Namea, RAVEN, 1984

GENUS NAMEA RAVEN, 1984 View in CoL

FIG. 12 View Figure 12

Namea Raven, 1984a: 2 View in CoL . Type species: Namea capricornia Raven, 1984 View in CoL , by original designation.

Diagnosis: Species of Namea closely resemble Teyloides and Teyl in that males of most species have the embolus arising from the lateral side of the pedipalpal bulb ( Fig. 12C, D View Figure 12 ). Namea can be distinguished from Teyloides by the absence in most species of a megaspur with an enlarged spine on the tibia I of males, and by the lack of coiled spermathecae in females. Namea can be further distinguished from species of Teyl and Teyloides by the presence in all but N. dahmsi Raven, 1984 and N. excavans Raven, 1984 of a stout and thick or long spine on the retroventral edge of the male pedipalpal tibia.

Description: Small to medium-sized nemesiid spiders. Coloration: usually yellow-brown to brown.

Cephalothorax: Carapace ( Fig. 12A View Figure 12 ) usually hirsute, with eight eyes in two rows; PME usually slightly smaller than other eyes; fovea straight to slightly procurved. Maxilla ( Fig. 12E View Figure 12 ) with strongly produced basal heel; with numerous cuspules distributed over medial half and heel of each maxilla, not restricted to narrow band; maxillary serrula absent. Labium ( Fig. 12E View Figure 12 ) wider than long, slightly indented anteriorly, usually without cuspules. Coxal cuspules absent ( Fig. 12B View Figure 12 ). Sternum ( Fig. 12B View Figure 12 ) with three pairs of sigilla; posterior pairs usually rounded to oval, submarginal.

Chelicera: Rastellum sometime present; cheliceral furrow with several prominent promarginal teeth and several small granules basomesally; intercheliceral tumescence soft and pallid.

Pedipalp ( Fig. 12C, D View Figure 12 ): Male tibia uniformly setose, without patch of spinules on retrolateral face, and without asetose ventral depression; tarsus (cymbium) long, with distinct medial constriction (in lateral view); with simple pyriform bulb and tapering embolus; embolus not reflexed.

Legs: Male tibia I ( Fig. 12F View Figure 12 ) usually without large ventral spur, with one or more megaspines; metatarsus I with slight proximal excavation; scopula usually present on entire ventral tarsi of legs I and II, and lighter scopula on tarsi III and IV, and metatarsi I and II; tarsi without spines; tarsus I not inflated; three claws, lateral claws each with two short rows of teeth; medial claw small and without ventral teeth.

Abdomen: Longer than wide. Two pairs of spinnerets; posterior median spinnerets unsegmented and separated by about diameter of spinneret; posterior lateral spinnerets three-segmented, apical segment elongate, digitiform.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 12G View Figure 12 ): One pair of spermathecae of variable shape.

Distribution: Species of Namea are known from the mesic forests of eastern Australia, with a range that extends from the Wet Tropics of north-eastern Queensland south to mid-eastern New South Wales ( Raven, 1984a).

Remarks: When first described, Namea was hypothesized to be most similar to Teyl ( Raven, 1984a) . It was formally included in the tribe Teylini by Main (1985a), based on the embolus originating on the retrolateral side of the bulb in the majority of species. The only species where the embolus arose distally, N. callemonda Raven, 1984 and N. dahmsi from south-eastern Queensland, were only doubtfully referred to Namea by Raven (1984a) and Main (1985a).

The single exemplar of Namea in our analysis, N. flavomaculata , was recovered as the sister-group to the genus Teyl ( Fig. 3 View Figure 3 ). Further taxa, especially the morphologically anomalous N. callemonda and N. dahmsi , are required to test the limits and monophyly of this diverse genus.

Included species: Namea brisbanensis Raven, 1984 ; N. bunya Raven, 1984 ; N. calcaria Raven, 1984 ; N. callemonda Raven, 1984 ; N. capricornia Raven, 1984 ; N. cucurbita Raven, 1984 ; N. dahmsi Raven, 1984 ; N. dicalcaria Raven, 1984 ; N. excavans Raven, 1984 ; N. flavomaculata ( Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918) ; N. jimna Raven, 1984 ; N. Nebulosa Raven, 1984 ; N. olympus Raven, 1984 ; N. salanitri Raven, 1984 ; and N. saundersi Raven, 1984 .