Hortophora yesabah Framenau & Castanheira, 2021

Framenau, Volker W., Baptista, Renner L. C., Oliveira, Francisca Samia M. & Castanheira, Pedro de S., 2021, Taxonomic revision of the new spider genus Hortophora, the Australasian Garden Orb-weavers (Araneae, Araneidae), Evolutionary Systematics 5 (2), pp. 275-334 : 275

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.5.72474
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9AC22770-F300-4265-A21F-841EA364FFD5
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/2405EBD0-6BF0-4C97-BCFE-3ED9519F494D
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:2405EBD0-6BF0-4C97-BCFE-3ED9519F494D
treatment provided by	Evolutionary Systematics by Pensoft
scientific name	Hortophora yesabah Framenau & Castanheira
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Hortophora yesabah Framenau & Castanheira View in CoL sp. nov.

Figs 2K View Figure 2 , 33 View Figure 33 , 34 View Figure 34 , 35 View Figure 35

Type-material.

Holotype male, Dandabah, Bunya Mountains National Park (26°51'S 151°34'E, Queensland, Australia), QM Party, 1-7 March 1976 (QM S111896).

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the Yesabah Caves (New South Wales), one of the few localities where the species was found. It is a noun in apposition.

Other material examined.

See Appendix 1.

Diagnosis.

The male pedipalp of male H. yesabah sp. nov., specifically the shape of the median apophysis is unlike any other in the genus, as it terminates in two large somewhat pointy lobes, of which the dorsal one is heavily sclerotised (Fig. 33D View Figure 33 ). Females of H. yesabah sp. nov. are similar to the ones of H. lodicula comb. nov., however, the epigyne of H. yesabah sp. nov. is broad at the base of the scape (Fig. 34C View Figure 34 ), whereas it is narrow at the base of the scape in H. lodicula comb. nov. (Fig. 13C View Figure 13 ).

Description.

Male (holotype, QM S11896): Total length 7.6. Carapace 3.8 long, 3.1 wide, dark-brown, cephalic area somewhat lighter and covered in white setae (Fig. 33A View Figure 33 ). Eye diameter AME 0.27, ALE 0.18, PME 0.20, PLE 0.18; row of eyes: AME 0.74, PME 0.49, PLE 1.62. Chelicerae reddish-brown; four promarginal teeth (apical and third largest) and three retromarginal teeth (similar size). Legs brown with light discolourations, specifically ventrally and on legs III and IV (Fig. 33A, B View Figure 33 ). Tibiae of leg II with few strong setae and a conspicuous megaspur with strong spine (Fig. 2J View Figure 2 ). Leg formula I> IV> II> III; length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total length): I - 4.3 + 1.7 + 4.0 + 3.5 + 1.1 = 14.6, II - 3.8 + 1.5 + 3.5 + 0.9 + 1.0 = 10.7, III - 2.7 + 0.9 + 1.7 + 1.8 + 0.8 = 7.9, IV - 3.7 + 1.3 + 2.8 + 2.6 + 0.9 = 11.3. Labium 0.45 long, 0.72 wide, dark brown; endites brown (Fig. 33B View Figure 33 ). Sternum 1.6 long, 1.4 wide, dark brown, yellow-brown centrally (Fig. 33B View Figure 33 ). Abdomen 4.0 long, 3.6 dorsum with humeral humps, olive-grey folium pattern on beige background (Fig. 33A View Figure 33 ); venter covered by large guanine patch (Fig. 33B View Figure 33 ). Pedipalp length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + cymbium = total length): 0.8 + 0.4 + 0.3 + 1.1 = 2.6; paracymbium short and ending in a hook-like rounded tip (Fig. 33D View Figure 33 ); median apophysis transverse, terminating in two broad lobes, the dorsal of which is heavily sclerotised (Fig. 36C View Figure 36 ); conductor lobe elongated apically (Fig. 33C View Figure 33 ); terminal apophysis bubble-shaped terminating in a short sclerotised tip; conductor heavily sclerotized and rounded (Fig. 33C View Figure 33 ); embolus thick and short (Fig. 33C View Figure 33 ).

Female (QM S111897): Total length 8.6. Carapace 4.2 long, 3.7 wide; reddish brown, centrally darker, cephalic area with few white setae (Fig. 34A View Figure 34 ). Eye diameter AME 0.79, PME 0.50, PLE 1.95. Chelicerae yellow-brown; four promarginal teeth (apical and third largest) and three retromarginal teeth (similar size). Leg colouration similar to male but with lighter hue (Fig. 34A, B View Figure 34 ). Pedipalp length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + tarsus = total length): 1.3 + 0.6 + 0.9 + 1.4 = 4.2. Leg formula I> IV> II> III; length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total length): I - 4.4 + 1.8 + 4.0 + 3.5 + 1.2 = 14.9, II - 4.2 + 1.8 + 3.6 + 0.9 + 1.2 = 11.7, III - 3.1 + 1.3 + 1.9 + 2.0 + 0.9 = 9.2, IV - 4.1 + 1.8 + 3.2 + 3.2 + 1.0 = 13.3. Labium 0.68 large, 0.99 wide, reddish-brown; endites brown (Fig. 34B View Figure 34 ). Sternum 2.1 long, 1.8 wide, brown, centrally yellow-brown (Fig. 34B View Figure 34 ). Abdomen 4.8 long, 4.8 with, dorsum with humeral humps, colouration and folium pattern as in male but with darker colour hue (Fig. 34A, B View Figure 34 ). Epigyne (QM S111898; Fig. 34C-E View Figure 34 ) dark reddish-brown, atrium longer than wide; central division narrow; scape elevated with large subquadrate base, slightly reaching posteriorly beyond epigyne, wrinkled and with long setae.

Variation.

Size variation: total length males 7.5-8.9 (n=4), females 8.6.1-10.9 (n=5). The epigyne scape was broken off in one of five females measured for this study. A folium pattern is always clearly discernible in all specimens of H. yesabah sp. nov. examined by us, but no distinct white guanine patterns were evident.

Life history and habitat preferences.

Mature males of H. yesabah comb. nov. were found from February to July and mature females from March to October. This suggests that this species is autumn and winter mature. The only habitat description with collection specimens reads ‘rainforest’.

Distribution.

Hortophora yesabah comb. nov. has been found from south-eastern Queensland south to about Wollongong in eastern New South Wales (Fig. 35 View Figure 35 )