Mangrovia albida (L. Koch, 1871) Framenau & Castanheira, 2022

Framenau, Volker W. & Castanheira, Pedro de S., 2022, A new genus of Australian orb-weaving spider with extreme sexual size dimorphism (Araneae, Araneidae), Zoosystematics and Evolution 98 (1), pp. 137-149 : 137

Mangrovia albida (L. Koch, 1871) comb. nov.

Figs 1A-D , 2A-D , 3A-E , 4A , 5

Epeira albida L. Koch 1871: 83-84, plate 7, figs 2, 2a.

Araneus albidus (L. Koch).- Rainbow 1911.- 181.

Epeira fastidiosa Keyserling 1887: 183-184, plate 16, figs 1, 1a. New synonymy.

Araneus fastidiosus (Keyserling).- Rainbow 1916: 101, plate 21, figs 16, 17.

Type material.

Holotype of Epeira albida L. Koch 1871: female, Rockhampton, (23°23'S, 150°30'E, Queensland, Australia) ( NHMUK 1915.3.5.65), examined.

Holotype of Epeira fastidiosa Keyserling, 1887: male Rockingham, (23°23'S, 150°30'E, Queensland, Australia) ( ZMH ( Rack 1961)-catalog 237), examined.

Other material examined.

Australia: Queensland: 1 female, Brisbane , 27°28'S, 153°01'E ( AM KS.32873) ; 1 male, Buhot Creek, Burbank , 27°35'S, 153°10'E ( QM S67277 ) ; 1 female, Bundaberg Forest , 24°52'S, 152°21'E ( QM) ; 1 female, Baldwins Swamp ( QM S25331 ) ; 1 female, Cabbage Tree Creek , 25°27'S, 150°01'E ( QM) ; 2 female, 4 juv., Cabbage Tree Point , 25°27'S, 150°01'E ( QM) ; 1 female, Cabbage Tree Point, Beenleigh , 25°27'S, 150°01'E ( QM) ; 1 female, 1 juv., Camira , 27°38'S, 152°55'E ( QM) ; 1 male, D’Aguilar National Park, Lepidozamia Road , 27°17'S, 152°45'E ( AM KS.128413) ; 7 females, Glasshouse Mountains , 26°53'55.3"S, 152°56'56.0"E ( QM) ; 1 female, Karawatha Forest , 27°37'S, 153°05'E, ( QM S65833 ) ; 1 male, Koah Road , 16°49'S, 145°31'E ( QM S83480 ) ; 1 female, Mareeba , 17°S, 145°26'E ( AM KS.32640) ; 1 female, Molangdool , 24°45'S, 151°33'E ( AM KS.98754) ; 1 female, Mt Chalmers, near Rockhampton , 23°20'S, 150°40'E ( QM S15531 ) ; 1 male, Rockhampton , 23°23'S, 150°30'E ( NHMUK 1890.7.1.4150); l female, same locality ( NHMUK 1890.7.1.4171) ; 1 female, same locality ( NHMUK 77.37) ; 1 immature female, same locality ( ZMH Rack (1961) -catalog 218) .

Diagnosis.

Males M. albida comb. nov. can be separated from M. occidentalis sp. nov. by subtle differences in key pedipalp sclerites, specifically the conductor is less elongate (Figs 2B , 7B ), and the terminal apophysis is less bent apically (Figs 1C , 6C ). In addition, the subterminal branch of the embolus appears larger in M. albida comb. nov. than in M. occidentalis sp. nov. (Figs 2B , 7A ). Females of M. albida comb. nov. are distinguished from those of M. occidentalis sp. nov. by the shorter scape and its wider tip (scape longer and thinner with thinner tip in M. occidentalis sp. nov.) (Figs 3C , 8C ).

Description.

Male (based on QM S67277): Total length: 2.8. Carapace (Fig. 1A ) 1.4 long, 1.2 wide; dark brown, lighter in cephalic area. Eyes diameter AME 0.14, ALE 0.07, PME 0.10, PLE 0.07; row of eyes: AME 0.38, PME 0.29, PLE 0.65. Chelicerae small with paturon dark grey basally and beige apically; two promarginal teeth, the apical larger, three retromarginal teeth of similar size. Legs (Fig. 1A, B ) yellow-brown with distinct dark brown annulations. Leg formula I > II > IV > III; length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total length): I - 1.6 + 0.6 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 0.6 = 4.8, II - 1.3 + 0.5 + 0.9 + 0.9 + 0.5 = 4.1, III - 0.8 + 0.3 + 0.3 + 0.4 + 0.4 = 2.3, IV - 1.2 + 0.4 + 0.7 + 0.7 + 0.5 = 3.5. Labium and endites beige. Sternum 0.5 long, 0.4 wide, beige with dark brown contour (Fig. 1B ). Abdomen (Fig. 1A, B ) 1.6 long, 1.3 wide; rounded; dorsum with instinct dark folium pattern bordered by irregular, wavey light band; two small triangular white spots anteriorly sparsely covered with long brown setae; laterally beige with greyish bands; venter dark brown with two large, rounded white spots near spinnerets. Pedipalp (Figs 1C, D , 2A-D ) length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + cymbium = total length): 0.3 + 0.1 + 0.2 + 0.5 = 1.1; cymbium broad, tegulum and subtegulum well-developed; conductor broad, basally slightly sclerotised, otherwise fleshy; median apophysis oval with an apical, slightly curved spine-like prong; radix elongate; terminal apophysis well-developed, with rounded distal portion; subterminal apophysis originating near the basis of terminal apophysis, thin and sclerotized; embolus basally inflated, otherwise thin, straight and with distinct subterminal branch.

