On new or poorly known Australian Filistatidae spiders (Araneae: Araneomorphae), including a study on the fine morphology of Wandella

ABSTRACT

I present an update on the taxonomy of the filistatid genera Wandella Gray and Yardiella Gray, both endemic to Australia. Two new species are described: Wandella grayi sp. nov., known from Queensland, and Wandella infernalis sp. nov., known from a single cave in Western Australia. The male of Wandella australiensis (L. Koch) and the females of Wandella stuartensis Gray and Wandella waldockae Gray are described and illustrated for the first time. New records are given for these and other species of Australian filistatids, including the first epigeal records of Yardiella humphreysi Gray, a species so far known only from caves. Updated distribution maps are presented. Additionally, I present novel morphological data for Wandella using light and scanning electron microscopy. The cephalothorax, spinning organs, genitalia and appendages of some species are illustrated in detail. I report the presence of a putative claw extensor muscle in the male palpal cymbium, and describe interesting modifications in the clypeal region of adult males. The phylogenetic significance of these characters is briefly discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Cribellate
• new species
• Prithinae
• taxonomy
• Wandella
• Yardiella

Acknowledgements

I am deeply indebted to the curators and curatorial assistants of the collections that have kindly made their material available for study: G.A. Milledge (AM), C.E. Griswold and A. Carmichael (CAS), K. Sparks (SAM), R. Raven and W. Hebron (QM), and M. Harvey and J. Waldock (WAM). The gorgeous photos of live specimens were kindly provided by A. Lance and R. Whyte (by courtesy of Bush Blitz – a nature discovery partnership between the Australian Government, BHP Billiton Sustainable Communities and Earthwatch Australia). Many thanks go to M.J. Ramírez and C.J. Grismado for thoughtful discussions on filistatid morphology and taxonomy, and to M.J. Ramírez for a critical reading of an earlier version of the manuscript. I thank S.L. Zonstein, two anonymous reviewers and the editor, A. Polaszek, for several suggestions which helped to improve the text. SEM images were taken at the MACN microscopy laboratory with the kind help of F. Tricárico.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a CONICET doctoral fellowship and by CONICET under grant PIP 2012–0943 and FONCyT under grant PICT 2011–1007.