Revision as of 15:56, 7 May 2012

Taxonavigation

Ordo: Araneae
Familia: Archaeidae
Genus: Zephyrarchaea

Name

Zephyrarchaea marae Rix & Harvey sp. n. – Wikispecies link – ZooBank link – Pensoft Profile

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West Gippsland Assassin Spider

Type material

Holotype male: Tarra-Bulga National Park, Tarra Valley, near Tarra Valley Picnic Area, Victoria, Australia, 38°26'51"S, 146°32'17"E, sifting elevated leaf litter under tree ferns, Nothofagus rainforest, 368 m, 1.IV.2010, M. Rix, D. Harms (MV K11580DNA: Ar18–138-M).
Paratypes: Allotype female, Gunyah Rainforest State Reserve, Toorah Road, 2 km SSW. of Gunyah, Victoria, Australia, 38°32'30"S, 146°19'00"E, pitfall trap, Nothofagus cunninghamii forest, 14.IX.–14.XI.1995, G. Milledge (MV K5921); 1 male, same data except 5.III.–7.V.1996 (MV K5923).

Other material examined

AUSTRALIA: Victoria: Tarra-Bulga National Park: same data as holotype, 3 juveniles (WAM T114025DNA: Ar18–139-J/Ar18–140-J); 0.2 km W. of Tarra Valley Picnic Area, 38°27'S, 146°32'E, pitfall trap, Nothofagus cunninghamii forest, 14.XI.1995 – 10.I.1996, G. Milledge, 1 juvenile (MV K5922). Dandenong Ranges National Park: Sherbrooke Forest, near start of Welch Track, off Nation Road, 37°54'24"S, 145°22'10"E, sifting elevated leaf litter under tree ferns, wet Mountain Ash/tree fern forest, 28.III.2010, M. Rix, D. Harms, 1♀, 2 juveniles (WAM T114024DNA: Ar13–135-F/Ar13–136-J/Ar13–137-J). Mount Worth State Park: Giants Circuit from Moonlight Creek Picnic Area, 38°16'54"S, 146°00'35"E, sifting elevated leaf litter under tree fern, complex eucalypt/tree fern forest with thick understorey, 400 m, 31.III.2010, M. Rix, D. Harms, 1 juvenile (WAM T114026DNA: Ar16–141-J).

Etymology

The specific epithet is a patronym in honour of Dr Māra Blosfelds, in recognition of her love for small spiders and the Australian forests.

Diagnosis

Zephyrarchaea marae can be distinguished from other known congeners except Zephyrarchaea vichickmani by the absence of a proximal tuft or brush on the male chelicerae (Fig. 17C); and from Zephyrarchaea vichickmani by the more sinuous, slender, S-shaped conductor sclerite 2 (C2) (Figs 17D–E) and the less concave, slightly convex anterior margin of the male diastema adjacent to the ‘neck’ (Fig. 17B). Females further distinguished from other known congeners except Zephyrarchaea vichickmani by the combination of a spherical abdomen (Fig. 17A), strongly concave post-ocular depression in lateral view (Fig. 9B), and moderately elevated ‘head’ dorsally (post-ocular ratio ≥ 0.25) (Fig. 9B).
This species can also be distinguished from other genotyped taxa (see Fig. 3) by the following 12 unique nucleotide substitutions for COI and COII (n = 7): G(69), G(345), G(552), G(762), G(786), A(1026), G(1059), T(1263), G(1341), G(1512), C(1584), C(1587), and can be further distinguished from all other Australian Archaeidae except Zephyrarchaea vichickmani by the absence of a COII amino acid residue at positions 1441–1443.