Female (based on AM KS.98754): Total length 8.6. Carapace (Fig. 3A ) 3.9 long, 3.5 wide; pear-shaped, uniformly dark reddish-brown, weak cover of long and short white setae. Eyes diameter AME 0.27, ALE 0.18, PME 0.20, PLE 0.18; row of eyes: AME 0.70, PME 0.54, PLE 1.98. Chelicerae paturon reddish brown; four promarginal teeth, apical and third largest; three retromarginal teeth of similar size. Legs colouration similar to male (Fig. 3A, B ). Pedipalp length (femur + patella + tibia + tarsus = total length): 1.2 + 0.5 + 0.8 + 1.3 = 3.8. Leg formula 1 > IV > II > III; length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total length): I - 4.2 + 1.8 + 3.0 + 3.1 + 1.1 = 13.2, II - 3.8 + 1.7 + 2.7 + 0.9 + 1 = 10.1, III - 2.4 + 1.1 + 1.4 + 1.5 + 0.9 = 7.3, IV - 3.6 + 1.6 + 2.2 + 2.3 + 0.9 = 10.6. Labium and endites light brown. Sternum almost heart-shaped, yellowish-brown with dusky contour (Fig. 3B ). Abdomen (Fig. 3A, B ) 5.5 long, 4.7 wide; dorsum beige, with black band on anterior margin; four pairs of dark brown sigillae; venter as in male, but with thin white band behind epigastric furrow area. Epigyne (Fig. 3C, D , 4A ) oval, around 1.5 times wider than long; copulatory openings lateral to scape; scape broad lip with terminal pocket; spermathecae sub-spherical, almost touching; fertilisation ducts basally convoluted and attaching posteriorly to spermathecae (Fig. 4A ).

Variation.

Total length males 2.7-3.0 (n = 3), females 8.3-9.7 (n = 5). There is very little colour variation in both males and females, although the folium pattern in males can be very distinct.

Remarks.

Rack (1961) listed the holotype of Epeira albida L. Koch, 1871 as her catalog number 218 in the collection of the ZMH; however, this cannot be the holotype as this specimen is an immature female and the original description and illustrations by L. Koch (1871) clearly show a mature female with fully developed epigyne. We here consider a female in the collection of the NHMUK London the holotype of E. albida . This specimen has the typical label handwritten by L. Koch and matches well the description in L. Koch (1871).

Keyserling (1887) described Epeira fastidiosa Keyserling, 1887 based on a mature male. The holotype of this species matches in all diagnostic characters the males that are here recognised as conspecific with the female M. albida comb. nov. We therefore consider E. fastidiosa a junior synonym of M. albida comb. nov. Similarly to M. albida comb. nov., the designation of the holotype of E. fastidiosa remains ambiguous. Rack (1961) considered a male in the ZMH ( Rack (1961) -catalog no. 237) as holotype of the species, but there is also a male in the NHMUK (1890.7.1.4150) from the type locality Rockingham that could be the holotype, as part of the Keyserling-collection was sold to the NHMUK (J. Beccaloni, pers. comm.). Both specimens are very similar and match Keyserling’s (1887) original description. We here follow Rack’s (1961) initial designation of the holotype of E. fastidiosa to maintain consistency with previous literature.

Habitat preferences and life history.

Habitat descriptions found on labels with museum specimens include ‘mangroves’ and ‘riparian’, where spiders were found in rolled leaves near the orb-web. Mature spiders were found between December and April.

Distribution.

This species is only known from coastal Queensland (Fig. 5 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Mangrovia albida comb. nov., male (QM S 67277). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Habitus, ventral view; C. Left pedipalp, ventral view; D. Left pedipalp, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, B); 0.1 mm (C, D).

Figure 2. Mangrovia albida comb. nov., expanded male left pedipalp (QM S 67277). A. Apico-ventral view; B. Mesal view; C. Retrolateral view; D. Dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm (A-D).

Figure 3. Mangrovia albida comb. nov., female (AM KS. 98754). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Habitus, ventral view; C. Epigyne, ventral view; D. Epigyne, lateral view; E. Epigyne, posterior view. Scale bars: 2 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C-E).

Figure 4. Mangrovia albida comb. nov. (AM KS. 98754) and M. occidentalis sp. nov. (WAM T 75326), cleared female epigynes, posterior view. A. Mangrovia albida comb. nov.; B. M. occidentalis sp. nov. Scale bar: 0.2 mm (A, B).

Figure 5. Distribution records of Mangrovia albida comb. nov.

Figure 6. Mangrovia occidentalis sp. nov., male (WAM T 77397). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Habitus, ventral view; C. Right pedipalp, ventral view; D. Right pedipalp, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, B); 0.1 mm (C, D).

Figure 7. Mangrovia occidentalis sp. nov., expanded right left pedipalp (WAM T 77397). A. Apico-dorsal view; B. Mesal view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm (A, B).

Figure 8. Mangrovia occidentalis sp. nov., female (WAM T 75326). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Habitus, ventral view; C. Epigyne, ventral view; D. Epigyne, lateral view; E. Epigyne, posterior view. Scale bars: 2 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C-E).