Hemicloeina wyndham, 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-

Hemicloeina wyndham , new species Figures 565, 566 ; Map 43

TYPE: Male holotype from Wyndham , 15 ° 28 ̍ S, 128 ° 06 ̍ E, Western Australia (Dec. 1949; B. Rudeforth), deposited in WAM (99/ 569) .

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

DIAGNOSIS: Males closely resemble those of H. kapalga in the shape of the retrolateral tibial apophysis but can easily be recognized by the retrolaterally directed projection on the distal prong of the palpal conductor (fig. 565). The close similarities to H. kapalga make it unlikely that this could be the unknown male of H. bulolo from New Guinea, which has an epigynum that is quite different from those of the remaining species in the genus, and is thus likely to have a rather different male.

MALE: Total length 8. Coloration as in H. somersetensis . Leg spination: tibiae: I, II v2­ 2­2; III r0­0­1; IV r1­1­1; metatarsi III v2­2­ 2. Retrolateral tibial apophysis with tiny, recurved tip (fig. 566); distal prong of palpal conductor with retrolaterally directed projection at about half its length (fig. 565).

FEMALE: Unknown.

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: None.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the northern part of Western Australia (map 43).

Hemicloeina bluff , new species

Figures 569–572 ; Map 43

TYPES: Female holotype and male allotype taken along Wilson Bluff Cliff , 31 ° 41 ̍ S, 129 ° 00 ̍ E, South Australia (Oct. 30, 1966; J. Lowry), deposited in WAM (96/89, 90) .

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

DIAGNOSIS: Males can easily be recognized by the short, wide retrolateral tibial apophysis (fig. 570) and the greatly elongated prongs of the palpal conductor (fig. 569), females by the y­shaped appearance of the epigynal margins (fig. 571).

MALE: Total length 12. Coloration as in H. somersetensis . Leg spination: femora: I d2­ 1­0; II d2­2­0; II d1­2­0; IV d1­3­0; tibiae IV p0­1­0, r0­0­0; metatarsi: II v2­1p­0; III v2­1p­2. Retrolateral tibial apophysis short, wide (fig. 570); palpal cymbium with large retrolateral patch of short stiff setae, both prongs of palpal conductor elongated (fig. 569).

FEMALE: Total length 14. Coloration as in male. Leg spination: femora: I, II d2­1­0; III d2­2­0; IV d2­2­0; metatarsi: III v2­2­2; IV r1­0­1. Margins of epigynal atrium appearing y­shaped (fig. 571), spermathecae greatly widened posteriorly (fig. 572).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: South Australia: Head of Bight, Nullarbor , 31 ° 28 ̍ S, 131 ° 08 ̍ E, Sept. 28, 1988 (D. Hirst, SAM N1999 /18, 19), 2♀. Western Australia: 9 mi S Cocklebiddy Cave, 32 ° 00 ̍ S, 125 ° 54 ̍ E, Jan. 3, 1972, under rock (M. Gray, AMS KS35460 ), 2♀ ; Madura Pass, Madura , 31 ° 55 ̍ S, 127 ° 00 ̍ E, Nov. 22, 1979, under rock (M. Harvey, ANIC), 1♀ .

DISTRIBUTION: South Australia and adjacent parts of Western Australia (map 43).

Rebilus Simon

Rebilus Simon, 1880: 238 (type species, desig­

nated by Simon, 1893: 346, Hemicloea lugubris

L. Koch).

DIAGNOSIS: This appears to be the sister group of Hemicloeina , sharing with it a common male palpal conformation and the presence of a few tiny denticles on the proclaw of leg I, and seems to replace that genus in New South Wales and most of Queensland. Males of Rebilus lack the deeply incised, al­ most chelate tip of the palpal conductor, having at most a rounded, subdistal ledge (figs. 579, 583); females have a rather different epigynal conformation, with conspicuous, laterally directed secondary spermathecal bulbs (figs. 582, 586).

