Wandella australiensis ( Koch 1873 )

Ivan L. F. Magalhaes, 2016, On new or poorly known Australian Filistatidae spiders (Araneae: Araneomorphae), including a study on the fine morphology of Wandella, Journal of Natural History 50 (29 - 30), pp. 1815-1858 : 33-36

Wandella australiensis ( Koch 1873)

( Figures 2 , 9 – 10 , 14 A, 15, 28, 29)

Filistata australiensis

L Koch 1873, p. 451, pl. 35, fig. 4. Four syntype females from Rockhampton , Queensland , 23°22' S, 150°32' E, in ZMH Museum Godeffroyi 8098 , not examined.

Pritha australiensis

Lehtinen 1967, p. 260.

Wandella australiensis

Gray 1994, p. 50, figs. 8, 52 – 56.

Diagnosis

Males are similar to those of W. murrayensis Gray in having a short, sinuous bulb and a curved, prolaterally directed paraembolic lamina ( Figures 10 , 28 , 29 ). They differ by the shorter, not so incrassated palpal tibia, and by the paraembolic lamina ending closer to the apex of the embolus. Female diagnosed by Gray (1994).

Description

Male from Meta Park, Queensland, Australia (QM S78597 ) ( Figure 28 ). Coloration: carapace cream, with dark brown median pattern and clypeal markings, and submarginal bands present as diffuse, light brown patches; chelicerae cream with a distal dark brown patch; labium and endites cream; sternum cream with anterior border dark brown; legs cream, with incomplete light brown rings in the base and apex of the femora, tibiae and metatarsi and a prolateral light brown patch on the patellae; abdomen dorsum light brown, clothed with whitish setae, with dark brown chevron with six markings posteriorly. Anterior margin of the carapace nearly straight. Sternum suboval, sigillae not visible. Total length 2.98. Carapace length 1.47, width 1.10. Clypeus length 0.29. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.12, PME 0.0 7, ALE 0.11, PLE 0.0 8, AME – AME 0.04, PME – PME 0.15. Palp: femur length 0.65, width 0.20, tibia length 0.40, width 0.26. Leg I: femur 1.90, patella 0.47, tibia 2.3, metatarsus 1.96, tarsus 1.02. Right II: fe 1.4, pa 0.46, ti 1.3. III: fe 1.12, pa 0.46, ti 1.06. IV: fe 1.54, pa 0.48, ti 1.66, mt 1.53, ta 0.75. Abdomen: length 1.62, width 0.94. Leg macrosetae: absent. Palp: cymbium horseshoe-shaped, prolateral excavation small, near the base of the paraembolic process (see Figure 10 B, Ex), paraembolic process free, prolaterally curved, ending close to embolus apex, embolus short, prolaterally bent.

Female ( Figure 29 C, D) described by Gray (1994).

Variation

Males (n = 5): total length 2.40 – 3.59 (3.05), carapace length 1.10 – 1.54 (1.37), femur I length 1.37 – 1.93 (1.70), tibia I length 1.60 – 2.30 (1.97), tibia/carapace ratio 1.30 – 1.56 (1.43). Palpal morphology is variable, especially the curvature of the embolus and the shape of the paraembolic lamina ( Figures 10 , 28 C, 29A, B). It might be that W. australiensis is not a single species, as already suggested by Gray (1994).

Note

Males and females have been matched because they have been collected several times from the same localities.

Distribution

Northeastern Queensland, Australia ( Figure 15 ).

