![Sample our Environment & Agriculture journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5934/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Environment-Agriculture.jpg"})
Abstract
The Australian wolf spider genus Dingosa Roewer, Citation1955 is revised to include four species: Dingosa simsoni (Simon, Citation1898) (type species); D. humphreysi (McKay, Citation1985), n. comb.; D. murata n. sp.; and D. serrata (L. Koch, Citation1877), n. comb. Dingosa belongs to the subfamily Lycosinae Sundevall, 1833 and differs from all other lycosine spiders by the structure of the male pedipalp, which has an enlarged embolic division and an unusually elongated tegular apophysis. The median septum of the female epigyne is inverted T‐shaped with the corners of the transverse part bent anteriorly in some species. Additional somatic characters, such as a raised cephalic region and distinct colour patterns of prosoma (narrow light longitudinal band between eyes) and opisthosoma (serrated cardiac mark) are unique within the Australian Lycosinae. Species within the genus Dingosa prefer sandy habitats with a sparse cover of vegetation where they construct a characteristic turret around their burrow entrance. All species mature in late summer to winter; females with eggsac can usually be found in July and August. The holotype of the Australian Dingosa topaziopsis (Hogg, 1896) is an immature spider and accurate species identification is not possible. This species is here considered nomen dubium. Dingosa is an Australian genus with much derived lycosine morphology. Other species from outside Australia currently included in this genus do not conform to the diagnosis of Dingosa. We propose the following new generic placements based on a critical evaluation of the original descriptions: Pardosa angolensis (Roewer, Citation1959), n. comb. (Angola), Pardosa completa (Roewer, Citation1959), n. comb. (Mozambique), Pardosa hartmanni (Roewer, Citation1959), n. comb. (Tanzania), and Trochosa ursina (Schenkel, Citation1936), n. comb. (China). We also support Mozaffarian and Marusik's (Citation2001) previous suggested combination Trochosa persica (Roewer, Citation1955). Dingosa traghardi (Lawrence, 1947) (South Africa) was described from an immature female holotype which is lost; this species is here considered nomen dubium.
Acknowledgements
We are indebted to a variety of curators, collection managers, and museum staff for assistance in accessing their collections either as loan or during visits to their respective institutions (in no particular order): Elise‐Anne Leguin and Christine Rollard (MHNP); Robert Raven and Owen Seeman (QM), Graham Milledge and Helen Smith (AM), Peter Lillywhite (NMV), David Hirst (SAM), Mark Harvey and Julianne Waldock (WAM), and Jason Dunlop and Shahin Nawai (ZMB). This study would have been impossible without the support of these institutions and their enthusiastic personnel. Éder Alvares provided information on species from South America that were misattributed to Dingosa. Torbjörn Kronestedt and Torsten Nortander assisted in the unfortunately unsuccessful search for the type material of Lycosa traghardi. This study forms part of a revision of Australian wolf spiders funded by the Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS) to Mark Harvey (WAM) and Andy Austin (University of Adelaide). Melissa Thomas, Charles Dondale, and Jung‐Sun Yoo provided helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.