Australian Journal of
Taxonomy
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Kwonkan seductus Harvey, Wilson & Rix, sp. nov.
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ZooBank LSID: http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/8B49B2EB-C179-4FF7-A63A-FCDBD1577858

Holotype

AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: ♂, Yulara, 25°12’S, 130°58’E, 1998, T.G. Spokes (MAGNT A005348).

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Figures 36–52. Kwonkan seductus Harvey, Wilson & Rix, sp. nov., male holotype (MAGNT A005348): 36, cephalothorax, dorsal; 37, cephalothorax, ventral; 38, eyes, dorsal; 39, fovea, dorsal; 40, sternum, ventral; 41, abdomen, dorsal; 42, abdomen, ventral; 43, left sigillae, ventral; 44, left maxilla, ventral; 45–48, left pedipalp: 45, prolateral; 46, tibia and tarsus, prolateral; 47, tibia and tarsus, ventral; 48, tibia and tarsus, retrolateral; 49–52, left leg I: 49, prolateral; 50, tibia, prolateral; 51, tibia, retrolateral; 52, metatarsus, prolateral. Scale bars = 2.0 mm.

Diagnosis

Males of Kwonkan seductus differ from all other species of the genus by the presence of several long spines on the prolateral surface of the pedipalpal tibia (Figures 46, 47), and further from K. dissitus, to which they are most similar, by their darker colour (Figures 36–52).

Description (male holotype, MAGNT A005348)

Large anamid spider (total body length 17.2).

Colour (in alcohol): Carapace deep brown (Figure 36); legs brown, some segments with longitudinal pale stripes, tarsi paler; chelicerae deep red-brown (Figure 36); abdomen dorsally pale creamy-yellow with grey-brown markings (Figure 41), and ventrally pale yellow-brown (Figure 42).

Cephalothorax: Carapace (Figure 36) 1.02 x longer than broad; sparse fine setae, or larger setae around margin; silver setae absent; without dorsal bristles; clypeal edge protruding medially. Fovea (Figure 39) strongly procurved. Eyes (Figure 38): on distinct mound; from above, anterior eye row straight, posterior eye row slightly recurved; AME about same size as PME; ALE and AME the largest; AME and ALE both same and smallest; eye group length 0.65, width 1.33. Chelicerae (Figure 36) with 3 well-defined strips of brown bristles; rastellum absent; promargin of tooth row with 6 teeth, retromargin with 0 teeth. Labium (Figure 40) fused to sternum; without cuspules. Maxillae (Figure 44) with ca. 110 cuspules; located on the basal half. Maxillae noticeably darker than coxae I–IV (Figure 37). Sternum (Figure 40): round; 1.09 x longer than broad; bristles sparsely over entire surface; with 3 pairs of sigilla, each pair increasing in size from anterior to posterior; posterior pair elongate and slightly curved.

Pedipalp (Figures 45–48): Tibia cylindrical, narrow; asetose depression absent; tarsus short; densely setose; bulb ovoid; embolus slightly longer than bulb and gently curved.

Legs: Coxal cuspules absent (Figure 37). Tibia I with large megaspur (Figures 50, 51); TIL/TID 3.80; TIS/TIL 0.58; TISH/TID 0.75; metatarsus incrassate; MIL/MID 6.28; MIPEL/MIL 0.41; scopula present on all tarsi, present on distal half of metatarsi I and II, 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 7.9; tibia I 5.3; metatarsus I 6.5; II 7.8; III 7.3; IV 9.5.

Abdomen (Figures 41, 42): 1.42 x longer than broad; densely pilose. Spinnerets: 2 pairs of spinnerets; PMS unsegmented and separated by about diameter of spinneret; PLS 3-segmented, apical segment elongate, digitiform.

Dimensions (mm): Total body length (with chelicerae, but excluding spinnerets) 17.2. Carapace length 7.7; width 7.3, sternum length 4.1; width 3.75, abdomen length 7.5; width 5.3.

Figures 36–52. Kwonkan seductus Harvey, Wilson & Rix, sp. nov., male holotype (MAGNT A005348): 36, cephalothorax, dorsal; 37, cephalothorax, ventral; 38, eyes, dorsal; 39, fovea, dorsal; 40, sternum, ventral; 41, abdomen, dorsal; 42, abdomen, ventral; 43, left sigillae, ventral; 44, left maxilla, ventral; 45–48, left pedipalp: 45, prolateral; 46, tibia and tarsus, prolateral; 47, tibia and tarsus, ventral; 48, tibia and tarsus, retrolateral; 49–52, left leg I: 49, prolateral; 50, tibia, prolateral; 51, tibia, retrolateral; 52, metatarsus, prolateral. Scale bars = 2.0 mm.

Remarks

Kwonkan seductus has been collected from Yulara in Central Australia (Figure 1), which is located in the south-eastern section of the Great Sandy Desert bioregion. The date of collection is unknown but, like many other male trapdoor spiders, it is likely to be during or soon after a rainfall event.

This species was included in a molecular phylogeny of Anamidae (Harvey et al. 2020) under the name Kwonkan sp. ‘MYG650’ for which the following sequences are available in GenBank: COI, MT656266; and 12S, MT656258. The specimen was originally lodged in the Western Australian Museum (WAM T145316) but has since been transferred to Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory.

Etymology

The species epithet is an adjective that refers to the presence of this species in central Australia (seductus, Latin, remote, apart) (Brown 1956).