Material examined

Australia. Queensland: 39km north of Charters Towers, nr. Dalrymple NP, Gregory Developmental Rd (146.0633°, −19.8247°), G. Milledge & H. Smith, 12/V/2000, 1 ♂ (AM KS.67167); Bang Bang jumpup, rocky hillside (140.66331°, −18.52356°, 38 m), R. Raven, B. Baehr & A. Amey, 10/VII – 23/IX/2006, 1 ♂ (QM S77168); Broken River, Storm Dam [148.51247°, −21.16293°], P. Lawless, 19/VII/1995, 2 ♂ (QM S78948); Dotswood, Harvey ’ s Range, vertebrate pitfall trap [146.44375°, −19.99839°], T. Churchill, II/1999, 1 ♂ (QM S78593 ); 1 ♂ (QM S78594 ); pitfall trap, T. Churchill & Woinarski, II/1999, 1 ♀ (QM S78595 ); 10 ♂ (QM S78596 ); Gregory Dev. Rd, 5.5 km southeast Clarke river, open forest (145.47333°, −19.24167°, 420 m), QM Party, 29/IX – 17/XII/2006, 4 ♂ (QM S79089 ); south of Gray Ck. (145.04667°, −19.025°, 440 m), 6 ♂ 2 ♀ 1 imm. (QM S79117 ); Lolworth National Park, site 2, dry vine scrub (146.09°, −19.82833°, 270 m), 28/XI – 12/XII/2006, 1 ♂ (QM S79012 ); Longreach, 24 km northwest by road (144.11531°, −23.26881°, 231 m), R. Raven, B. Baehr & A. Amey, 28/VI – 7/IX/2006, 1 ♂ (QM S77112); Meta Park, tree clearing, collector unknown, 20/X/1998, CSIRO Darwin A2780, 1 ♂ (QM S78597 ); Mount Stuart, site 10.2b [146.73942°, −19.37172°], D. Hannah, 12/XII/1999, 1 ♂ (QM S78598 ); Myola, site 1, paddock, pitfall trap (145.50333°, −20.05°, 420 m), QM Party, 29/IX – 17/XII/2006, 1 ♂ (QM S79108 ); site 2, open forest/lancewood (145.46667°, −20.07167°), 1 ♂ (QM S79048); Newcastle Ra, east Georgetown [143.8533°, −18.51049°], J. Hasenpusch, 20/II – 29/VI/2002, 4 ♂ (QM S80437); Peak Range NP, between Eastern Peak and Browns Peak, web in bark (148.1342°, −22.7572°), G. Milledge & H. Smith, 11/V/2000, 1 ♀ (AM KS.67165); Red Falls, vine scrub in basalt, pitfall trap (145.73333°, −19.92667°), G.B. Monteith & Cook, 16/XII/2006 – 15/II/ 2007, 1 ♂ (QM S76696 ); Riversleigh, just east of t ’ off (138.52075°, −18.75981°, 145 m), R. Raven, B. Baehr & A. Amey, 2/VII – 11/IX/2006, 4 ♂ (QM S77250 ); t ’ off on Gregory Downs- Camooweal Rd, 5 km W (138.95294°, −19.12386°, 182 m), 1/VII – 10/IX/2006, 2 ♂ (QM S75463); Taroom district, Boggomoss, pitfall trap (150.01667°, −25.43333°), P. Lawless, 11/ XI/2006 – I/1997, 1 ♂ (QM S36719 ); Toomba, site 1, open forest (145.56667°, −19.96667°, 1390 m), QM Party, 29/IX – 17/XII/2006, 1 ♂ 1 ♀ (QM S79031 ); Undara National Park, 12 mile Swamp, Melaleuca swamp (144.86667°, −18.26667°), G.B. Monteith, 8/XII/2002 – 08/II/2003, 1 ♂ (QM S69756); The Arch, vine scrub (144.58333°, −18.21667°), 1 ♂ (QM S98401 ); Undilla, 4 km northeast on Gregory Downs-Carnooweal Rd (138.74708°, −19.60283°, 255 m), R. Raven, B. Baehr & A. Amey, 30/VI – 23/IX/2006, 3 ♂ (QM S77210 ); Wills Rd, Gregory River gate t ’ off, 1 km south (138.59342°, −18.60081°, 126 m), 2/VII – 11/IX/2006, female not dissected, 6 ♂ 1 ♀ 1 imm. (QM S77237 ); Forty Mile Scrub National Park, pitfall trap (144.84833°, −18.095°), M. Moulds & J. Thompson, 13 – 23/IV/1994, 1 ♀ (AM KS.42614); Mazeppa NP, southwest corner nr road (147.2644°, −22.2728°), G. Milledge & H. Smith, 11/V/2000, 1 ♀ (AM KS.67166).

