Knoelle, a new monotypic wolf spider genus from Australia (Araneae: Lycosidae) Author Framenau, Volker W. text Zootaxa 2006 1281 55 67 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.173409 35be9144-74a5-4a2d-be11-42c5f112283e 1175­5326 173409 Knoelle gen. nov. Type species : Lycosa clara L. Koch, 1877 . Here designated. Etymology. The generic name honours my mother, the late Hildegard Framenau. ‘Knölle’ was a nickname she used frequently, and may refer to the German word Knolle (= spud). The gender is feminine. Diagnosis . Knoelle gen. nov. is similar to representatives of the genus Ve na t or Hogg, 1900 in respect to somatic characters, in particular its body colouration with a ventral black patch on the opisthosoma. However, it differs considerably by the presence of a large patch of macrosetae at the tip of the cymbium in males which is absent in Venator . Males in the genus Hoggicosa also have a patch of macrosetae at the tip of the cymbium, however it is much smaller. In addition, the tegular apophysis is very different in Hoggicosa as it is of a simple, triangular type lacking the two hooks and the lamellar structure characteristic for Knoelle gen. nov. Hoggicosa also have a very different body colouration with a distinct sexual dimorphism that is absent in Knoelle gen. nov. ( McKay 1973 , 1975 ). Description . Medium sized Lycosidae (TL ca. 10.0 – 25.0 mm). Males smaller than females. Prosoma longer than wide ( Fig. 1 ), dorsal profile straight in lateral view ( Fig. 4 ). Head flanks comparatively steep in males ( Fig. 5 ). Dorsal shield of prosoma brown to dark brown, with distinct light brown median and submarginal bands; submarginal and brown marginal bands irregular; white setae in median and submarginal bands. Anterior median eyes ca. twice as large as anterior lateral eyes, row of anterior eyes narrower than row of posterior median eyes; row of anterior eyes slightly procurved ( Fig. 5 ). Chelicerae with three promarginal and three retromarginal teeth. Labium shorter than or as long as wide. Opisthosoma mottled olive­grey, centrally lighter and with dark, irregular heart mark ( Fig. 1 ). Venter with a large black patch covering about three quarters of venter from epigastric furrow. Leg formula VI>I>II>III. Spination of legs: Femur: 3 dorsal, 2 apicoprolateral, 2 retrolateral; patella: 1 prolateral (male only), 1 retrolateral; tibia: 2 dorsal (male only), 3 ventral pairs, 2 prolateral (male only), 2 retrolateral; metatarsus: 3 ventral pairs, 2 prolateral (male only), 2 retrolateral (male only), 1 apicoprolateral (male only), 1 apicoretrolateral (male only), 1 apicoventral. Cymbium tip with large patch of macrosetae ( Figs 2 , 6–7 ). Tegulum undivided, large retrolateral tegular lobe; tegular apophysis with two distinct, basally directed hooks. Embolus originating prolaterally on palea and curving ventrally around it, long and slender. Terminal apophysis and pars pendula sickle­shaped ( Fig. 8 ). Epigyne with inverted T­shaped median septum, that widens anteriorly ( Figs 3 , 9 ). Distribution. As for species ( Fig. 11 ). Remarks. Knoelle clara comb. nov. is a typical representative of the subfamily Lycosinae as the tegular apophysis is ‘transverse, with a ventrally directed spur’ and it has a ‘sinuous channel on the dorsal surface’ ( Dondale 1986 ). A recent molecular phylogeny inferred from 12S rRNA and NADH1 that included seventy world­wide Lycosidae species placed K. clara comb. nov. as sister taxon to Allocosa hasseltii (parsimony analysis) or in a polytomy with most other Australian Lycosinae (Bayesian analysis) ( Murphy et al. 2006 ). Morphological evidence places Knoelle gen. nov. close to Ve n at o r or Hoggicosa (see generic diagnosis), but a detailed phylogenetic analysis of the Australian Lycosinae is required to ascertain the systematic position of the new genus.