Australian Journal of
Taxonomy
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Holotype
AUSTRALIA: South Australia: ♂, Lake Eyre North, Prescott Point, Madigan Gulf, 28°59’S, 137°42’E, on sand, 1–5 May 1965, J. Mitchell, N. McFarland (SAM NN26509).
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Diagnosis
Males of Kwonkan dissitus differ from K. currycomboides and K. linnaei by the lack of cuspules on coxae III and IV (Figure 3); from K. eboracum, K. goongarriensis, K. moriartii and K. silvestris by the more elongate pedipalpal tibia (Figures 12–14); from K. procul by the less acutely angled ventral spur and megaspine on tibia I (Figures 16, 17), and the thicker embolus, which curves gradually to a point (Figures 12–14), as opposed to the thinner, straighter embolus of K. procul; and from K. seductus, to which it is most similar, by their lighter colour (Figures 2, 3, 7, 8) and by fewer spines on the pedipalpal tibia (Figures 12–14).
Figures 2–18. Kwonkan dissitus Harvey, Wilson & Rix, sp. nov., male holotype (SAM NN26509): 2, cephalothorax, dorsal; 3, cephalothorax, ventral; 4, eyes, dorsal; 5, fovea, dorsal; 6, sternum, ventral; 7, abdomen, dorsal; 8, abdomen, ventral; 9, left sigillae, ventral; 10, left maxilla, ventral; 11–14, left pedipalp: 11, prolateral; 12, tibia and tarsus, prolateral; 13, tibia and tarsus, ventral; 14, tibia and tarsus, retrolateral; 15–18, left leg I: 15, prolateral; 16, tibia, prolateral; 17, tibia, retrolateral; 18, metatarsus, prolateral. Scale bars = 2.0 mm.
Description (male holotype, SAM NN26509)
Medium-large anamid spider.
Colour (in alcohol): Carapace uniformly yellow-brown (Figure 2); leg I red-brown (Figure 15), legs II to IV uniformly yellow-brown; chelicerae yellow-brown with darker infuscations anteriorly and laterally (Figure 2); abdomen dorsally pale creamy-yellow (Figure 7), and ventrally pale yellow-brown (Figure 8).
Cephalothorax: Carapace (Figure 2) 1.08 x longer than broad; sparse fine setae, larger setae around margin; silver setae absent; with brown bristles dorsally; clypeal edge straight. Fovea (Figure 5) slightly procurved. Eyes (Figure 4): on distinct mound; from above, anterior eye row straight, posterior eye row nearly straight; AME about same size as ALE; ALE and AME the largest; AME and ALE both same and smallest; eye group length 0.6, width 1.41. Chelicerae (Figure 2) with 3 well-defined strips of brown bristles; rastellum absent; promargin of tooth row with 8 teeth, retromargin with 3 teeth. Labium (Figure 6) fused to sternum, without cuspules. Maxillae (Figure 10) with ca. 100 cuspules; located on the basal half. Maxillae noticeably darker than coxae I–IV (Figure 3). Sternum (Figure 6): oval; 1.31 x longer than broad; bristles sparsely over entire surface; with 3 pairs of sigilla (Figure 9), each pair increasing in size from anterior to posterior; posterior pair elongate.
Pedipalp (Figures 11–14): Tibia cylindrical, narrow; asetose depression absent. tarsus short; densely setose; bulb ovoid; embolus slightly longer than bulb and gently curved.
Legs: Coxa I with 18 cuspules (Figure 9); other coxae without cuspules (Figure 3). Tibia I with large megaspur (Figures 16, 17); TIL/TID 3.92; TIS/TIL 0.40; TISH/TID 0.73; metatarsus incrassate (Figure 18); MIL/MID 6.73; MIPEL/MIL 0.37; scopula present on all tarsi, absent on metatarsi; trichobothria: tibia with numerous trichobothria in 2 rows, metatarsi with several trichobothria; tarsi with numerous trichobothria, claws: with 2 rows of teeth; claw tufts absent. Dimensions (mm): Femur I 7.1; tibia I 5.0; metatarsus I 5.9; II 6.7; III 6.4; IV 8.2.
Abdomen (Figures 7, 8): densely pilose with bristles. Spinnerets: AMS short; ALS long.
Dimensions (mm): Total body length unknown (shrivelled). Carapace length 7.0; width 6.5. Sternum length 3.8; width 2.9. Abdomen unknown (shrivelled).
Remarks
Kwonkan dissitus has been collected from the northern region of Lake Eyre, South Australia (Figure 1), which is located in the Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields bioregion.
Etymology
The species epithet is an adjective that refers to the presence of this species in north-eastern South Australia (dissitus, Latin, apart, remote) (Brown 1956).