Austropholcomma walpole Rix &amp; Harvey 2010, sp. n.
Creators: name: Rix, Michael
name: Harvey, Mark
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Micropholcommatidae
Austropholcomma
Austropholcomma walpole

description: <i>Austropholcomma walpole</i> Rix &amp; Harvey, sp. n. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: EC837C80-F60C-480F-9650-305D9AD1AC8D Figs 33C, 34–35, 214 <b>Type material.</b> Holotype male: Walpole-Nornalup National Park, Giant Tingle Area, 8 km NE. of Walpole, Western Australia, Australia, mixed <i>Eucalyptus</i> litter, 19.XII.1976, J. Kethley (WAM T94438). Paratypes: Allotype female, same data as holotype (WAM T94439); 3 males and 18 females, same data as holotype (WAM T94440); 2 males and 6 females, same data as holotype (FMC). <b>Other material examined. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia:</b> Walpole-Nornalup National Park, Anderson Road, near Valley of the Giants Road, 120 m, Tingle- <i>Allocasuarina</i> -Karri (<i>Eucalyptus diversicolor</i>) forest, Berlese leaf and bark litter, 34°59'29"S, 116°52'21"E, 2.VIII.2004, Newton, Thayer et al., 6♁, 12&amp;female; (FMC); Walpole-Nornalup National Park, Anderson Road, near Valley of the Giants Road, Tingle-Karri forest, leaf litter Tullgren funnel, 34°59'32"S, 116°52'17"E, 3.V.2008, M. Rix, M. Harvey, 2♁, 4&amp;female; (WAM T94460); Walpole-Nornalup National Park, Shedley Drive, fungi and bark litter, 22.VI.1980, S. &amp; J. Peck, 1♁ (AMNH); Mount Frankland National Park, Mount Frankland, 29 km N. of Walpole, unburned litter below switch-back in Forestry Road, 15.XII.1976, J. Kethley, 1♁, 2&amp;female; (FMC); same data, 3♁, 12&amp;female; (FMC); same data, 7♁, 19&amp;female; (FMC). <b>Etymology.</b> The specific epithet is a noun in apposition, taken from the type locality. <b>Diagnosis.</b> Males and females of <i>Austropholcomma walpole</i> can be distinguished from <i>A. florentine</i> by the presence of only six eyes (Fig. 34C), with the AME reduced to barely-visible vestigial eye spots. <b>Description.</b> <i>Holotype male</i>: Total length 0.67. Carapace 0.31 long, 0.25 wide. Abdomen 0.45 long, 0.36 wide. Leg I femur 0.24. Cephalothorax, abdominal sclerites, legs tan-yellow; abdomen cream. Carapace raised anteriorly, fused to sternum via pleural sclerites; dorsal surface of pars cephalica slightly convex in lateral view. Six eyes present on anterior margin of pars cephalica; AME reduced to barely-visible vestigial eye spots; PME separated by their own diameter. Chelicerae each with large, bulging anterior projection; promargin with single peg tooth and modified, proximally-flattened peg tooth-like seta projecting from fused setal socket. Legs relatively short (leg I femur-carapace ratio 0.77); macrosetae absent. Abdomen oval-globose, covered with hair-like setae, each seta projecting from small sclerotic spot; dorsal scute large, covering most of dorsal surface of abdomen; lateral sclerotic strips present. Pedipalpal patella with distally-directed, flanged lRPA and large, flange-like distal apophysis; tegulum smooth, without processes, with curved ETR; embolus long (length&gt; 5× width), bifurcate, with proximal portion looping once around margin of tegulum, distal portion coiled and intertwined (Fig. 35). <i>Allotype female</i>: Total length 0.71. Carapace 0.31 long, 0.25 wide. Abdomen 0.51 long, 0.40 wide. Leg I femur 0.22. Cephalothorax, abdominal sclerites, legs tan-yellow; abdomen cream. Carapace raised anteriorly, fused to sternum via pleural sclerites; dorsal surface of pars cephalica slightly convex in lateral view. Six eyes present on anterior margin of pars cephalica; AME reduced to barely-visible vestigial eye spots; PME separated by slightly less than their own diameter. Chelicerae without bulging anterior projections; promargin without peg teeth. Legs relatively short (leg I femurcarapace ratio 0.71); macrosetae absent. Abdomen oval-globose, covered with hair-like setae, each seta projecting from small sclerotic spot; dorsal scute absent; lateral sclerotic strips present. Pedipalp very small, vestigial, three-segmented. Epigyne with distinctive external morphology (Fig. 34D); spermathecae globular, ‘tear-drop’ shaped; insemination ducts coiled around arched fertilisation ducts, insemination ducts with sclerotised proximal portion and expanded, membranous distal portion (Fig. 33C). <b>Distribution.</b> Known only from the far south coast of south-western Western Australia, in the area immediately surrounding Walpole (Walpole-Nornalup National Park and Mount Frankland National Park) (Fig. 214). <b>Remarks.</b> <i>Austropholcomma walpole</i> appears to be a short-range endemic taxon (Harvey 2002), and is probably restricted to the tall, wet, Karri and Tingle (<i>Eucalyptus</i> spp.) forests surrounding Walpole. The species occurs in sympatry with several other micropholcommatine and taphiassine species, and shares a similar, southern coastal distribution with <i>Micropholcomma linnaei</i> (see Rix 2008) and <i>Normplatnicka barrettae</i> sp. n. (see below) (Fig. 214).
description: Published as part of <i>Rix, Michael &amp; Harvey, Mark, 2010, The spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea): a relimitation and revision at the generic level, pp. 1-321 in ZooKeys 36 (36)</i> on pages 32-33, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.36.306, http://zenodo.org/record/576620
description: {"references": ["Harvey MS (2002) Short-range endemism among the Australian fauna: some examples from non-marine environments. Invertebrate Systematics 16: 555 - 570."]}