Nyssus coloripes Walckenaer, 1805

Nyssus coloripes Walckenaer, 1805 View in CoL

( Figs 2a View FIGURE 2 , 4f View FIGURE 4 , 5c View FIGURE 5 , 6c View FIGURE 6 , 7f View FIGURE 7 , 73a–d View FIGURE 73 , 74a–g View FIGURE 74 , 135 View FIGURE 135 . Map 37. Appendix 1)

Nyssus coloripes Walckenaer, 1805: 52 View in CoL , pl. 6, figs 57, 58. Type lost.

Agelena coloripes : Walckenaer, 1842: 25. Transferred to Supunna by Simon, 1897a: 168.

Agroeca picta L. Koch, 1873: 483 . Syntypes in ZMB, ♀, juvenile, examined. Brisbane, Queensland. New synonymy.

Supunna picta : Simon, 1897a: 168; Forster, 1979: 94, figs 24, 152, 357–361; Davies, 1985: 119; Davies, 1986: 35, fig. 53; Platnick, 1989: 448

Supunna versicolor Simon, 1896 a: 407 ; Simon, 1897: 168; Rainbow, 1911: 254. " Victoria int.[erior]". ♀ lectotype, 1 juvenile ♀ and 1 penultimate ♂ paralectotypes, here designated, from Victoria. MNHN 2.825. New synonymy.

Medmassa bicolor Hogg, 1900: 112 ; Rainbow, 1911: 256. 2 juveniles, 2 penultimate ♂, Macedon, Dividing Range, Victoria, BMNH, examined. New synonymy.

Supunna michaelseni Simon, 1909: 175 ; Rainbow, 1911: 253. Holotype juvenile ♀ in ZMB 24296, examined. Harvey, Western Australia. New synonymy.

Storena variepes Rainbow, 1912: 192 ; Davies, 1985: 119; Platnick, 1989: 448. First synonymised by Davies, 1985 with Supunna picta .

Storena auripes Rainbow, 1916: 45 , pl. 14, figs 16–18. Type from Pentland, north-eastern Queensland, AMS KS6683, examined. New synonymy.

Material. Type of Nyssus coloripes not found in MNHN, ZMH, ZMB, BMNH. Queensland: neotype (here designated) of Nyssus coloripes , ♂, Sunday Creek Conservation Area, Mt Cotton , 27.598°S, 153.247°E, 40 m, open forest, pitfall, 8–11 Feb 2010, C. Burwell, A. Nakamura, QM S88291 View Materials GoogleMaps .

