Questo annuello, PLATNICK, 2002

PLATNICK, NORMAN I., 2002, A Revision Of The Australasian Ground Spiders Of The Families Ammoxenidae, Cithaeronidae, Gallieniellidae, And Trochanteriidae (Araneae: Gnaphosoidea), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2002 (271), pp. 1-1 : 1-

Questo annuello , new species Figures 145–148 ; Map 10

TYPE: Holotype male taken in drift fence pitfall trap 10.4 km NW junction of Murray Valley Highway and Annuello Road , 34 ° 46 ̍ S, 142 ° 31 ̍ E, Victoria (Oct. 1985; A. Yen), deposited in NMV.

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

DIAGNOSIS: Males can easily be recognized by the rectangular retrolateral tibial apophysis (fig. 146), females by the small, rectangular epigynal septum (fig. 147).

MALE: Total length 4.4. Carapace light brown, abdominal dorsum gray with two longitudinal rows of paramedian white spots, venter pale gray, legs light brown. Chelicerae porrect, endites relatively long. Leg spination typical for genus. All tarsi cracked at about two­thirds their length. Retrolateral tibial apophysis rectangular, flat (fig. 146); embolus resting in large, prolaterally situated conductor (fig. 145).

FEMALE: Total length 4.0. Coloration, mouthparts, and tarsal cracking as in male. Leg spination: tibiae II v0­0­0; metatarsi: II v0­0­0; III d0­0­0, v2­2­ 1p. Epigynum with small, rectangular, longitudinal, anteromedi­ an septum (fig. 147); posterior portion of spermathecae highly crenulated, anterior portion tiny (fig. 148).

60 BULLETIN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NO. 271

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: Victoria: Barr Creek, Cohuna , 35 ° 49 ̍ S, 144 ° 10 ̍ E, Nov. 24–Dec. 1, 1996, pitfalls (J. Hooper, CVIC 711 ), 13, 1♀, Apr. 9, 2000, watering (J. Hooper, J., D. Shield, CVIC 742 ), 23, 1♀ ; Brooms Road, 7.5 km NE Yambuna , 36 ° 06 ̍ S, 145 ° 05 ̍ E, Apr. 10–17, 1994, pitfall (G. Milledge, NMV K4632 , 1♀, Dec. 2–7, 1994, sweep net (J. Evans, M. Griffiths, S. Hinkley, NMV K4633 ), 23 ; Cohuna , 35 ° 50 ̍ S, 144 ° 11 ̍ E, Nov. 16–21, 1996, pitfall, shelterbelt (J. Shield, J. Hooper, CVIC 605 , 610 ), 23 ; 5 km ESE Lower Moira , 36 ° 05 ̍ S, 145 ° 03 ̍ E, Jan. 17–22, 1994, pitfall (G. Milledge, P. Lillywhite, NMV), 13 ; 9.7 km NW junction Murray Valley Highway and Annuello Road , 34 ° 46 ̍ S, 142 ° 32 ̍ E, Oct. 1985, drift fence pitfall (A. Yen, NMVS), 1♀ .

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Victoria (map 10).

TROCHANTERIIDAE KARSCH

Trochanterioidae Karsch, 1879: 536 (type genus Trochanteria Karsch ).

Platoridae Simon, 1890: 82 (type genus Plator Simon ). First synonymized by Platnick, 1990: 38.

Trochanteriidae : Mello­Leittao, 1938: 107.

DIAGNOSIS: Trochanteriids can be distinguished from ammoxenids, cithaeronids, and gallieniellids by their greatly flattened carapace, with the eyes occupying most of the carapace width. They can easily be distinguished from the Australasian gallieniellids, which have similarly enlarged chelicerae, by the absence of tarsal cracks.

DISCUSSION: Because members of the Australasian gnaphosid subfamily Hemicloeinae have similarly flattened bodies with laterigra­ de legs, the two groups have been thoroughly confused in the past. True hemicloeines have normal gnaphosid anterior lateral spinnerets composed of a single segment and bearing greatly enlarged and widened piriform gland spigots. About half of the species previously placed in the Hemicloeinae are actually trochanteriids that have been misplaced at the family level, and are treated below.