Description

Holotype male: Total length 3.03; leg I femur 1.99; F1/CL ratio 1.80. Cephalothorax dark reddish-brown; legs tan brown with darker annulations; abdomen mottled grey-brown and beige, with reddish-brown dorsal scute and sclerites (Fig. 17B). Carapace relatively short (CH/CL ratio 1.70); 1.10 long, 1.87 high, 1.08 wide; ‘neck’ 0.61 wide; highest point of pars cephalica (HPC) near posterior third of ‘head’ (ratio of HPC to post-ocular length 0.66), carapace with pronounced concave depression anterior to HPC; ‘head’ moderately elevated dorsally (post-ocular ratio 0.25) (Figs 8A, 8C). Chelicerae with short comb of accessory setae on anterior face of paturon (Fig. 17C). Abdomen 1.64 long, 1.31 wide; almost spherical in lateral profile, without dorsal hump-like tubercles; dorsal scute fused anteriorly to epigastric sclerites, extending posteriorly to cover anterior two-thirds of dorsal abdomen. Unexpanded pedipalp (Figs 17D–F) bulbous, almost spherical, with gently curved, tapering embolus supported by conductor sclerites 1–2 (C1–2); C2 relatively slender, sinuous, with S-shaped proximal portion; tegular sclerite 1 (TS 1) strongly curved, claw-like in prolateral view, with twisted, flattened and rounded apex; TS 2–3 projecting well beyond retro-distal rim of tegulum.
Allotype female: Total length 3.95; leg I femur 2.10; F1/CL ratio 1.76. Cephalothorax dark reddish-brown (with paler, partially encrusted material on ‘neck’); legs tan brown with darker annulations; abdomen variably beige-grey (Fig. 17A). Carapace relatively short (CH/CL ratio 1.86); 1.19 long, 2.22 high, 1.17 wide; ‘neck’ 0.72 wide; highest point of pars cephalica (HPC) approaching posterior third of ‘head’ (ratio of HPC to post-ocular length 0.62), carapace with pronounced concave depression anterior to HPC; ‘head’ moderately elevated dorsally (post-ocular ratio 0.26) (Fig. 9B). Chelicerae without accessory setae on anterior face of paturon. Abdomen 2.31 long, 1.90 wide; spherical in lateral profile, without dorsal hump-like tubercles. Internal genitalia (Fig. 17G) with cluster of ≤ 15 sausage-shaped spermathecae fanning out either side of gonopore, clusters widely separated along midline of genital plate.
Variation: Males (n = 2): total length 3.03–3.23; carapace length 1.09–1.10; carapace height 1.85–1.87; CH/CL ratio 1.69–1.70. Females (n = 2): total length 3.74–3.95; carapace length 1.18–1.19; carapace height 2.09–2.22; CH/CL ratio 1.77–1.86.

Distribution and habitat

Zephyrarchaea marae is known only from temperate rainforest and mesic closed forest habitats in the Dandenong and Strzelecki Ranges of West Gippsland, east and south-east of Melbourne, Victoria (Fig. 27).

Conservation status

This specieshas a relatively widespread distribution in several National Parks and State Forests, and is not considered to be of conservation concern.

Original Description

• Rix, M; Harvey, M; 2012: Australian Assassins, Part II: A review of the new assassin spider genus Zephyrarchaea (Araneae, Archaeidae) from southern Australia ZooKeys, 191: 1-62. doi

