Battalus helenstarkae, Raven, 2015

Battalus helenstarkae View in CoL sp. nov.

( Fig. 30a–e View FIGURE 30 . Map 12)

Material. South Australia: holotype ♂, Renmark , 79 km NNW, 33°31'S, 140°24'E, Casuarina woodland, flight/ ground intercept trap, 29 Mar–3 May 1995, K. R. Pullen, QM S32646 View Materials . Paratypes GoogleMaps : South Australia: 1♂, chenopod plain, 10 km N of Farina , 29°59'S, 138°14'E, 25 Apr 1996, D. Hirst, SAMA NN28485 About SAMA ; allotype ♀, Calperum, 34°07'S, 140°38'E, 10–12 Nov 1996, L. Bebbington, SAMA NN28486 About SAMA ; 1♀, near Morgan, 34°02'S, 139°40'E, redgum floodplain, Sept 1997, P. Hudson, SAMA NN8377 About SAMA GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. Males differ from those of all other known species of Battalus in the conical cheliceral shield tipped with a spine ( Fig. 30c View FIGURE 30 ). Females are unusual in having spines on the ventral palpal patellae and a small retrolateral spine on femora I and II; females differ from those of B. semiflavus ( Simon, 1896) in the 4 pairs of spines both on tibiae I and II.

Etymology. In honour of Mrs Helen Stark, accomplished artist, who illustrated many of the illustrations of the carapace and abdomen used here (see Acknowledgements).

Description holotype male QM S32646 View Materials

Carapace 2.80 long, 2.08 wide. Abdomen 2.24 long, 1.60 wide. Total length 5.0.

Colour: carapace yellow brown with brown radial lines along strial ridges and caput; eye group black; abdomen dorsally red brown with medial dark brown tongue anteriorly; ventrally, sternum and labium red brown; all coxae yellowish, abdomen brown; legs yellowish with diffuse brown bands distally on femora-metatarsi, also with subbasal bands on tibiae and metatarsi and middle bands on metatarsi near spines; leg banding weak on I and II, strong on III and IV. Carapace: shiny with light cover of broad lanceolate feathery hairs. Eyes: AME much the largest. Sternum with broad lanceolate feathery hairs marginally. Chelicerae: long with long fang and almost vertical groove, dentition 2R, 3P. Large conical process at base of fang anteriorly ( Fig. 30c View FIGURE 30 ). Legs: trochanter IV deeply notched, others shallower; almost glabrous; weak scopula on metatarsi and tarsi I and II. Spines: all strong. I: fe pv1p2d3r1; pa 0; ti p2d1w v2.2.2.2; me p2v2.2. II: fe p3d3r3; pa 0; ti p2d1(w) v2.2.2.2; me p2v2.2. III: fe p2d3r2; pa d1.1; ti p2d1r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.3. IV: fe p1d3r2; pa d1; ti p2d1r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.3. Palp: fe p1d2; pa p1d2; ti p2d1; cymbium p2 basal. Abdomen: collapsed but no sign of large scutes; tracheal spiracle marked by broad ridge with 15–20 thorn-like spines over edge. Palp: tibia without strong ventral groove; cymbium without paracymbial spine, two long spines present basally; apex with light scopula; bulb long, tear-shaped, tapering to simple straight embolus.

Allotype female SAMA NN28486 About SAMA

Carapace 3.56 long, 2.56 wide. Abdomen 4.06 long, 2.94 wide. Total length 8.0. Colour: carapace orange brown with brown caput and brown radial "threads"; abdomen dorsally brown with small rectangular brown scute on anterior and dorsal edge (abdomen collapsed so extent unclear); laterally pallid with diagonal brown "threads", ventrally brown medial rectangle with paler lateral margins and pair of lines of 10 irregular pallid spots and dark sclerotised ridge surrounding wide tracheal spiracle; legs, sternum, coxae and chelicerae orange brown. Eyes: AME clearly the largest; PME with canoe-shaped tapetum. Chelicerae: geniculate; fang shield large with ca. 12 large serrate setae; fang tapers uniformly, diagonal. Legs: coxae smooth; RCH absent; no feathery hairs; strong setae ventrally on tarsi III and IV, not II, not forming rows as in B. microspinosus sp. nov. Spines: short spine retrolaterally on femora I and II; three long strong and one distal weak pair ventrally on tibiae I and II; two long strong pairs ventrally on metatarsi I and II. Palp: fe pv1d2v3; pa p1d2; ti p2d1; ta p2r1 (all basal). I: fe pv1p2d3r1 very short; pa 0; ti v2.2.2.2; me v2.2. II: fe pv1p2d3r0–1 very short; pa 0; ti p2v2.2.2.2; me v2.2. III: fe p3d3r3; pa 0; ti p2d1r2v2.2.2; me p2r2v2.2.1.+dw4. IV: fe p2d3r1l pa d1 apical; ti p2d1r2v2.2.2; me p2r2v2.1.2+dw4. Abdomen: genital scute entire. Tracheal spiracle wide, on low sclerotised mound. Post-epigastric sclerites small, Cshaped. Epigyne: pair of large crescentic ridges posterodiagonally directed outward from midline; spermathecae with large folded head leading posteriorly through several small diverticula.

Distribution. Known only from South Australia near the eastern border with Victoria.

Biology. The female from Calperum was taken with an egg sac of 11 large spheroidal eggs, each about 2 mm in diameter. The egg sac is a thin low dome of plastic-like silk with a broad edge that was presumably attached to a stick or rock.