Desis bobmarleyi, Baehr, Barbara C., Raven, Robert & Harms, Danilo, 2017

Baehr, Barbara C., Raven, Robert & Harms, Danilo, 2017, " High Tide or Low Tide ": Desisbobmarleyi sp. n., a new spider from coral reefs in Australia's Sunshine State and its relative from Samoa (Araneae, Desidae, Desis), Evolutionary Systematics 1 (1), pp. 111-120 : 111

Desis bobmarleyi sp. n. Figures 1, 2D, 3, 4, 7 A–D

Material examined.

MALE HOLOTYPE (QM S107379), from Queensland, near Port Douglas, 16°29'S, 145°27'E, 11 Jan 2009, R. Raven; FEMALE ALLOTYPE (QM S107380), same as previous. PARATYPES. Queensland: 1 male (QM S13471), Bushy Island, Great Barrier Reef, 23°50'S, 151°19'E, June, 1975, D. Gleeson; 1 female (CeNak ZSMH-A0000950, ex QM S13843), Cape Tribulation, 16°04'S, 145°25'E, coral, 26 Aug 1988, R. Raven, T. Churchill, J. Gallon; 1 male (QM S60881), Cape Tribulation, 16°04'S, 145°25'E, 19 Jul 1992, M. Filmer; 1 female (QM S13477), Coconut Beach, N end, Lizard Island, LI-18, 14°39'S, 145°27'E, 7 Jun 1987, P. Davie; 1 female (QM S13474), Heron I, 23°27'S, 151°55'E, 10 Apr 1976, D. Holdick; 1 female (QM S13472), Kissing Pt, Townsville, 19°13'S, 146°47'E, rock, 11 May 1976, D. Holdick; 1 female (QM S13473), Kurrimine, south of Innisfail, 17°46'S, 146°05'E, 18 May 1976, D. Holdick; 1 female (QM S13470), Tryon Island, 23°14'S, 151°47'E, 21 Aug 1977, Mrs Jahnke.

Etymology.

The specific name is a patronym in honour of Bob Marley, an internationally renowned Jamaican Reggae singer and songwriter.

Common name.

We propose Bob Marley’s Intertidal Spider as a common name.

Diagnosis.

Males of Desis bobmarleyi sp. n. resemble D. kenyonae , D. marina and D. vorax in having a broad, semicircular conductor with a retrolateral conductor plate, a hood-shaped DTA and a spine-like MTA but can be separated from these by having a broadly triangular conductor plate (CP), a stout conductor tip and an indented hood–shaped tip of the retrodistal apophysis (DTA) (Figs 3E, 7A, B). Females of Desis bobmarleyi sp. n. share the long convoluted copulatory ducts but have them arranged spherical not longitudinal (Fig. 7D).

Description.

Male (Holotype, QM S107379) (Fig. 3 A–F). Total length 6.03. Prosoma 3.01 long, 2.02 wide, pl/pw 1.49; sternum 2.00 long, 1.5 wide, sl/sw 1.33; opisthosoma 3.02 long, 2.03 wide. Eyes, subequal in size, both eye rows straight; ALE 0.12; AME 0.12; PLE 0.11; PME 0.11; AME-AME 0.08; ALE-AME 0.10; ALE-PLE 0.09; PLE-PME 0.17; PME-PME 0.18; clypeus 0.06 high with undivided chilum. Prosoma red-brown, with reticulated pattern, long rectangular; fovea short, 0.05 of prosoma length; pars cephalica flat in lateral view, in dorsal view anteriorly narrowed to 0.82 of its maximum width, with rounded posterolateral corners, surface finely reticulate. Chelicerae, paturon reddish brown, strong elongated, longer than sternum, with 7 strong prolateral and 2 retrolateral teeth, fangs 0.8 the length of paturon. Endites, labium and sternum orange brown, labium trapezoid, medially indented; endites long with sharp triangular tip 1.3 times as long as labium, serrula absent; sternum cordate, with precoxal and intercoxal sclerites, first between endite and coxa I. Opisthosoma pale grey and covered with a dense layer of long, thin and dark grey setae; venter pale, tracheal spiracle distinct, distance from spinnerets 0.5 mm. Legs orange-brown with a dense layer of long, thin and dark grey setae, all tarsi with 3 claws, 3rd claw about 1/3 dorsal claws, paired claws on I with 10 teeth, II with 7, III with 3, IV with 12 teeth. Palp (Figs 3 D–F, 7A, B): cymbium pear-shaped, longer than wide, with slight sclerotisation on retrolateral margin, covered with long setae and 7 thick spines in distal third; conductor large elliptical with broadly triangular sclerotized CP and stout tip, embolus thin, semicircular, covered by conductor, median apophysis thin needle-shaped, retrodistal apophysis with indented hood -shaped tip. RTA medially indented and ventrally slightly s-shaped.

Female (allotype, QM S107380) (Fig. 4 A–F). Total length 8.82. Prosoma 3.95 long, 2.43 wide, pl/pw 1.62; sternum 2.00 long, 1.50 wide, sl/sw 1.33; opisthosoma 4.87 long, 3.05 wide. Colour and habitus as in male; ALE 0.11; AME 0.11; PLE 0.11; PME 0.11; AME-AME 0.08; ALE-AME 0.10; ALE-PLE 0.09; PLE-PME 0.17; PME-PME 0.18. Clypeus 0.05 high. epigyne (Figs 4F, 7C, D): with M-shaped sclerotised region, posterior margin with small median u-shaped process and long convoluted copulatory ducts arranged spherical, ending in globular spermathecae about their diameter apart.

Distribution.

Known from intertidal zones of the Great Barrier Reef at the north-eastern coast of Queensland: Australia’s "Sunshine State". The exact distribution range along the coastline of Australia is still unknown.