New unidentate jumping spider genera (Araneae: Salticidae) from Australia
Author
Richardson, Barry J.
text
Zootaxa
2013
3716
3
460
474
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3716.3.8
b2b517ad-cb04-4b76-9bd1-97a22ae0aa07
1175-5326
222120
B406C8D0-7F2F-4BDA-B142-D26295D70FEF
Neon
Simon, 1876
Type
species:
Salticus reticulatus
(Blackwall, 1835)
.
Diagnosis
. As in Logunov (1998). The genus can be distinguished from other Australian genera of tiny unidentate salticids by the presence of a large diverticulum forming the posterior part of the spermatheca and separated from it by a lateral groove when viewed externally (fig. 33).
Remarks.
Logunov (1998) redefined the genus and comments on the two presently recognised sub-genera,
Neon
and
Dicroneon
Lohmander 1945.
Neon
is distinguished by the presence of a finely speculated lobe at the embolic base. This is not found in
Dicroneon
, though single spicules representing an undeveloped or reduced lobe are present (Logunov 1998). The Australian species described here are clearly not members of the subgenus
Neon
as they lack the speculated lobe and should be presently placed in the sub-genus
Dicroneon
. In the material available at least two different groups based on morphology are present. The first, including many species from eastern
Australia
and represented here by
N. taylori
n. sp.
, is most similar in morphology to
N. sumatranus
Logunov 1998
from
Indonesia
and
N. kovblyuki
Logunov 2004
from the Crimea and elsewhere. The second, represented by
N. australis
and undescribed species from South
Australia
and Western
Australia
, has palp morphology and fringing on L1 very similar to that seen in
N. nojimai
Ikeda 1995
from
Japan
. In the absence of female specimens of
N. nojimai
or
N. australis
, they have been left in
Neon
for the present, though they may well belong in a new genus.
The molecular phylogeny of the
Salticidae
developed by Maddison and co-workers places
Neon
in the Astioida and most closely related to the Australian based Astiae radiation. It is possible as a consequence, that
Neon
is an originally Australian genus that has spread to other regions. However the only species of this genus sequenced (Maddison and Hedin 2003; Bodner and Maddison 2012),
N. nelli
, belongs within the subgenus
Neon
,
unlike all the presently known Australian species that are more similar to members of the subgenus
Dicroneon
from the oriental region.
The genus is common and widespread in litter throughout
Australia
, from the highlands of Tasmania through the hot, dry inland to the wet tropics and includes many undescribed species.