Draculoides karenbassettae 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 karenbassettae

description: Draculoides karenbassettae Abrams and Harvey, n. sp.
(Figs. 1–8, 26–28)
Zoobank Code: http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 99E6E90D-B530-4853-B1E3-E4BFB9AA908D
Material examined. Holotype male. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: c. 19 km WSW. of Pannawonica, 21°38’46.01”S, 116°08’19.07”E, 4 April 2014, bore scrape, J. Clark (Phoenix Environmental Sciences, PE:16433) (WAM T143338) (DNA: none).
Paratypes. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 1 ♂, c. 19 km WSW. of Pannawonica, 2140’03.87”S, 116°08’03.65”E, 29 April 2013, bore scrape, E.S. Volschenk (Phoenix Environmental Sciences, PE:7836) (WAM T143334); 1 ♀, c. 19 km WSW. of Pannawonica, 21°38’47.21”S, 116°08’30.95”E, 29 April 2013, 3 May 2013, bore scrape, E.S. Volschenk (WAM T147346); 1 ♀, ca. 19 km WSW. of Pannawonica, 21°38’47.21”S, 116°08’30.95”E, 29 April 2013 – 3 May 2013, bore scrape, E.S. Volschenk (WAM T143333).
Other material. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 2 juveniles, c. 19 km WSW. of Pannawonica, 21°38’42.51”S, 116°08’10.62”E, 4 April 2014, bore scrape, J. Clark (WAM T143337); 1 juvenile, c. 19 km WSW. of Pannawonica, 21°37’57.53”S, 116°08’23.91”E, 6 April 2014, bore scrape, J. Clark (WAM T143342); 1 juvenile, c. 19 km WSW. of Pannawonica, 21°38’46.01”S, 116°08’19.07”E, 4 April 2014, bore scrape, J. Clark (WAM T145213).
Diagnosis. Draculoides karenbassettae differs from all other Draculoides by the distinctive shape of the male flagellum, particularly in lateral view. The flagellum is laterally compressed and most closely resembles the flagellum of D. piscivultus and D. brooksi in dorsal view but differs from the former in the rounded shape of the upper lobe (rectangular in D. piscivultus) and from the latter by the presence of a dorsal lobe (absent in D. brooksi). It most closely resembles the flagellum of D. piscivultus in lateral view due to the convex dorsal margin and the tapering tip, but differs from D. piscivultus by the concave dorsal margin that lacks the overhanging process found in D. piscivultus and by the posterior position of dm4, which is anterior and on the dorsal slope of the flagellum, below the overhanging process in D. piscivultus. Females differ from all other species of Draculoides by the anterior placement of dm1 with respect to vm2 and vl2 close to the posterior margin of the flagellum.
Description (adults). Colour. Yellow-brown; propeltidium, pedipalps and flagellum darker.
Cephalothorax. Propeltidium with 2+1 apical setae in a triangular formation on anterior process and 2 + 2 + 2 setae; eye spots absent. Mesopeltidia separated. Metapeltidium faintly divided. Anterior sternum with 12 (♂)(♀) setae (including 2 sternapophysial setae); posterior sternum triangular with 7 (♂)(♀) setae.
Chelicera. Fixed finger with 2 large teeth plus 5 (♂), 4 (♀) smaller teeth between these, 2 (♂), 1 (♀) tiny lateral teeth on proximal finger; membranous area between fixed and movable fingers with 3 large, lanceolate, terminally pilose setae (G1); G2 composed of 7 (♂)(♀) setae; G3 composed of 4 (♂)(♀) setae; internal face of chelicera with 3 (♂)(♀) short whip-like setae (G4); brush at base of fixed finger composed of 8 (♂), 7 (♀) setae (G5A), each densely pilose in distal half and G5B composed of 11 (♂), 9 (♀) setae; G6 with one seta; G7 composed of 4 (♂)(♀) setae. Movable finger serrula composed of ca.16 (♂), 17 (♀) long lamellae, blunt guard tooth present subdistally; 1 large accessory tooth present at two-thirds from base of serrula.
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; claw 0.6 × 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: 2 macrosetae + 6 microsetae (microsetae in column), tergites III–IX: 2: 2: 2: 2: 2: 2: 4; segment XII with small dorsal process (♂ only).
Female genitalia. Two pairs of spermathecae with equal-sized lobes, each pair connected basally before connection with bursa (Fig. 28G), distally round; plicate; sparsely covered with small pores; gonopod short, circular, distally slightly bifurcate.
Flagellum. Male: in dorsal view, strongly laterally compressed (Figs. 26 D–F, 28A–C); in lateral view, dorsal margin strongly convex, tapering to flat posterior region; ventral margin evenly rounded; 3 × longer than broad; seta dm1 situated dorso-medially, slightly closer to anterior margin; seta dm4 situated approximately midway between dl1 and dl3; dl1 between dl3 and vl1; dl3 on posterior margin; vm2 situated below vm1; vm5 situated slightly above dl1, midway between vl2 and vm3; 1 pair of microsetae near anterior end, and three pairs between vl1 and dl3. Female: 2.5 × longer than broad (Figs. 27 D–F, 28D–F); seta dm1 situated in middle of second flagellomere, slightly anterior to vm2; setae dl1 tiny, situated posterior to vl1, dm4 situated subdistally, equidistant between dl1 and dl3; dl3 situated at posterior margin marginally more posterior than vl2, vm1 situated in line with vm2, vm3 situated closer to vm1 than to vm5, vm5 halfway between vm3 and vl2, left vm3 absent; vl1 situated posterior to vm3 and anterior to dl1; 1 pair of microsetae baso-laterally on flagellomere III.
Dimensions (mm). Holotype male (WAM T143338): Body length 3.75. Propeltidium 1.04/0.62. Chelicera 0.62. Flagellum 0.46/0.15. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.50, femur 0.46, patella 0.62, tibia 0.58, tarsus 0.19, claw 0.12, total excluding claw 2.35.
Paratype female (WAM T147346): Body length 3.80. Propeltidium 1.21/0.63. Chelicera 0.77. Flagellum 0.19/0.08. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.54, femur 0.62, patella 0.62, tibia 0.52, tarsus 0.29, claw 0.10, total excluding claw 2.58.
Variation. Body length (males) 3.37–3.75 (n = 2) (females) 3.51–3.80 (n = 2).
Remarks. No sequence data are available designate this new species. Draculoides karenbassettae is known from three locations north of Mesa G in the Robe River Valley, situated in the western edge of the Hamersley Range, Western Australia (Fig. 1B). The juvenile specimens listed above are associated with this species by locality.
Other names. WAM SCH040 (Abrams et al., 2019), Phoenix Environmental Sciences DNA05.
Etymology. The specific epithet is named in honour of Karen Bassett, in recognition of her commitment to the Western Australian Museum.
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 50-54, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4864.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4416849