Nyssus albopunctatus ( Hogg, 1896 ), 2015

Nyssus albopunctatus ( Hogg, 1896) View in CoL , new combination

( Figs 79b View FIGURE 79 , 80a–e View FIGURE 80 , 135 View FIGURE 135 . Map 37. Appendix 1.)

Liocranum albopunctatum Hogg, 1896: 328 (published February, 1896); Hogg, 1900:111. Central Australia, Illamurta.

Holotype ♀, BMNH, 1924.3.1.844, examined. Supunna funerea Simon, 1896 a: 407 (published September–October, 1896); Simon, 1897b: 160, 167–8; Rainbow, 1911: 253.

Holotype, ♀, Launceston, Tasmania, MNHN 4.178, examined. New synonymy. Supunna albopunctata : Simon, 1897: 168; Rainbow, 1911: 256. Storena albomaculata Rainbow, 1902: 485 ; Rainbow, 1904: 323; Rainbow, 1911: 148; holotype female, AMS, examined. New synonymy. Supunna albomaculata : Davies, 1985, 119; Platnick, 1989: 448.

Material. Australia: (see Appendix 1 for list of QM material and http://bie.ala.org.au/ search?q= Nyssus+albopunctatus ). New South Wales : 1♂ 1♀, Jamieson Park, Narrabeen, 33°43'S 151°17'E, woodland litter, M. R GoogleMaps . Gray, H.M. Smith, AM KS44524 . Tasmania: 1♂, Pioneer, Old Chum Dam, scrub woodland, L. Boutin, TMAG : 1♀, 1♂, 24 Oct 1989, TMAG ; 1♂, 19 Dec 1989, TMAG ; 1♂, 23 Jan 1990, TMAG ; 1 juvenile ♀, 21 Nov 1989, TMAG . Northern Territory: 1♀, Illamurta (spring), 24°18'S, 132°41'E, May–Jun 1894, Horn Expedition, MV K161 GoogleMaps . New Zealand. NZAC collection : 1♂, AK: Ranui, 36°52'S, 174°36E, on carton from Australia, 10 Apr 1990; 1♂, NN: Nelson, 41°16'S, 173°17'E GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. Males and females differ from those of other species in the group by the more numerous (10) patches of white hair dorsally on the abdomen ( Fig. 80c View FIGURE 80 ); males differ from those of N. pseudomaculatus sp. nov. and N. jonraveni sp. nov. in the presence of a paracymbial spine ( Fig. 80a View FIGURE 80 ) and from those of N. paradoxus sp. nov. in the absence of a large RTA ( Fig. 80a View FIGURE 80 ). Females differ from all other Nyssus species in the combination of the strong constriction on femur IV (as in I. auripilosus sp. nov., Fig. 42d View FIGURE 42 ) and the large CO ( Fig. 80d View FIGURE 80 ).

Description Male QM S62277

Carapace 3.75 long, 2.69 wide. Abdomen 3.81long, 2.50 wide. Total length 7.7.

Colour: carapace dark red-brown with light cover of fine black hairs and dense patches of white hairs forming narrow carapace margin and paired markings: long pair widely flanks eyes to half caput length, three irregular pairs laterally; abdomen dorsally dark red brown with extensive scute also decked in both black and white hairs: a pair in lower lateral face, larger pair on anterior shoulders, five successively smaller pairs converging posteriorly, two pairs in mid-lateral abdomen and in posterior third; ventral abdomen with dark red-brown scute; legs dark red brown, coxae dorsally with silver hairs; small white tufts on distal tibia and patellae III and IV; sternum, maxillae and labium dark red-brown, coxae lighter, inner maxillary margin pallid; white tuft high on each chelicera; white bands basally on femur IV. Carapace: pear-shaped; caput and thorax raised. Line of long erect black bristles from PME to fovea and irregular line on lateral caput along contour anteriorly. Chelicerae with fang shield; dentition 2R, 3P on long ventral groove. Maxillae: linear serrula; rectanguloid with shallow groove. Labium long, semicircular. Sternum broadly cordate with fine cover of black hair. Legs: femora I and II deepest in basal third; IV and less so III with strong glabrous constriction ventrally in distal quarter. Femora I–IV with white feathery hairs basolaterally. Shallow notches on trochanters I–IV. Feathery hairs on all leg segments except coxae, trochanter and palp, none evident on dorsal abdomen but band near epigastric furrow. No preening combs. Spines: strong on III and IV, very weak on tibiae I and II. I and II: fe p1d3r1; pa 0; ti v2.2.0; me, v.2.2.0. III: fe p2d3r2; pa 0; ti p2r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.1. IV: fe p1d3r2; pa 0; ti p2d1r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.1. Palp: fe p1d2; pa p2w; ti p2w; ta 0. Scopula: metatarsi I and II with pairs of light lateral scopula for length; III and IV, as I but only for distal half; distinct and entire but not dense on tarsi I and II; in lateral bands for length of III and IV. Tufts: short, dense, vertical, encloses claw and with basal, longitudinally directed separate cluster. Abdomen: extensive dorsal scute extends down anterior and lateral face for half-height and for ca. 0.75 of abdomen dorsally; laterally not joined to ventral or genital scute; pedicel sclerotised but not joined to abdomen except by unsclerotised tissue. Post-epigastric sclerites deep, for half ectal length of book-lung; ventral scute rectanguloid, with soft edges with small feathery hairs; tracheal scute broadly conical with bluntly rounded tip. Spinnerets inverted. Palp: tibia short with ventral saddle forming proventral flange; no RTA but diagonal line of four long bristles at that point; cymbium long, narrow with long tapering apical cone; retrobasally with small mound capped with small triangular spines; apical cymbium with ca. 6–8 short, thick bristles and 5–6 long thick black bristles basodorsally; bulb with expanded haematodocha, narrow subtegular lobe lies in lateral concavity of tegulum which is basally bulbous, apically tapering gradually to spiralled embolus with basal keel.

