Teyl, MAIN, 1975

GENUS TEYL MAIN, 1975 View in CoL

FIGS 9–11 View Figure 9 View Figure 10 View Figure 11

Teyl Main, 1975: 74 View in CoL . Type species: Teyl luculentus Main, 1975 View in CoL , by original designation.

Merredinia Main, 1983: 931 . Type species: Merredinia damsonoides Main, 1983 View in CoL , by original designation, syn. nov.

Pseudoteyl Main, 1985a: 753 . Type species: Pseudoteyl vancouveri Main, 1985a View in CoL , by original designation, syn. nov.

Diagnosis: Most species of Teyl , Namea and Teyloides have the embolus arising from the lateral (usually retrolateral) side of the pedipalpal bulb ( Figs 9C View Figure 9 , 11C View Figure 11 , 12C View Figure 12 ), whereas in other Anamini it arises distally. The sole species of Teyl without this feature ( Fig. 10C View Figure 10 ), T. damsonoides (here transferred from Merredinia ), has a sinuate metatarsus I which also has a rounded process ( Fig. 10F View Figure 10 ). Teyl species differ from Teyloides by the lack of a megaspur on the tibia I of males and the lack of coiled spermathecae in females, and from most species of Namea by the absence of a stout and thick or long spine on the retroventral edge of the male pedipalpal tibia (see Raven, 1984a).

Description: Small to large nemesiid spiders. Coloration: ranging from pale to dark brown.

Cephalothorax: Carapace ( Figs 9A View Figure 9 , 10A View Figure 10 , 11A View Figure 11 ) strongly to sparsely hirsute, with eight eyes in two rows; PME slightly smaller than other eyes; fovea straight to slightly recurved. Maxilla ( Figs 9E View Figure 9 , 10E View Figure 10 , 11E View Figure 11 ) 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 ( Figs 9E View Figure 9 , 10E View Figure 10 , 11E View Figure 11 ) wider than long, slightly indented anteriorly, without cuspules. Coxal cuspules absent ( Figs 9B View Figure 9 , 10B View Figure 10 , 11B View Figure 11 ). Sternum ( Figs 9B View Figure 9 , 10B View Figure 10 , 11B View Figure 11 ) with three pairs of small sigilla; posterior pairs round to oval, marginal to subcentral.

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

Pedipalp ( Figs 9C, D View Figure 9 , 10C, D View Figure 10 , 11C, D View Figure 11 ): Male tibia uniformly setose, without patch of spinules on retrolateral face, and without asetose ventral depression; tarsus (cymbium) long and slender, with medial constriction (in lateral view); with simple pyriform bulb and tapering embolus; embolus usually reflexed, but occasionally not reflexed.

Legs: Male tibia I ( Figs 9F View Figure 9 , 10F View Figure 10 , 11F View Figure 11 ) without ventral spur, with one or more larger ventral spines; metatarsus I sometimes weakly incrassate, or sinuate; 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 ( Figs 9G View Figure 9 , 10G View Figure 10 , 11G View Figure 11 ): One pair of spermathecae of variable shape.

Distribution: Species of Teyl are known from throughout southern and central Australia, in both mesic and arid habitats. Along with Aname and Kwonkan , they are a major component of the mygalomorph fauna of the central inland arid zone.

Remarks: The molecular analyses recovered a clade containing species of Teyl , Pseudoteyl and Merredinia that was sister to Namea flavomaculata ( Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918) ( Fig. 3 View Figure 3 ). This group did not include reciprocally monophyletic clades for all three named genera, and we therefore treat Pseudoteyl and Merredinia as junior synonyms of Teyl (syn. nov.). This decision is supported by the morphological data: the original diagnoses of Teyl and Pseudoteyl suggest only slight morphological disparities ( Main, 1985a), which we here suggest are insufficient to maintain separate genera.

The morphological differences between Teyl and Merredinia are, however, more substantial. The embolus of Merredinia damsonoides (the sole named species of the genus) arises from the distal end of the pedipalpal bulb ( Fig. 10C, D View Figure 10 ), and the leg I of males has a sinuate metatarsus which also bears a bare rounded process ( Fig. 10F View Figure 10 ). More remarkably, an unusual male of Teyl MYG 455 from near Ravensthorpe (WAM T72719) was included in a clade with the Merredinia specimens ( Fig. 3 View Figure 3 ) and has features of both genera, that is, it has metatarsus I with a bare rounded knob (which fits the diagnosis of Merredinia ), but has a male pedipalp with the embolus arising from a lateral position (which matches the diagnosis of Teyl ). The molecular data suggest that species of Merredinia have been derived from a Teyl -like ancestor, and that the male embolus has moved from a lateral position on the bulb to a terminal one, as in the taxa traditionally attributed to the Anamini . Indeed, Teyl MYG 455 resembles T. yeni Main, 2004 from western Victoria, which also has a curved metatarsus I with a rounded knob and an embolus arising from the retrolateral side of the bulb ( Main, 2004). These data confirm that Merredinia is a junior synonym of Teyl (syn. nov.), a result which is further consistent with the observations of Main (1985a, 2004), who suggested that Merredinia may indeed be misplaced in the Anamini due to the lack of a large spur on the tibia I of males.

Included species: Teyl damsonoides ( Main, 1983) comb. nov., transferred from Merredinia ; T. harveyi Main, 2004 ; T. luculentus Main, 1975 ; T. vancouveri ( Main, 1985a) comb. nov., transferred from Pseudoteyl ; T. walkeri Main, 2004 ; and T. yeni Main, 2004 .