Deliochus zelivira, (KEYSERLING, 1887)

DELIOCHUS ZELIVIRA ( KEYSERLING, 1887) View in CoL

FIGS 27–30

Meta zelivira Keyserling, 1887: 210 , plate 19, figs 1–2 (female, male).

Deliochus zelivira Simon, 1894: 749 View in CoL ; Kuntner et al., 2008: 171, fig. C–D (female); Kuntner et al., 2009: 1453, fig. 2C–D (female).

Type material: Syntypes (1M, 1F, 3Juv): Australia, Queensland, Peak Downs , ( ZMUH, examined) .

Diagnosis: Males of D. zelivira can be distinguished by their slightly longer palpal tibia and longer hooks on embolus; the latter can be compared to D. humilis , which has shorter, serrated hooks and D.idoneus , which apparently lacks them. Females of D. zelivira have epigynal flaps posterior and lateral to the copulatory openings; D. humilis has flaps that are more directly posterior to the copulatory openings and D. idoneus has flaps that are lateral to the copulatory openings. Both sexes of D. zelivira have dark markings where the pars cephalica meets the pars thoracica ( Figs 28A, 29A), which is absent in other Deliochus .

Description

Female ( Figs 27A–D, 28) (from Queensland, Mount Flinders, QM S45266 View Materials ): Total length 7.57. Carapace 3.41 long, 2.45 wide, 3.41 high, yellowish brown, with fovea separating cephalic and thoracic areas darker; sternum 1.64 long, 1.28 wide, coloured as carapace with darker margins. Eye rows slightly recurved, anterior row more so than the posterior. AMEs on small prominence; lateral eyes juxtaposed, paired on a small prominences; AME diameter 0.20; AMEs interdistance c. 1 AME diameter; AME–PME distance c. 2/3. Clypeus c. ½ AME diameter. Paturon yellowish brown, with three prolateral and three retrolateral teeth; cheliceral fang curves mesally about a third of the way from paturon. Legs coloured as carapace; femur I sigmoid; formula 1243: femur I 3.84, patella I 1.09, tarsus I 3.64, metatarsus I 4.33, tarsus I 1.12; femur II 3.20, patella II 1.00, tarsus II 2.77, metatarsus II 3.03, tarsus II 0.93; femur III 2.13, patella III 0.77, tarsus III 1.34, metatarsus III 1.60, tarsus III 0.62; femur IV 3.01, patella IV 0.97, tarsus IV 2.16, metatarsus IV 2.91, tarsus IV 0.74. Abdomen 4.52 long, 3.70 wide, 3.17 high, with two dorsal longitudinal light stripes of guanocytes with dark brown between and on either side; abdomen laterally with 4–5 pairs of brown and white stripes, the anteriormost of which continues around the front of the abdomen; ventral side of abdomen brownish yelwith a brown marking between the epigastric furrow and spinnerets. Epigynum with sclerotized copulatory openings anterior and inset to epigynal flaps, flanked by tufts of setae. Copulatory ducts run anteriorly, turning three times before running posteriorly, ventral to region of copulatory duct proximal to copulatory openings, widening until it meets the two-lobed spermathecae in area where lobes join; fertilization ducts emerge posteriorly on dorsal area of spermathecae.

Male ( Figs 27E –I, 29) (from Queensland, nr. Lamington National Park, GH2516): Total length 3.30. Carapace 1.84 long, 1.23 wide, 0.60 high, yellowish brown to greenish brown in colour (becoming more yellow in preservative), with fovea separating cephalic and thoracic areas darker; sternum 0.85 long, 0.72 wide, coloured as carapace, with darker margin. Eye rows slightly recurved, anterior row more so than the posterior. AMEs on small prominence; lateral eyes juxtaposed, on small prominences. AME diameter 0.15; AMEs interdistance c. 1 AME diameter; AME– PME distance c. 1 AME diameter. Clypeus c. ½ AME diameter. Chelicerae yellowish brown, with three prolateral and three retrolateral teeth; cheliceral fang curves mesally about a third of the way from paturon. Legs coloured as carapace; femur I sigmoid; formula 1243: femur I 2.19, patella I 0.75, tarsus I 2.03, metatarsus I 2.42, tarsus I 0.77; femur II 1.57, patella II 0.54, tarsus II 1.50, metatarsus II 1.67, tarsus II 0.61; femur III 0.98, patella III 0.36, tarsus III 0.67, metatarsus III 0.80, tarsus III 0.38; femur IV 1.40, patella IV 0.49, tarsus IV 1.06, metatarsus IV 1.41, tarsus IV 0.43. Abdomen 1.94 long, 1.27 wide, 1.17 high, light brown with two dorsal longitudinal light stripes of guanocytes with red on either side (becoming dark brown in preservative); sides of abdomen with 4–5 pairs of brown and white stripes, the anteriormost of which continues around the front of the abdomen; abdomen light brown ventrally, with darker marking on posterior half. Palp ( Figs 27E–I, 29E–I) typical for Deliochus , with short tibiae (half the cymbium length), slightly narrow cymbium, and longer embolic barbs separated by nearly the barbs’ length from each other. Variation: Females’ (N = 3) total length 5.67–9.28; carapace length 2.65–3.80, width 2.05–2.55, height 0.94–1.76; abdomen length 2.92–5.35, width 2.64–4.35, height 2.31–4.70; sternum length 1.45–1.69, width 1.08– 1.28. Males’ (N = 3) total length 3.30–4.41; carapace length 1.84–2.43, width 1.23–1.65, height 0.59–0.76; abdomen length 1.91–2.42, width 1.27–1.75, height 1.17–1.56; sternum length 0.85–1.02, width 0.72–0.92.