Female QM S62277

Carapace 4.00 long, 3.13 wide. Abdomen5.50 long, 3.75 wide. Total length 9.6.

Colour: carapace as male but uniformly with adpressed black feathery hairs, abdomen faded but others as in Fig. 80c View FIGURE 80 . Legs black with white bands on all sub-basal and distal femora, distal patellae, and distal tibiae III and IV. Chelicerae: fang shield low but distinct with irregular line of ca. 20 long black sinuous and externally dentate hairs overlying base of fang. Legs: coxae I– IV with transverse dorsal saddle; III and to lesser extent IV with distinct conical mound mid-dorsally; coxae III and IV with posterior sclerite. Femora III and IV as in male. Spines: none on pedal patellae; very weak on tibiae I and II; femoral spines strong. I: fe p1d3; ti v2.2.0; v2.2.0. II: like I but fe: p1d3r1. III: fe p2d3r1; ti p2r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.3. IV: fe p2d2r1; ti p2d1r2v2.2.2; me p3r3v2.2.3. Palp: fe p1d2; pa p1d1; ti p2d1; ta p2r1v 2w. Scopula: for length of metatarsi I and II but medially weak; entire for length of tarsi I and II; in distal third of metatarsi III, for length of tarsi III but widely divided; entirely absent on IV. Palp: with three teeth in basal third of claw, strongly bent distal of teeth, no tuft, dorsal tarsus with band of short thick bristles. Abdomen: dorsally with uniform cover of dark feathery hairs; dorsal scute small, triangular, slightly on anterior face and only for 0.1 of length; no ventral scute; tracheal scute small with broad ridge; genital scute like male. Spinnerets: PLS slightly smaller than ALS; PMS slightly smaller than PLS. Spigots: PLS, two large cylindrical; PMS, three large cylindrical; ALS, field of smaller pyriform and four longer major ampullate on inner edges. Colulus an isolated sclerotised hirsute triangle of cuticle, not a lobe. Epigyne: long trapezoidal, narrower at front through the cuticle of which two large spermathecae are evident; posteriorly a pair of lunate ridges set biconcave form median septum. Paragenital weakness not isolating epigyne. Post-epigastric sclerites deep, almost semicircular, extending for 0.7 of booklung aperture .

Remarks. Males occur in one of two forms in which the rectanguloid scute on the ventral abdomen may be present or apparently absent. Males of both forms are sympatric in at least some sites taken in the same sample. No other consistent difference has been found between the two forms. It would appear that, in males, the degree of sclerotisation of the scute is not consistent and this may be related to the time since moult: males with ventral scute weak or not hardened are presumed to have been taken soon after the moult.

This is the third combination of names commonly applied to this species. Davies (1985) used Supunna albomaculata, Raven & Lawless (1995) and Raven & Seeman (2007, 2008) used Supunna funerea and, for the first time, the combination Nyssus albopunctatus is followed here.

Distribution and habitat. As with N. coloripes , N. albopunctatus is found in open forest habitats throughout Australia, including Tasmania, as well as parts of New Zealand.