Austrachelas natalensis Lawrence 1942
Creators: name: Haddad, Charles R.
name: Lyle, Robin
name: Bosselaers, Jan
name: Ramirez, Martin J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Gallieniellidae
Austrachelas
Austrachelas natalensis

description: Austrachelas natalensis Lawrence, 1942
(Figs 7, 8, 64–67)
Austrachelas natalensis Lawrence, 1942: 175, fig. 24. (Ƥ)
Diagnosis. Females of this species can be easily recognised by the broad fine anterior hood of the epigyne and the distinctive C-shaped spermathecal ducts, visible through the integument (Fig. 64); males can be recognised by the simple structure of the distal margin of the embolus, and the distinctly shaped lobes of the retrolateral tibial apophysis of the palp (Fig. 67).
Female. Measurements: CL 2.90–2.95, CW 2.00–2.07, FL 0.23–0.25, AL 3.45–3.95, AW 2.00–2.50, SL 1.65–1.70, SW 1.15–1.20, TL 6.15–6.95, AME–AME 0.05, AME–ALE 0.02, ALE–ALE 0.24, PME–PME 0.06, PME–PLE 0.08, PLE–PLE 0.38.
Length of leg segments (sequence from femur to tarsus, and total): I 1.83 + 1.13 + 1.40 + 0.93 + 0.60 = 5.89; II 1.77 + 1.07 + 1.28 + 1.00 + 0.63 = 5.75; III 1.45 + 0.80 + 0.90 + 1.15 + 0.63 = 4.93; IV 2.10 + 1.10 + 1.60 + 1.93 + 0.80 = 7.53.
Carapace yellow-brown, paler along midline (Fig. 7); AER strongly procurved, laterals larger than medians; AME separated by distance equal to ½ their diameter, AME separated from ALE by distance equal to ¼ AME diameter; clypeus height equal to 1¼ times AME diameter at AME, equal to ½ ALE diameter at ALE; PER very slightly recurved, nearly straight, laterals larger than medians; PME separated by distance equal to ½ their diameter, PME separated from PLE by distance equal to PME diameter. Chelicerae deep redbrown; promargin with four equally spaced teeth; proximal tooth smallest, second tooth largest, third and distal teeth subequal in size; retromargin with single small tooth, situated at third promarginal tooth. Legs all uniform yellow-orange in colour. Leg spination: femora: I pl 1 do 1, II pl 1 do 1, III pl 2 do 2 rl 1, IV do 2; patellae: spineless; tibiae: I & II spineless, III pl 3 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 1 vt 2, IV pl 3 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 1 vt 2; metatarsi: I & II spineless, strongly scopulate, III & IV scopulate in distal half, III pl 6 rl 4 plv 1 rlv 1 vt 2, IV pl 6 rl 5 plv 2 rlv 1 vt 2; palp: femora do 2, patellae spineless, tibiae pl 3 rl 2, tarsus pl 3 rl 2 plv 1 rlv 1. Abdomen grey dorsally, with cream chevron (Fig. 7), cream laterally and ventrally; dorsum and venter lacking scutum or other sclerites. Epigyne with broad anterior hood; copulatory openings anteriorly situated, entering spermathecae through elongate entrance ducts (Fig. 64); ST 2 small, sharply bent, situated anteriorly; ST 2 connected by broad C-shaped duct to oval posterior ST 1 (Figs 64, 65).
Male. Measurements: CL 3.60–3.95, CW 2.70–2.88, FL 0.30–0.40, AL 3.35–3.65, AW 1.95–2.00, SL 2.00–2.10, SW 1.48–1.53, TL 6.90–7.65, AME–AME 0.04, AME–ALE 0.02, ALE–ALE 0.30, PME–PME 0.07, PME–PLE 0.10, PLE–PLE 0.48.
Length of leg segments (sequence from femur to tarsus, and total): I 2.48 + 1.48 + 1.80 + 1.43 + 1.00 = 8.19; II 2.33 + 1.43 + 1.70 + 1.35 + 0.93 = 7.74; III 1.97 + 1.08 + 1.15 + 1.53 + 0.83 = 6.56; IV 2.80 + 1.43 + 2.03 + 2.27 + 1.05 = 9.58.
Carapace deep orange-brown, paler along midline (Fig. 8); AER strongly procurved, laterals slightly larger than medians; AME separated by distance equal to ½ their diameter, AME separated from ALE by distance equal to ¼ AME diameter; clypeus height equal to 1¼ AME diameter at AME, slightly less than ALE diameter at ALE; PER very slightly recurved, nearly straight, laterals larger than medians; PME separated by distance equal to ½ their diameter, PME separated from PLE by distance equal to PME diameter. Chelicerae pale yellow-orange; promargin with three teeth, proximal tooth smallest, median tooth largest, closer to each other than to distal tooth; retromargin with single small tooth, similar in size to promarginal proximal tooth, closest to fang base of all teeth. Legs all yellow-brown, slightly darker distally. Leg spination: femora: I pl 1 do 1, II pl 1 do 1, III pl 2 do 2 rl 1, IV do 2; patellae: spineless; tibiae: I & II spineless, III pl 3 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 1 vt 2, IV pl 3 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2 vt 2; metatarsi: I & II spineless, strongly scopulate, III & IV scopulate in distal half, III pl 6 rl 4–5 plv 1 rlv 1 vt 2, IV pl 6 rl 5 plv 2 rlv 2 vt 2. Abdomen grey with paler grey chevron (Fig. 8), cream laterally and ventrally; dorsum with small anterior scutum, venter without any sclerites. Palp with broad median apophysis; embolus triangular along distal margin (Fig. 66); palpal tibia with hook-like ventral retrolateral apophysis, and lobed dorsal retrolateral apophysis with two small denticles (Fig. 67); palpal spination: femora do 2.
Type material: Holotype Ƥ, deposited in NMSA (examined): SOUTH AFRICA, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Estcourt [29°00'S, 29°52'E], X.1937, R.F. Lawrence (NMSA 1725).
Additional material examined: SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal Province, Durban, dunes north of Durban, 29°51'S, 31°01'E, 22.VII.2002, R. Jocqué (sieved litter), 1Ƥ (MRAC 212309); La Mercy [29°38'S, 31°08'E], 17.VI.1996, S. Beje (intercropping), 13 (NCA 97/632); Pietermaritzburg, Denison, Golf Road, 29°37'S, 30°23'E, 16-25.VII.1990, M. Alderweireldt & R. Jocqué (pitfall in grassy vegetation), 1Ƥ (MRAC 171737); Shongweni [29°51'S, 30°42'E], VII.1940, W.O. Rump, 1Ƥ (NMSA 2988); Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve, 29°29'S, 30°15'E, 22.IX.2003, C. Haddad (leaf litter at tree base), 13 (NCA 2006/1543).
Distribution. Known from the KwaZulu-Natal midlands and coastal regions (Fig. 82).
description: Published as part of Haddad, Charles R., Lyle, Robin, Bosselaers, Jan & Ramirez, Martin J., 2009, A revision of the endemic South African spider genus Austrachelas, with its transfer to the Gallieniellidae (Arachnida: Araneae), pp. 1-38 in Zootaxa 2296 on pages 21-23, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.191594