Draculoides noctigrassator Abrams and Harvey 2020, n. sp.
Creators: name: Abrams, Kym M.
name: Huey, Joel A.
name: Hillyer, Mia J.
name: Didham, Raphael K.
name: Harvey, Mark S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Schizomida
Hubbardiidae
Draculoides
Draculoides noctigrassator

description: Draculoides noctigrassator Abrams and Harvey, n. sp.
(Figs. 1–8, 34–35)
Zoobank Code: http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ FF4FEC13-E55A-4653-AC55-FE453AE90BAB
Paradraculoides SCH 102: Abrams et al. 2019 MPE 106532: 8, fig. 2.
Material examined. Holotype male. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 1 ♂, Dragon, ca. 44 km SSE. of Pannawon- ica, 22°00’49.4”S, 116°33’21.1”E, 430 m, 07 October 2012, J.W. Quartermaine, G.B. Pearson (WAM T142871) (DNA:12S, 18S, 28S, ITS2).
Paratypes. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 1 ♂, Dragon, ca. 45 km S. of Pannawonica, 22°00’48.8”S, 116°33’52.4”E, 06 October, scrape, 75 metres, G.B. Pearson, J.W. Quartermaine (WAM T129673) (DNA: ITS2); 1 ♂, Dragon, ca. 44 km SSE. of Pannawonica, 22°00’45”S, 116°33’31.5”E, 19 July 2012, troglofauna scrape, - 71m, S. R. Bennett, S.G. Pearson (WAM T142893) (DNA: 12S, 18S, 28S, ITS2).
Other material. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 1 juvenile, Dragon, ca. 44 km SSE. of Pannawonica, 22°00’45.0”S, 116°33’31.5”E, 19 July 2012, S. R. Bennett, G.B. Pearson (WAM T144530); 1 juvenile, Dragon, ca. 44 km SSE. of Pannawonica, 22°00’49.4”S, 116°33’21.1”E, 430 m, 7 October 2012, J.W. Quartermaine, G.B. Pearson (WAM T144531).
Diagnosis. The shape of the male flagellum of Draculoides noctigrassator most closely resembles D. affinis, D. anachoretus, D. bythius, D. cochranus, D. eremius, D. gnophicola and D. kryptus, especially in the presence of a broad base. It differs from D. affinis, D. anachoretus D. bythius, D. cochranus, D. gnophicola and D. kryptus by the shape of the dorsal margin of the male flagellum, which is quite straight in D. noctigrassator and more curved and posteriorly tapering in the aforementioned species. It differs from D. eremius by the position of dm4, which is anterior to dl 3 in D. noctigrassator and level with dl 3 in D. eremius. Females are unknown. Draculoides noctigrassator can be diagnosed from all other Draculoides species that were sequenced at COI, 12S and ITS2 by the 50bp mini-barcodes shown in Figures 3, 5, and 7.
Description (adults). Colour. Yellow-brown; propeltidium and pedipalps somewhat darker.
Cephalothorax. Propeltidium with 2 apical setae on anterior process and 2 + 2 + 2 setae; eye spots absent. Mesopeltidia separated. Metapeltidium divided. Anterior sternum with 12-13, setae (including 2 sternapophysial setae); posterior sternum triangular with 6 setae.
Chelicera. Fixed finger with 2 large teeth plus 6 smaller teeth between these; membranous area between fixed and movable fingers with 3 large, lanceolate, terminally pilose setae (G1); G2 composed of 6 setae; G3 composed of 5 setae; internal face of chelicera with 4 short whip-like setae (G4); brush at base of fixed finger composed of 7 setae (G5A), each densely pilose in distal half and G5B composed of 9 setae; G6 with one seta; G7 composed of 4 setae. Movable finger serrula composed of 17 long lamellae, blunt guard tooth present subdistally; 1 large accessory tooth present.
Pedipalp. Without apophyses; trochanter with sharply produced ventro-distal extension, ventral margin with ca.
8 stout setae, without mesal spur; tarsus and tibia without spines; tarsal spur present; 0.50 × length of tarsus. Legs. Tarsus I with 6 segments; baso-dorsal margin of femur IV produced at about a 90° angle. Abdomen. Chaetotaxy of tergite I: 2 macrosetae + 4 microsetae (microsetae diagonal), tergite II: 3 macrosetae
+ 6 microsetae (microsetae in column), tergites III–IX: 2: 2: 2: 2: 2: 2; segment XII with very small dorsal process
(♂ only).
Flagellum. Male: Dorsoventrally compressed (Figs. 34 D–F, 35A–C); 1.9 × longer than broad; seta dm1 situated dorso-medially, closer to anterior margin; seta dm4 set back from posterior margin, anterior to dl3; dl1slightly posterior to vl1; dl3 close to posterior margin; vm2 situated slightly anterior to vm1; vm5 situated in line with vl1; left vm3 slightly anterior to right vm3; four pairs of microsetae between vl1 and dl3. Female: unknown.
Dimensions (mm). Holotype male (WAM T142871): Body length 3.46. Propeltidium 1.15/0.62. Chelicera 0.73. Flagellum 0.37/0.19. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.54, femur 0.54, patella 0.46, tibia 0.42, tarsus 0.23, claw 0.13.
Variation. Body length (males) 3.06–4.04 (n = 3). Propeltidium setae: single seta following 2 on apical process and one extra pair of setae. Tergite II chaetotaxy: 2 setae instead of 3 as in holotype. Anterior sternum number of setae 12-13, including sternapophysial setae (n=3). Position of vm 5 in relation to vl1 varies, sometimes closer to vl1, sometimes vm5 is closer to vl2.
Other names. WAM SCH102 (Abrams et al., 2019), Bennelongia sp. B37.
Remarks. Draculoides noctigrassator is known from several locations within the ‘Dragon’ deposit within the Bungaroo South (Buckland project) area of Western Australia (Fig. 1E).
Etymology. The specific epithet is a verb referring to the occurrence of this species in permanently dark habitats (Latin, noctis, night; grassatus, go about, loiter).
description: Published as part of Abrams, Kym M., Huey, Joel A., Hillyer, Mia J., Didham, Raphael K. & Harvey, Mark S., 2020, A systematic revision of Draculoides (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) of the Pilbara, Western Australia, Part I: the Western Pilbara, pp. 1-75 in Zootaxa 4864 (1) on pages 61-63, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4864.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4416849