DESCRIPTION: Large spiders, total length of males 8–17, of females 9–21. Carapace flattened, without tubercles, with rebordered lateral and posterior margins, evenly coated with scattered, dark, stiff, short, erect setae interspersed among white, recumbent setae; longer, erect, dark setae present only in ocular area and on clypeus; thoracic groove long, Y­shaped, wider anteriorly than posteriorly; cephalic groove pronounced, additional intercoxal grooves distinct. Eight eyes in two rows, posterior medians smaller than other, subequal eyes; anterior medians circular, light, posterior medians circular, lenses slightly flattened, canoe­shaped tapetum apparently present, laterals oval; from above, both eye rows almost straight, from front, both rows slightly procurved; anterior me­ dians separated by more than their diameter, farther from anterior laterals; posterior medians separated by about five times their diameter, slightly closer to posterior laterals; anterior and posterior laterals separated by more than their diameters; median ocular quadrangle much wider in back than in front or than long. Chelicerae porrect, divergent, with distinct oblique groove just below clypeus; anterior surface sparsely coated with stiff setae; chilum very wide, triangular, unipartite, entire, accompanied by second, elongated, posterior chilum (narrow, T­shaped sclerite separating bases of chelicerae posteriorly); chelicerae with distinct lateral boss, promargin with series of long setae originating in line along base of fang, those nearest base of fang bent; promargin with three teeth, proximal tooth smaller than others, distalmost tooth widely separated from other two, retromargin with two widely separated teeth; presumptive cheliceral gland openings near base of proximal tooth. Labium rectangular, flat, posterior one­quarter narrowed, anterior margin truncate. Endites long, divergent, with oblique depression restricted to their median edge; serrula present (fig. 160), sieve plate not conspicuous under light microscopy; anteromedian edges and apex bearing wide patch of long, stiff, dark setae. Sternum flat, with rebordered, slightly depressed lateral margins, not expanded anteriorly, with slight extensions to coxae, extensions between coxae represented by four pairs of small triangular sclerites separated from sternal margin by unsclerotized cuticle; surface smooth, with few long setae, posterior margin not rebordered, separating coxae IV. One weakly sclerotized epimeric sclerite on each side, not extending between coxae, not fused to carapace. Pedicel composed of two dorsal sclerites (anterior sclerite without deep posterior invagination, posterior sclerite without beak­shaped anterior extension) and weak, inverted v­shaped ventral sclerite with anteriorly unexpanded head not reaching posterior tip of sternum.

Abdomen without dorsal or anterior scutum; cuticle with weak, erect setae; epigastric scutum weakly sclerotized, with well­marked booklung openings at sides but without postepigastric sclerites, booklung covers not ridged; colulus represented only by scattered setae situated near narrow posterior spiracle; males apparently with scattered short epiandrous spigots. Six spinnerets (figs. 573–578), anterior laterals short, conical, separated by about their diameter at base, with two articles, distal article with two major ampullate gland spigots and several small, unmodified piriform gland spigots; posterior medians with several aciniform gland spigots and apparently only one larger minor ampullate gland spigot, those of males triangular, those of females bipartite, enlarged posterior portion with two parallel rows, each row with about 10 large cylindrical gland spigots; posterior laterals with two articles, apparently without minor ampullate gland spigots, those of males seemingly with aciniform gland spigots only, those of females with two large cylindrical gland spigots in addition.

Legs laterigrade, subequal in length, most surfaces with long setae; coxae and trochanters without dorsal tubercles, fourth trochanters slightly elongated; anterior coxae with­ out protuberant posterolateral corners; trochanters very slightly notched, producing sharp point at ventralmost edge; anterior metatarsi and tarsi with undivided scopula composed of short, straight setae; posterior metatarsi without distal preening brushes; tarsi with two long, smooth claws bearing no ventral teeth, except proclaw of leg I with few tiny denticles; strong claw tufts composed of two large pads of narrow setae; tarsi without cuticular cracks, relatively short; morphologically dorsal surface with modified proximal margin consisting of patch of unsclerotized cuticle followed by strong cuticular ridge, that ridge opposing distinct distal extensions situated at distal edge of metatarsi; trichobothria present, in three rows on tarsi, two on metatarsi and tibiae. Female palpal femur with strong dorsal spines, distal segments with weaker but longer spines; female palpal tarsus with long claw bearing several tiny ventral teeth, without ventral scopula. Typical leg spination pattern (counts refer to morphological surfaces, only surfaces bearing spines listed): femora: I d1­1­0; II d1­1­0, p1­0­0; III d1­1­0, p0­1­0; IV d1­1­ 0; tibiae: I, II v1p­2­2; III, IV v1p­0­2; metatarsi: I, II v2­0­0.

Male palpal tibia with distinct basal and distal apophyses, cymbium with thick distal scopula; cymbial surface invaginated at base; distal tip of conductor with dorsally directed, subdistal ledge, not chelate in appearance. Epigynum with convoluted spermathecae bearing pair of laterally directed secondary bulbs.

Misplaced Species: None of the other taxa previously assigned to this genus are actually congeneric with its type species. As indicated above, Rebilus castaneus Simon belongs to Fissarena ; R. diversus (L. Koch) , R. praesignis (L. Koch) , and R. swarbrecki Dunn and Dunn belong to Morebilus ; and R. obscurus Berland belongs to Pyrnus .

Identification: Because of the size of the genus, separate keys are offered for the northern and southern species.

Figures

Map 43. Records of Hemicloeina spec, new species (stars), H. kapalga, new species (squares), H. wyndham, new species (circle), and H. bluff, new species (crosses).

Figs. 565–568. 565, 566. Hemicloeina wyndham, new species. 567, 568. H. bulolo, new species. 565. Left male palp, ventral view. 566. Same, retrolateral view. 567. Epigynum, ventral view. 568. Same, dorsal view.

Figs. 569–572. Hemicloeina bluff, new species. 569. Left male palp, ventral view. 570. Same, retrolateral view. 571. Epigynum, ventral view. 572. Same, dorsal view.