Aname fossoria Wilson, Harvey, Simmons & Rix, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wilson, Jeremy D.
name: Harvey, Mark S.
name: Simmons, Leigh W.
name: Rix, Michael G.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Anamidae
Aname
Aname fossoria

description: Aname fossoria sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: D2C300AB-2A63-426B-8047-D0FFCBE21985
Figs 1, 12, 83
Diagnosis
Males of A. fossoria sp. nov. are unknown.
Females of A. fossoria sp. nov. can be distinguished from all species for which females are known except A. fuscochelicera sp. nov., A. nigrochelicera sp. nov., A. nigrotarsa sp. nov., A. rubrochelicera sp. nov., and A. savannensis sp. nov. by the presence of spermathecae with two vesicles, with very short, wide lateral vesicles (lateral vesicle length/genitalia width <0.25) and thinner medial vesicles projecting from the ventral face of the lateral vesicles (Fig. 83A–L). Females of A. fossoria can be distinguished from those of A. nigrochelicera, A. rubrochelicera, and A. savannensis by the presence of spermathecae with tightly undulating medial vesicles (Fig. 83L; cf. Figs 88, 91, 93). Females of A. fossoria can be distinguished from those of A. fuscochelicera by the presence of lighter red chelicerae (Fig. 83A, C; cf. Fig. 85). Females of A. fossoria can be distinguished from those of A. nigrotarsa by the presence of spermathecae with less elongate medial vesicles (medial vesicle length/ width <5) and anterior legs without dark tarsi and distal metatarsi (Fig. 83J–L; cf. Fig. 89).
Etymology
The specific epithet ‘ fossoria ’ is a Latin adjective meaning ‘digger’ or ‘burrower’, in reference to both the collection locality of the holotype female, at the Richmond Fossil Site, and to the fossorial nature of the spider.
Type material
Holotype
AUSTRALIA – Queensland • ♀; Richmond fossil site; 20°39′ S, 143°06′ E; 199 m a.s.l.; 9 Apr. 2021; E.J. Briggs and V. O. Garcia leg.; excavated, open burrow on ground; QMB S118213.
Other material examined
AUSTRALIA – Queensland • 1 ♀; Jesmond Road, SW of Charters Towers; 20°10′ S, 146°09′ E; 365 m a.s.l.; 16 May 2023; J.D. Wilson and M.G. Rix leg.; open burrow with little silk and no wishbone; QMB S118351.
Description
Female (holotype, QMB S118213)
GENERAL (Fig. 83A–L). Body length 21.86, in good condition.
DORSAL PROSOMA (Fig. 83A, E–F). Carapace length 8.43, width 7.19, length/width 1.17, clypeus to fovea length/carapace length 0.71, caput width/carapace width 0.75, carapace pallid-orange, reflective setae absent or inconspicuous, fovea procurved, fovea width/carapace length 0.15 (Fig. 83A, F); chelicerae orange, rastellum absent or inconspicuous, chelicerae length/carapace length 0.45 (Fig. 83A); eye group rectangular, width/length 1.92, eye tubercle present (Fig. 83E).
ABDOMEN (Fig. 83B, D). Abdomen length 9.60, tan-brown, darker dorsally and lighter laterally, dorsal pattern absent, with consistent cover of short setae.
VENTRAL PROSOMA (Fig. 83C, G–I). Labium cuspules absent (Fig. 83H); maxillae heel distinct, cuspules present, count =about 80, extending posteriorly onto heel, extending laterally about 30% of maxillae length (Fig. 83C, I); coxae cuspules absent, thorn-like setae on prolateral face present (Fig. 83C, I); sternum length/width 1.26, central sternum with consistent covering of short setae, row of longer setae around posterior edges, setae at higher density around anterior edges (Fig. 83G–H); posterior sigilla elongate, central sternum to posterior sigilla length/sternum length 0.26, posterior sigilla length/sternum length 0.15 (Fig. 83G–H); other sigilla small, round and lateral (Fig. 83G–H).
LEG I (Fig. 83J–K). Leg I pallid, reflective setae on dorsal femur, femur length 6.40, patella length 4.11, tibia length 4.64, metatarsus length 4.55, tarsus length 2.53, total length 22.23, leg I length/carapace length 2.64; scopulae on distal metatarsus and tarsus; spine count Fe D 3, Fe PL 1, Pa PL 4 (proximal sweak, medial rubbed off), Ti PL 5, Ti RL 5, Me PL 4, Me RL 5, Ta 0; tibia length/width [TIL/TID] 3.22.
GENITALIA (Fig. 83D, L). Epigastric furrow unmodified (Fig. 83D); spermathecae with two vesicles each (Fig. 83L); lateral vesicle very wide, short and roughly triangular, length 0.21, lateral vesicle length/ genitalia width 0.12, length/width at base 0.34, crown distinct and narrow (Fig. 83L); medial vesicle short, undulating, and projecting postero-ventrally, medial vesicle length/genitalia width 0.25, length/ width 4.93, medial vesicle length/lateral vesicle length 2.14 (Fig. 83L).
Distribution and natural history
Aname fossoria sp. nov. occurs in central-northern Queensland, near the border of the Mitchell Grass Downs and Gulf Plains bioregions, and further east in the Desert Uplands bioregion. It is known from two locations: the type location near the Richmond Fossil Site, and much further east, just west of Charters Towers, where a female has been tentatively linked to this species (Fig. 12). The form of burrows constructed by spiders of this species is unknown, but is likely to be similar to that of other rubrochelicera -complex species (Fig. 12).
description: Published as part of Wilson, Jeremy D., Harvey, Mark S., Simmons, Leigh W. & Rix, Michael G., 2025, An integrative systematic revision of the wishbone spiders (Araneae: Anamidae: Aname L. Koch, 1873) of subtropical and tropical eastern Australia, with the description of 55 new species, pp. 1-298 in European Journal of Taxonomy 985 on pages 131-132, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2025.985.2845, http://zenodo.org/record/15169471