Telaprocera (Araneae: Araneidae), a new genus of Australian orb-web spiders with highly elongated webs
Author
Harmer, Aaron M. T.
Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia. E-mail: aharmer @ gmail. com Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool DC, Western Australia 6986, Australia. E-mail: volker. framenau @ museum. wa. gov. au School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia. Corresponding author
Author
Framenau, Volker W.
text
Zootaxa
2008
2008-12-05
1956
1
59
80
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.1956.1.2
journal article
4872
10.11646/zootaxa.1956.1.2
4b7955ee-3859-4b8c-bfb9-e1dc78e948a3
11755334
5241075
Telaprocera
gen. nov.
Type
species.
Telaprocera maudae
sp. nov.
, designated here.
Etymology.
The genus name
Telaprocera
is formed by joining the Latin words
tela,
meaning web, and
procerus,
meaning long or tall. This name describes the remarkable elongated web built by the two species within this genus. The gender is feminine.
Diagnosis.
Telaprocera
gen. nov.
shares with the Argiopinae (
Argiope
,
Gea
and
Neogea
) the procurved row of the posterior eyes, although the degree of this curvature ranges from almost straight to noticeably procurved (
Figs 18, 20
,
28, 30
). A distinct, heavily sclerotised dorsal ‘keel’ on the cymbium of the male pedipalp serves as a putative synapomorphy of the genus and differentiates
Telaprocera
gen. nov.
from all other currently known genera within the Argiopinae (and other
Araneidae
) (
Figs 5
,
23
,
33
). Males also differ from the Argiopinae by the presence of a distinct terminal apophysis (
Figs 4, 7, 9
,
22, 23
,
32, 33
). Females differ from the Argiopinae in the presence of a scape, although it is very simple, short, and poorly differentiated (
Figs 10, 11
,
24, 25
,
35
). In addition, the epigynes lack the transverse rim and lateral depressions of the Argiopinae. In contrast to all other argiopine spiders, which build circular, often decorated, orb-webs,
Telaprocera
gen. nov.
build elongated ladder-webs without decorations (
Fig. 3
).
FIGURE 16.
Strict consensus tree (equally weighted analysis) illustrating a phylogenetic hypothesis for the position of
Telaprocera
gen. nov.
within the
Araneidae
for the dataset of
Scharff and Coddington (1997)
(l = 291; CI = 33, RI = 73).
FIGURE 17.
Strict consensus tree (Implied Weighting, k = 1) illustrating a phylogenetic hypothesis for the position of
Telaprocera
gen. nov
.
within the
Araneidae
for the dataset of
Scharff and Coddington (1997)
(l = 317; CI = 31, RI = 69).
Description.
Small to medium sized araneids (TL 3.5–7), males of similar size as females but with comparatively longer legs and narrower abdomens (
Figs 18–21
,
28–31
). Carapace moderately domed, pearshaped in dorsal view, and slightly longer than wide; moderately hirsute, particularly around eye region. AE row straight, PE row almost straight to distinctly procurved (
Figs 18, 20
,
28, 30
). Clypeus less than or equal to the diameter of AME. AME larger than PME, PLE larger than ALE. Median ocular area narrower posteriorly than anteriorly. PME with centralised canoe-shaped tapetum. Abdomen in dorsal view approximately round, more tapered posteriorly in
T. joanae
sp. nov.
(
Figs 18, 20
,
28, 30
). Distinct white dorsolateral humeral projections (
T. joanae
sp. nov.
) or white unraised dorsolateral patches may be present (
T. maudae
sp. nov.
) (
Figs 18, 20
,
28, 30
). Tibiae I and II with short, very stout spines, arranged linearly in
T. maudae
sp. nov.
Male
T. maudae
sp. nov.
tibiae II with fewer spines. Leg formula I> II> IV> III.
Male pedipalp patellae with one long macroseta. Cymbium of pedipalp with dorsal keel adjacent to paracymbium (
Figs 5
,
23
,
33
). Median apophysis smooth without prongs, flagella, spurs, serrations or other modifications, comparatively smaller in
T. joanae
sp. nov.
(
Figs 4, 7
,
22
,
32
). Conductor with lobes of variable shape. Embolic division highly variable between both species, simple in
T. maudae
sp. nov.
(
Figs 4
,
22
), but with basoembolic apophysis and digitiform process in
T. joanae
sp. nov.
(
Figs 7
,
32, 33
).
Epigyne heavily sclerotised, as wide as long in
T. maudae
sp. nov.
(
Fig. 24
) or wider than long in
T. joanae
sp. nov.
(
Fig. 34
). Scape not well differentiated, forming a blunt, posterior protrusion. Extreme distal portion of scape tapered and folded either anteriorly or posteriorly (
Figs 10, 11
,
24, 25
,
35
). Spermathecae globular, copulatory ducts short (
Figs 26
,
36
).