Non-type material. Australia. Queensland: 1♀, same data as neotype but 1 Dec 2009, malaise trap, QM & BAAM, QM S88321 View Materials . (See Appendix 1 for full list of QM material also see and http://bie.ala.org.au/ search?q= Nyssus+coloripes ) GoogleMaps . Western Australia: 1♀, Lower Carwin Gorge , [21°29'S, 121°02'E], 16 Jun–2 Jul 1988, L.N. McKenna, WAM 98 About WAM GoogleMaps /1674. Victoria: 1♂, Kotupna-Barmah Rd at Ellingtons Bridge , 36°04'S, 145°02'E, 18–23 Jul 1994, G. Milledge & P. Lillywhite, MV K44362 View Materials GoogleMaps ; 1♂, Lower Moira , 7 km SE Barmah, 36°04'S, 145°00'E, 17–22 Jan 1994, G. Milledge & P. Lillywhite, MV K4392 GoogleMaps ; 1♂, Murray Valley Hwy, Deep Creek Xing, 36°08'S, 145°11'E, 2–7 Dec 1994, S. Hinkley et al., MV K4522 GoogleMaps ; 1♂, 11.4 km SSE confluence Lindsay River & Mullaroo Creek , 34°13'S, 141°10'E, Jun 1986, A.L.Yen, MV K4710 GoogleMaps ; 2♂ Goulburn River , 12 km SSE Nathalia, 36°09'S, 145°13'E, 17–22 Jan 1994, G. Milledge, MV K4531 GoogleMaps ; 1♂, Murray Valley Hwy, Skeleton Creek Xing , 36°06'S, 145°11'E, 10–17 Apr 1994, MV K4439 GoogleMaps ; 1♂, Kotupna-Barmah Rd at Ellingtons Bridge , 36°04'S, 145°02'E, 26–30 Jan 1995, S. Hinkley et al., MV K4402 GoogleMaps ; 1♂, Deep Creek , 7 km SSE Barmah, 36°04'S, 139°58'E, 17–22 Jan 1994, G. Milledge & P. Lillywhite, MV K4393 GoogleMaps ; 2♂, Murray Valley Hwy, 0.3 km NNW Walshs Bridge Rd, 36°06'S, 145°11'E, 10–17 Apr 1994, G. Milledge & P. Lillywhite, MV K4438 GoogleMaps . Northern Territory: 1♂, Darwin , 12°27'S, 130°50'E, 14 Oct 1913, MV K4340 GoogleMaps ; 1♂, Uluru-Kata Tjuta NP, new bore 6 km SW Yulara, 25°17'S, 130°55'E, Oct 1994, Museum of Victoria Horn Expedition Centenary Survey , MV K4443 GoogleMaps ; 1♀, Finke Gorge NP, 11.3 km S Hermannsburg, 24°03'S, 132°44'E, Oct 1994, Museum of Victoria Horn Expedition Centenary Survey , MV K4444 GoogleMaps . Tasmania: 1♂, TMAG J3570 View Materials . New Zealand: NZAC collection : 1♀, NN: Nelson , Apr 1996, L. Richards, bit leg while in bed ; 1♀, AK: Henderson , 36°53'S, 174°38'E, 10 Apr 1990, High School student GoogleMaps ; 1♀, AK: Kaukapakapa , 36°37'S, 174°30'E, 10 Nov 1991, D. Russell, bitten on arm in bed GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. Males and females are unusual in Nyssus in that there is no distal constriction on femora III, IV (as in Fig. 75b View FIGURE 75 ) and differ from N. jaredwardeni in the paired patches of white or yellow feathery hairs on the abdomen. Further females are unusual in the very large and almost contiguous copulatory orifices ( Fig. 74c View FIGURE 74 ) and males in that the embolus tip is relatively longer and extends closer to the cymbial tip ( Fig. 74b View FIGURE 74 ).

Description Neotype ♂ QM S88291 View Materials

Carapace 3.00 long, 2.25 wide. Abdomen 2.81 long, 1.56 wide. Total length 5.7.

Colour: carapace with uniform cover of fine black hairs and erect black bristles. A line of bristles from fovea to eyes. White hair patches: on carapace, on fringe of carapace, overlaps with submarginal caput under eyes but not right across; reniform pair on back edge of caput; subovoid areas NNE and SEE of fovea; two long posterior strial bands. Patches on abdomen (from front to back): pair on lower front corners; lunate pair dorsally; long ovoid medially and reniform pair outside it; two subovoid pairs in quadrangle; small median pair and two larger lunate; hourglass patch above anal tubercle. Legs I and II with basally black femora (half, I; 5/6 of II) with stripes of white hair, otherwise orange yellow; legs III and IV black with stripes of white hair; palps dark orange to brown; abdomen ventrally paler than laterally. Eyes: AME almost touching ALE, AME wider apart; PME–PLE less than PME–PME. Chelicerae: brown, stout; fangs slightly diagonal, fang shield low with long slender bristles. 2R, 2P. Sternum: cordate, brown, with fine hairs; no precoxal sclerites. Maxillae brown with pallid anterior inner edge; labium subquadrate with pallid anterior edge. Legs: two white bands, one distal, one at just basal of midpoint; white tuft on outer coxae from above. Metatarsi with ca. 11 erect setae set out in each of 4 lines or dorsolateral and ventrolateral metatarsi. Femora III and IV unmodified distally. Trochanters I and II with shallow notches, deeper on III and IV. Apical bristle on all pedal patellae. Claws: as high as tufts; with three long teeth. Spines: all strong save for ventrally on tibiae I and II. I: fe pv1p2d3r1; pa 0; ti v2.2.2 attenuate; me v2.2 strong, none distal. II: fe p2d3r1; pa 0; ti v2.2.2 attenuate; me v2.2. III: fe p2d3r2; pa 0; ti p2d1r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.3. IV: fe p2d3r2; pa long thick distal bristle; ti p2d1r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.3. Palp: fe p1d2; pa p1d1; ti p2; ta p2d1. Palp: tibia with low plate-like process prodistoventrally; transverse groove on prolateral face; cymbium canoe-shaped with pointed process retrolaterally in basal third, just off twisted distal cymbial edge; bulb a simple tear-shaped tegulum with embolus apically twisted; oaracymbial spine distinct, on raised base. Abdomen: narrow dorsal scute for half length; without ventral scute, only epigastric region with scute; tracheal scute small, papular. Colulus distinct, triangular.