Images

Figure 3. Phylogeny of Zephyrarchaea species from Rix and Harvey (2012)[1], showing results from a combined, gene-partitioned Bayesian analysis of that study’s multi-gene dataset (2591 bp: COI, COII, tRNA-K, tRNA-D, ATP8, ATP6, H3). Clades with >95% posterior probability support are denoted by thickened branches, with lower individual clade support values shown above nodes. Note the presence of three main regional clades, each illustrated with an exemplar species (highlighted*). The Victorian species Zephyrarchaea grayi sp. n. and Zephyrarchaea porchi sp. n. were not able to be sequenced for this study (shown as black dots on inset map).  Figure 4. Diagnostic characters of Zephyrarchaea gen. n. and Austrarchaea Forster & Platnick. A–B, Cephalothorax, lateral view, showing differences in carapace height and the position of accessory setae on male chelicerae: A, male Austrarchaea harmsi Rix & Harvey; B, male Zephyrarchaea marki sp. n. C–D, Expanded male pedipalps, retro-ventral view, showing differences in the articulation and fusion of the conductor sclerites: C, Austrarchaea helenae Rix & Harvey; D, Zephyrarchaea marae sp. n. bH = basal haematodocha; C = conductor; C1–2 = conductor sclerites 1–2; Cy = cymbium; E = embolus; Es = embolic sclerite; H = distal haematodocha; T = tegulum; (TS)1–3 = tegular sclerites 1–3. Scale bars: C–D = 0.2 mm.   Figure 5. Carapace morphology of Zephyrarchaea species. A–B, Zephyrarchaea mainae (Platnick): A, male pars cephalica, dorso-lateral view, showing accessory setae (AS) on and adjacent to proximal cheliceral bulge; B, female pars cephalica, antero-lateral view, showing cheliceral foramen (CF) and ocular bulge (OB). C–D, Zephyrarchaea marae sp. n.: C, male cephalothorax, antero-lateral view; D, male pars cephalica and chelicerae, frontal view, showing dorsal ‘head’ region and cheliceral foramen (CF). E, Cheliceraeof male Zephyrarchaea mainae, lateral view, showing proximal accessory setae (AS) and ectal stridulatory file (SF). F–G, Detail of carapace of male Zephyrarchaea marae, lateral view, showing granulate cuticle and setose tubercles (sT).   Figure 6. Abdominal morphology of Zephyrarchaea species. A–B, Male abdomens, dorso-lateral view, showing dorsal scutes (S) and additional dorsal sclerites (ds) on hump-like tubercles: A, Zephyrarchaea mainae (Platnick); B, Zephyrarchaea marae sp. n. C, Female epigastric region of Zephyrarchaea mainae, ventral view, showing setose book lung covers (BL) and median genital plate (GP). D, Male epigastric region of Zephyrarchaea mainae, ventral view, showing fusion of epigastric sclerites. E, Abdominal cuticle of male Zephyrarchaea marae, lateral view, showing sclerotic spots (ss) surrounded by short setae. F, Spinnerets of female Zephyrarchaea mainae, posterior view (ventral side uppermost), showing anterior lateral (ALS) and posterior lateral (PLS) spinnerets anterior to anal tubercle (AT), and the absence of a colulus.  Figure 8. Lateral ‘head’ profiles of males of species of Zephyrarchaea, showing variation in carapace shape as quantified by the post-ocular ratio (P.O. Ratio) and ratio of highest point of carapace relative to post-ocular length (HPC Ratio): A, holotype Zephyrarchaea marae sp. n., showing the derivation of morphometric ratios; B, holotype Zephyrarchaea vichickmani sp. n.; C, holotype Zephyrarchaea marae sp. n.; D, holotype Zephyrarchaea porchi sp. n.; E, holotype Zephyrarchaea melindae sp. n.; F, holotype Zephyrarchaea barrettae sp. n.; G, holotype Zephyrarchaea mainae (Platnick, 1991b); H, holotype Zephyrarchaea marki sp. n.; I, holotype Zephyrarchaea janineae sp. n.   Figure 9. Lateral ‘head’ profiles of females of species of Zephyrarchaea, showing variation in carapace shape as quantified by the post-ocular ratio (P.O. Ratio) and ratio of highest point of carapace relative to post-ocular length (HPC Ratio) (see Fig. 8): A, allotype Zephyrarchaea vichickmani sp. n.; B, allotype Zephyrarchaea marae sp. n.; C, holotype Zephyrarchaea grayi sp. n.; D, holotype Zephyrarchaea austini sp. n.; E, Zephyrarchaea mainae (Platnick, 1991b); F, allotype Zephyrarchaea janineae sp. n.; G, holotype Zephyrarchaea robinsi (Harvey, 2002a); H, allotype Zephyrarchaea melindae sp. n.; I, allotype Zephyrarchaea barrettae sp. n.  Figure 17. Zephyrarchaea marae sp. n. A–B, Cephalothorax and abdomen, lateral view: A, allotype female (MV K5921) from Gunyah Rainforest State Reserve, Victoria; B, holotype male (MV K11580) from Tarra-Bulga National Park, Victoria. C, Holotype male chelicerae, lateral view, showing accessory setae. D–F, Holotype male pedipalp: D–E, bulb, retrolateral view, with inset showing twisted apex of tegular sclerite 1 in retroventral view; F, detail of distal tegular sclerites, prolateral view. G, Allotype female internal genitalia, dorsal view. C1–2 = conductor sclerites 1–2; E = embolus; GP = genital plate; T = tegulum; (TS)1–3 = tegular sclerites 1–3. Scale bars: A–B = 1.0 mm; E = 0.2 mm.   Figure 27. Zephyrarchaea marae sp. n., distribution and habitat: A, topographic map showing the known distribution of Archaeidae in Victoria and South Australia, with collection localities for Zephyrarchaea marae highlighted in yellow; B, satellite image showing detail of inset (A); C, cool-temperate Nothofagus rainforest at the type locality – Tarra Valley, Tarra-Bulga National Park, Victoria (April 2010). Image (C) by M. Rix.

1. ↑ Rix M, Harvey M (2012) Phylogeny and historical biogeography of ancient assassin spiders (Araneae: Archaeidae) in the Australian mesic zone: evidence for Miocene speciation within Tertiary refugia. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 62: 375-396. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.009