KEY TO AUSTRALASIAN GENERA OF TROCHANTERIIDAE

1. Trochanter IV twice as long as trochanter III......................... Platyoides

– Trochanter IV at most about 1.5 times as long as trochanter III................... 2

2. Chelicerae massive, thickened, resembling those of desids, about half the length of carapace......................... 3

– Chelicerae smaller, one­third of carapace length or less..................... 4

3. Tarsal claws with normal teeth set on ventral edge of claw; Queensland, New South Wales, Solomon Islands.................................... Desognaphosa

– Tarsal claws with teeth resembling those of zodariids, set laterally on inner margins of claw; Christmas Island (south of Java)................................. Olin

4. Body extremely flat, abdomen as thin as carapace; epimeric sclerites with extensions between leg coxae.......... Tinytrema

– Body more robust, abdomen thicker than carapace; epimeric sclerites without extensions between leg coxae............ 5

5. Apex of chelicerae directed ventrally, so that only the basal portion of the paturon is visible in dorsal view................. 6

– Most or all of cheliceral paturon visible in dorsal view...................... 8

6. Carapace, abdomen, and legs with thick, club setae................... Trachyspina

– Body and legs without club setae....... 7

7. Leg spines absent......... Trachycosmus

– Leg spines present.......... Trachytrema

8. Carapace greatly widened, much wider than long...................... Platorish

– Carapace normal.................... 9

9. Sternum with anterior lip accompanied by large triangular sclerite on each side (fig. 351) (N.B.: although the sternal lip is usually fairly long and obvious, it can be very short, especially in Pyrnus magnet , but even then it is accompanied by lateral sclerites that are much larger than the other intercoxal sclerites)............... 10

– Sternum without anterior lip or enlarged lateral sclerites..................... 12

10. Proclaw of tarsus I smooth........... 11

– Proclaw of tarsus I dentate....... Pyrnus

11. Retrolateral tibial apophysis extending almost to tip of cymbium; epigynum extending almost to pedicel............. Longrita

– Retrolateral tibial apophysis much shorter; epigynum normal, not extending so far anteriorly................... Morebilus

12. Anterior lateral eyes enlarged, on low mounds; tip of male palp with full coil (fig. 533); epigynal ducts of females coiled (fig. 536).................... Boolathana

– Anterior lateral eyes normal; tip of male palp without coil; epigynal ducts not coiled... ................................ 13

13. Males with single retrolateral tibial apophysis (fig. 502); females with long, often highly convoluted epigynal ducts (figs. 504, 516, 520)..................... Fissarena

– Males with proximal and distal retrolateral tibial apophyses (fig. 580); females with shorter, less highly convoluted epigynal ducts (as in figs. 582, 586, 590)..... 14

14. Males with claw­shaped, deeply incised palpal conductor tip (figs. 541, 545); spermathecae simple, massive, without secondary bulbs (figs. 544, 548)....................................... Hemicloeina

– Male palpal conductor tip not claw­shaped; spermathecae and ducts twisted, with secondary bulbs (as in figs. 582, 586).................................. Rebilus

TROCHANTERIINAE KARSCH , NEW RANK

DIAGNOSIS: Subfamilies have not previously been recognized within the Trochanteriidae . The nominate subfamily is here relimited to include only those genera in which the posterior margin of the carapace is strongly reflexed anteriorly, producing a wide posterior carina readily visible in dorsal view ( Platnick, 1976a: fig. 8; 1976b: fig. 5). As here relimited, trochanteriines are widespread. Four genera occur far from Australia: Trochanteria Karsch from Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina (see Platnick, 1986), Doliomalus Simon from Chile (see Platnick, 1976b, 1984b), Platyoides O. P.­Cambridge from Africa and surrounding islands (see Platnick, 1985), and Plator Simon from India, China, Korea, and Japan (see Platnick, 1976a). Among these genera, Platyoides and Trochanteria are presumably sister groups, unit­ ed by the greatly elongated fourth pair of trochanters ( Canals, 1933; Platnick, 1985), and by an implied reduction in the relative size of the posterior carina on the carapace.