Female QM S88321 View Materials , As for ♂ but :

Carapace 4.18 long, 2.81 wide. Abdomen 5.31 long, 3.12 wide. Total length 9.2. Chelicerae: fang shield well delimited but only long weak bristles on edge. Legs: large white feathery hairs on pedal coxae, trochanters and femora. Spines: spines weak ventrally on tibiae I and II. No spines on ventral palpal femur. I: fe pv1p2d3r1; pa 0; ti v2.2.2 attenuate; me v2.2 strong, none distal. II: fe p2d3r1; pa 0; ti v2.2.2 attenuate; me v2.2. III: fe p2d3r2; pa d1 distal; ti p2d1r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.3. IV: fe p2d4r1; pa d1 distally; ti p2d1r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.3. Palp: fe p1d2; pa p1d1.1; ti d1p2; ta p1r1 basal. Abdomen: dorsal scute small, on anterior face and less than 0.1 of length dorsally; tracheal scute indistinct. Black feathery hairs dominant, intermixed with golden scales dorsally. Epigyne: distinct paragenital brackets laterally. Pair of deep copulatory orifices with C-shaped crescentic ridge "facing" anterolaterad; spermathecae tri-lobed–anterior, central and posterior, smooth walled not highly convoluted.

Remarks. Nyssus coloripes , as here defined, is highly variable and forms a complex of closely related "species", which will only be resolved by a combination of behavioural, morphological and molecular studies.

The defining combination of characters ( Fig. 63a–d View FIGURE 63 ) for N. coloripes are that the distal half of femur through to the tarsus of leg I (often also II) is yellow, all other legs are dark brown or black. Typically, the carapace is orange brown with a narrow stripe of white hair medially and submarginally on each side. Females have a small triangular scute anterodorsally on the abdomen; anteriorly a rectangular medial band of white hair is followed by a pair of white spots, a chevron, a short hammerhead-shaped spot and a terminal spot; laterally, an anterior large rectangle is closely followed by 3–4 white spots, none of which intrude on the ventral face; the venter has a well-defined V of brown on darker brown. The eyes are all of a similar size with the posterior row so strongly curved that the PME are in a separate row. The female epigyne ( Fig. 74c, d View FIGURE 74 ) is externally a pair of lunate or auricular ridges opening anteriorly; the ridges are well separated and lead to the copulatory openings; these are sometimes accompanied posteriorly by a pair of shallow ridges in the form of closed parentheses. The element of variability is the extent height and presence of the ridges, which are thought to facilitate the locking of the paracymbial spine in the male. The smaller ridges form part of the posterior edge of the ridge forming the CO and vary from absence, through a small shallow crescentic ridge to a deep distinct cavity.

The male palp of N. coloripes ( Fig. 74a, b View FIGURE 74 ) is, like most of the castianeirines, quite simple with a large basal tegulum tapering to a spiralled distal embolus which tapers in a half turn to a point; the paracymbial spine is on a distinctly raised process and the spine itself is triangular. The dorsal abdominal scute on the male covers from one-third to half of the abdomen. The pattern of the dorsal abdomen of males may be quite reduced from females.

MAPS 37–42. Records of Australian species of Nyssus Walckenaer,1805 .

The major limitation with the use of the dorsal abdominal pattern in Nyssus coloripes is two-fold: it is formed mainly by the presence of white feathery hairs which can be easily lost during collection and subsequent transport, and males may show a strong reduction in pattern

Distribution and Habitat. N. coloripes occurs widely in Australia (including Tasmania) and has also been found in New Zealand (introduced) but not yet on Norfolk, Lord Howe Island or New Caledonia. It is diurnally active on the ground in open forest or in open spaces near closed forest.