Open-access, online, rapid taxonomy
ISSN: 2653-4649 (Online)
Australian Journal of
Taxonomy
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A new species of pelican spider (Araneae: Archaeidae) from the Whitsunday hinterland of central-eastern Queensland
Michael G. Rix and Mark S. Harvey
Author details ⏷
Michael G. Rix [1,2*] and Mark S. Harvey [2,3]
[1] Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum Collections & Research Centre, Hendra, Queensland 4011, Australia.
[2] Collections & Research, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool, Western Australia 6106, Australia.
[3] Adjunct, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
Abstract
Pelican spiders of the genus Austrarchaea Forster & Platnick, 1984 (family Archaeidae) are well represented in the tropical rainforests of central-eastern and north-eastern Queensland, with nine species currently described. However, this monophyleytic tropical fauna remains poorly documented relative to other lineages of Archaeidae from subtropical and temperate regions south of the St Lawrence Gap, with numerous additional species likely still unnamed. Here, we describe a new species from the Central Mackay Coast bioregion of central-eastern Queensland. Like other Australian Archaeidae, it is a short-range endemic taxon, known only from upland rainforest habitats in the Whitsunday hinterland near Airlie Beach. We show its clear morphological affinities to a closely related species from Eungella National Park, and further provide live habitus images and habitat information.
Cite this paper as: Rix MG & Harvey MS (2024). A new species of pelican spider (Araneae: Archaeidae) from the Whitsunday hinterland of central-eastern Queensland. Australian Journal of Taxonomy 64: 1–7. doi: https://doi.org/10.54102/ajt.8sf6i
This paper was published on: 14/5/2024