Figures

Figure 2. Scanning electron microscopy, Wandella australiensis (L. Koch 1873), male from Dotswood, Queensland (QM S 78596). (A) Cephalothorax, dorsal. Inset showing a feathery seta. (B) Eyes and clypeus, dorsal. (C) Same, lateral. (D) Same, anterior. (E) Unsclerotized region of the clypeus, subventral. (F) Chelicerae apex, subventral. (G) Unsclerotized region of the clypeus, subventral, detail of projections. Abbreviations: A, apodeme; CS, clypeal step.

Figure 9. Scanning electron microscopy, Wandella australiensis (L. Koch 1873), male from Dotswood, Queensland (QM S 78596). (A) Spinnerets and tracheal spiracles, ventral. (B) Cribellum, ventral. (C) Epiandrium spigots, ventral. (D) Right ALS, ventral. (E) PMS and right PLS. Notice broken shaft of mAP. Abbreviations: ALS, anterior lateral spinnerets; Cr, cribellum; MAP, major ampullate gland spigot; mAP, minor ampullate gland spigot; PC, paracribellar gland spigot; Pi, piriform gland spigot; PLS, posterior lateral spinnerets; PMS, posterior median spinnerets; S, tracheal spiracle.

Figure 10. Scanning electron microscopy, Wandella australiensis (L. Koch 1873), male from Dotswood, Queensland (QM S 78596), right palp. (A) Prolateral. Inset showing feathery and ciliate setae. (B) Bulb and cymbium, prolateral. (C) Bulb and cymbium, subdorsal. (D) Embolus, prolateral. (E) Embolus, retrolateral. (F) Scaliform structure, retrolateral. (G) Tegular excavation, prolateral. Inset showing micro-teeth along larger tegular spines. Abbreviations: Cy, cymbium; E, embolus; ES, embolus slit; Ex, tegular excavation; O, embolus opening; PL, paraembolic lamina; ScS, scaliform structure; TS, tegular spines.

Figure 14. Light microscopy, cymbium, prolateral, clove oil cleared. (A) Wandella australiensis (Koch 1873), male from Undara National Park, Queensland (QM S 98401), cleared. (B) Wandella barbarella Gray 1994, male from Gardner Reserve Road, Western Australia (WAM T 133473). Abbreviations: BSB, basal sclerite of the bulb; F, fundus; M 30, claw extensor muscle; tM 29, tendon of the claw flexor muscle.

Figure 15. Distribution maps for Australian filistatids (including records by Gray 1994). Above: triangles = Wandella barbarella, white circles = Wandella diamentina, stars = Wandella grayi, black circles = Wandella murrayensis, asterisks = Wandella orana, crosses = Wandella parnabyi, white squares = Wandella waldockae. Below: triangles = Wandella alinjarra, black circles = Wandella australiensis, asterisks = Wandella centralis, star = Wandella infernalis, cross = Wandella pallida, white circles = Wandella stuartensis, squares = Yardiella humphreysi.

Figure 28. Wandella australiensis (L. Koch 1873), male from Meta Park, Queensland (QM S 78597). (A) Habitus, dorsal. (B) Habitus, lateral. (C) Left palp, prolateral. (D) Same, retrolateral. (E) Left bulb, dorsal.

Figure 29. Wandella australiensis (L. Koch 1873). (A) Male from Undara National Park, Queensland (QM S 98401), left bulb, prolateral, cleared. (B) Male from Gregory Dev. Rd. Queensland (QM S 79117), left bulb, prolateral, cleared. (C) Female from Dotswood, Queensland, (QM S 78595), spermathecae, dorsal, cleared. (D) Female from Gregory Dev. Rd Queensland (QM S 79117), spermathecae, dorsal, cleared. Abbreviations: M 30, claw extensor muscle; PL, paraembolic lamina; tM 29, tendon of the claw flexor muscle.