Eterosonycha Butler 1932
Creators: name: Rix, Michael
name: Harvey, Mark
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Micropholcommatidae
Eterosonycha

description: Genus <i>Eterosonycha</i> Butler, 1932 <i>Eterosonycha</i> Butler, 1932: 114. Type species by monotypy <i>Eterosonycha alpina</i> Butler, 1932. Roewer, 1942: 357. Bonnet, 1956: 1803. Transferred from Zodariidae to Textricellidae by Davies, 1985: 113. Platnick, 2009. <i>Textricella</i> Hickman, 1945: 136. Type species by original designation <i>Textricella parva</i> Hickman, 1945. Forster, 1955: 200. Forster, 1959: 274. Forster, 1964: 95. Brignoli, 1983: 375, 695. Davies, 1985: 113. Platnick, 2009. <b>syn. n.</b> (but see also Davies, 1985: 113). <b>Affinities.</b> The genus <i>Eterosonycha</i> appears to be the sister-lineage to <i>Epigastrina</i> from Tasmania (Fig. 4). <b>Diagnosis.</b> Species of <i>Eterosonycha</i> can be distinguished from all other Textricellini by the presence of a modified, enlarged tibia on the male pedipalp with pronounced posterior projections (Figs 60 F–G). <i>Eterosonycha</i> is also one of only three textricellin genera (including <i>Epigastrina</i>, <i>Guiniella</i>) with males that possess a dorsal scute on the abdomen (Fig. 7E), a large conductor on the pedipalp (Figs 6 C–D) and a distal, prolateral tibial macroseta on leg I (Figs 59 C–D). Species of <i>Eterosonycha</i> can be further distinguished from these similar taxa by the presence of a fleshy distal conductor with two divergent processes (Figs 53A, 60C). <b>Description.</b> Very small, entelegyne Araneoidea: total length 0.80 to 1.20. <i>Cephalothorax</i>: Carapace without glandular depressions above maxillae; cuticle without glandular pits (Fig. 56A). Eight eyes present on anterior margin of pars cephalica (Fig. 52C); AME smallest. Chelicerae with bulging anterior projections in males; promargin with inner denticles, true teeth, a pair of fused setal sockets adjacent to base of fang and three peg teeth in males (Fig. 57H); ectal stridulatory ridges present in males (Fig. 59A). <i>Legs and female pedipalp</i>: Legs three-clawed (Fig. 58F), covered with smooth or serrate hair-like setae; tibia I of males with distal, prolateral macroseta (Figs 59 C–D). Trichobothria present on legs; tibiae each with three (legs I–III) or four (leg IV) trichobothria; metatarsi (legs I–III) each with single trichobothrium (Fig. 58C). Female pedipalp entire, five-segmented; claw absent (Fig. 57E). <i>Abdomen</i>: Abdomen oval; anterior sclerite present around epigastric region and petiole; large dorsal scute present on males (Fig. 54A), absent on females (Fig. 54B); posterior sclerotic ring surrounding spinnerets weakly-sclerotised. Six spinnerets situated posterior to fleshy colulus (Fig. 71A); PMS of <i>E. alpina</i> with single medial AC gland spigot; PLS of <i>E. alpina</i> with complete triad, including enlarged, sinuous FL gland spigot. Anterior tracheal system with multiple anteriorly-directed tracheae (Fig. 51B); posterior tracheal spiracle absent. <i>Genitalia</i>: Male pedipalp (Fig. 60) relatively large; trochanter with modified prolateral seta forming stridulatory ‘tooth’; patella distally-expanded, with retrolaterallydirected, hooked ligulate retrolateral apophysis and ornate, ridged cuticular microstructure; tibia modified, enlarged, with one or more posterior processes; tegulum large, bulging posteriorly, with excavate evaginated tegular ridge and large, fleshy distal conductor with two divergent processes; embolus exposed, short (length &lt;5× width) and spur-like. Female genitalia (Fig. 51) heavily sclerotised externally, with pair of separate, ‘twisted’ anterior spermathecae; insemination ducts heavily sclerotised, curving anteriorly; fertilisation ducts filiform. <b>Distribution.</b> South-eastern Australia (Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales), north to approximately Sydney (Fig. 217). <b>Composition.</b> Two described species, <i>Eterosonycha alpina</i> Butler, 1932, <i>E. complexa</i> (Forster, 1959) and the two new species <i>E. aquilina</i> and <i>E. ocellata</i>. Two undescribed species, similar to <i>E. aquilina</i> and <i>E. complexa</i>, are known from Victoria. <b>Nomenclatural remarks.</b> The genus <i>Eterosonycha</i> was originally described by Butler (1932) for the species <i>E. alpina</i>, from the Kosciusko National Park, New South Wales. The original description and illustrations of <i>E. alpina</i> were, unfortunately, woefully inadequate (Butler described three Micropholcommatidae in that paper, including two congeneric species of <i>Micropholcomma</i>, in two different families), and the true identity of this species was understandably missed by Hickman (1945) and subsequent authors. Thus, the family Textricellidae and the genus <i>Textricella</i> were described over a decade later by Hickman (1945) for <i>T. parva</i> (the type species) and two additional Tasmanian species, even though <i>T. parva</i> and <i>E. alpina</i> were conspecific taxa. Davies (1985) first recognised <i>Eterosonycha</i> as a textricellid similar to <i>T. parva</i>, suggesting then that the genus name <i>Eterosonycha</i> would have priority over the name <i>Textricella</i>. <i>Eterosonycha alpina</i> is hereby formally recognised as a senior synonym of <i>T. parva</i>, and <i>Eterosonycha</i> as a senior generic synonym of <i>Textricella</i>. However, the family-group name Textricellini is retained, as required under Article 40 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1999).
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 37-38, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.36.306, http://zenodo.org/record/576620
description: {"references": ["Butler LSG (1932) Studies in Australian spiders, No. 2. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 44: 103 - 117.", "Roewer CF (1942) Katalog der Araneae von 1758 bis 1940. 1. Band (Mesothelae, Orthognatha, Lapidognatha: Dysderaeformia, Scytodiformia, Pholciformia, Zodariiformia, Hersiliaeformia, Argyopiformia). Paul Budy, Berlin, 1040 pp.", "Bonnet P (1956) Bibliographia Araneorum, Tome II (2 me partie: C- F). Douladoure, Toulouse, 919 - 1926.", "Davies VT (1985) Araneomorphae (in part). In: Walton DW (Ed) Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Vol. 3. Mygalomorphae, Araneomorphae (in part), Pseudoscorpionida, Amblypygi and Palpigradi. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 48 - 125.", "Platnick NI (2009) The World Spider Catalog, Version 10.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. http: // research. amnh. org / entomology / spiders / catalog / [accessed 20. X. 2009]", "Hickman VV (1945) A new group of apneumone spiders. Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences 36: 135 - 148.", "Forster RR (1955) Spiders from the subantarctic islands of New Zealand. Records of the Dominion Museum 2: 167 - 203.", "Forster RR (1959) The spiders of the family Symphytognathidae. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 86: 269 - 329.", "Forster RR (1964) The Araneae and Opiliones of the subantarctic islands of New Zealand. Pacific Insects Monograph 7: 58 - 115.", "Brignoli PM (1983) A Catalogue of the Araneae Described Between 1940 and 1981. Manchester University Press, Manchester, 755 pp.", "International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (1999) International code of zoological nomenclature. Fourth Edition. London: The International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature."]}