Within Australasia, the subfamily is represented by one (presumably introduced but not established) species of Platyoides , one species of Olin Deeleman­Reinhold (2001 , originally described from Sulawesi and here reported from Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean), and two new genera, Tinytrema and Desognaphosa .

Platyoides O. P.­Cambridge

Platyoides O. P.­ Cambridge, 1890: 624 (type species by monotypy Platyoides abrahami O. P.­ Cambridge [= P. walteri (Karsch) ]).

Pseudoplatyoides Strand, 1908: 36 , type species, designated by Bonnet, 1958: 3819, Platyoides bidentatus Strand ). First synonymized by Roewer, 1955: 350.

Corimaethes Simon, 1908: 385 (type species by monotypy Corimaethes campestratus Simon [= P. walteri (Karsch) ]. NEW SYNONYMY.

DIAGNOSIS: Members of this genus can easily be distinguished from all other Australian trochanteriids by the greatly elongated trochanter IV, which is about twice as long as trochanter III.

DESCRIPTION: See Platnick, 1985: 5.

SYNONYMY: When the syntypes of the Western Australian taxon Corimaethes campestratus Simon were first examined for this study, they seemed extremely perplexing, as I was unable to find any similar specimens in any modern Australian collections. Eventually, I realized that the specimens actually belong to the most common and widely distributed species of the African genus Platyoides . In his original description of Corimaethes, Simon (1908) compared the two genera, and I initially hypothesized that he might inadvertently have switched specimens between two vials. However, there are syntypes of Corimaethes campestratus in four different museums (including a juvenile in WAM), constituting a considerable series and leaving little doubt that these spiders were indeed collected during the Hamburg southwest­Australian expedition of 1905. I can only surmise that the species was introduced into Western Australia, presumably under the bark of timber imported from Africa. Since the species has not subsequently been recollected in Australia, there is little reason to suppose that any Australian populations persist today, but the taxon is includ­ ed here in case specimens should be re­discovered in Australia.

It is ironic that Platyoides walteri would have been the particular African species introduced into Australia, for it is the only member of Platyoides to have been originally described as a member of the Australian genus Hemicloea (where it was, in fact, still listed in the catalog of Bonnet, 1958)!

Platyoides walteri (Karsch)

Figures 161–164 ; Map 11

Hemicloea walteri Karsch, 1886: 151 (female holotype from Botsabelo, Transvaal, South Africa, in ZMB, examined).

Corimaethes campestratus Simon, 1908: 385 (female syntypes from Day Dawn, Western Australia, in MNHN, ZMB, and ZMH, examined). NEW SYNONYMY.

Platyoides walteri: Roewer, 1955: 351 .— Platnick, 1985: 6, figs. 11–14 (with details on several additional African synonyms).

DIAGNOSIS: With the characters of the genus and genitalia as in figures 161–164.

MALE: See Platnick (1985).

FEMALE: See Platnick (1985).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Western Australia: Day Dawn, 27 ° 29 ̍ S, 117 ° 51 ̍ E, July 9–10, 1905 (W. Michaelsen, R. Hartmeyer, ZMH), 1♀ (syntype), same data ( ZMB 28745), 1♀ (syntype), same data ( MNHN 19648), 9♀ (syntypes).

DISTRIBUTION: Widespread in southern and east Africa, apparently introduced into Western Australia (map 11).

SYNONYMY: See above.

Figures

Map 10. Records of Oreo kidman, new species (star), O. bushbay, new species (diamonds), Peeto rodmani, new species (circles), and Questo annuello, new species (squares).

Map 11. Records of Platyoides walteri (Karsch) (star), Tinytrema bondi, new species (circles), Desognaphosa kirrama, new species (squares), and D. finnigan, new species (diamonds).

Figs. 145–148. Questo annuello, new species. 145. Left male palp, ventral view. 146. Same, retro­ lateral view. 147. Epigynum, ventral view. 148. Same, dorsal view.

Figs. 161–164. Platyoides walteri (Karsch). 161. Left male palp, ventral view. 162. Same, retrolateral view. 163. Epigynum, ventral view. 164. Same, dorsal view.