Australian Journal of
Taxonomy
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Scorpionoides cooloolabioblitz sp. nov.
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Type material. Holotype male (QM S124013): Rainbow Beach, QLD, -25.909395, 153.093678, 11th of March 2023, E. Yeoman, beaten from foliage, collected during the ‘Mini Cooloola BioBlitz’.

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Figure 6. Holotype male S. cooloolabioblitz sp. nov. (QM S124013) (A) dorsal habitus (B) eyes, face-on (C-E) palp sequence (C) prolateral aspect (D) ventral aspect (E) retrolateral aspect. Scale bars: (A) 1mm (B) 0.3mm.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from all other species by the distinctly quadrate dRTA.

Description. Holotype Male (QM S124013): Cephalothorax (Fig. 6A) brown, ocular half darker, supporting many iridescent setae. All eyes with dark borders, anterior eyes fringed with iridescent setae. Clypeus is very narrow (Fig. 6B). Chelicerae brown, short, retromargin with large protuberance supporting triangular tooth, promargin with 2 distinct teeth. Endites, labium, and sternum concolorous, dark brown. Abdomen dorsally brown with two pallid median transverse lines, supporting iridescent setae (Fig. 6A); ventrally grey, spinnerets pallid. Legs. L1 brown, tarsi, and metatarsi translucent; L2 translucent except for femur and trochanter; L3-L4 fawn, translucent. Palp (Figs. 6C-E): Cymbium light. Tegulum ovoid; spermduct begins medially, circumvents tegulum. Embolus emerges apically, short, and straight, very slight prolateral inclination (Fig. 6D). RTA short, ventral process smallest, rounded apex, dorsal process wider, square-shaped (Fig. 6E). Dimensions: TL 2.53, CL 1.31, CW 1.02, AL 1.34 AW 0.89. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.30, ALE 0.14, PME 0.04, PLE 0.10. AME-AME 0.01, AME-ALE 0.01, ALE-PLE 0.34, PLE-PME 0.16, PME-PME 0.74. EFL 0.57, AERW 0.87, PERW 0.90.

Female: Unknown.

Figure 6. Holotype male S. cooloolabioblitz sp. nov. (QM S124013) (A) dorsal habitus (B) eyes, face-on (C-E) palp sequence (C) prolateral aspect (D) ventral aspect (E) retrolateral aspect. Scale bars: (A) 1mm (B) 0.3mm.

Etymology. In recognition of the Cooloola BioBlitz, a species discovery program dedicated to uncovering and documenting the immense biodiversity of the Cooloola Coast.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality.