Mount Su Su (near Bulolo ), 6°48'4.95"S 146°33'41.93"E, H. Levi & Y. Lubin, 17 March 1979 ; AMS KS.35, 1♀, Bulolo , 7°11'S 146°38'E, B. Gray, 2 May 1970 . Australia, Queensland: AMS KS.437, 1♀, Helenvale , 15°43'S 145°14'E, M. Gray, November 1975 ; AMS KS.108716, 1♂, 1♀, Cairns , 16°55'S 145°46'E, N.C. Coleman, 13 August 1969 ; AMS KS.34361, 1♂, Mareeba ( Tinaroo Creek ), 17°S 145°26'E , R. E. Mascord , 24 September 1972 ; AMS KS.81288, 1♂, 1♀, same data ; AMS KS.81290, 1♀, same data ; AMS KS.108712, 1♀, Edmonton , 17°01'S 145°45'E, N.C. Coleman, 20 February 1969 ; KS.108725, 1♂, 3♀♀, 6 January 1970 ; AMS KS.108670, 1♀, Babinda , 17°21'S 145°56'E, J.A. Brooks, 1951 ; AMS KS.110426, 1♀, Eurimbula (southeast of Gladstone ), 24°11'S 151°50'E, M . R. Gray & C. Horseman, March 1975 ; QM S104651 , 1♀, Clifton Beach near Cairns, N.C. Coleman, 1972 . New South Wales: QM S19478 , 1♀, Yamba , 29°25'59.60"S 153°20'26.24"E , R. Raven , 16–19 April 1976 .

Diagnosis. Females of S. monulfi resemble those of S. armata in having a trapezoid opisthosoma, being cryptic and robust in form, having legs bearing several stout projections and setiferous tubercles and by the median spire on thoracic portion of prosoma. However, they can be distinguished by their more flattened and wider prosoma, bigger dorsal projections on patellae and tibiae I and II ( Fig. 32A ), and epigynal plate with wide CO, depressed atrium and median septum ( Fig. 32C ). Males are diagnosed by their sclerotized embolus ( Fig. 33C ) and short and laminar RTA that resembles a shape of an axe blade in retro lateral view ( Fig. 33D ).

Description. Female (KS.108712): Prosoma predominantly reddish-brown with a small median spire on the cephalic portion ( Fig. 32B ), covered by many whitish setae on the posterior slope and sides of cephalic area ( Fig. 32A ); anterior eye row recurved and posterior straight; cephalic and ocular projections discrete ( Fig. 32B ). Legs dark-yellow with brown tinges on the distal portion of femora, patellae and tibiae. These same leg segments bear acute projections with a terminal macrosetae and covered by smaller hyaline ones ( Fig. 32A ). Opisthosoma trapezoid, predominantly light-yellow with brownish anterolateral spots. Epigynum with segmented spermathecae, glandular-heads with many perforations and anterior chambers reduced ( Fig. 32D ).

Measurements: eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.10, ALE 0.15, PME 0.12, PLE 0.09, AME–AME 0.14, AME–ALE 0.11, PME–PME 0.30, PME–PLE 0.12, MOQ length 0.44, width 0.25; leg formula: 1-2-3-4: leg I—femur 3.85/ patella 2.26/ tibia 2.87/ metatarsus 2.00/ tarsus 1.22/ total 12.20; II—3.62/ 2.06/ 2.44/ 1.79/ 1.12/ 11.03; III—2.62/ 1.25/ 1.84/ 1.44/ 0.90/ 8.05; IV—2.78/ 1.21/ 1.66/ 1.30/ 0.77/ 7.72. Total body length 8.19; prosoma length 4.09, width 4.62; opisthosoma length 4.10; clypeus height 0.49; sternum length 1.89, width 1.77; gnathocoxae length 1.04, width 0.46; labium length 0.63, width 0.72.

Male (AMS KS.108716): Prosoma and legs predominantly burgundy colored ( Fig. 33A ); eye arrangement as in female. Anterior metatarsi and tarsi (I and II) light-brown; whitish setae clustered on the median region of the posterior slope of prosoma and on the sides of cephalic area, occurring also on the lateral margin of the clypeus and between the ALE and AME ( Fig. 33B ). Opisthosoma trapezoid and dark-yellow with lateral and posterior darker spots. Palpi short with Pcym rounded and RTAvbr truncated ( Fig. 33C,D ).

Measurements: eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.07, ALE 0.13, PME 0.08, PLE 0.06, AME–AME 0.07, AME–ALE 0.05, PME–PME 0.16, PME–PLE 0.05, MOQ length 0.23, width 0.25; leg formula: 1-2-4-3: leg I—femur 1.45/ patella 0.81/ tibia 1.08/ metatarsus 0.81/ tarsus 0.41/ total 4.56; II—1.43/ 0.73/ 1.00/ 0.77/ 0.43/ 4.36; III—0.99/ 0.52/ 0.73/ 0.65/ 0.42/ 3.31; IV—1.04/ 0.68/ 0.67/ 0.62/ 0.35/ 3.36. Total body length 3.59; prosoma length 1.89, width 1.92; opisthosoma length 1.70; clypeus height 0.22; sternum length 0.83, width 0.76; gnathocoxae length 0.34, width 0.19; labium length 0.20, width 0.37.

Distribution. Papua, Indonesia; Morobe, Papua New Guinea; Queensland and New South Wales, Australia ( Fig. 35 ).

Figures

Figure 32. Stephanopis monulfi Chrysanthus, 1964, female (A–B,AMS KS.108712): (A) dorsal habitus; (B) front; (C–D, QM S104679): (C) epigynal plate, ventral view; (D) epigynal plate/spermathecae.Arrows (A) indicate dorsal projections on tibiae I and patellae II.

Figure 33. Stephanopis monulfi Chrysanthus, 1964, male (AMS KS.108716). (A) dorsal habitus; (B) front; (C) ventral view of the left palp; (D) left palp, retro lateral view. Arrows (A) indicate dorsal projections on tibiae I and patellae II.

Figure 34. Stephanopis monulfi records (A–D); and egg-sac guarding behavior (D). Photos by Nicholas Fisher.

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