Cruralonga gracilare (Womersley, 1963), 2025
publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.53.139979 |
publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1E071F8F-C789-4A2B-AF60-0E4AAFBA475F |
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17028703 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/74DDAF7C-BF02-52A9-8693-D958AEEB5607 |
treatment provided by |
|
scientific name |
Cruralonga gracilare (Womersley, 1963) |
status |
comb. nov. |
Cruralonga gracilare (Womersley, 1963) comb. nov.
Neotrombidium gracilare Womersley, 1963 b p. 150 ; Australia; 1 ♀; Holotype; SAMA J 14200 ; Fig. Tree Cave , Wombeyan, New South Wales; 21 Aug. 1960; B. Dew leg.
Type-specimen.
Holotype adult, mounted on microslide in Hoyer’s medium. Original labels: “ Fig. Tree Cave / Wombeyan / 21-8 - 1960 / Det H. Womersley ”, “ LEEUWENHOEKIIDAE / ♀ / HOLOTYPE / Neotrombidium / gracilare n. sp. / Det H. Womersley ” .
Discussion.
Cruralonga gracilare is only known from postlarvae. The type locality is Fig. Tree Cave, New South Wales which is also the type locality for C. gracilipes . As suggested in its original description, C. gracilipes may be a junior synonym of C. gracilare .
The following characters are reasons for transfer of Neotrombidium gracilare to Cruralonga : anterior sensory area is long, blunt-ended and spade-shaped hence not short, broad and rounded as in typical adult Neotrombidium . The arrangement of setae in this species conforms to Nullarbor Cruralonga . For body setae, the median tine of triradiate setae is subequal to other tines. Coxa I bears a strong, angular, anteriorly-directed process arising from its anterodistal (prolateral) face. Legs of C. gracilare are substantially longer than other Neotrombidiidae , approaching the condition in Nullarbor Cruralonga (Table 2 View Table 2 ). The holotype was examined at SAMA and conforms to the genus diagnosis. The number of eyes could not be confirmed from the holotype however based on Womersley’s (1963 b) illustrations and description, Cruralonga gracilare comb. nov. supposedly differs from Cruralonga milnerii sp. nov. in retaining a pair of eyes on an ocular plate.
The species identity of specimens not from the type locality and other specimens recorded from New South Wales and Victoria (Hamilton 1967) will need examination including via recollection. Womersley (1963 b) states “ … South Australia in bat guano ” in a key for Neotrombidium gracilare , but “ South Australia ” is not mentioned elsewhere in publications, nor in Hamilton (1967). This comment is likely a lapsus for southern Australia, but if not, note that essentially all of the hypogean South Australian material described by Womersley is from karst areas of SE South Australia.
SAMA |
South Australia Museum |
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
Kingdom |
|
Phylum |
|
Class |
|
Order |
|
Family |
|
Genus |
Cruralonga gracilare (Womersley, 1963)
Shaw, Matthew D. 2025 |
Neotrombidium gracilare
Neotrombidium gracilare Womersley, 1963 b p. 150 |